After November 4, 2008 everything that we have ever known about American politics changed; and that CHANGE was good. Now in the aftermath of the historic win of President Obama (I am not waiting till January 20th, I will call him President now), the Republican party is scrambling to not only regroup the GOP but also change the image of the country's oldest political party. Enter in former Lt Governor to the state of Maryland Michael S. Steele. In his quest to win the chairmanship for the Republican National Committee, Steele has been called the Republican answer to the Obama train. Steele recently conducted an interview with Essence.com and talked about his ideals, comparisons with President Obama, and his outlook on the state of his party. Peep the interview below:
ESSENCE.COM: Why are you campaigning to be chair of the Republican National Committee?
MICHAEL S. STEELE: I'm running because it's time for this party to wake up and smell the coffee and recognize that the world around them is dramatically different than it was in the 1980's. We've seen the highs and lows of success and we've not handled either of them well. It's time for us to have a leadership that understands the dynamics of technology, the dynamics of building coalitions, as opposed to just organizing a cocktail party where you invite a certain group of people and you say look who we brought in. Coalitions actually require you to get to know people, work with them in their communities and appreciate the walk that they walk every day. That's something that I can bring to the party's table. It's important that we begin to move in a different direction and show America that we finally get it.
ESSENCE.COM: So do you see yourself running against Obama in perhaps four or eight years?
STEELE: No, I do not. But I may have to eat those words if you play this back in four years.
ESSENCE.COM: Some have said these are some really devastating times for Republicans. Would you agree?
STEELE: Yes, and I would go back to 2006 when the devastation first began. We're down to 170 Republicans in the House and they will likely have 59, if not 61, seats in the Senate because of two Independents. Yeah, I think it's pretty devastating, but I warn my Democrat friends that our glass is half full and we have something still to deliver to the American people. We just need to get busy in doing that.
ESSENCE.COM: Do you believe Obama will stay true to his word when choosing a bipartisan administration?
STEELE: It depends on what you mean by bipartisan. The Republican Party is a conservative party, so, for me, the test will be in what kind of Republicans he's adding to his administration. If he's looking at conservatives, then yeah, that's bipartisan, because that's the majority of the party. I guess I have to wait and see how that unfolds, but regardless, as I have been telling members of the party, no matter how much we disagree, we must respect the office and the man or woman who's in it. I hope that courtesy is extended in a way where it shows how much Republicans want to see this president succeed. If a president fails, then we all fail.
ESSENCE.COM: How do you plan to get people of color re-energized about the Republican Party?
STEELE: I'm going to ask people to listen to what we're saying. The only way I can do that is to look people in their eyes, sit at their kitchen tables and talk to them in their communities. That's it. Our party runs away from that and it drives me nuts. We have no systemic effort to build that relationship. We talk a good game but we're not doing the important work of actually understanding what say, a single mother of three children—one of whom suffers from some debilitating handicap and dad is no where around and she's trying to go back to school—is going through. We can't speak to that and we need to, especially when we talk about why government assistance is one thing but being able to do for yourself is another. I can give you a fish but being able to teach you how to fish is better. As Republicans, we want to teach you how to fish. The Democrats will tell you, here's a fish.
ESSENCE.COM: So what's the alternative for stimulating our economy?
STEELE: Wealth isn't created in this country from the bottom up. With all due respect to the President-elect, he's dead wrong [for wanting to pass another economic stimulus package]. Someone has to take the risk and say, "You know what, I'm going to take all my savings and put in a certain venture to create wealth." Yes, it's a very tricky thing to do. Also, what are you supposed to do when the President-elect says we're going to tax you if you're making $250,000 or more? What's the incentive to make more money? All these people who moan and groan about the wealthy, they all want to be wealthy! All I'm saying is, be careful what you wish for, because the government is standing there at the door waiting to take what you earn.
When I was younger I was a strong supporter for Steele and even registered as a Republican in Maryland. However, after the tactics and ethics raised in this past election, I have found that the party that once stood for reform and conservative values has truly lost its way. Furthermore, I truly do not believe that Steele is the man to lead the GOP out of the negative and disillusioned image that they have created. In my opinion, only through real reform and a call to the values that made the Republican party what it formally was will the party gain back its credibility in my book.
The Intellect(Interview excerpts courtesy of: Essence.com)
