Despite Missteps, Steele Continues to Court Black Republicans

What’s Michael Steele to do? In yet another embarrassment for the Republican National Committee chairman, this week it was revealed that in February the RNC spent close to $2,000 at Voyeur, a bondage-themed California strip club, as well as tens of thousands of dollars on luxe hotels and private jets. Also, according to news reports, the RNC has on hand less than half of the cash it had when Steele took office last year.

When Steele was elected the RNC’s first black chairman he pledged to make the Grand Old Party more inclusive and accessible. In the past several years, the GOP has earned a bad rep for being essentially an exclusive club of Southern, middle-aged white men. To hear GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill tell it, however, the charge is both unfair and untrue.

Ironically, the characteristics that made the committee choose the colorful–and at times controversial–Steele over the other traditional Southern, middle-aged white men and another more conservative black candidate who were in the running, have sometimes made the party faithful wish they’d gone another way.

Since his election, Steele has faced a great deal of criticism for a variety of reasons, from his lavish spending habits to gaffes he’s had to immediately reverse or apologize for. During the strip club visit Steele was on his way home from the RNC’s winter retreat in Honolulu, Hawaii, according to the Daily Caller, which first reported on the expenses.

In January, Steele surprised–and infuriated–the party with the publication of a book titled “Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda” and in a television interview on Fox News to promote the book, he said that the GOP has no chance of recapturing the House during November’s midterm elections. He’s also been criticized for making paid speeches.

According to one Republican Party operative, who asked to not be named, committee members seriously considered whether to formally rebuke Steele for both the book and his paid speeches and force him to cease the latter.

Steele’s response? “Fire me. But until then, shut up. Get with the program or get out of the way.”

He could easily afford to demonstrate such bravado, knowing it is highly unlikely that that the committee would vote out its first black chair. But unless Steele does an outstanding job of fundraising, winning back disenchanted donors, and helping Republicans win elections this fall, the party may decide that when his term ends in 2011 that he brings more change than they can stand.

When he first took office, Steele stated that one of his top priorities would be to broaden the Republican tent to include many more minorities. Steele says it’s still a goal.

According to the Republican operative, Steele has not only done an

excellent job of reaching out to diverse communities but also has significantly diversified the staff at RNC headquarters. The RNC’s redesigned Website features GOP faces and heroes from various ethnicities.

Steele considers himself to be far more anchored in than the grassroots than Washington politics and contends that his most important mission takes place in the nation’s communities where he’s working to attract both voters and viable candidates for various levels of elective office.

Steele said the RNC has “taken some affirmative steps that are a little bit different to engage [minorities] in a conversation,” about the GOP, such as town hall meetings in communities such as Chicago’s South Side and at black institutions including Howard University.

However, Colorado Republican Ryan Frazier, who’s making a bid to become the state’s first black member of Congress, believes the party has a long way to go to convince blacks that there’s room for them under the GOP tent.

“There’s so much that the GOP still needs to do to make its case to blacks as to why it presents a good mechanism to express their voices, views and opinions,” said Frazier. “The Republican Party as I see it is one that’s about freedom and opportunity and that is the ability for people to make their own decisions about what’s best for them and their families. We need to make a stronger case.”

The months leading up to the midterm elections will be a critical test of just how successfully Steele’s message is resonating in minority communities. According to a list provided by the RNC, a preliminary roster of candidates vying for national, state and local office this year is much more diverse, with approximately 22 African American, 16 Hispanic, and 10 Asian American candidates.

Some of the black candidates, such as Frazier, who’s been endorsed by House Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, may actually win. According to the Republican operative, that endorsement is indicative of Frazier’s chances because “the Republican establishment doesn’t come out unless there’s a good shot.” In addition, he said that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) have thrown their support behind Michael Williams, who heads the Railroad Commission of Texas and already has been elected statewide a few times.

The operative also believes that Les Phillip, who’s making a congressional bid to represent Alabama’s 5th district, is also looking like a strong contender.

“The Tea Party people really like him and he’s shown that he’s very concerned about fiscal issues and is very socially conservative. He’s also been out there for a long time raising support,” he said, adding that these and other minority candidates should fare well with white voters in their primaries because those voters are more concerned with ideology than race.

Several black candidates attended the American Conservative Union’s CPAC February conference in Washington, DC, which featured more black speakers than in years past. It was a great opportunity for them to “introduce themselves to the conservative body politic,” explained Brandon Andrews, a black Republican and Capitol Hill staffer. Such events provide candidates with opportunities to try out their message on a national stage, meet with GOP leadership and develop a following from which they can solicit donations and future campaign volunteers, he added.

The operative predicts that black voters will also be more receptive to black Republican candidates because “there’s a willingness among these candidates to do the work in the African American and other communities that hasn’t been done before because they’re part of these communities.”

Frazier agrees.

“There are folks willing to give you the benefit of their time and perhaps their support if you engage them with more than just words; it’s about action. The engagement is what will help attract more people and ultimately more minority candidates to the Republican Party,” he said. “All GOPers have an obligation to take our message and ideals to the people. The key issues for them are jobs and economy, education, and fiscal responsibility and I’ve found regardless of background or race, when you speak to those issues, it resonates.”