A Black Republican Candidate is Not an African American Candidate

UPDATE: I made the WaPo "who's blogging about this article" today! WooHoo!

I have not seen much coverage about this due in part to the heated immigration debate and Zsa Zsa McKinney's antics but it is quite troubling.

According to the Washington Post on 4/6/06, a Democratic strategist has put together an internal report for the Maryland Democratic Party. The report warns that Michael Steele's campaign is gaining ground with black voters in Maryland. The report summary calls Steele "a unique challenge". Why? Because Michael Steele is an African-American Republican.

Oh the horror! A black Republican! The Maryland Democrats are falling all over themselves to stem the flow of black voters to the Republicans. Maryland Dem. Party Exec. Director, Derek B. Walker, warns that "African American voters who have served as a reliable base for generations cannot be taken for granted."

So what is the plan for stopping the Steele movement? The report summary said "Democrats can not afford to wait until after the primary election to KNOCK STEELE DOWN. A persuasion campaign should start as soon as possible to discredit Steele as a viable candidate for the community." The report recommends "connecting Steele to National Republicans". The goal is to "turn Steele into a typical Republican in the eyes of voters, as opposed to an African-American candidate."

Hold the phone! In a week where we have watched McKinney throw out the race card with wild-eyed abandon, we have Democrats in Maryland practicing racism against a member of the opposing party. In their eyes, a black candidate is only an African American candidate if he is a Democrat. One of Steele's opponents is the former head of the NAACP, Kweisi Mfume. Why is the former leader of an organization for advancement of colored people playing along with this type of racism. Isn't this what the NAACP is fighting against?

This is such a hot button issue for the Maryland Dems that Derek Walker actually has a photo hanging in his office showing Steele and President Bush "arm in arm". One of the messages that the Dems have opted to use includes "identifying Steele as George W. Bush's hand-picked candidate".

This whole situation points out the ultimate hypocrisy of the Democratic Party. Don't take African American voters for granted but only the Democratic voters. Speak out about the plight of the blacks while attacking another black man just for being a Republican. Racism is only racism when it is white on black. Black on black racism is just "politics". We've seen how the Dems treated Condi Rice and Colin Powell. We should not be surprised at the "attack early and often" plan for defeating Michael Steele. It is impossible to take the Dems seriously on racial equality and promoting the cause of African Americans, when they are willing to sacrifice a member of their race by playing the race card. If you are an African American Republican you do not deserve the support of black America. Sad.