Maybe Ludacris’ apology to John McCain last weekend got Republicans thinking they could expand their base into the hip-hop community. Michael Steele, the recently elected RNC Chairman, told The Washington Times, “We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-surburban hip-hop settings.” Steele went on to say that the GOP’s upcoming public relations “will surprise everyone – off the hook,” adding, “I don’t do ‘cutting-edge. That’s what Democrats are doing. We’re going beyond cutting-edge.”
News that the Republican Party wants to build bridges with the hip-hop community may shock the conservative talk show host Bill O’Reilly; he’s been burning those bridges for years by attacking Ludacris’ Pepsi endorsement in 2002, criticizing Jay-Z and Young Jeezy’s lyrics at an Inaugural party, and ignoring a recent challenge from Russell Simmons to write a blog for his hip-hop news website, Global Grind.
Steele isn’t limiting his GOP makeover plans for just rappers though: “We need to uptick our image with everyone, including one-armed midgets,” he said.