Michael Steele Redux
In January, former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele became the first black person to head the Republican National Committee (RNC). He won on the fifth ballot by a vote of 91 to 77. He said this about race preferences:
“Studies show enormous disparities still exist in education, healthcare, employment and economic opportunities along racial lines in the United States. I believe programs are still necessary to help close these divides. I support giving people opportunities. Programs must be fair to all Marylanders – of every color – and they should focus on economic empowerment.”
I was disappointed to read this, as I’m sure he’d like to believe he’s advanced in his own career through hard work and not the color of his skin. After Steele failed to defend his party when CNN show host D.L. Hughley compared white Republicans to Nazis earlier this month, this GQ magazine interview turned up:
Why do you think so few nonwhite Americans support the Republican Party right now?
‘Cause we have offered them nothing! And the impression we’ve created is that we don’t give a damn about them or we just outright don’t like them. And that’s not a healthy thing for a political party. I think the way we’ve talked about immigration, the way we’ve talked about some of the issues that are important to African-Americans, like affirmative action… I mean, you know, having an absolute holier-than-thou attitude about something that’s important to a particular community doesn’t engender confidence in your leadership by that community—or consideration of you for office or other things—because you’ve already given off the vibe that you don’t care. What I’m trying to do now is to say we do give a damn.
So, the head of a party that supposedly supports equal rights for all wants to give credence to the “African-American” issue of race preferences, a blatantly discriminatory policy? Aside from sounding like a Democrat, Steele displays a narrow understanding of why he was elected to the RNC chairmanship. Someone must stand up for what is right and fair. Just because blacks think it’s okay for the government to discriminate and prefer individuals based on skin color — as long as the practice favors them — doesn’t mean the head of the RNC should appeal to their baser desires in order to attract them to the party.
Isn’t it obvious?
