The first African American in history to head the RNC was elected last Friday amidst a re-working of the party platform to become more accessible to emerging voting blocks, such as African Americans and Latinos. Michael Steele, the new chairman, is Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. In his interview with FOX News, he claimed that the real problem was not so much the Republican Party’s immigration position itself as the presentation of that position.
“How we messaged that is where we messed up the last time,” Steele said about last November’s election. “We were pegged as being insensitive, anti-immigrant, and nothing could be further from the truth, because you talk to those leaders in the Hispanic community, they will tell you the same thing. They understand the importance of making sure the United States’ borders are secure.” Steele was also openly critical of some of the movements of the present administration, especially the new economic bill winding its way through the national legislature, which he called “a spending bill, not a stimulus bill”.
At the same time, he was optimistic about the Republican Party’s chance of a rebound under his guidance. “I’m expecting my grassroots, my state parties, [and] the national organization to get on a winning page and move forward,” he said.
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