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RNC Chair Michael Steele Confesses to Race-Based Southern Strategy

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by Tommy Christopher | 3:23 pm, April 23rd, 2010

» 14 comments

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele made an admission, this week, that was both stunning and obvious. Speaking to a group of DePaul University students, Steele was asked why a black person should vote for a Republican. In responding, Steele put on the record the political equivalent of a Republican reverse-Sasquatch, something everyone knows is real, but pretends is a myth: The Southern Strategy.

When I heard Steele’s remarks being teased on Countdown, I thought there must’ve been some extrapolation required to arrive at billing them as an admission that black voters have no reason to vote for Republicans. In fact, Steele’s remarks could not be more explicit:

Why should an African-American vote Republican?

“You really don’t have a reason to, to be honest — we haven’t done a very good job of really giving you one. True? True,”

“…We have lost sight of the historic, integral link between the party and African-Americans,” Steele said. “This party was co-founded by blacks, among them Frederick Douglass. The Republican Party had a hand in forming the NAACP, and yet we have mistreated that relationship. People don’t walk away from parties, Their parties walk away from them.

“For the last 40-plus years we had a ‘Southern Strategy’ that alienated many minority voters by focusing on the white male vote in the South. Well, guess what happened in 1992, folks, ‘Bubba’ went back home to the Democratic Party and voted for Bill Clinton.”

What makes Steele’s comments so extraordinary is the fact that they come from a sitting RNC chair, and they position the Southern Strategy in the present day. As Rachel Maddow and her guest discuss, there have been a scant few other acknowledgments of the strategy, but never from someone who was still in the game.

Whatever his motivation, Steele deserves credit for having the courage to speak this truth, and for delivering an opportunity to Republicans that they will very likely squander.

Steele’s tenure as RNC chair has been fraught with controversy, but the uproar reached a fever pitch in early April when he acknowledged that black public figures, including President Obama, were given a “slimmer margin of error” than whites. He was accused of “playing the race card,” which Andrew Breitbart will tell you is the worst thing you can do in America, worse than actually being racist.

It is that very defensiveness about race that Steele has given his party the chance to shed. I doubt he made these remarks with some grand strategy in mind, but handled properly, they give the Republicans a chance to make their case anew to black voters.

When you get beyond the race issue, which has manifested itself politically over the years in the demonization of black people on issues like crime, employment, and welfare, the Republicans can shed some of the policy baggage that has weighed down their efforts to attract black voters. Rather than pretending racial inequities don’t exist (or worse, are stacked against white people), the GOP has a chance to recalibrate its message to include conservative solutions to those inequities.

The Republican party can adapt its pitch to appeal to a fairly broad segment of black voters. Many black Americans are deeply religious and socially conservative, a fact that, until now, hasn’t translated into votes. In fact, the exploitation of Reverend Jeremiah Wright during the 2008 campaign likely drove away many of these votes. Much of the conversation surrounding Wright centered on criticism, and misrepresentation, of Black Liberation Theology.

The Republican mantra of “personal responsibility” (preached, if not practiced) also has deep resonance within the black community, just not when the finger is pointed from without. Steele’s admission affords an opportunity for the Republicans to position themselves as partners with black leaders, rather than scapegoaters of them.

This isn’t just about gaining a large slice of 12% of Americans, either. The GOP’s image as a party unfriendly to black people is a significant obstacle to attracting young voters, as well as voters of any age who are turned off by it.

Of course, it’s more likely that Republicans will vilify Steele for this, and continue their long pattern of denial over the issue of race. That’s a shame. because turning this corner would not only be good for the Republicans, it would be good for the country.

DePaul University, Jeremiah Wright, Michael Steele, Republican National Committee, RNC, Sasquatch, Southern Strategy, Tommy Christopher

http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

When will democrats admit to its racist based strategy? The deomcrats focus on dividing minorities into different voting groups of victims. They preach that only the democrats will give them things. The republicans want to take away their things. The democrats will give you more things by taxing the rich.
NORBIT Jr.

Breaking News!
– Except for the fact he “confessed to it months ago in his book!!!!!!!!!

One more example of the Progressive ‘Play-the-Race-Card’ Smear Media!!

Real question is when will Democrats & the msm CONFESS to Exploiting black & hispanic voters with their contrived “Racist” Smears of anyone disagreeing with them?

Isn’t working too well anymore, now is it?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Freeze/1295216047 Michael Freeze

Thanks for informing me of my victimhood. Because that’s exactly how I vote: Who will give me free stuff?
Grammie

Michael Freeze
Michael Freeze says:
April 23, 2010 at 4:19 pm

Thanks for informing me of my victimhood. Because that’s exactly how I vote: Who will give me free stuff?

