Michael Steele threatens to quit his post if RNC members don't cease trying to undermine his authority. Ta-Nehisi Coates writes that he'd be "shocked" if Steele didn't play the race card.
Isn't he already? The RNC wanted the social benefits of electing a black chairman, but unsatisfied with his performance several months into the job, they're trying to make him little more than a figurehead. The optics of the first black head of the RNC quitting his job because he wasn't trusted enough to have the same authority as his predecessors is obvious enough without Steele having to remind anyone. The best "race card" is the one no one can accuse you of playing.
-- A. Serwer
