E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Today's debate for Republican National Committee chairman was supposed to be all about Michael Steele, especially after he announced he was running for re-election last month.
And for a while, it was.
Right off the bat, former Missouri GOP chairwoman Ann Wagner said the RNC was "broken and needs to be fixed." The complaint: The party, under Steele's leadership, mismanaged money and now finds itself in significant debt. "We fell down as a national committee," Wagner later added. "We have got to fully fund our state victory programs."
Said Michigan committeeman Saul Anuzis, who also ran against Steele in '09, delivered some implicit criticism. "I think we need someone who can make the trains run on time." The jab: The RNC trains under Steele weren't arriving or departing on time.
Ditto Wisconsin GOP chair Reince Priebus, who served as RNC general counsel during Steele's tenure: "We need a fully funded [get-out-the-vote] effort... It comes down to come, it comes down to resources."
For his part, a relatively subdued Steele defended his record, pointing to the GOP's numerous electoral wins in 2009 and 2010. "I'm a glass-half-full guy," he said. "I don't see crisis where some see it."
And although he admitted that the RNC last year changed its get-out-the-vote operation, Steele claimed he didn't abandon it. "We may have done it differently, but we found other ways to get resources. Find me a state that did not have a winning election -- because maybe they didn't have enough resources. But I think we won in all 50 states."
That said, Steele conceded that the greatest responsibility for the RNC chairman in 2011-12 is "dealing with the finances... That clearly will be a priority."
Yet outside of those exchanges, the debate was more about the candidates -- Steele, Wagner, Anuzis, Priebus, and former Bush administration official Maria Cino -- proving their conservative bona fides.
They all expressed their opposition to the Obama administration's policies, to abortion, and to same-sex marriage (though Steele wasn't as unequivocal as the other candidates were on this question).
Said Priebus: "If you are pro-abortion, pro-stimulus, pro-GM bailout ... then you probably aren't a Republican."
Leave a Comment:
The RNC was "broken and needs to be fixed". Well, who broke it? It broke in 2006 before Steele became Chairman or maybe that was just the GOP that was broken. The Tea Party will fix it just as they fixed the GOP--move right, very far right. Purist ideology and tax cuts solve everything.
That DNC leadership just cannot be beat, can it? I mean, look at the election results- historic losses in the House, six seats in the Senate, all those governors and state legislatures- in a redistricting year, no less- yet, there is no leadership fight at the DNC.
Yep, everything is sunshine and roses there.
No Jo: I asked you a question earlier, and I am afraid I am going to have to insist on an answer. You do tend to do this, when it is clear you are losing the point, you abandon the thread: President Obama was accepted into Harvard Law, for which you had better possess an LSAT score of 169+, and have excellent undergrad credentials. He was named Editor of the Law Review, and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Harvard accepts about 7-11% of its applicants. Further, President Obama was accepted to not one, but two Ivy League schools. You keep demanding that he release his grades as a way to insinuate that he will be found wanting in that area. The evidence is clearly against it. I realize that facts are not your friend, but in the face of this overwhelming evidence, exactly what do you think you would learn that would make you jump in the air with glee? Or is that you just cannot comprehend that a Democratic President and a (gasp!) black man had the ability to get into an Ivy League school purely on ability? I think it is a safe assumption knowing how you think that it is the latter.
I was out for a while, and did not see the question. I did, however, answer you.
My statement has very little to do with Obama's grades, but much to do with the media double standard. Bush signed the waiver releasing his mediocre grades, as did Al Gore, who had similar, mediocre grades. I find it interesting that the media is suddenly disinterested in Obama's transcript.
I notice that you do not question any of the other statements in my post. I suppose that means you agree with me about them. Good to know.
NJNB, this is about Steele and the RNC not the DNC. Do try to keep up.
And again NJ: there was no demand that Bush release his grades. There was demand that he release information on the DUI, which he refused to do. There was also demand that he release information on his service in the National Guard, which he refused to do. I have been a part of political campaigns since 1968, at the level that I was invited to President Nixon's inauguration. There has never been this demand before, and I know what I attribute it to. What do YOU attribute it to? And try to be very honest about that answer. As to agreeing with the rest of your post? I think you know that it was worth exactly the time I spent on it, but good try at deflecting the issue. It is hard to be called out, isn't it? And it is abundantly clear to me, that you have no clue how law school acceptance works, especially amongst the Ivy League.
I am deflecting nothing. I left the citation on the other thread. You chose to focus on one of nine points I raised, so I assumed you agreed with them.
Oh. Wait a minute. My bad. This is just another Alinsky trick. Gotcha.
Well, dear, it has been a long day that involved multiple plumbers visiting, trips to the hardware, and other issues. I have no time to be led down blind alleys of nonsense.
