paul ryan black ex girlfriend

Paul Ryan black girlfriend - According to new reports, Paul Ryan had a black college sweetheart. No additional details were immediately available on the mystery woman, but GOP supporters say the revelation shows that Ryan is open-minded, while critics question whether the information is even newsworthy. The news follows reports from earlier this year on President Obama's college love life and white girlfriends.

Rep. Paul Ryan's ex-girlfriend -- who happens to be black -- is the focus of a debate on whether race matters in the 2012 elections for the GOP. Who knew African American girlfriends from the past would become an issue of debate to measure Mitt Romney's running-mate's electability?

Monday, Keli Goff, the political correspondent for TheRoot.com, published a story that has ignited a discussion about race in America and if it is fair game during an election year. The post is titled, "What We Know About Paul Ryan and Blacks."

An ex-girlfriend of Paul Ryan is black. Furthermore, the congressman's sister-in-law is African American as well. So what's the focus on Mitt Romney's vice-presidential running-mate at this juncture?


Goff explores whether a candidate's views and approach to race serves as a barometer for his or her political agenda and platform. While abortion, healthcare and the economy rank high among points of contention for Liberals, Conservatives and Moderates during the 2012 elections, issues on race and inequality are pushed to the back-burners.

"For the record: No, I am not calling Ryan a racist. I am saying, however, that if you want to know where a politician's heart lies when it comes to a particular community, it may be best to look at that person's policies -- such as his or her record on civil rights -- rather than personal relationships," Goff qualifies her argument about Congressman Paul Ryan's ex-girlfriend.

However, a writer with the New York Daily News scoffed at the idea that The Root's writer would suggest that race has anything to do with the GOP candidate's political practices. Whether the talk is about African Americans, Latinos or any other ethnic group, he believes its a non-issue.

Derek Hunter offered this rebuttal:

"In this incredibly dumb piece, Goff asks the all-important (to no one) question, '"Is the fact that Ryan has dated interracially a noteworthy detail to consider when analyzing his politics and policies?

"The simple answer is 'no.' But to race-obsessed liberals the simple answer has no place in politics."

Goff supports her argument about African American stereotypes that are often afforded an "exception." Here, she means that a person can still be a bigot towards a group and have black girlfriends, like Paul Ryan did.

She uses Lou Dobbs and Strom Thurman as examples. While both used rhetoric against a class of people in their professional lives, behind closed doors, they made allowances. This "exception," Goff points out, allows them to have bias towards a group, while still accepting the individual.

"This pointless piece ends up taking the long way around to implying Ryan is bad for black people and may not like them much, despite the fact that he has a black sister-in-law and a black ex-girlfriend. He's bad, but probably not a racist," Hunter adds.

While Goff brings up some salient issues during the GOP race against Obama, Hunter takes issue with circular reasoning.

Paul Ryan's ex-girlfriend may not be the dagger that dooms Mitt Romney and his running-mate against the incumbent president. However, merely saying that the Jim Crow era no longer exists and therefore Liberals should relax is a jaded approach to real world issues.

While it's comforting and rather benign to talk about the economy, gas prices and Obamacare, race does matter and deserves a dialogue.