Metro Boston, Marc Lamont Hill, Published 2009-03-05 01:22
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After Limbaugh was publicly lambasted for stating that he wanted president Obama’s agenda to fail, Democratic leaders seized the moment as an opportunity to anoint the polarizing pundit as the de facto leader of the GOP. Steele, the actual leader of the party, dismissed Limbaugh as a mere “entertainer” whose show trades in “ugly” and “incendiary” remarks. Limbaugh fired back, telling Steele to do his job and stop acting like a “talking head media star.”
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By allowing Michael Steele to be publicly undressed by a party extremist, Republicans have tacitly confirmed what many of us already knew: They haven’t changed one bit. Despite their post-November promises to rise above bitter partisanship, the GOP decided instead to co-sign Limbaugh’s anti-patriotic machinations. Instead of living up to their promise to broaden the party’s message and appeal, Republicans have instead opted to defer to the steward of its most vile, ignorant, and bigoted constituency. Most disturbingly, they’ve legitimized their antidemocratic enterprise by hiring a black man, but giving him no more political muscle than the queen of England.
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To be clear, I am not trying to diss Michael Steele. My concern is that the seductive aroma of power has diverted his attention from the harsh realities of his circumstance. Like many prominent African-Americans, Steele has climbed the heights of white society under the false premise that he is being judged purely on merit rather than color. This couldn’t be further from the truth. While the Republican Party is willing to dangle Steele’s black face in front of its base to celebrate its ostensible progress, it is equally committed to reducing him to nothing more than a paper champion. Hopefully, Brother Steele will stop drinking the Kool-Aid long enough to recognize this and come back home.
Marc Lamont Hill is a FoxNews commentator and assistant professor at Temple University.
(Yes, you read right, FoxNews commentator)
http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/03/05/01/2244-82/index.xml