I don’t care what side of the aisle you come from Michael just skewered us all!
Cecelia

Why the GOP Can’t Win With Minorities– Shelby Steele

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123716282469235861.html
ImNotBlue

I don’t think Steele is necessarily wrong! Republicans haven’t given Blacks a specific reason to vote for them… however, I don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing.

I’ll pause a moment for the angry left to hoot and holler racism now. Don’t worry guys, you don’t have to read on… just be irrationally angry with the first part.

Anyway… Republicans haven’t given Blacks, as a group, a reason to vote for them… but is that something they should really be doing? Giving a specific group, as opposed to EVERYONE, a reason to vote for them? By dividing people up into groups, and saying, “You XYZ people, vote for me! I’ll look out for your interests specifically,” a party becomes beholden to one specific group, instead of the country as a whole.

For the angry left who kept on reading, I’ll give you a gift and something you can agree with… A good example of this is the Republican party and the fundamentalist Christians. The right is beholden to them, so even when they recognize that the policy goes against their core principals, they’re forced to carry that groups water. This is a problem because it doesn’t allow for honesty and fairness when dealing with all people.

The Democrats have made a strong effort to court the minority vote… but that means they’re unwilling to do things that might hurt that particular base. Improving educational standards, criticizing single-parent households, welfare reform, immigration reform, etc… all things that statistically effect more minorities are considered “off topic” and “not a concern” because they can’t upset their base, even at the peril of the country.

So Steele is correct… the Republicans haven’t made an effort (or a very overt effort) to court the Black or minority vote. As for using the “Southern Strategy” to threaten and intimidate minorities… I don’t think that’s what he was saying, nor is that accurate. Heck, if you look up the “Southern Strategy,” you find more than a few examples of Democrats using the same strategy (or at least being accused of it… see Clinton v. Obama for a recent example).

I sure do hope that I live long enough to see a time when we ACTUALLY look past race and ethnicity, and can make political decisions based upon quality. However, keeping the public somewhat separated is good for the politicians… so I’d think they’ll do whatever it is they can to keep true equality from happening.
kristianna

Great sharing I would like to know why has the GOP become a mainly Southern and male party and why our nation was lead into a war in Iraq for not any reason…
r4 ds
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

Steele admits what any thinking person knows – the Republican Party of today isn’t the GOP of 1861 or 1961 or even 1980 – the today’s perversion of the GOP is that very party that left me, that left Reagan and that left the NAACP in the dirt – the party that saw advantage in the ‘southern strategy’ of catering to that element best represented by the Dixiecrats like Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms and George Wallace and Lester Maddox. They sold their souls, they made that deal with the devil and they reap the consequences. The funny (and I mean it’s hilarious) is the constant playing of the race card by those very people, like ‘you called me racist’ even when it’s the topic or it’s brought up, as here, by Steele himself. I recognize the Andrew Not So Breitbart attempt to diffuse the effect of the appellation, but then, it’s also attempt to ridicule those who are actual victims of racism. Breitbart is the type who would make fun of James Byrd.
The Real Royal King

INB: You correctly state that the Rem.publicans have done nothing to give African-Americans to vote Republican. You are correct. Yesterday, they certainly gave Hispanics a reason NOT to vote for the
Jim R

Bill Adkins,

All well said, but I must respectfully disagree about Reagan, who undoubtedly continued Nixon’s Southern Strategy and followed policies that ill-served minorities.

Among many other notable things that continued the Republican march away from Lincoln and racial equality, was his deliberate appeal to certain “southern notions” in his infamous speech in Philadelphia, MS announcing his candidacy a few miles from where three civil rights workers were murdered and buried in a gravel pit.

Someone please explain this locale for a former California Governor born in Illinois.
Nachi

The Repugs. Helping the Hicks get hickier. Good Christyun, Patriotic Murcuhns all!
ImNotBlue

The Real Royal King says:
April 24, 2010 at 10:52 am

Congrats… you missed the point! Of course, I said in the post that you would, so I’m not really all that surprised.

But, to the point… do you think that it’s a good thing for politicians to cater towards certain groups (based upon ethnicity, etc.), promising to do them “favors” in return for their vote? Not talking about strategy… talking about good government. Is it in EVERYONE’S interest for politicians to be beholden to a specific group?
ex political-media hack

damn, my web browser somehow took me back to some very excited but very boring dude at the Huff Post once again…damn that bill gates!
jackypond

Steele was asked why a black person should vote for a Republican. In responding, Steele put on the record the political equivalent of a Republican reverse-Sasquatch, something everyone knows is real, but pretends is a
memory card