Michael Steele: Always a Victim

No racial incident left unimagined is starting to become the theme of Lt. Gov. Michael Steele's campaign for the U.S. Senate. Republicans used to lambast minorities for crying racism whatever the occasion but they've now decided to play the game themselves.

According to the Washington Post, Steele accused Rep. Steny Hoyer of racial insensitivity for using the word "slavishly" the other day:

Steele, an African American running for the U.S. Senate, was reacting to remarks by House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer, who characterized Steele this week as having had "a career of slavishly supporting the Republican Party."

After speaking to members of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce gathered in Ocean City, Steele called the description "the height of arrogance."

"It goes to just the sheer craziness of some in the Democratic Party who think they can use racist terms and infer things about me just because I'm an African American Republican," he said.

Steele added that he expects his Democratic opponent, Benjamin L. Cardin, to "stand up and tell his team to sit down and shut up, stop the noise and apologize."

I haven't heard anything so ridiculous since a white liberal resigned shortly after the beginning of the Williams Administration in DC after using the word "niggardly." Steele certainly has sucked up to Bush in the past, as Cardin's commercials reveal all too clearly for Steele's taste:



Steele is desperate to escape the president's suffocating embrace and to attract black votes away from the Democrats. He clearly thinks playing the race card is the way to do it. At this point, inventing racial slights which did not occur is almost old hat for our lieutenant governor. Who can forget the remarkable attempt by Republicans to claim that oreos were thrown at Michael Steele during the 2002 guberntorial debate?

As during the primary, Cardin's strategy is not to buy into a race debate but to methodically go about wooing African-American voters. While this is probably the right play strategically, one cannot help but think it would be wonderful to watch black leaders in Maryland to attack Steele directly on his racial tactics and his poor track record.