Steele Disconnected

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Aug. 28, 1963

Those words spoken by Dr. King put America on trial and in 1964 the American Government pled guilty and subsequently signed the Civil Rights Act into law. However the light of justice and truth that shined so brightly on Jim Crow is now focused squarely in the faces of our most prominent Americans of African Ascent. Extrapolating from Dr. Kings’ speech, the content of one’s character is directly reflected in their treatment of and their interaction with their brothers and sisters; i.e., the human family. One’s character can be and often times is reflected in the company that one keeps. Utilizing that analogy, if you keep company with demagogues, bigots, and purveyors of sleaze, then it is only natural that your character will be called into question.

That brings us to the subject of our commentary. Michael Steele who is the republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in the State of Maryland was the recipient of a lavish fundraiser. Floyd Brown a long time republican strategist who engages in what many consider to be sleaze and racial innuendo politics hosted the fundraiser for Mr. Steele. Mr. Brown created the infamous “Willie Horton” ad that used the old, but still effective “fear of a mad Black Male” routine that sunk Michael Dukakis’ 1988 Presidential campaign by portraying the then Massachusetts Governor as soft on crime.

In addition to being supported financially by Floyd Brown, Michael Steele’s supporters and financial backers read like a who’s who list of Ku Klux Klan grand potentates; i.e., Trent Lott who enthusiastically opined that this country would have been a better place had America “followed our (Mississippi’s) lead” and elected Strom Thurmond President in 1948. In addition to Lott, Michael Steele has the support and financial backing of Alex Castellanos. Castellanos was instrumental in getting Jesse Helms re-elected to the Senate with his “white hands” advertisement.

In politics it is often times necessary to work with individuals that you may have ideological differences with. This is not the case in this instance. The fact is that Michael Steele has embraced and encouraged support from and is primarily back by individuals like Trent Lott, Floyd Brown, and Alex Castellanos. These are individuals that actively pursue an agenda that seeks to marginalize African Americans. This calls into question Mr. Steele’s judgment as well as his character. At the very least, it can be argued that he’s disconnected from the reality of just who these people are and what they represent.

In defending the fact that he openly embraces these types of individuals Michael Steele was quoted in the Washington Post stating “The way I look at it, if I am in the United States Senate, I’ll be a voice at the table that’s probably not been appreciated that much in the past,” That statement would carry more weight if Mr. Steele’s agenda even somewhat differed from the one Trent Lott espouses. But it’s doesn’t and that is why his judgment and the content of his character is being called into question by many of the people that he wishes to serve.