MAN OF STEELE?

2/4/09

The selection of former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele as new chairman of the Republican National Committee could be the best move that the GOP has made in years. Admittedly, the bar is very low here, but I am very enthusiastic about this selection, and not because of the attribute the national punditry has decided is Mr. Steele’s most salient characteristic: that he is Black. Entirely too much is made of race in this country; it should not even be considered when assessing a person’s candidacy for any position. That having been said, it is heartening to think that the GOP might actually be reaching out beyond its increasingly narrowing base of white men and acknowledging that (Can you imagine that?) minorities and women actually live in our country, but, still, it is not Mr. Steele’s race that makes him such an attractive RNC head, but, rather, his feelings regarding our former and not at all lamented President.

When asked at a debate for RNC Chair candidates held earlier this month what he thought was the Bush administration’s biggest mistake, Mr. Steele answered “Failure to communicate on the war. Katrina. The bailout. Yeah, we’ll stop there.” Only I wouldn’t have stopped there; I could have gone on for about five days, but this is a good start.

That the Republicans could elevate to the chairmanship of their national committee a man who is willing to acknowledge that the GOP’s titular leader for the last eight years indeed had no clothes is a salubrious sign. Assuming that this is not just another case of Republican tokenism and me-tooism (“Hey, they almost nominated a woman for president, so let’s nominate a woman for vice-president. They nominated and elected a Black guy for President, so let’s take a Black guy and make him Party chair.”), Michael Steele’s selection indicates that there might actually be hope for the Republican Party. Probably not, but maybe.