RNC Chair Steele: GOP Needs "Hip Hop" Makeover

Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele, in an interview with the Washington Times, says he's planning an "off the hook" public relations offensive to attract young blacks and Hispanic voters.

The RNC's first black chairman will "surprise everyone" when updating the party's image using the Internet and advertisements on radio, on television and in print, he told The Washington Times.

...

"There was underlying concerns we had become too regionalized and the party needed to reach beyond our comfort" zones, he said, citing defeats in such states as Virginia and North Carolina. "We need messengers to really capture that region - young, Hispanic, black, a cross section ... We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-surburban hip-hop settings."

Asked if this venture will be cutting-edge, Steele replied, "I don't do 'cutting-edge.' That's what Democrats are doing. We're going beyond cutting-edge."

Steele recently said that President Obama's stimulus was just "bling bling."

Comments

[IWillCallYouOut]

01:29 AM on 02/25/2009

What is happening. Perhaps this is a joke...

[slj316]

09:37 AM on 02/22/2009

If Michael Steele thinks that by using outdated slang that he's going to bring in younger voters from urban areas into the GOP, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell him. And the whole hip hop makeover idea is sure to go over extremely well with your base Mike; you know the evangelicals, the neo-cons and the rednecks who basically shun the whole hip hop community like the plague.

[SkuddGobang]

08:07 PM on 02/21/2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt73TC9xRz8

[yasmeen]

06:53 PM on 02/21/2009

we blacks should be so proud: we got a brotha in the white house saving the world and another in the GOP killing it, ROCK ON !!

[CarlitoBrilliante]

01:57 PM on 02/21/2009

So Michael Steele is reaching out to Hip Hop and "one armed midgets"? I happen to have the perfect song for him, to bring rap fans to the G.O.P. tent. The name of the song (coincidentally), is "The G.O.P."........ but I don't think it's exactly what Mr. Steele had in mind. If it does bring young African-Americans and Hispanics to their tent, it's probably just to tear it down!

Carlito Brilliante

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=407680586

[bnhood81]

06:25 AM on 02/21/2009

New Michael Steele commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V6T0FhT6AM

[dee1984]

10:50 PM on 02/20/2009

Mr. Steeles has TOTALLY made me consider going over to the GOP, as a young black woman his use of slang such as ''off the hook'' and ''bling bling'' REALLY make me feel like he gets my generation.

[Char59]

04:21 PM on 03/03/2009

Please! It would really have to be " off the chain" for the rest of us to go to the GOP! I don't see that happening anytime soon because he would have to get Rush's approval, enuf said.............

[misspronounced]

02:18 PM on 02/20/2009

someone acquired his top secret memo: http://www.campusprogress.org/mocku/3644/you-down-with-gop

[Biddy]

12:46 PM on 02/20/2009

Michael Steele is like the WB and UPN. Not representative of Black America and destined for extinction.

[GolfingDevil05]

11:48 AM on 02/20/2009

Is going "beyond cutting edge" anything like going to "Ludicrous Speed"?

[Shayrae]

07:05 AM on 02/20/2009

Ok, let me get this straight. Michael Steele is taking the GOP down the hip hop road to appeal to black and hispanic voters? Steele, what are you GOPers drinking or smoking these days? I thought Sarah the Alaskan was a laugh a minute, but this guy takes the cake. How can somebody who looks black be so damned out of touch with black people? Oh, that's right. He's a white guy wanna be. How sad. And in the 21st century, no less.This soap opera is more entertaining by the day.

[motivated510]

11:22 PM on 02/19/2009

Everytime I think he has hit the bottom, he finds some unknown, unheard of trap door to hit an even lower level...

[miketothad]

11:17 PM on 02/19/2009

I knew this dude was fakin' da funk.
I think somebody is blackmailing him into this.....hmmmmm....

[gosolar]

11:05 PM on 02/19/2009

Steele is one of the best things to happen to our country...thank you Mr. Steele. You will succeed where so many others have failed. You will make a mockery out of the Republican party and ensure that no one will take them seriously for a very, very long time.

God bless you sir. God. Bless. You.

[stefiz]

01:56 AM on 02/20/2009

God Bless You!!!!!!!!

[TallyLass]

10:28 PM on 02/19/2009

I think the saying is "off the chain", not off the hook. None of what he thinks is gonna happen, is gonna happen.

[EgyptianMysterySchool]

02:27 AM on 02/25/2009

To be precise - the term "Off the ___" can be followed by many different nouns.

Off the meat rack

Off the heezy

Off the chain

Off the hook

Feel free to make up your own ending, as long as you don't sound too corny. Attitude is what gets you through. Here's one for you...

Yo, that's $#it is off the tree tops, shorty. (that was straight off the dome - no pun intended)