Michael Steele you are in a precarious position.
You must reach out to white Republicans and moderates and the few minorities who supported Bush and the Republicans who fled the widespread ineffective governance over how the country was led during the last administration. The Republicans moral leadership was lost due to the shady entry into Iraq and the widespread and rampant illegalities which led to rich people getting richer on the backs of everyday Americans. The everyday American was left stranded because the Republican legislators stood around and did nothing about it. So Barack Obama comes out of nowhere. An articulate yet elite, mixed race and brilliant man, who happens to be black. He is charismatic yet practical and speaks to everyday people. He is smart and clean cut. Most people like him. They are less concerned with the newsprint conservative principles. They are concerned about America.
The Republican party for better or worse is the party of the conservative white people, the wealthy and the southerner and to a lesser degree moderate urbanites who support a smaller government. They are for the well to do and the landed gentry of America. Blacks do not feel welcome unless they are wealthy and morally conservative and believe in less government. The Republican party would seemingly need to include minorities. But that comes at a cost. It is a culture rooted in racism and white supremacy. It needs to be a culture of character based politics first.
Are you the man of Steele?
The man of Steele will have to tell the Republican party, the country and the world that the Republican party needs to join the rest of the nation who put aside old ideas that are linked to an America that has changed and accepted the content of character principle of Dr. Kings and say no to the race based politics of the past. You need to make them comfortable understanding urban poverty while broadening the Horatio Alger story to includes the Calvin Jacksons, Rashid Baker and Rashonda Watsons. They work just as hard and have the same basic morals and principles and haven't voted Republican nor consider Republican party because they fear that all Republicans care more about their skin color than what they believe. At the same time, you MUST not appear to cower because a big angry white man made you wet your pants and run home.
The man of Steele that I think you are wouldn't do that.
You must be as courageous as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X while articulating what being a Republican can do for African Americans, Latinos, immigrants and urbanites and young white people who are conflicted of being a party that most people think is racist. You must articulate how conservative principles don't have to be exclusive to being white and wealthy or just being plain white.
It is unfair to you that you have no support. You need to reach out to young black entrepreneurs and college students to think Republican. You must reach out to die hard racists and challenge them to reject racism while continuing to be Republican and allowing other perspective to come into the party. You must articulate that Affirmative Action was not popular to young African Americans because the previous generation of African Americans didn't extend Affirmative Action to the next generation they only cared for themselves. They need to know that it is their character, their word and their credit which will take them to success not sitting around waiting for someone to give them something. Young African Americans have shredded the vestiges of slavery and donned a global outlook and are sophisticated citizens but they still are black. They are not black first they are character first.
You must reach out to all people and express why being a Republican is no longer a birthright or obligation its a recognition of the ideas which made this country strong and great. It is those principle why black men fought in the civil war on both sides, who fought in foreign wars because they were American and could, who fought in World War I , II, Korea, Vietnam and serve all over the world till this present day. You need to raise Republican principles that are American principles and not race based politics. You must be strong in presenting these truths to the American people of all races.
The man of Steele that i believe that you are can do this.
I wish you much success, America needs you. The Republican Party needs you to yet most of them are still too racist and set in their ways to know it or admit it.
