Are the Republicans now taking lessons in ebonics? That's the question that popped to mind as I read RNC Chairman Michael Steele promising a "off the hook" makeover of the GOP to appeal to young Black and Latino voters.

We need messengers to really capture that region - young, Hispanic, black, a cross section ... 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.

With the hostility of congressional Republicans towards President Obama's economic recovery package and and likely future legislative attempts to undue the damage of the Bush years, the GOP is going to have to do a lot more to appeal to voters of color than throw around a few hip phrases and redo their logo.

Steele may be Black, but his attempts at keeping it real are ringing decidedly false. As one commenter on HuffPo put it "He makes John McCain look like Kayne West."