There is a media double standard- I know it, the majority of Americans know it- heck, the media knows it. They just think they are smarter than everybody else, and know what is best for us all.
Too bad the majority of the electorate do not agree with them, or with you.
I, personally, could not possibly care less if Obama got straight A's or D's. What I care about is the Fourth Estate, whose responsibility is enshrined in the constitution, doing its job. With one standard which is applicable to candidates of any party.
That you deliberately choose to misinterpret that is not my problem.
You're absolutely right, newdayD. And just as expected and as she always does, No Joe says she did respond but left it on another thread. Of course, the fact that she ignores the actual question and deflects off to right field is beside the point.
No Jo is perverse, Jody. But it is fun to watch her turn herself inside out to avoid answering my question. This has nothing to do with the Media's ethics. This has to do with racism.
Shorter Michael Steele, "I'm the best Uncle Tom the Republicans ever had!"
Steele is a big time loser...The Tea Party Groups, good candidates, and Sarah Palin were responsible for the money raised, and the BIG Republican Victory in November. Steele has a lot of bad baggage, and he needs to go away.
Namely his melanin...
Michael Steele is sooo much fun...yeah I know I do not get out much...re-elect Michael Steele!!
Please re-elect Steele we need the money!
Priscilla @ Club Voyeur http://youtu.be/5nhyFKTb6vg
I think we know the two biggest conservative bonafides. Are you white and are you an a$$hole?
Reps need to get rid of Michael Steele. He is not effective in his leadership, GOP needs new leadership.
I'm sure Haley Barbour couldn't agree with you more. From day one major Republican leaders, including your new speaker of the house, took issue with Steele even before he could begin his job. Any other candidate at the helm with all the Republican gains (regardless of who wants to take credit for raising the money) would be praised. Republican or Tea party, Steele never had a chance because of the color of his skin. Spin it how you want to but you don't have to wear sheets to identify your ideology in 2011.
Here we see the illusion of the 'liberal media'.
If ANY Democrat ran around spending DNC money at a strip club, it would be front page news and would be repeated for years to come.
When, not just any GOP member, but its LEADER does something morally questionable and financially pathetic, its basically cool. Sure it gets reported, but there's no real outcry or demand for resignation or anything. No reflection on where our politics and leadership has come to... Just a shrug of the shoulders and time to move on.
Steele needs to worry more about his corrupt reputation, rather than his record.
Oh, if we're talking about Steele, I loved this little story I just saw when he was asked about his favorite book. Truly a Palin-esque moment of awkward:
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Quote-of-the-Day-Michael-Steeles-Favorite-Book-6417#
"When Steele answered, he mentioned Tolstoy's War and Peace as his favorite, but then added, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' The line, of course, comes from neither Tolstoy nor War and Peace, but rather, Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. Raise your hand if you believe Steele actually read War and Peace, and genuinely considers it one of his favorite books."
...Ahhhh..an Ethiopian in the fuel supply!!!
If you're going to quote from a W.C. Fields movie, you might give some attribution and also: know that he was a hard left liberal who championed gov takeover of the banks, gay rights, and, along with Gene Fowler, Lionel Barrymoore, etc., refused to work with anyone not union.
The Republican party of 2011 is not with the American people, but a blip that will soon be off this country's radar.
It does not matter who their "leader" is. It really does not matter.
Its hard to pin failure on Steele for the November elections. He can continue to claim he was leading the winning team. Did the Democratic Commitee chairman get canned?
Steele is a good man and the Republicans won the Mid Term election and now most Republican want to throw him out the window, the situation for this man that is a very smart and at the same time I believe he is in the wrong Party. It is not about race it is about reallity when the Republicans go out on TV you do not see any black face and time is passing and the Republican are moving too far to the right and making so many racist remarks that there is no opportunity for a black man to participate with them.
I hope one day this man will be with us the Democrats it will be some thing that will help our Party if you do not feel welcome in a place the best thing you could do is leave the place and go where you are welcome!
In my opinion the Tea Party is behing making his life miserable some of them are very racist and they are victim too because most of them are been victimized by the big business perhaps they do not understand that for lack of education!@
Ideassoul
Racism comes up when its convenient to squirl out of a situation that is unexplainable - you talk about racism and class distinction - one look at the top leadership of the white house and if you are honest and truthful - its there to see by all
Yes - and I have some swamp land for sale.
Oh those Republicans! Mr. Steele doesn't know the difference between War and Peace and A Tale of Two Cities and Ann Wagner's favorite book is her kitchen table! Small points, yes, but it really is funny. Go Palin 2012!
Well, I am pro-abortion, pro-stimulus and pro-GM bailout. So guess I am not a Republican, HUH?
How can Steele name a book as a favorite then quote the first lines from a completely different novel? I understand now there is a requiremnt to have more than 15 guns including at least five semi-automatic weapons to be considered Chairman......