Opinion: GOP's Long Road to Winning Back Minorities

(April 29) -- Michael Steele knows the party he pledges allegiance to has alienated quite of few of those who look like him.

Speaking candidly about race and Republicans, the Republican National Committee chairman bluntly acknowledged that the GOP has done little to convince blacks to support them on the ballot.

As he explained to DePaul University students last week: "We have lost sight of the historic, integral link between the party and African-Americans. This party was co-founded by blacks, among them Frederick Douglass. The Republican Party had a hand in forming the NAACP, and yet we have mistreated that relationship. People don't walk away from parties, their parties walk away from them."

I'm surprised he didn't make the obligatory reference to Abraham Lincoln in answering why the party of red rarely resonates with the black and brown faction of the electorate.

With minorities on their way to becoming the majority in this country, the Grand Old Party is doing a disservice to itself by consistently propping up older white male Protestants candidates -- and women who sound exactly like them.

That's one reason the Republican Party should thank its lucky stars that more than 30 black Republicans are running for Congress this year.

For those wondering if this unconventionally high figure of minority candidates is straight from the playbook of cynical and condescending politics, fret not -- Republican leadership had nothing to do with it.

A pleasantly surprised but painfully unaware Paul Lindsay, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, revealed to AlterNet, "There is no specific or organized effort to recruit black candidates to run for Congress."

Although Lindsay feels "fortunate" about the candidates, he notes, "Our recruitment process in general is colorblind."

So we've noticed.

Admittedly, my desire to vote for a black Republican mirrors the same level of enthusiasm I have to revisit my wisdom teeth being extracted from my mouth without Novocain.

In fact, of these candidates my vote still goes to Meghan McCain.

However, political differences notwithstanding, I hope the GOP learns that in order for its party to survive decades from now, it is imperative that it become more inclusive.

As of now, only six of the candidates are reported to have any legitimate chance of winning in their districts. Of those six, only one, Florida congressional candidate Allen West, is receiving financial assistance from the national party.

Regardless of how each of these candidates fares in the election, I implore Republicans to look to their respective candidacies as a sign that it's time to move beyond the status quo and create a party that mirrors the rest of America. And with candidates like Princella Smith -- a 26-year-old running for Congress in Arkansas' 1st District -- yet another opportunity to reach out to younger voters.

The same can be said of those who brand themselves as "hip-hop Republicans."

It bears repeating that I in no way fancy conservative ideology, but there are plenty of blacks in this country whose social and political views align more so with Republicans than Democrats.

Only no one bothers to relay that message to them. You don't need a darker face to do so, but when minority politicians volunteer their services, it's best to rally around them.

It's good politics for the GOP, a potentially good enough wake-up call to Democrats who often take black votes for granted, and even better for a country that deserves its two major political parties to appear as diverse as possible.