Oh, God. After Michael Steele, now comes Bobby Jindal. This is what constitutes the GOP’s grand effort to change strategy: The Democrats won with the first black president; so let’s confront that by affirmatively bringing our rare minority figures to the center stage to deliver our unchanging message that “government is the problem; the less of it the better.” Perhaps the people will listen. So, Steele as RNC chair and Lousiana Gov. Jindal as a presidential possibility for 2012. Not ready for prime time, both of them.

Forget style; it’s because they’re prisoners of their bankrupt ideological tenet that “every man for himself” is the best kind of society (Make that every dog eat the next one). Steele says that connecting with a broader audience means his party should try to win over the hip-hop crowd by communicating in its style. By getting jiggy wit the homies, the GOP can better connect with its core message that permanent tax cuts for the rich is good and, yo, slashing social programs for everyone else is even better. I don’t think so.

Meanwhile, Jindal blames Katrina not on Bush Administration apathy and ineptitude, but on too much government. Follow his logic: To prevent another massive neglect of disaster victims it’s best to reduce FEMA, better yet, abolish it altogether. You’re doing a heck of a job, Bobby. Hard-line Republicans haven’t learned from the failure of their previous formula for big-tent diversity several years ago, which was to bring mariachi bands to their national convention. They haven’t learned because they just can’t get it.