When Michael Steele was elected the first black Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), he believed he had finally arrived at the pinnacle of political acceptance amongst his peers. Now, a year later, those same peers are calling for his resignation.
GOP strategist Alex Castellanos, who was once a confidant and adviser to Steele recently told CNN: “Chairman Steele I think has lost the support of two important constituencies in the Republican Party. One is our most successful candidates, our leaders on the Hill in the House and Senate… But more importantly, he’s lost the support of a lot of our major donors, the donors who provide the money, the lifeblood, the oxygen the Republican Party needs to succeed on its mission to take back control of the House.” Well, what a difference a year makes!
Somehow, Steele fooled himself into believing that in electing a black chairman, the RNC was ready for an extreme makeover. So Steele brought his hip-hop antics, jargon, and overall buffoonery into the Republican Party, thinking it would go over as big as a winning lotto ticket and usher in a new era into the old, traditionally white political machine. It didn’t! Steele’s over-the-top presentation along with a series of PR and financial gaffes, gave the GOP just the cover they needed to openly admit: they want Michael Steele gone….. YESTERDAY!
Steele’s greatest mistake is that he actually convinced himself the GOP really wanted HIM and that HE was truly the best person for the job. HOGWASH! In reality, the GOP elected him chairman because he was just the black face they needed to successfully criticize the nation’s first black president. A white chairman critical of Mr. Obama during the wildly popular early days of his presidency could have been seen as an issue of race rather than policy. But a black chairman critical of Mr. Obama during that same era could never have been charged to race. It was a slick, smart, and originally effective strategy. Steele was to receive his marching orders and do and say what he was supposed to when he was told to do it. But apparently, Steele didn’t get the memo and he started running things his way, which, unfortunately for him was not only a mistake but a failure.With Mr. Obama now a year worth of policies into his presidency, Chairman Steele is no longer a necessity but an imminent casualty. His recent missteps within the RNC is just the excuse needed to finally rid the Grand Ol’ Party of Michael “I wanna be a rapper” Steele. The only question remaining is: how long will it be before they finally pull the plug?
