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August 19, 2009
E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
Steele Misses the Moment
Amid rebuilding the party's national reach and image, RNC chairman Michael Steele misses a moment to address issue of race in America.
Last month, Michael Steele became the new chairman of the Republican National Committee. The vote signaled awareness towards the need to expand and rebuild a party that's arguably in real disarray.
What Michael Steele hopes to bring to the position of RNC chair is the ability to showcase the type of principled values some have argued is missing in the party platform.
The 2008 presidential election cycle gave real credence to this when we saw the types of non-diverse, sometimes agitated, crowds that Sen. McCain's rallies were bringing out. After some tough battles and seats lost in the Republican Party, Steele has a lot of work ahead of him.
As the nations first African American RNC chair, the need to do things a bit differently is not lost on him. He's making sure not to waste any time by following up on those needs with real action.
Last week, Steele announced that he was working on delivering a principled conservative message aimed at more “urban-suburban hip-hop settings.”
Although Mr. Steele may have an aggressive agenda to reach new constituencies throughout the country, he missed a critical opportunity to capitalize on that vision. He failed to comment on Attorney General Eric Holder's remarks concerning race in America.
This would've been a perfect opportunity to share his personal thoughts on race in this country. Even if people didn't agree with what he had to say, they would have known where he stood.
Think about it. He's trying to take a party that seems to be culturally behind the eight ball and prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of a 21st century political landscape. Tackling the issue of race and cultural differences in our society would've been a golden opportunity to reach out to those who might have otherwise been skeptical of what Republicans have to say.
Here's how Steele could've addressed the issue in a speech:
“Are the social circles we find ourselves in simply a reflection of our social conditioning or a result of our shared complacency? Is it a matter of preference when we hold onto our biases and choose to ignore the issues that divide us on the issue of race? Or are we so caught up within ourselves that we don't take a moment to reflect on these things and never look to do anything about it?
Somewhere in these plausible explanations lies the truth. As a leader I want to see to it that we move past this divide and begin working to solve our problems, rather than just ignore them. “
See what I mean?
Mr. Steele, you don't want to miss out on opportunities to address real issues when people are paying attention. Please keep that in mind. The future of your party may very well depend on it.
Did Michael Steele miss a critical opportunity to have a frank and candid discussion on the issue of race in America?