On January 30, 2009, it was another historical day for African-Americans. On January 20, 2009, it was the inauguration of United States President Barack Obama. Obama is the first African-American and multiracial US President. On January 30, former Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele of Maryland was elected the new Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman. Steele is the first African-American chairman.
Steele is considered one of the most moderate Republicans. As the new RNC chairman, Steele is charged with helping the GOP regain its strength that was lost after the 2008 US Elections.
Days after the 2008 US Elections, the Republican Governors Association held a meeting in Miami, Florida. Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota said that the GOP cannot compete if there is a deficit of women, Latinos, African-Americans, and middle income voters within the party’s ranks.
Steele has launched a new PR offensive that is supposed to be “off the hook.” He would say: “We need messengers to really capture that region – young, Hispanic, black, a cross section … We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-suburban hip-hop settings.”
This is in regards to North Carolina and Virginia. In this respect, Steele wishes to merge GOP ideology with hip-hop culture as a means to reach out to the young let alone blacks and Latinos. Overall, Steele wants to give the Republican Party an “urban hip-hop makeover.”
There is one question that should be asked: How will the GOP constituents take this?
Another question to be asked is: Will this new PR offensive succeed?