HOW ERIC HOLDER & MICHAEL STEELE SPENT THEIR FEBRUARY

By John Ridley, on The Huffington Post:
"We come to the end of another Black History Month.
"Eric Holder, the Nation's first black Attorney General, spent February demonstrating he owned the stones to call out Americans for being 'in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards' when it comes having the tough discussion on race and ethnicity. That's when he wasn't putting the finishing touches on the bust-up of a major Narco ring.
"Michael Steele, the nation's first black chairman of the Republican National Committee, spent February explaining how he wants the RNC's new PR campaign to be 'off the hook,' featuring 'urban-surburban hip-hop settings.' That's when he wasn't giving a shout-out of 'slum love"' to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal who is of Near Eastern ethnicity.
"Slum love, get it? 'Cause, like, Slumdog Millionaire was, like, big.
"Can you imagine Holder publicly wishing President Obama some ghetto affection?
"So much for the GOP's new face.
"Despite a few critical posts -- call them my tough love shout-outs -- I actually wish Michael Steele much success in reinventing the Republicans. There's nothing wrong with a smart, ideas-oriented adversarial Party. A new version of Eisenhower's Dynamic Conservatism, as opposed to the same version of 'let's try tax cuts.' Though I personally appreciate them.
Steele, however, is not helping advance the cause, or sell the party beyond the base with his tone-deafness. Nor is he being helped by the 'new' GOP. I'm sure Bobby Jindal is thankful 2012 is three years away, and I'm sure Sarah Palin is thankful for Bobby Jindal. For all the ills of liberal paternalism, conservatives are learning you can't do diversity overnight.
"What's clear now is that after Tuesday night's 'I'm exotic like Obama, too' flame out by Jindal, Steele is going to have to work double time in finding a new messenger. First, perhaps, he needs to figure out what the message is and how to deliver it."