Many have criticized Michael Steele for being too critical of his own party. Steele has on many occasions challenged members of his own party members to compromise with others who may not share the exact same views as them and find a way to expand the shrinking base of the party. Many argue that Michael Steele himself would not be considered a genuine Republican. His credibility as a Republican was challneged by many especially after Steele commented that it is the individual women's choice to decide for or against having an abortion. For a party known for its opposition to abortion, Steele, the chairman of the party came across as too flexible and soft on the issue of abortion. But I think that if the Republican party is to open its eyes, it must recognize that the ability to compromise, and the ability to build new friends is a pretty valuable gift. Michael Stelle understands the importance of such a gift.
Steele understands that America is a nation of immigrant and the future of the Republican party depends on its ability to come across positively among the South Asians, Middle Easterners, Hispanics and Far Easterners. Many who currently represent the republican party have lived in their precise neighborhood for too long. They do not know the rest of the world well enough let alone other regional parts of America. Their views and reaction towards America's growing brown look is one of frustration and despise. As Michel Martin so eloquently observes, "With his cheap shots at black leaders and feminists and anybody else who doesn't want to time-travel back to the past, Limbaugh is the quintessential angry white male who is not just yelling at people to get off his lawn but infuriated that the whole lawn doesn't belong to him anymore". If not down right racist, Limbaugh is wrong. He views America as not an immigrant but a white nation. Such is not the case especially in the coming decades.
America has always been and will remain an immigrant nation. And the republican party must realize that immigrants who come to the United States are not foreign to the idea of conservatism. Many of them actually are conservative. Many despise the ultra commercial make up of America, many of them are warry that many parents in America do not instill values in their children and let their children grow up among their peers. Such a concern is a concern of a conservative. But then why do they also despise the conservatives. Steele is correct in his observation that many people who consider themselves to be conservatives do not identify with the Republican party. That should not be the case.
The republican party will have to transform into a party of immigrants if it wants to reclaim the dream of Lincoln and Hamilton. It was Lincoln who understood the importance to expand the Union. It was Hamilton who understood that state sovereignty and decentralized federal government is the backbone behind this great country. Just as it is a state's right to make its own decisions, similarly it makes perfect sense for our Party leader to state that it is a women's choice to abort or not to abort. Steele does not contradict the ideals of the Republican party.
He in fact understands that in order to become a legitimate challenger of the Democratic party, Republicans must grow. I must admit that growing is an art only adults, real matyure adults can do. A person such as Rush Limbaugh will never grow. He is too comfortable sitting on his chair, entertaining a group of supporters who resent more than hope, who are truly "Un-American" for wishing Obama a failure at a time when our country faces its utmost challenged since the Great Depression. If we continue to resent, we will be left alone by the rest of the nation.
This country is ready to heal. White men are ready to accept black men and brown men as their fellow citizens. Heterosexuals are ready to accept homosexuals as their fellow citizens. We are ready as a nation to join hands and heal. So I plead to the power base of the Reppublican party to heal along. We can no longer be the party of angry white men who want none of brown and black faces in their lawn. It is time we allow Michael Steele to navigate our party's future.