Because one cannot be the party of minorities AND bigots

I am heartened to see the RNC chairman Ken Mehlman make repeated overtures towards black voters. Touting tax cuts and home ownership is all very well, but there is no way that the GOP can make any significant headways in the minority vote without a concrete repudiation of the Southern Strategy. When that happens, there will no longer be a party in this country where racists can feel comfortable, and that will be a very good thing indeed -- for Republicans, for Democrats, for the whole damn country. Mehlman's speech to the NAACP national convention is a good start.

Despite this history, the Democratic Party by the 1960s had something real and tangible to overcome this legacy. Lyndon Johnson, a Democratic President, signed what in my opinion were the most important laws of the 20th century: the civil rights act, voting rights act, open housing law.

By the 70s and into the 80s and 90s, the Democratic Party solidified its gains in the African American community, and we Republicans did not effectively reach out.

Some Republicans gave up on winning the African American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization. I am here today as the Republican Chairman to tell you we were wrong.

Now it's up to Republicans all over the country at every level to follow through.