The new Head Elephant

So we're on a bit of a Republican-bashing kick around here (I believe "vitriolic" was the word used in a recent comment), for which I take at least 50% of the blame. After 8 years of Bush, it's only natural that we have a bit of residual vitriol in our system.

And speaking of moving on, tomorrow (well, today, in about 2 minutes) the Republican National Committee will elect a new chairman to take the reins of the post-Bush GOP. Not a job I'd wish on my worst enemy's dog's heartworms, but someone has to do it.

Will they get their own Howard Dean? Or another Lee Atwater?

Here's a quick rundown of the sacrificial lambs available candidates:

First, there's Michael Steele, who spent one whole term as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and lost a Senate bid from the same state. Normally, holding such a lowly post wouldn't merit consideration for RNC chairman, but this party desperately needs to stop turning away minorities (see two of the next entries). On the plus side, Steele is one of the two prominent black men in the Republican Party who aren't named Alan Keyes. He's also (relatively) moderate for today's Limbaugh-driven Republican Party, opposed to capital punishment and supportive of affirmative action. And, let's face it, he's probably too nice a guy to be RNC Chair in the age of Obama.

Next up we have Ken Blackwell, former Ohio Secretary of State, and the other black Republican who's not Alan Keyes. Blackwell is much farther to the right than Steele and has pretty solid right-wing credentials, especially after being at the center of the provisional ballot scandal that plagued Ohio during the 2004 elections (he's pro-Diebold, and against voting machines that provide a paper trail). Being both a righty and an African-American, Blackwell probably tops the list among GOPers who want to put a "diverse" face on the Republican party to counter Obama.

After Blackwell comes Saul Anuzis, head of the Michigan GOP. Being both a swing-state Republican, a moderate and a former dues-paying union member (the Teamsters), he would probably be the best choice and therefore stands no chance in today's GOP. Perhaps I'll be surprised tomorrow, but I doubt it.

Next comes Katon Dawson, South Carolina GOP chairman. Fan of Goldwater, volunteer for Nixon, he once claimed that he became a Republican because liberals made him go to school with black people. Perhaps to balance that out, he complained last year that his country club didn't allow blacks. I guess it only took him 12 years to figure that out (seriously, in a dozen years, did he not notice that the only people of color were the ones serving the drinks?).

Lastly, there is Mike Duncan, current RNC Chair and handpicked of George W. Bush. He's out on his ass, 'nuff said.

Honorable mention: Chip Saltsman, who put together that hilarious Christmas CD featuring the smash hits "Barack the Magic Negro" and "The Star Spanglish Banner", has withdrawn his name for consideration. Poor Chip, he just never got what all the controversy was about.

So tomorrow we'll know the new face of the national GOP. I can't decide who to root for: Anuzis, because he's not crazy, or Dawson, because he really really is, or one of the two non-white candidates, because Republicans think just putting a black face on their overwhelmingly white party will draw in gullible minorities. I'm torn.

edit: as a fledgling political scientist and student of history, I'm well aware the party dominance is a cyclical phenomenon in any democratic system. Thought probably not interesting to most of you, it's truly fascinating to witness the destruction of a party (seriously, "ways to be relevant"?) and the beginning of a long rebuilding period.

edit 2: Obama is considering Judd Gregg for Commerce Secretary, potentially opening up a Senate seat for an appointee by a Democratic governor of a state that's trending heavily blue (they just kicked out their other Republican senator). If he takes it, he'll be GOP persona-non-grata to the infinite power, since he'll have handed Obama his filibuster-proof Senate. Talk about searching for ways to be relevant.

edit 3: in my increasing insomnia (is what Noah has, catching?) I find myself doing background research. It seems, without much fanfare, Alan Keyes withdrew from the the Republican Party. He's been with two minor political parties in the last 7 months. Who knew?