In a street brawl, I'd give Michael Steele a slight edge over Obama. In the arena of ideas and style, not so much. We all know the cynicism that went into the selection of Michael Steele as head of the RNC.Republicans needed an attack dog that was of the same color and ethnicity of their closest Nemesis, Barack Obama.
At the time of Steele's selection, Republicans believed that Steele could deflect criticism of racism when our beloved president was attacked. And, as an added bonus, he might be able to enlarge the party with one of its most elusive prospects--black voters.
But with a change of strategy--attack Obama, attack him often, and attack him on everything--Michael Steele's value to the party took a hit. The party no longer needed a hitman. Everyone was elevated to that status.
He went from Michael Steele, "You be the man," to Michael, "We no longer feel you." The Man of Steele is now beginning to feel the heat and that heat is threatening to smelt his short career as head of the RNC, and possibly dash his political hopes altogether.
We have all seen the posts that decry President Obama's supposed weakness. He's soft on terrorists. He's nothing more than an "empty suit" (and this from certain blacks). He's doesn't fight back. He's a push over. He's weak domestically and internationally. He's not respected by world leaders, his own generals, and the opposition party. They delight in tearing him down, and reveling in his failures.
MSNBC is showing a video of gleeful Americans for Prosperity folks cheering and high-fiving each other after learning that Chicago failed in its Olympic bid to host the 2014 Olympics in the first round. What we saw were Americans rooting against America, and seeing no contradiction. It's becoming fashionable to oppose the president, root for his failure and cheer when he loses. If you didn't see this lunacy, it's a must see:
His loss is America's loss, not just Chicago's loss. After this blatant exhibition of anti-Americanism, how can these Americans for Prosperity folks face their family, their neighbors, or consent to being captured on film in such an uncompromising position. They're like drunks pissing in public, figuring the relief was worth the exposure.
And we've all seen Steele's toughness, and he, too, doesn't mind exposing it for all the world to see. The following video is from a Town Hall meeting at Howard University where the topic of health care reform came up.
In this video we get to see just how tough and ruthless Steele can be. We see his lack of empathy. He relished the opportunity to use his verbal prowess to smack down one of the attendees in response to a question she asked.
Watch a young man ushered out by a hefty security guard during Martin Luther King, Jr., National Convention of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, Chicago, March 25, 1966, for simply interrupting Steele.
Did Steele signal the young man's ejection, or was it prearranged? Either way, Steele could have spoken up and permitted the young man to stay to hear the remainder of his self-serving answer.
In contrast to Steele, we have the more presidential Barack Obama. Weathering the criticism of the liberal public during the presidential race that he should hit back, return fire for fire when McCain-Palin, and their surrogates mounted all-out attacks against him in a no holds barred fistfest, he chose to remain on course, and, for that, earned the nickname "No-Drama Obama."
His opponents dubbed him "Obami" to ridicule his lack of fire in the belly when it came to defusing controversy, and standing up to his critics and enemies. We should note: Obama beat out the team of McCain-Palin rather handily, despite his style, and unwillingness to fight as they fought--down and dirty.
And if I were to choose styles, Steele's rough and ready, shoot from the hip, or shoot and ask questions later, approach, or President Obama's steady, unflappable, but well-thought-out approach, I'd choose Obama's without regret, whether he manages to see his political agenda fully realized, or all his campaign promises fulfilled.
Recently, Steele has been muzzled, forbidden to make policy for the party. He had turned rogue, taking a page from Sarah Palin's book, but he's no Sarah Palin, whose newly written book (with the help of a ghost writer [Strike while the iron's hot!]) has risen to bestseller status long before being published. Until Steel can command that kind of star quality, it's best he leaves "going rogue" to her.
It's not always what we achieve but how we achieve it (cheat on a test or study for it). It's what we don't lose in the process (our eternal soul), but what we gain (self respect, and the ability to sleep nights). Some things are too priceless to lose. Other things come with too high a price.
Each day we're defining who we are. We do this with the decisions we make, and what we choose when faced with dilemmas. And many times--other than our own conscience--no one stands between us and our choices and decisions. There's no angel on one shoulder, and a devil on the other, competing for our attention. And although we might seek the help of others, we are, when all is said and done, responsible for our own choices and our own decisions, as we are the primary beneficiary of them.
This business of choosing and deciding is so critical to our growth and development as souls on this plane, that it behooves us to make up our mind in advance, so that we won't be tempted in the moment, by the moment, to decide and choose in a manner that's not in our best interest and the interest of others.
Choose and decide, then, ahead of time, and you'll never face another quandary, nor be stymied by another dilemma.
