Michael Steele and the Black Vote

Michael Steele is changing conventional thinking:

On the wall behind Lt. Gov. Steele's desk hang a pair of lithographs of Ronald Reagan, produced by a local artist, as well as photos of Reagan and both George Bushes. Plainly Mr. Steele is a proud Republican. But is he a conservative? He demurs. "I would say I find myself to be much more traditional in terms of my values, because those are the values my mother left me. . . . So I guess in one sense 'conservative' would work. But then on other issues, I know others would consider me to be much more moderate. . . . I don't know where exactly I fall on the spectrum, but I guess you'd call me sort of a traditional guy."

His desire to avoid the conservative pigeonhole is understandable. Maryland has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1980, and that was the very liberal Charles "Mac" Mathias. Mr. Steele tells me, and my research confirms, that the state has never sent a conservative Republican to the chamber. So a degree of ideological nuance is a plus, if not a necessity, for a man in Mr. Steele's position.

Still, he talks like a conservative--one who seeks to conserve not privilege but his own hard-won achievements and the freedom that made them possible. He tells me he grew up in "the 'hood," the predominately black Petworth section of Washington, D.C. His parents were both Democrats, though not especially political. His father was a troubled man, an alcoholic who died at 36 from cirrhosis of the liver. But his mother was a strong moral guide. "She always told me to be smart about the choices I made and to be aware that you're not going to be able to please everybody, so just do the right thing because it's the right thing."

The Donks will try all of the traditional tactics such as calling him an "Uncle Tom" or a "sellout", but I don't see that as being effective with Steele. He seems to have the morals that a large portion of the black community have and that more than anything will make him an attractive candidate.

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