GOP looks to Steele to change minds, chart new direction
By James Wright
AFRO Staff Writer
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Michael Steele was elected chairman of the
Republican National Committee Jan. 30, becoming the first
African American to head the GOP (AP Photo).
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(February 4, 2009) - In the eyes of some political activists and pundits, Alicia Myers is an African-American woman who could be considered a model Republican.
She doesn’t have to work, but is the co-owner with her husband, Floyd, of FAM Enterprises, a company that owns and manages a large number of housing units in the Washington, D.C., area.
Myers lives in an upscale gated community in Prince George’s County. Floyd Myers works for a law enforcement agency in the District, and their son attends an exclusive private elementary school in the city.
She administers the household and day-to-day operations of the business as well as plays the role of “soccer mom” for her son. Politically savvy, Myers believes in smaller government, fewer taxes and being tough but fair with criminals.
For many years, the Republican Party has targeted politically moderate women like Myers to join their ranks. And since she could fit the party’s profile, one might assume she was excited about the Jan. 30 election of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele as the first Black chairman of the Republican National Committee.
But Myers is not.
“My husband and I share some Republican views but I have remained with the Democrats because of the ideals of that party even though we live the lifestyle of Republicans,” Myers said.
Bringing people like Myers into the GOP is one of the goals of Steele, who takes the helm of the party as it seeks to rebound from the past two election cycles after suffering double-digit losses in the Senate (14) and House (54), seven governorships and the biggest political prize: the White House.
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Black Leader Quits Local GOP Committee
By James Wright
AFRO Staff Writer
Citing differences in direction and priority, the leader of an organization of Black Republicans has stepped down from the District of Columbia Republican Committee.
Jabriel Ballentine, chairman of the D.C. Black Republican Council, said the local Republican Committee is not serving the needs of the party or the city.
Ballentine made his feelings known in the form of an open letter to the committee published on page A13 in the AFRO Opinion section.
“The D.C. Republican Committee has proven itself not only ineffective but also apathetic to the needs of an inner-city, predominantly Black community,” Ballentine wrote.
“Through my own rebuffed efforts and from knowledge of similar expressions of others, these sentiments have been confirmed. The DCRC remains more of a ‘members-only’ city club that seems to prefer its exclusivity to actual political organizing.”
For the first time in many years, there are no Republicans on the D.C. Council. Carol Schwartz, a longtime Republican officeholder in the District, was defeated in the city’s Sept. 9 Republican Party primary by newcomer Patrick Mara. Her write-in effort in the general election failed and independent Democrat Michael Brown was elected to the D.C. Council on Nov.4.
And despite the fact that the District is 60 percent Black, none represent the city on the Republican National Committee.
Ballentine, however, will remain a Republican.
“I am leaving the party, but not the Party,” he wrote. “I am and will remain true to the principles of Frederick Douglass, Charles Sumner and others. And should the DCGOP come to remember those principles, commit to their application and refrain from exclusivity, I will eagerly work to be of use to the party.”
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In most cases, the Democrats raised more money than the Republicans in the 2008 election cycle, and the grassroots operations that put Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush into power were outdone by President Barack Obama’s use of technology and youthful energy.
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) received only four percent of the Black vote in 2008, a number lower than Barry Goldwater’s six percent in 1964. McCain also lost the suburban vote - a traditional GOP base - to Obama by two percentage points and came to a draw with Obama with women moderates.
Since the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans have identified themselves overwhelmingly with the Democratic Party and have never voted over 12 percent for a Republican presidential candidate.
There are only three Blacks on the 168-member RNC. Even the District of Columbia, which is majority Black, has no Black representatives on the national committee.
The last Black Republican member of Congress was J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, who left in 2003. At its convention held last year in St. Paul, Minn., African Americans comprised only 1.5 percent of the total number of GOP delegates, substantially below the record-setting 6.7 percent four years earlier.
The 36 Black delegates in 2008 represented a 78.4 percent decline from the 167 Black delegates at the 2004 GOP convention, according to the D.C.-based Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
Steele is the second African American to lead a major political party. The late Ronald Brown chaired the Democratic National Committee from 1989-1993. A former chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, Steele’s victory is seen as something different by some party leaders.
“We are extremely proud of Michael and excited about this historic event and the new direction he will bring to the GOP nationally,” said Maryland’s GOP chairman Jim Pelura.
“As we work to make Maryland a two-party state and get the Republican message of lower taxes, efficient, responsible government and support for working families, having Michael Steele in the driver’s seat of our national party will be a tremendous boost for our efforts. In addition, Michael brings a fresh perspective to Republican Party politics, one that is sorely needed.”
Mykel Harris, chairman of the Prince George’s County Republican Central Committee, said Steele could serve as a vehicle to get more Blacks into the party - particularly in the county. Prince George’s County is the wealthiest Black county in the nation and Harris, who lives in Temple Hills, said Steele could have real appeal among residents such as Myers.
“Many Blacks in Prince George’s County know that the Democratic Party hasn’t fixed anything for generations,” Harris said. “Unfortunately, the GOP has often emphasized what we are against rather than what we stand for. That has enabled the local Democrats to avoid any real discussion of their failed policies and the leadership that has foisted them on our community.
“They have used national politics to distract Prince George’s County voters from the fact that our schools are a failure, our budget in a fiscal meltdown and many of our local elected officials are corrupt.”
Harris said that change will take place under “Steele’s leadership and policy of engagement.”
“For the first time, in a long time, the Republican Party will compete with the Democrats and offer Prince George’s County voters real solutions to the problems they face,” he said.
While Steele has received national attention and accolades with his election, some people say that little will change with the GOP.
“I really don’t see enough evidence that the Republican Party will undergo any significant changes with Steele being the chairman,” said David Bositis, senior research associate at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. “Steele said that the Republican Party is the party of Lincoln but it’s really the party of Jefferson Davis.”
Bositis said that the party is dominated by southerners with help from the Mormon belt, which he said were states such as Idaho and Utah, and rural Whites in Northeastern and Midwestern states. While some of Myers’ views would be comfortable in the Republican Party, Bositis said that someone like her would really not be welcomed on the national level.
“Steele said that the Republican Party is the party of Lincoln but it’s really the party of Jefferson Davis.”
“White Southern conservatives in the party would not want someone like that [speaking of Myers],” he said. “They do not want to change their party platform which would call for equal voting rights for minorities and getting rid of poll ID laws that are designed to keep minorities from voting.”
Ronald Walters, director of the African American Leadership Center and professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland, said he’s not surprised that people like Myers haven’t gone over to the Republicans.
“Despite their wealth and success, people like that understand that they are part of the Black community,” Walters said. “They know of family members who’re struggling to get by, so they remain in support of civil rights and still, in many cases, exercise leadership in the Black community.”
Harris said that Steele, a native of the District and resident of Largo, can and will make a difference in bringing Blacks into the Republican Party.
“Steele’s election is a game changer,” he said. “Steele’s new strategy of taking the party’s message to our community gives us new purpose and power within the party. After all, who best to lead the way in our communities than those of us who live there?”
Myers remains unmoved.
“I’m not even looking in that direction,” she said. “They have a long way to go because of the fall of the Bush administration. I will also listen to anyone, but I’m a Democrat.”