CPAC 2: Black Power

Andre Harper pumps his fist in the air salute as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Somehow, I’m not surprised FOX chose to illustrate their CPAC article yesterday by ripping off a familiar symbol of black power and radicalism —  transferring this historic and visceral symbol of anger, empowerment, and radicalism to an audience of mostly grumpy, white GOP activists. (Notice, by the way, how the juxtaposition with the old guy boosts the vitality of the gesture and makes it that much stronger.)

The photo reminds me of Rove’s vision of  a “permanent Republican majority” — contingent, in part, on flooding the media with Bush Administration photo-ops with African Americans while pandering to black conservatives and evangelicals — in the hopes of peeling away a few percent of the African-American votes from the Dems each election.