Steele Decries black critics as racists

Yesterday, the Washington Times published an interview with Maryland Senate candidates and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele in which he criticized his black critics as racist.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele said black Democratic leaders who call racially tinged attacks on him fair game because he is a conservative Republican have exposed themselves as racists and cast shame upon the state.

"I think it diminishes their leadership," Mr. Steele said in an interview. "But most importantly, I think it embarrasses our state to have elected officials speak in those terms. Marylanders now have a sense of the content of their character, because that is what [Martin Luther King] wanted us to judge each other by, and that's enough for me."

But, as I have said in the past week, Ben Cardin, Doug Duncan and Martin O'Malley, the three leading white Democratic candidates in state wide races (Duncan and O'Malley are battling for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination) have yet to denounce publicly the actions of Steele's racial attackers nor offered an apology. So far the only three people to publicly denounce the racial attacks are black themselves.

Duncan and O'Malley have said nothing, nada. Cardin

"pledged to not use racially charged attacks in his run for senator but stopped short of chiding fellow Maryland Democrats who approve of such tactics."

So in short, Cardin pledged to act like a gentleman-well gee, thanks.


Today the Washington Post is reporting the obvious, that Steele intends to try to cut in to the Democratic majority among blacks. This is not surprising, but does capitalize on Steele's long-term efforts on behalf of the Ehrlich administration to open a dialogue with the black community in Maryland. Steele appeals to the growing black middle class, particularly in parts of suburban Washington, DC. His rags to riches story mimics their own to a certain extent and Steele's policy positions show an indepedence from the traditional black outlook that appeals to these middle class blacks.

The Post reports further

Steele said he sees potential for black voters to consider him, in part because he says many African American Democrats resent the party for failing to put a black candidate on the statewide ticket in 2002.

"Democrats say, 'We've got 'em [90 percent to 10 percent], so why bother?' Well, they're going to have to learn. They don't have a lock on those votes," he said.

Democrats might not have a lock, but a poll released yesterday by the Baltimore Sun shows that Steele has begun the 2006 campaign with a deep deficit of support from African Americans.

In head-to-head matchups, black voters polled favored Cardin over Steele 56 percent to 19 percent, and Mfume over the lieutenant governor 67 percent to 15 percent.

It is iteresting that while Mfume gets 67% support of blacks, when Cardin gets 11 points less than Mfume, Steele gains 4 percent. Hmmm.

The same Sun poll shows a dead heat in a race between Mfume and Steele (38-39) with 23% undecided. In a hypothetical match-up between Steele and Cardin, Steele trails by 11 points with 25% undecided.

But the Democratic primary is wide open, with undecided leading the field with 37% of Democratic voters undecided. Cardin gets 30% and Mfume 28%.

Steele is perhaps in the driver's seat. Cardin is leading statewide, but he is far from an exciting candidate. His refusal to denounce the actions of Steele black critics may be hurting him among white swing voters who believe that if Steele had made similar comments he would be run out of town on a rail, even though the rational offered by black Democrats is that because they are black they can criticize Steele. But that is not a two way street.

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