Local News

Steele To Speak At Republican National Convention

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― Former Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele gets some time in the national spotlight.

Political reporter Pat Warren reports Steele's been asked to speak at the Republican National Convention the first week of September in Minneapolis.

This will be Michael Steele's second time in as many election cycles to find himself on the Republican platform during the party's national convention.

Once again, he expects to take some heat for supporting the Republican candidate, especially since the presumptive Democratic nominee is an African-American.

"Absolutely. I can't tell you what it's like to stand in Starbucks and, 'I know you're supporting Barack!' Well, no. You know I'd like a little more meat on those bones," said Steele.

Obama, in fact, campaigned in 2006 for Steele's U.S. Senate opponent Ben Cardin who is white, telling the crowd of mostly African-American voters that they shouldn't vote for Steele just because he is black.

"I know that as a Republican, and certainly as a black Republican, the deck is stacked a certain way, and so people, you live with that duality," said Steele.

The theme for Steele's Tuesday night speech at the RNC is reform, something he believes carries more weight than promising change.

Steele will take the platform Tuesday, Sept. 2 with Maryland in mind as well.

"It's an honor to be asked. You go out, and certainly in my case put the best foot forward for my state at the convention in a national setting and to do Maryland proud," said Steele.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

---