I wonder if Michael Steele, the first black head of the Republican National Committee, which helps raise funds and supports GOP political candidates, among other things, recognizes the irony. He is a top leader and an anti-affirmative action guy in an anti-affirmative action political party, but affirmative action maybe the primary reason he still has a job despite all of his gaffes, mistakes and questionable behavior. GOP insiders are saying no matter how much he screws up, he won’t be forced out because of “the optics,” meaning it would look bad on the party to oust its first black chairman. But doesn’t the party claim that it is all about merit and performance, and that race plays no role in its thinking,  just as they say it should play no role in other positions and programs? It’s easy to figure out what people and parties really stand for. Don’t listen to their rhetoric, in this case about affirmative action. Judge them by their actions. Maybe this is the GOP’s way of signaling it has reconsidered its thinking on affirmative action and now supports the policy? Either way, Steele is actually hurting both sides of the issue. If he is retaining his job primarily because of his race — despite what some believe is incompetence — then it looks bad for the GOP, makes the party look gutless, and it is bad for affirmative action itself. Proponents of the policy believe in it, not to shield incompetence, but to give all those who are qualified a fair shake. Steele maybe the worsts of both worlds.

1. zynga facebook Says:
   March 20th, 2010 at 11:17 pm

   i was beginning to reckon i could be the sole young woman whom cared about this, at the least now i find out im not loco i’ll be sure to take a look at a couple of different threads after i get some caffeine in me, it’s tricky to read without having my coffee, I was unbelivably late last evening practicing myspace poker and after getting my fill with a few ales i finished up losing all my zynga poker chips take care