RNC Chair no 'Man of Steel'

Michael Steele, the newly minted chairman of the Republican National Committee, is gifted with a powerful name and a commanding physique that guarantees him an aura of authority. His unofficial middle name is "Man Of." However, following a recent string of comments that enraged right-wing conservatives, and his immediate retractions to assuage their anger, I have a new nickname for Steele: malleable.

Had his surname been "Wood," I would have said pliable. D.L. Hughley, an actor and host of his own CNN program, went further by stating Steele should be called Aluminum, because "he folded that fast." The controversies began in February when the GOP chairman called the rhetoric of Rush Limbaugh, the notorious talk radio luminary, "incendiary" and "ugly." After a brief quarrel with the microphone-mouthed demagogue, Steele swiftly apologized and renewed his admiration for Limbaugh. Since that highly publicized tiff, Steele has gone on to publicly endorse a woman's reproductive right to choose and state that homosexuality is natural (he compared it to being black): he was forced to clarify both comments in the face of explosive right-wing outrage. On top of everything, there is even a whisper campaign about a no-confidence vote on Steele's leadership in April.

What's odd about this conservative hullabaloo is that Michael Steele was elected for the purpose of reviving the GOP's national electoral prospects. Staving off several far-right candidates, he promised to return the party to power in the Northeast and other regions from which it has been rejected. Steele, a Marylander with northeastern inclinations, declared that moderates are necessary allies in the Republican coalition. He also vowed to refurbish the party with a "hip hop" image and technological advancement to appeal to youth and minority voters. All of this would imply refocusing party objectives and policies to attract citizens encompassing all demographics and the entire political spectrum. Basically, he is suggesting a middle ground approach that emphasizes non-divisive issues. This is where Republican rubber meets the American road.

The problem is that many conservatives don't believe in compromise. In theory, they hope for the Republican Party to reclaim power in Washington and in all regions of the Union. In reality, they don't want to yield one iota of right-wing doctrine, even if that means failure to broaden and improve the GOP's outreach efforts. Newsflash! If they are anxious to see the GOP win on a national scale, then they need to build alliances that incorporate diverse groups. No political organization has ever achieved victory by becoming narrower in its approach and ideology, but that is what the GOP is doing now. Ronald Reagan, the quintessential conservative icon, patched together a winning partnership of fiscal conservatives and social traditionalists, southerners and Pacific westerners. A party cannot effectively represent the interests of all Americans if it is an exclusive club guided by a singular viewpoint. It's time for serious reflection.

What the GOP needs is its own self-help program, akin to Alcoholics Anonymous' Twelve Steps initiative. Republicans must admit that they have a problem of social disconnection. Firstly, the GOP is unrepresentative of the American population. A meager five percent of black voters supported John McCain in 2008, and the Republican presence among Asian and Latino communities took a nosedive. Since November 2004, the Republican Party has shed over one million registered voters. For example, hundreds of thousands of former Republicans joined the Democratic Party and the independent camp in the former swing state of Pennsylvania. In 2004, the Democrats held a 550,000 party registration edge, but Massachusetts Senator John Kerry carried the state by a mere two points. By 2008, the Democrats held an imposing 1.2 million lead, and then-Senator Barack Obama swept the state by 10 percent. The right-wing faction of the party has isolated many voters, and now many of them are relocating to the Democratic side. As for the youth and minorities, this means revising platform stances or "agreeing to disagree" on social wedge issues like gay rights and abortion. Poll after poll shows that voters aged 18 to 35 lean progressive on social issues, the environment, and the economy. This is the future, and Republicans would be wise to review the situation on the ground.

The Republican Party of 2009 is the Democratic Party of 1988. Anguishing from several straight defeats, the Democrats finally pursued moderate agendas proposed by the Democratic Leadership Council. Do you remember its first success? Bill Clinton. The question is, will conservative Republicans be willing to accept compromise and tolerate differing political opinions.