Lawmaker Says GOP Seeking 'The Great White Hope'

When the birthers started asking for President Barack Obama's original birth certificate, some on the left complained that their questioning whether the president is a natural-born citizen -- and thereby eligible to hold office -- was a stand-in for the real issue they have the with nation's first leader of African descent: He's not "one of us" ("us" meaning white people).

When the town hall loonies began to cry that they wanted their country back, again, some on the left wondered aloud if they meant back from black people.

So you've got to hand it to Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.). She doesn't mince words about who the Grand Old Party truly represents. The Republican Party is looking for the next "great white hope" to take on Obama and the Democrats, the lawmaker from Topeka said at an Aug. 19 forum at Fisher Community Center in the northeast Kansas community of Hiawatha.

Jenkins told people at the Hiawatha forum the nation could benefit from inspired leadership of a group of "really sharp" young Republicans in the House, particularly Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va. Cantor was mentioned as a possible GOP vice presidential candidate in 2008 and is thought to be interested in seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2012.

"Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope," Jenkins said to the crowd. "I suggest to any of you who are concerned about that who are Republican, there are some great young Republican minds in Washington."

SOURCE: CJOnline.com

Talk About 'Great White Hope' With Other BV Members Now

For those of you who haven't seen the 1970 film 'The Great White Hope,' starring James Earl Jones, the term originated when African American professional boxer Jack Johnson won the world heavyweight championship in 1908, raising the ire of racists who called for a "great white hope" to take the title from him.

They wanted their supremacy back so badly that when Johnson won a title bout in 1910 against white fighter Jim Jeffries, it sparked race riots around the country that took the lives of numerous blacks. Johnson was later forced to flee the country when the government prosecuted him over his marriage to a white woman.

Predictably, a spokesperson for Jenkins says the reaction to her comments is all a misunderstanding.

Mary Geiger, a spokeswoman for Jenkins, said the reference to a great white hope wasn't meant to denote a preference by Jenkins for politicians of a particular "race, creed or any background." Jenkins was expressing faith fellow GOP representatives in the House would be key players in returning Republicans to a leadership role in Washington, Geiger said.

"There may be some misunderstanding there when she talked about the great white hope," Geiger said. "What she meant by it is they have a bright future. They're bright lights within the party."

Bright lights? Any dim bulb can figure out she said what she meant. As the birthers, town hall loonies and the Republican politicians who condone them have shown, 100 years after Jack Johnson's heyday, some white Americans still cannot stand the idea of a black man winning.

Get over it.