By Tracie Powell
On Friday – after losing two consecutive elections – the Republican elite selected former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele, the GOP’s first African American chairman, to lead them out of the political wilderness.
But is Steele the person who can help Republicans reach out and expand the party base, or is he just a pretty face to put out front while party strategy remains the same?
Riding in on the wave of change, President Obama repeatedly seized upon Abraham’s Lincoln name during his run for the White House, so the election of Steele might be seen as a scale-balancer for the party Lincoln actually belonged to.
Steele could be just what Republicans need to extend the party base by appealing to more than just white, Southern conservatives.
To achieve this, the GOP needs more than just a black face, or any face of color for that matter, said David Bositis, Senior Research Associate with The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. “He will project less of the Southern imagery for the party, which is good. But I’m not sure (Steele) will really be able to succeed,” Bositis said. “The party needs to change — not just superficially, but real change.”
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