Hey Michael Steele Don't Forget the Watermelon

Republican National Chair Michael Steele sure has a way of ingratiating himself with black voters. The shoot from the lip Steele with a wry smile and a chuckle told a questioner that he'll get more black folk into the GOP by ladling out scoops of potato salad and, every black's favorite, fried chicken, to them.

Of course, if a white male RNC chair had insulted blacks with the most demeaning of racial stereotypes he'd be run out of Dodge on a rail. But Steele can get away with the culinary insult because a) He's black, b) He's widely considered an amusing cartoon figure within and without the GOP, and c) He's got as about as much relevance to black folk (that's black voters) as George Wallace in his worst segregationist days.

But there are two intriguing questions in Steele's shuck and jive quip. One is since Steele is black and one of the dwindling (not that there's much to dwindle to) number of blacks in the GOP, did the GOP bribe Steele with a bucket of fried chicken to get him into the party, and did he lick the grease from his fingers? The other even more compelling question is did Steele polish off his fried chicken gorge by slurping away at a big slice of watermelon? Do you have an answer to that Mike?

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His weekly radio show, "The Hutchinson Report" can be heard on weekly in Los Angeles on KTYM Radio 1460 AM and nationally on blogtalkradio.com