Michael Steele Reelection

[Bernard]

Should we just automatically throw our support behind Michael Steele for reelection or would we be making the same mistake that many black voters did in 2008?  What are your thoughts on this?

[Geraldine Lewis]

I would personally support Michael Steele for re-election!  At least in him, we do not necessarily have one of those Republican, establishment leaders.  At  least Michael Steele's administration appeared to get with the program relative to the Tea Party Candidates; though he might have been a bit more financially supportive.  Other than that, I personally witnessed Michael Steele and his nationwide "Fire Pelosi" Tour Bus when he came into our town!  In my mind, that was a plus!  The establishment has given us America's current, declined condition.  I'd say, America has had enough establishment types, already! 

[Bernard]

Thank you for responding, Geraldine.  I am a big fan of Michael Steele.  I am very glad to see him in a leadership position.  I agree with you, the establishment has messed things up royally and "change" is good for the GOP.  As imperfect as he is, it does the party good to have diversified leadership.  My concern is 2012.  The DNC is going to have close to a billion dollars to either re-elect President Obama or elect who they consider to be a viable alternative.  Can Michael raise this kind of money to keep us competitive in the 2012 cycle?  He made mistakes and, unfortunately, the GOP isn't as forgiving as the DNC and those mistakes prompted some to stop making donations on a national level.  I can't predict the future and my hope would be that his second term would be better than his first but can we afford to take that chance?  I'm not saying that we shouldn't support him, I'm playing devil's advocate.  I just don't think it would be wise for us to support him solely because he's black.  Let's support him because we genuinely think he's the best person for the job.

[RBE MODERATOR]

I wish the best for Steele and his family.

[RBE MODERATOR]

As folks probably know, the moderate-conservative bowed out of the Republican National Committee chairmanship race, midway through the election. Let's debate his legacy:

MOSTLY FAILURE: Dr. Ada Fisher: "Grading Michael Steele As An RNC Member"

The North Carolina medical doctor and conservative member of the Re...: "She has been a strong critic of Steele’s since his 2008 campaign and soon after he was elected she started publicly criticizing him and even called for his resignation. 'People looked to Steele as being a counter to Barack Obama, and I think that was a wrong thing to do. We needed someone who could articulate the best interests of the party,' Fisher, the delegate from North Carolina, said. 'He could talk ‘hip-hop’ until the cows come home, but he’s not going to bring so much of that to the party until we demonstrate that we can provide an avenue and a channel for that generation to have jobs.'

MOSTLY SUCCESSFUL: Coby Dillard: "Thank You, Chairman Steele"

The Tea Party activist and conservative Republican in Virginia opines: "Your head was always in the right place, even if your mouth didn’t always get there. When you said that the GOP needed to reach out to 'urban, suburban, and hip-hop settings,' you were dead on. Quiet as it was kept, that began to happen; part of my job on the [Bob] McDonnell campaign [for Virginia governor] was making it happen. I kept that statement at the front of my mind. Still do."

He continues his commentary: "If the true measure of political success is results, then November 2010 made a better case for your reelection as chairman than I ever could. Instead, people continued to focus on the gaffes, the staff slip-ups (Angela Sailor is VERY smart, but...), and the fundraising problems-which, if people are willing to be honest, pre-date your chairmanship."

More commentary from Mr. Dillard: "So what’s next? I fear the GOP is going to go back to 'what worked' for them; namely, getting that 3-6% of the black vote so as not to lose an election. To people like me - and I believe you as well - that was never good enough. Settling was never an option. We have some crazy stuff to show for it; you came down and campaigned for a congressional candidate in a completely lost cause, and I took a candidate to the projects of Norfolk to campaign. People asked 'for what?' We knew the answer - because our message needed to be heard. I don’t see that enthusiasm - that aggressiveness, the willingness - continuing. I see our party sliding back to holding the votes they need, without trying for more. Because that’s 'safe.' That doesn’t require any effort and little expenditures. It may be prudent…but that doesn’t make it right. Alas, that’s the new chairman’s problem. And I can only hope that, regardless of how much money he raises, he has half the electoral success you had. Your chairmanship was not a failure. You lead better than many of us expected. Thank you."