To understand where I’m going with this, check out my post “God bless the child that’s got his own”. In a nutshell, I referred to how how Black Republicans knock those of us who aren’t Republican as being, somehow, of lesser intelligence for our choice. In it, I contend that, despite a few token gestures, their party is taking advantage of them, too.

I say all that to say this, it is a lock that Michael Steele WILL NOT be the the next head of the Republican National Committee after current chair Ken Mehlman steps down in January. Instead, the job goes to Mel Martinez, the Senator from Florida. Martinez will remain a senator while serving as RNC chair.

Steele was heavily-touted as a favorite and virtual shoe-in for the position. Honestly, I actually like Michael Steele. He strike me as a person with a brain who, while standing with his party on issues with which I disagree, was able to articulate his reasons for support that didn’t involve the typical talking points. On top of that, he might have been able to help the GOP gain some real inroads with black voters because, unlike the Alan Keyeses of the world, he was able to actually speak to black folks in a way that did not seek to insult their intelligence. Finally, by coming from a heavily Democratic state, he would have some insight on what it would take to woo voters away from the other side.

Instead, Steele now finds himself on the back of the bus line and, like the Lynn Swanns of the Republican party, possibly relegated to obscurity. Well, Republicans seem to have a “big tent”, too. But, it appears that the job of the black folks under it is to clean up behind the elephants.

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