HONESTY.

HONESTY. Almost all of the state reporting on the Maryland Senate contest has focused on race. Given that Republican Michael Steele is black and Democrat Ben Cardin is white in a state with one of the largest and some of the most affluent African-American populations, a certain degree of focus on the subject is surely warranted. And finally, one of the candidates has uttered something noteworthy on the issue.Steele was asked earlier this week by The Washington Times if he thought race was a factor in the election. After talking about his chances with black voters, the Republican nominee turned the focus onto his own partisans (which is to say, mostly whites), and said:

Will [race] be a factor in this race? Absolutely it will. You have to go into this race with your eyes wide open. You can't sit back and pretend that everybody is going to love you just because you are a member of their party or you hold their values.

There's no other way to read it: Steele is saying there are certain conservative Republican voters, and presumably he means conservative Republican white voters, who will simply not support him (or at least not "love" him) because of his race -- and despite the fact that, like them, he's a self-defined conservative Republican. Steele is correct, and his brutal honesty is rather refreshing. But now, with a significant racial story finally worth reporting in Maryland, it's time to cover your ears. The silence will be deafening.

--Tom Schaller