BMORENEWS.com

RNC Chair and former MD Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele

(BALTIMORE – March 20, 2009) – I can recall bringing candidate Michael Steele before the members of the HARAMBEE Dinner Club in 2002 at Britton’s Restaurant (now known as Night of the Cookers) on North Howard Street. It was one of the larger crowds back then. Maybe about 75 people attended.

I can also recall how the dismay was so ever-present. You see, there were those ardent Kathleen Kennedy-Townsend Democrats who would never even look at a Republican, let alone stomach the thought of possibly pushing the lever for one of them; not in Maryland, a 2-to-1 Democratic state..

I can recall cookies – Oreo cookies – hurled at Steele when he spoke at Morgan State University as he did the campaign tour. And I can recall being asked about his blackness; you know, was he black enough and other foolishness?

And I can recall the Memorandum of Understanding that he signed at Coppin State College where one of the witnesses was none other than 44^th district State Senator Clarence Mitchell, IV. Mitchell, a Democrat and member of one of Maryland's most politically-involved black families, was in the midst of a redistricting struggle (by the way, redistricting happens again in Maryland next year, 2010). As I reflect, Mitchell had a hell of a time taking the state to task. Understand, the Democratic Party was appalled at his undying support for the Republicans at the time.

Most importantly, however, a black man was finally in the room and helping to change the game such that black people began to have more say in state matters.

In any event, Robert Ehrlich, the Congressman who was considered by some to be a spear thrower for Newt Gingrich, ended up beating Kennedy-Townsend for governor – consequently making Steele the state’s first-ever African American elected to statewide office.

In a way, one could argue that had it not been for Ehrlich’s selection of Steele, there might not be a Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown today. One could even argue that Steele’s victory back then showed up the Democrats so badly that a dire need was created for a Barack Obama presidency today.

The mindset of a lot of black people back then was real simple: If you keep doing what you are doing, you’ll keep getting what you are getting. Put differently, nothing from nothing leaves nothing.

All I know is this: Many Minority Business Enterprises (MBE’s) in Maryland had a sense of revitalization and renewed hope and optimism. My alma mater, Coppin State, ended up getting monies like never before – monies that the school should have gotten 20 years ago. Don’t believe me? Go by 2500 West North Avenue today and tell me if you don’t see a slew of new buildings.

Also, schools in Baltimore, like Carver Vocational-Technical High School, began getting much needed attention. Well-qualified black bureaucrats, like Boyd K. Rutherford, were running state agencies like the Department of General Services. Victor Hoskins was chosen to run the Department of Housing and Community Development.

Most importantly, however, a black man was finally in the room and helping to change the game such that black people began to have more say in state matters, i.e. the determinating process of who gets what, when and where.

As much as folk don’t want to admit it, Maryland is still laced with racism and a whole bunch of other '-isms'. Truth be told, while Baltimore is 65% black, there are many people in Maryland who have been reluctant to view race matters differently, let alone embrace a black man in a high position as have the good white-majority in Iowa did last year when they overwhelmingly voted for Barack Obama. As hard as it is to swallow, the Democratic Party in Maryland has historically been to blame – as much as any other group – for the underdevelopment of the black community – its most loyal constituency.

Disagree? Then, how come Baltimore City Public Schools are in the shambles they are in? How come Prince George’s County has a 44% drop-out rate, according to former Congressional candidate George Mitchell? How come 6 to 7 out of every 10 young black men in Baltimore are not graduating from high school? And how come it is easier for black men in Baltimore to go to jail than college?

The fact is, the Democratic Party is as much to blame for stymieing black progress as overt enemies like the Ku Klux Klan. Democrats have been at the helm in Maryland for most of the past 40 years. Yet, there is still no black governor, no black U.S. Senator, and very little evidence that black progress is even a priority.

What I see happening is a few blacks getting a few token dollars to only turn their heads and act as if nothing is even wrong.

Whether the issue is redlining, racial profiling, black academic achievement, police brutality, the issue of illegal drugs, car insurance or mortgage rates – blacks still are getting their asses kicked in Maryland.

As for Steele, he recently made the mistake of getting too comfortable with the home boys on the D. L. Hughley Show on CNN. Further, he forgot what support he had received before from Rush Limbaugh in the past. However, I still can’t understand the back and forth between Steele and Limbaugh via the media as to who is the de-facto leader of their beloved party. Steele is the leader of the party, and his job is to raise some money and demonstrate, as he did in Maryland, that Republicans can, in fact, be on point.

His challenge, however, is that he comes in at a time – as has Obama – when elitist white males have done so much to sell the U.S. down the river to the first bidder. The country is in shambles. However, Steele has seen tough times before, as has Obama, and both should have some sense of how to help restore some level of intelligence and dignity.

Maybe this will help: When Obama first won, I stated that my hope is that this nation can move beyond the party lines and begin to deal with what really ails America: our own individualism and selfishness. Our uncanny ability to bury our heads in the sand and live out the perpetual creed of denial is the very thing – I call it arrignorance (arrogance blended with a mountain of ignorance) – that keeps us broke today.

Obama and Steele must help the world see a newly improved America – and a more empathetic and self-correcting nation where everybody has a place at the table.

As for the conservatism Steele represents – like his love for his mentor, Ronald Reagan, his support of Justice Clarence Thomas, and his admiration of his homeboy, George Walker Bush – I am still not feeling him.

However, when it comes to bringing attention to issues, such as those in the black community that have been ignored by Democrats in Maryland for decades, I hope he continuously pushes the envelope in a monumental way – just as he did when he served under Ehrlich as the state’s first elected black statewide representative.

Mike Steele: You had a tough first round. Now, suck it up, and get ready for the next round. And don’t forget to bob and weave. Oh yeah, and don’t get too comfortable in front of the cameras. The real work is done in the trenches.  

Tags: black political economy