It's worth noting that the RNC had no choice but to appoint Michael Steele as chair of their party -- Katon Dawson, the number two vote getter, had to quit his all-white country club before getting in the race. That wouldn't have been a good look for the Republican party, especially in the current environment. Still, make no mistake: the selection of Steele as the figurehead of the GOP continues a tradition of appropriating the symbols of civil rights to pursue regressive policies. He's another tool to perpetuate the white conservative establishment.

This clip illustrates how meaningless this symbolism is: