Political candidates like to adopt catchy slogans to push their campaigns in the spotlight. Former presidential candidate Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan helped catapult him to the head of the Republican field. But a phrase adopted by Mitt Romney is starting to raise eyebrows.

The candidate, who likes to accuse President Obama of trying to turn the U.S. into a “European-style nation,” frequently employs the expression “Keep America American” on the campaign trail and in ads to contrast his positions. The trouble is, as Americablog has uncovered, it’s also an expression that was used by the racist Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s to promote hate against Blacks, Jews and others.

According to a pamphlet unearthed by the website Booman Tribune, the KKK used it to attract recruits to the racist organization. The tome, Why You Should Become a Klansman, described the group as being “of interest to white, protestant, native-born Americans who want to keep America American.”

Considering the racist history of the term, Romney should consider using something more inclusive.

BET Politics - Your source for the latest news, photos and videos illuminating key issues and personalities in African-American political life, plus commentary from some of our liveliest voices.

(Photos from left:  Scott Olson/Getty Images, Mathieson/MAI /Landov)