Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
Itll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin.
-Bob Dylan-
Perhaps imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, perhaps it's coincidence, perhaps it's desperation, perhaps it's deja vu. After five rounds of balloting, Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele is now the chairman of The Republican National committee. Governor Steele is, for those not familiar with him, an African American and while some call him a moderate, others find him staunchly conservative. Whatever he may be, he's a first for the GOP and in
my opinion, it's about time.“It’s time for something completely different. . . . We’re going to bring this party to every corner, every boardroom, every neighborhood, every community. And we’re going to say to friend and foe alike, ‘We want you to be a part of us, we want you to work with us. And for those of you who are ready to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over.’ ”said Steele according to ABC this afternoon. A bit reminiscent of the 1960's hit Dylan song, if lacking in conviction.
Does this represent the beginning of a new RNC? Is the old order rapidly aging, or is Steele much more of the same old song? He has been a commentator on Fox News, he lead the crowd in cries of "drill baby drill" at the 2008 convention. Is it enough that his ancestry is African to bring more minorities into the GOP or will a change in complexion not be enough of a change in everything else?
It remains to be seen, but whatever Michael Steeel is, he is not Barak Obama, much less Bob Dylan.
2 comments:
Amen.
I live in the area, so I've seen Steele on the local news over the past few years. I think his selection was pure cynicism - and while he is definitely no Clarence Thomas, he's no Barack Obama, either.
I wish him well. Watching the Republicans taking their cues over the past two weeks from Boehner, Limbaugh, and yes, Joe the Plumber, anything this guy does in public will be good for the GOP, whether they realize it or not.
Unrelated: But I give props to Barack for his genuine (I believe) overtures to the GOP over the past two weeks, but I think we're already seeing that no amount of good will or sincerity is going to soften the "us vs. them" party system we now "enjoy." I could be wrong, and I hoped otherwise, but this week put me back in partisan mode full throttle again. When a lone GOP congressman has the audacity to tell Limbaugh to "back off..." (pretty mild stuff), but still has to genuflect over the comment the next day and plead forgiveness, we know we're no further towards "country first" with the crown that controls the Greedy Old Party than we were a year ago. Sad and disappointing.
No, he's not Clarence but he compared stem cell research to Nazi experiments during the Holocaust. defended former Gov. He backed Bob Ehrlich's decision to hold a $100,000 fundraiser at a country club that did not allow non-white members, saying that the club’s membership’s policies were “not an issue” because "I don't play golf."
Our good will and sincerity will always be seen as weakness and nothing will ever pry them away from their psychotic faith in an economic theory that has failed every test -- and failed disastrously.
Post a Comment