Who is Michael Steele

By: Jonathan Moore

The Republican National Committee made history on Friday, January 30th by electing its first African-American chairman, Michael Steele. After receiving 4% of the African-American vote and less than a third of the Latino vote in the 2008 Presidential election, it seems that the Republican Party is making an attempt to reach out to minority voters. But if this is all they are planning to do to reach out to minority voters and to expand their Party’s reach, then they are going to have very similar results in the upcoming elections with African-Americans and Latinos. African-American voters care about much more than the color of the chairman’ skin; they care about getting a good job, a good education for their children, affordable healthcare and economic opportunity. African-American voters have been refusing to vote for Republicans because Republicans haven’t been speaking about issues that concern the African-American community. To the extent that they have been talking about these issues, they have been on the wrong side of the argument. In order to win support among the African-American community, the Republican Party must address the issues that African-American community cares about the most.

So, who Michael Steele? Steele can be described as a moderate with a slightly conservative bent. He supports issues such as Affirmative Action and has been quoted in 2006 as saying, “Affirmative action programs still necessary to close divides” (Len Lazarick, The Examiner, "Power of the individual" Apr 28, 2006). On this issue, African-Americans may find him attractive. However, on other issues, his stances may be more controversial. He opposes Universal Healthcare and has been quoted as saying, “I don't need government dictating socialized medicine” (The Examiner, "Power of the individual" Apr 28, 2006). He also favors limited government control on welfare (Interview by Brian Lamb on C-Span's Q&A Feb 27, 2005).

Whether you agree with Steele on a number of issues, I think it is fair to say that Steele’s election is historic and it will certainly open up a debate in the African-American community. Hopefully, this is the first of many attempts by the Republican Party to reach out to the African-American and address the issues that many African-Americans are facing.