Michael Steele & Dog Whistles

Ta-Nehisi Coates is encouraged by Michael Steele’s election as chairman of the RNC:

I have no idea whether Steele will be any good, but I think his selection marks the start of excising the Obama is a M00zlim contingent of the party. I am, perhaps, being too optimistic. But I maintain that you have to begin somewhere….I think Steele has a Sarah Palin problem. Remember the silly math that had Palin giving Obama fits for the votes of women? Ultimately, that line of attack fizzled because, I’d argue, a lot of women found Palin embarrassing–an obvious token who wasn’t ready for prime-time. I think Steele is twice the politician that Sarah Palin is. But the question remains–How does he get black folks to look at him as more than a token? And how does he get that magic to extend itself to the broader party?