Sunday, February 01, 2009
New RNC Chair
Here is a link to a Washington Post article about the new RNC chair, Michael Steele. He is the first African American to ever hold this position. I was wondering what everyone thought about his election. I think it is good to see the GOP moving in this direction. Apparently the party is recognizing the fact that it needs to be more inclusive of different groups of people in society. I also appreciate the fact that he is supposedly more moderate than many of the hard-line conservatives that have been running the part for the past several years. Personally, I think the country works best when we have moderates running both parties. I do have some problems with his appointment, however. I feel that it is somewhat disingenuous. I mean, it's pretty obvious that this man would not have been elected were Barack Obama not the political phenomenon that he is...and the GOP realized how badly they are loosing minority votes. I also feel like they've played this political trick before with Sarah Palin and Alan Keys. When Obama ran for Senate, they put Alan Keys up against him. When McCain was hoping to take away disaffected Hillary Clinton voters, they placed Palin up there. It seems like a mind-set of, these minorities are interchangable, and aren't individuals. I am obviously offended by this. However, I think any amount of progress in this area is a good thing.
Here is the article:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2009/01/steele_elected_rnc_chair.html
Here is the article:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2009/01/steele_elected_rnc_chair.html
Labels: gender, GOP, Michael Steele, minority, race, Republicans, RNC
# posted by Katie Allen @ 9:53 PM 
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It's insulting to the GOP and Michael Steel to assume that they are that overtly racist that they chose a Black leader simply because Barack "the phenom" Obama is black. I agree somewhat with your post but it is possible that Michael Steele is the most qualified candidate for the position.
Look, I'm not saying the party is racist, but I am saying the party has a PR problem with minorities. I am also saying the party tends to lack minorities and women in leadership positions in large numbers. I'm just saying, I don't think appointing Steele as chair this year is any coincidence. Do you honestly, believe that? There was just never another minority candidate or women that was supremely qualified to lead the party until the very year that the country just happened to elect a black president? Suspenct to say the least. I also think it's telling that the party doesn't even particularly like Steele's politics (they find him to be too much of a moderate), so this leads me to believe they are choosing him more to help their party's image than anything else. I also find this to be an interesting statement if you want further evidence of the GOP's race relations:
"After five ballots, the race came down to Steele and Dawson. Republican party strategists in attendance at the meeting openly fretted about the possibility of electing Dawson, who had acknowledged his membership in a whites-only club, and the signal it would send to a country that had just elected Obama as the nation's first black president."
At least the attendees know enough to not take their party in a backward looking direction and avoided Dawson. Still, the fact that he had this background and got that far is troubling.
"After five ballots, the race came down to Steele and Dawson. Republican party strategists in attendance at the meeting openly fretted about the possibility of electing Dawson, who had acknowledged his membership in a whites-only club, and the signal it would send to a country that had just elected Obama as the nation's first black president."
At least the attendees know enough to not take their party in a backward looking direction and avoided Dawson. Still, the fact that he had this background and got that far is troubling.
I will have to disagree with you on that one. I feel that Steele got the position because he was well qualified for it. Not because Obama paved the way for him. Now don't get me wrong there will be some cases were blacks have better opportunity's now because of a black man being president. That's just how some people operate. They have to see something done before they step out on it themselves.
# posted by 
: 4:28 PM
: 4:28 PM
I'm not saying it's because "Obama paved the way for him," nor am I saying Steele isn't qualified. I just feel that the GOP nominating a black man to the chair this year for the first time of all years is suspect. Why not the last time or the last several times? Or why not the next time? Like I said, it just seems disingenuous to me and politically motivated. I'm not saying it's a bad thing for him to be the head, I just have problems with some of my perceptions with the possible motivations for why he became the head of the RNC now. Maybe they are only my perceptions, but I still think there is plenty of reason for me to have them. I also think that the party itself can be blamed for these assumptions from people like me. Especially considering the fact that another front runner for the head of the RNC came out with the internet video "Barack the Magic Negro." I mean, come now...
I do not think it is fair in any way for the RNC to be "accused" of this. If allegations are going to be placed on the Republican party that they are racist, then it is only right to look at the Democratic party in this light as well. Michael Steele may very well be the best candidate for the position regardless of the race of the President Obama ("the political phenomenon"). I think it is racist to say the Republican party was losing votes because of Obama's race. His race and communication skills have been the primary focus of his image! A majority of the American people were focusing on these traits,and not even paying attention to what he was saying or his view on important issues. I am not putting him down in any way though. I do believe that Obama is a charismatic individual with remarkable communication skills, and I am very impressed with him in that sense. However, many people were focusing not on what he said, but how he said it. If people are going to argue that Michael Steele was given the position of the RNC chair because of his race, then I can argue that Obama's race had something to do with him obtaining the position that he now holds.
# posted by : 3:31 PM
: 3:31 PM
It is not a stretch to say that the GOP has a problem with race. This current incarnation of the Republican Party, which has had it's run for the last 4 decades since Goldwater, was literally founded on exploiting racial issues.
I *think* that period of the party is winding down, and the nomination of Michael Steele, which in my opinion is at least partly based on playing racial politics, is a sign of that. Getting the party to acknowledge its credibility gap with minorities was important. It's a start.
I *think* that period of the party is winding down, and the nomination of Michael Steele, which in my opinion is at least partly based on playing racial politics, is a sign of that. Getting the party to acknowledge its credibility gap with minorities was important. It's a start.
Katie Allen I wasn't directing that to you. I was actually talking about the actual article. I agreed with you 100% in your first message. But it's real odd how you said in your first message that Steele being appointed was not a coincidence because Obama is president but in your second message you argue why a black man is being appointed this year and not all the other years and how its suspicious to you. Maybe I am reading it the wrong way, but the first time I was agreeing with you. I don't feel it's a coincidence because having that title is something serious and I don't think they would just give it to someone mainly because their black. Being qualified is waaayyyyy more important than skin tone. But I also see where people are coming from too because race still play a big role in society today.
# posted by : 8:07 PM
: 8:07 PM
Nanisha, I guess I was being a bit sarcastic in the first post when I said it wasn't a coincidence. Like I said, I'm not saying Steele isn't qualified. The things I've heard him say seem really intelligent and right on the mark. I just don't buy that race had nothing to do with his election. Like I said, I think it's good for the party to start striving for more racial diversity and to begin to appeal to minorities more. However, I do believe the fact that his race would put him in a unique position to appeal to these minorities had to be a major factor in his election...an election where the GOP lost 90% of the black vote and also lost much of the gains they had made with Latinos and Asians.
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