WHAT'S THIS ABOUT MICHAEL?

If you were following the campaign of last year, you would have thought that Michael Steele already had the top spot in the RNC, considering that the guy who did was hardly seen. Simply put, after President Obama won, we saw this coming, and we have no problem with conservatives in this country going to their natural role as followers. Of course, that is assuming that the whole Michael Steele isn’t part of how the GOP plays politics, particularly racial politics in the first place. On the Feb. 1 edition of Fox News Sunday, Steele said that Hispanic leaders support a “secure our borders first” approach to immigration. Of course that’s not true, many of the nation’s leading Hispanic organizations pushing rather for comprehensive immigration reform, but it gives his party a way to deal with the racial aspect of immigration. That just gives you insight as to what kind of games they are going to play, and don’t worry. Someone is going to call some liberal racist for not being “tolerant” to Michael Steele. Well, a blog put out this piece that puts a lot of what folks see in Michael Steele in perspective. It’s definitely something you may want to keep with you should the Republicans continue to follow conventional wisdom and nominate Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal for president in four years.

Afro Dem Blog

Normally, one would cheer about the Republican Party doing anything favorable to black people.

Well, one would WANT to cheer if they EVER did anything favorable to the average black person.

Which they don’t.

So, what are we to think about Michael S. Steele as RNC point man?

I, for one, am holding my nose even to write about it. And, in general, I think Michael not a stupid man. Plus, he’s fine.

And, oh my God! What a tie!! I love that tie! >>>

It reeks of the typical sort of divide and conquer racist politics for which the RNC is famous. They think it’s clever, but it’s incredibly stupid. It gives off noxious fumes, sorta like those generated by black lawyers who think it’s fine to represent a white supremacist from criminal charges of beating to death a black child on the church playground.

To me, that’s what the ACLU is for. Let them do it, because they’ve got plenty of lawyers who can convinve themselves it’s OK. That’s their brief, and we need them to keep ourselves honest. But, any black lawyer whp takes the case better not think that there aren’t other cases on which to cut ones teeth and get good trial practice.

It reeks of exactly the sort of false affirmative action that companies crow about when they hire a black diversity action officer as a condition of a $100 million settlement due to overt discrimination in the corporate ranks caught on videotape. Such case having been fought for 10 years using legal niceties as “bona fide” defenses.

The RNC and it’s titular head Michael Steele would have us believe it’s no different from when Fortune 500 companies hire them a black guy (or almost never, gal) to run the place:

Clarence Otis, Jr.

Kenneth I. Chenault

Richard Dean Parson

Ronald A. Williams

Aylwin Lewis

Franklin Delano Raines

Stan O’Neal

Don Thompson

John W. Thompson

Ursula M Burns

(list courtesy of Black Entrepreneur Profiles blog)

And, they’d say, the list would positively SWELL if they included all the non-white Fortune 500 CEOS! Because a “minority” is all we care about right? And, hey! What about all the closeted gay guys! They’re minorities! They count too, right?

The response is no.

Why? Because Michael Steele does not have a constituency within the Republican Party. He does not have the ability to set policy. His appointment is not going to make ANY difference to the African-American population, because he won’t be able to get many, certainly not a majority, of his colleagues to enact the sort of legislation that will make a positive difference to African-Americans.

Corporate CEOs set policy. They are not put up there for show. They are not hired to be figure heads, while the company does whatever it wants.

So, why do it? Why put Michael Steele up for the ridicule that he deserves for allowing himself to be used this way? Why would Michael risk going the way of Clarence Thomas,–a fool who deserves every bit of legal and social opprobrium possible to heap on a Supreme Court Justice. A “jurist” who is as intellectually dishonest as Scalia. Minus the “intellectually” part.

Well the answer is simple. The RNC is not after African-American approval. Even writing that made me laugh at the absurdity.

No. The RNC is after McCain Democrats. They’re also after white people would don’t want to feel torn by a guilt they don’t understand. They’re after whites who believe in plug-n-play black folk,–that substituting one good-looking and smooth black guy for another works just as well for the country.

Whites who are more than happy to be told “Hey! We got a black guy too! So, forget about our racist and class-based discrimination,–just look! We got a black guy!” And, since WE GOT A BLACK GUY, we can go back to our racist and class-based policies. Because he’ll draw all the fire, while we do a deep penetration.”

And, you know where that penetration is occurring. But, hey! They’re in the closet, so it’s plausible deniability.

The cynical ploy is designed to sit and wait until President Obama does something unpopular,–which he eventually must.

Then, they put a black guy up there and say “Look. Their black guy screwed up. But, us, “HEY LOOK! WE GOT A BLACK GUY!…No, you can rely on us, because OUR black guy knows what time it is. He’s down with the home team. He’s just like us EXCEPT THAT HE’S BLACK! and we can trust that he’s not going to do anything that upsets us. And HE can attack That One without being called racist.”

Cause, it’s OK to be racist, so long as no one calls you racist.

The problem is that they continue to underestimate the power of the crowd that elected Barack Hussein Obama.

So Hey! RNC! You wanna impress the world with your new look and feel?

Hire someone who really believes that all people are created equal, but that some have been given a head start for 200 years.
Hire someone who can implement change in a bi-partisan manner.
Hire somebody …

Who really IS a Muslim.

And, openly gay too.

Screw that, go straight for the transsexual.

And, make it a Latina.

Then, show us the 100 other people just like him/her in the party who are in a position to make positive changes for the country.

Then, show us oa slew of Good Old Boys hugging your candidate and inviting him/her to help them get re-elected.
The, and only then, will the annointment of Michael Steel have any positive impact on the horrid legacy of the Republican Party.

And, do it after ONE vote.

Not 6.