Posted on 03/04/2009 2:16:41 AM PST by Rummyfan
Rush to Judgment [Mark Steyn]
Kathryn, in all the Rush-bashing, I was more disturbed by Michael Steele's wretched performance. His initial reaction — that Rush's show is "incendiary" and "ugly" — revealed:
a) that he never listens to it;
b) that he takes his cues from the mainstream media, for whom Rush is invariably "angry". They don't listen either. Rush is a lot of things, but "angry" isn't one of them. If you catch him for 20 minutes, you know he's full of fun, laughing it up, having a grand old time. There are a lot of angry talkshow hosts out there bellowing at the world for three hours a day, but Rush isn't one of them. (Full disclosure: I guesthost for Rush once in a while, and regard it as a signal honor for a sinister foreigner such as myself.)
This first reaction is disturbing for two reasons: first, given the size of Rush's audience, it's something an RNC chairman should not be so obviously foreign to; second, it's not encouraging when the de facto face of the party accepts so unthinkingly the liberal/media framing of the issue.
Then we come to Mr. Steele's second response - his reaction to the reaction to his original reaction: By apologizing for his first remarks, he opened the door for his DNC opposite number to make sport of the way he was kowtowing to the "ugly" Limbaugh. So a man who apparently shares the elite's disdain for Rush and his audience nevertheless feeds the impression that the Republican leadership is prostrate at his feet: the worst of both worlds.
In two brief soundbites, Mr. Steele has managed to suggest to his own party base that he has a lazy disposition that reflexively shares the liberal biases, and to allow the wider world to portray him as a craven squish. This is not encouraging. At the very minimum, he does not appear ready for primetime.
Steele turns out to be a huge disappointment. Even worse than his statements regarding Rush Limbaugh is his kowtowing to an idiot like D.L. Hughley.....
He just have to look good he don’t have to be clear.
I doubt if Steele could even hold his own against Pee Wee Herman...
Michael Steele = craven squish
Yup. I can agree with that. Steyn is on the money once again.
Looks like we have our own version of “change you can believe in!” NOT!! Steele, you sir are a giant let down!
Yea, it’s like a really big joke that no conservative worth a grain of thier own salt thinks is funny, Mike Steele is not perfect, and neither are any of the billions of human beings on the planet,Including Myself.
I just don’t see the humor in this, Mike gots splainin to do, sure.
And mayhaps is not the best the GOP would have to offer, but you know what you guys, I can’t shake myself off the fact of some distorted sacrificial goat thing, I am no where the political insider I (do not wish to be). If I were, I’d say ‘Bad move’, if I were a political insider, I’d focus my attention towards exposing stupidity within the new Admin, and yes, if time and energy allowed, I’d deal with this other nonsense, and I’d call it as such.
All, utter nonsense. My argument against socialism would be so simple: “Do you think that it would be OK for you to work your whole life toward a goal, only to see that you are not able to, because your tax money gives said goal to a non taxpayer”
All taxpayers would be Conservatives. (now that’s a thought!)
I was waiting for Steyn to weigh in on this...
After listening to Steele speak numerous times i had a lot of hope for him and was enthusiastic for his accession to the chairmanship of the Republican committee. I am not so enthusiastic now. He is not dead yet. I hope he can experience a conservative epiphany soon.
“In two brief soundbites, Mr. Steele has managed to suggest to his own party base that he has a lazy disposition that reflexively shares the liberal biases, and to allow the wider world to portray him as a craven squish. This is not encouraging. At the very minimum, he does not appear ready for primetime.”
That’s gonna’ leave a mark.
Rush Limbaugh may be the Left’s best argument for NOT shutting down dissident radio. His effectiveness will not disappear just because he is not allowed on the air as a commentator. The Left may not like the resulting metamorphosis of his influence becomes if he loses his natural outlet.
Michael Steele’s problem started when he tried to play nice with his liberal, black host, and the other liberal, black guest.
(You see Eric, I’m not a coward on race.)
If Michael hadn’t been pandering, he could have avoided all of this.
Where there’s life, there’s hope. But it really disgusts me that his knee-jerk reaction was to condemn Rush and agree with the speaker.
I wish we had a pubbie spokesman with some testosterone. My goodness, it is amazing that any pubbie can reproduce!
Steel is typical of the GOP these days. It’s the party of wimps.We either need to let the GOP die or they need to adopt conservative principles FAST and then get someone with guts to represent them.
After the Mc Cain disaster ( I still want to know WHO decided HE should be our man to run for president) I told them to don’t even bother asking me for money anymore.
Steele sounds like a typical talk-out-both-sides-of-the-mouth politician to me. He was on Sean Hannity yesterday, and Sean was practically telling him what to say, and he was still blowing it. Earmarks, for example. He agreed with Sean several times that it’s a shame Republicans have 40% of the earmarks in the budget, and they really need to explain to their voters that “not this year, not in this economic climate, wait for a year or two” and when things get back to normal they can resume bringing home the bacon “for that hospital or clinic.” No, Mr. Steele, not next year, not ever. Earmarks and pork are part of the problem, on principle. We shouldn’t be sending people to Washington to get other people’s money and bring it back for politically selected spending. Period.
Republicans who DO understand the problem (if there are any) should be marching to Steele's office and suggesting that he resign.
Well, since we as a nation were willing to hand over the Presidency to somebody who needs on the job training, why shouldn’t the RNC do the same thing?
This sums Steele up as clearly as anything I have read.
This sums Steele up as clearly as anything I have read.
Here is your antidote.
Video: Jindal acts like a party leader
Click through to the video and watch Jindal throw the same question back in Larry King's face, time after time. The skinny kid from Louisiana has more gumption in one pinky finger than Steele has in his entire body.
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