http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=04&year=2010&base_name=steele_criticism_of_me_is_raceSteele's Convenient Understanding Of Racism.
When Michael Steele ran for chair of the Republican National Committee, he was careful to signal to Republicans that not only would he help immunize them against accusations of racism, but that he'd be willing to use race as a cudgel against the Democrats. He said that Barack Obama "played the race card beautifully" during the election, and added that that the GOP shouldn't go easy on Obama "just because the President of the United States happens to be a black man."
The point was that Steele, being black, would be able to help the GOP go at Obama while deflecting accusations that their criticisms were motivated by racial animus.
Since then, Steele has appeared more willing to utilize race as a cudgel against Republicans. snip//
This is another example of why Republicans continue to fail at minority outreach: Their understanding of how racism works is completely politicized. Steele thinks he's a victim of racism whenever he's in trouble, but also thinks that Obama only got elected because he's black, except when he's trying to draw parallels between himself and the president. Abortion is a plot to commit genocide against black people -- but the idea that being black might make it harder for you to get a job is ludicrous. Republicans generally seem to see racism as a political weapon rather than something that actually affects people's lives and livelihoods, and Steele's presence at the RNC isn't doing anything to disabuse them of that notion.-- A. Serwer