Let me be the first to say that I was wrong. Completely wrong. The RNC has selected Richard Steele to head the Republican Party into the furture. Only time will tell, if Steele will be the true leader of the RNC and not just another Judas Goat as we saw with the Palin candidacy of the party to garner African-American support.

Steele already finds himself on an uphill climb to garner the support of his own party. After finally emerging the winner after six rounds of voting, it appears that Steele's staunchest opponent was Katon Dawson, chairman of the South Carolina GOP who had secured very strong support from party insiders.

After five rounds of balloting, the race for the chairmanship came down to a choice between Steele and Katon Dawson, the South Carolina GOP chairman who secured strong support from party insiders after former chairman Mike Duncan dropped out of the race after the third round of votes. (Source)

The former Lt. Governor of Maryland won the RNC seat with 91 votes from the 168-member committee to be named chair. A simple majority of 85 was all that was needed to win the honors.

The RNC seems to have a "monkey see - monkey do" mentality here that I hope does not back-fire in their faces. It will take more that putting an African-American at their helm to "prove" that they are diverse and willing to listen to and act on diverse thinking leading to action. They can't simply lean on the laurels of former Republicans deemed great in the eyes of many or contradictory in the eyes of a few. Billboards espousing membership in the RNC by renowned and revered civil rights leaders is in itself, a divisive recruiting technique that will fall on death ears. And as long as the mantra of the party remains "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" while they pull themselves "up by the my bootstraps and on my back", the Party will continue to look the way it does currently regardless of its leadership. It will take much more than rhetoric and much more than putting a black face at their helm.

I hope the RNC is truly wanting to turn the corner leaving behind their policies, strategies, and foundation that has divided the citizenry of this country for decades. I pray that they now realize as President Obama continues to say "There is no red America. There is no blue America. There is only the United States of America!" I hope they realize that this is much more than winning or loosing a political seat or 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. This is about our survival as a Country, as Americans.

I congratulate you, Mr. Steele. Now convince me why I - an African-American wife, mother, and professional should support all-things Republican. I'll be waiting...

Obliged to you for hearing me,
and now old SjP ain't got nothin' more to say...
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