Editor’s Note: Michelle Bernard has become a bit of a celebrity as of late. Though president of the Independent Women’s Forum, Bernard is perhaps most recognizable as a regular political analyst for MSNBC and The McLaughlin Group. Bernard recently took some time from her busy schedule to sit down with wOw’s Andrew Belonsky to discuss the state of the Republican Party, Sarah Palin, the evolution of her career and what she’s learned along the way.

wOw: Michelle, what are your thoughts on the Republican Party and, also, Michael Steele who, of course, took over as chairman?

MICHELLE: I think the Republican Party needs to find its soul again. There are many Republicans who still look at the era of Ronald Reagan as nirvana. But this isn’t 1980 anymore. One of the things that the Democrats have done that Republicans have not is to look at how our nation has changed politically and culturally, and keeping up with those changes. That doesn’t mean Republicans should give up their belief in limited government or free markets. I don’t think that’s the case at all. But the Republican Party needs to find a way to reach out to many, many people, not just the religious right. That’s not enough people to win elections. If the Republican Party is going to have a future, you’ve got to find a way to reach out to women, to African Americans and Hispanics. And there’s a way to craft messages so that they are appealing to those groups.

wOw: And what about Michael Steele? Do you think he’s doing a good job?

MICHELLE: I don’t know yet. I think Michael Steele needs to really stay away from the media for a little while. The cameras will always be there. He needs to really hunker down, learn his job, do some listening tours, go to different states around the country and come up with a prescription to fix what is ailing the Republican Party. And then he can go back to the media. It will always be there.

wOw: Yes, it certainly will be. Thankfully for us, right? Now, let’s talk about Sarah Palin. You once wrote about how Palin really started to shine after she broke free from the — I think you actually did use the word — sexism, the McCain campaign.

MICHELLE: Yes.

wOw: Do you think that is just a part of his campaign staff, or is that a Republican problem?

MICHELLE: No. I don’t think it’s a Republican Party problem and I certainly hope it’s not. I think that whoever was handling his campaign just didn’t get it. And it might not have been conscious. It might not have been intentional, but it clearly seemed as if somebody thought, “We’ve got to tell this woman what to say. We’ve got to tell her how to dress. We have to make her out to be what we think she needs to be in order to win.” And that seems somewhat paternalistic and somewhat sexist even if that was not the intent. It was the unintended consequences of their actions.

wOw: I see.

MICHELLE: And this is obviously subject to debate, but from my perspective, when we started seeing that there was some friction between Sarah Palin and the McCain campaign folks, and she started going off on her own, she seemed like a much better candidate.

wOw: Do you think that she could or should run for president in 2012?

MICHELLE: Well, I think the Republican Party has to do some soul searching before anyone decides who’s going to run for president in 2012. I think time will tell with Sarah Palin, but I definitely believe that she has a political future ahead of her.

wOw: Michelle, I’m curious: What motivated you to study political science and to go into politics?