In a move that will likely alienate and infuriate a significant portion of her black fanbase, ex-Single Ladies star Stacey Dash tweeted a photo of herself being embraced by GOP VP nominee Paul Ryan yesterday.
“Fighting the good fight. Godspeed,” she tweeted.
The Clueless actress followed up her tweet with a much longer post in which she sang the Republican presidential candidates praises:
I believe that Governor Mitt Romney believes in the American people. That we can be self evident, that we are capable of achieving the American dream. That there is enough for everyone. I believe that because he has proven his ability to lead,and his ability to be excellent as a CEO and as the Governor of Massachusetts. Governor Romney is the best choice to be our next President. He has achieved the American dream, he knows how to lead us the American people to realize our potential. By creating 12 million jobs, giving equal work for equal pay,by giving incentives and cutting loopholes, by keeping us safe and strong as a country of Super Power.
When Dash endorsed the GOP ticket earlier this fall via Twitter, it inspired a flurry of criticism from the left but also won the actress new fans on the right.
On CNN’s Piers Morgan, Dash said she was completely confused by what she she called the “fury” over her political announcement.
“I want the next four years to be different,” said Dash. “When I watched the governor and his wife on Meet the Press with David Gregory, they spoke to me and they seemed authentic and genuine about what they said about this country about the need for us to be united and move forward.”
Oscar-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg was one of the few prominent African-Americans to come to Dash’s defense.
“In America, where we all live,” Goldberg said, “we have the right to say, ‘Listen, I have a different opinion’ — without having some bonehead sitting in their house talking about, ‘You should be thinking like I think.’ No! That’s not America.”
However, Dash’s contemporary, actress Vivica A. Fox, garnered more headlines with her blistering critique of the timing and nature of Dash’s foray into presidential politics.
“I don’t know why [Stacey Dash] had to do a photo shoot in a Baywatch red swimsuit with the boobs and the whole flag behind her,” Fox said.
“And she doesn’t have a job or something to promote right now. I just didn’t get it. She’s entitled to her own opinion but it was just surprising that first of all she was a Republican, and that she did it the way that she did. Most politicians when you support them, you try to support them with class, you don’t need to do a swimsuit shoot.”