The Chron On A Roll

This is an odd piece in the Chron.

First, it's an op-ed by the paper's Austin bureau chief (maybe the awful paper could do more reporting and less editorializing?). And second, it just has some tortured logic as well as missed opportunities.

For the most part, I agree with the thesis (to the extent it has one), which seems to be that Republican PR efforts to woo blacks are a bit silly. But the editorial might have explored the reasons why blacks continue to vote as a bloc for Democrats, actual issues that might break the Dem stronghold (i.e. school choice, and empowerment more broadly), and the potential realignment that would result (sorry blogkids, but the black vote and Hispanic vote probably represent the best chance for a Burnham-style realignment in the near term, not the libertarian fringe).

But no, none of that. Just this kind of tortured prose:

Instead of presenting an edited version of history, Republicans need to look more to the future, when minorities will make up a majority of Texans. Some Republicans are looking ahead, but the party's dominant anti-tax, pro-business, social conservative agenda hasn't caught on with most minority voters, who have historically been boosted by expanded educational opportunities, improved health care and affirmative action opportunities.

But at least nobody was savaged by a takedown or rope-a-dope strategy. In some ways, even bad newspaper writers still occasionally exercise better judgment than other writers.

[Posted at 23:57 CST on 05/11/02] [Link]