Florida County NAACP chief jumps to GOP : Lone Star Times

Florida County NAACP chief jumps to GOP

by The Panda Man · 11/17/2005 9:56 am

This is some interesting news out of Florida.

As of this week, Derrick Wallace, head of Orange County’s NAACP, has switched parties — to become a Republican. "I’ve thought about this for two years," Wallace said Tuesday afternoon, just a few hours after returning from the elections office. "This is not a decision I made yesterday."

While state Republicans and Democrats expressed their respective pleasure and dismay, Mr. Wallace gave his reasons for the switch. Unfortunately, ideology seems to have had little to do with the move.

Wallace, a construction-company exec, was candid about the fact that his business life was a big part of his decision to change. "It’s purely a business decision. Ninety percent of those I do business with are Republicans," he said. "Opportunities that have come to my firm have been brought by Republicans."

Not the most rousing speech in support of Republican policies, is it? In fact, it sounds more like Mr. Wallace made the move to make his business more marketable to prospective clients. He does attempt to tie that “marketability” to his work at the NAACP, but state Democrats were not impressed.

Lest you be disappointed, the story also managed to include some tired old accusations from Florida Democrats.

But Shea and other Democrats have long maintained that Republican talk about inclusion is little more than that: talk. They cite GOP policy after policy — on everything from voting rights to health care — that disproportionately negatively affects blacks.

Well, one of their own, for whatever reason, has now joined the “racist oppressor party.” We have seen what Democrats will do to a fellow party member who dissents in the case of Zell Miller. Keep an eye on Mr. Wallace, in the event he needs cushions for his political fall.

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Comments

8 Responses to “Florida County NAACP chief jumps to GOP”

gregg on November 17th, 2005 at 12:08 pm

This guy just gave me an idea. Ive been wanting to buy cheap basketballs and black hair care products from China to sell here. But wherever I go, all they see is a honky cracker trying to sell a brotha some cheap crap. Maybe I can become a black Liberal and get these fools to buy this crap from me. Man,why didnt I think of this before! All I need is to fool some of the people some of the time and I’ll be rich,rich,rich! I dont need that widow from the Ivory Coast after all.
Don Hooks on November 17th, 2005 at 12:24 pm

In the construction business clients are going to deal with your company because the quality of your work and don’t care about which party you align yourself with. It’s whats good for the bottom line not the party line.
squawkbox on November 17th, 2005 at 12:33 pm

Hmmm so this is how RINOs are created.
Willie on November 17th, 2005 at 12:55 pm

#4) Squawk:
Exactly! Where do you think all the conservative Democrats went?
There’s nothing like backing a winner. That’s why I always despised Cowboy fans.
jimb on November 17th, 2005 at 1:05 pm

#4 - hey now, I was born and raised in Dallas (well, I was born in Wichita Falls, but moved to Dallas as an infant), and I was a Cowboys fan even in the mid-late 80’s, when they were losing like crazy. No bandwagon here, although I gotta admit I turned off the TV on Monday nite when they were down 20-7. Was I ever pleased on Tuesday morning…
Willie on November 17th, 2005 at 1:14 pm

jimb:
No. As a native Houstonian, I was referring to Cowboy fans that live in Houston. If I’m not mistaken, I believe Dante had a special ring in Hell for just such folks.
malcolm on November 17th, 2005 at 1:16 pm

#1 Re the Ivory Coast windfall.
It’s just a well! Me and Earline had that deal sewed up Monday!
jimb on November 17th, 2005 at 1:31 pm

#6 Well - I just hope that Dante’s ring isn’t for transplanted Cowboys fans…