Inside the Race for RNC Chairman

According to the Washington Times, Newt Gingrich (former Speaker of the House) and Michael Steele (former Lt. Governor of Maryland) are both in the running for Republican National Committee chairman. This is a very important position, and the person who holds it has a lot to do with who runs for office and who receives the all-important national party funding.

There are several reasons Gingrich would be a great RNC chairman: he exudes vision and strategy (his "drill here, drill now" mantra was so effective the Democrats adopted it), he knows what it takes to operate an insurgent Republican Party, and he is committed to conservative policy.

I do have reservations about Gingrich's philosophy: he is a futurist who believes that as technology advances, so will culture. I do not believe technology has the ability to solve our social ills, because they flow from moral inability, not physical inability. However, having said that, I usually agree with his policy proposals.

I believe, though, that Michael Steele is the best choice. Here's why:

Steele is an unabashed conservative voice. He will not feel it necessary to tear down conservative talk radio because they disagree with him, and it is more likely that he will agree with them. Perhaps we won't have to listen to the diatribes against the RNC from Rush, Sean, and Mark (the non-Detroit Big 3).

More importantly, Steele is an unabashed African-American conservative with current ties to leaders in the African-American community. In his race for U.S. Senate, he garnered several endorsements from African-American pastors in Maryland -- pastors who usually endorse the Democratic candidate. As a pro-life black conservative, Steele is gifted to make the case for African-Americans to be more involved in conservative causes and for conservative candidates.

This is especially necessary because the national Republican Party has neglected the black community, perhaps out the misguided notion that Republicans cannot win the African-American vote. Then-Senator Elizabeth Dole torpedoed Bishop Keith Butler's run for Senate from Michigan by recruiting another popular Oakland County Republican to run against Butler; candidates like Jack Kemp and Mike Huckabee who have made inroads into urban communities have been rebuffed by many within the party.

And, in perhaps the most disturbing symbol of the GOP's lack of African-American representation, if John McCain (or George W. Bush) had wanted to nominate the first African-American vice presidential candidate, there would have been nowhere to go. Colin Powell, J. C. Watts, Alan Keyes -- those were the options available. Powell is not pro-life, Watts served briefly in the House but is now a lobbyist, and Keyes has started his own party (America's Independent Party).

Therefore, I endorse Michael Steele for RNC chairman.