The Growing Republican Unhappiness With Michael Steele [York]

Washington Examiner ^ | Byron York

[RatherBiased.com]

It's not just the TV appearances that have some Republicans worried.

Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele's dust-up with Rush Limbaugh has brought to the fore so-far unspoken concerns about Steele's performance in his early days as head of the GOP. A number of Republican politicos around Washington, many of whom supported Steele's bid to become party chairman, are worried that key jobs at the RNC are unfilled and the party's mission is unfocused, while Steele makes appearance after appearance on television, with sometimes controversial results. The result, they say, is a party that is losing its already scant momentum at a critical time.

Shortly after his January 30 victory in the chairman's race, Steele fired virtually everyone at the RNC -- a move many outsiders applauded after the party's back-to-back losses in 2006 and 2008. But Steele has yet to replace many of the people he sacked. Now, as Steele enters his second month in the chairman's office, there is no chief of staff for the RNC. There is no political director. There is no finance director. There is no communications director. Many lesser positions remain empty as well.

"I think it's been a disaster of a first month," says one Republican who has served on Capitol Hill and the RNC. "He needs to disappear for 60 days, go and staff the building, put his personal energy into making sure he has the people he wants, and go from there. That's what people are hoping he will do."

"It's not good," says another GOP politico. "People feel that it's been very erratic at a time when we really need some sort of stabilizing force."

Adding to the problem, these insiders say, has been Steele's high profile on television.

[Carley]

Sadly Michael Steele is representative of an affirmative action hire.

Same goes for Obama.

Look what it got us!

[satan]

This is what happens when we choose based on the color of skin rather than content of character.

[waxer1]

Michael Steele is going to be on Laura Ingraham show shortly after the commercial break.

[pnh102]

Steele has to go. He's made far too many screwups in his first few days on the job. If any of us did that many bad things in the first few days of being hired for any job, we'd be shown the door as well.

As other posters have indicated, the elections of 2010 and 2012 are simply far too important to have anyone other than someone who is committed to and acting to advance the cause of a major GOP comeback running the RNC.

[silverleaf]

the Gop says to the DNC “We have a bracelet too!”

[IMissPresidentReagan]

Updates? I don’t have ability to find another station quickly enough to hear him.

Thanks in advance if you get the chance.

[IbJensen]

Shut up Steele!

What else would one expect from a Lt. Goobernator from Maryland?

[freekitty]

And blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. On they go with their Saul Alinksy rules.

[iowamark]

"I think it's been a disaster of a first month," says one Republican who has served on Capitol Hill and the RNC. "He needs to disappear for 60 days

Almost correct. Steele needs to disappear permanently.

[MaestroLC]

Mike Steele should resign. He has proved he is will not stand up for conservative principals.

We need someone that will not sit by and let Republicans be described as Nazis and then go on to attack Rush. The video is far worse than described. His apology was weak, and made no mention of the Nazi incident. This is unacceptable.

The RNC gets no support or money from me until he leaves.

[SolidWood]

Originally I was glad that Steele won the RNC chair. I hoped he would set a way towards a more conservative GOP, while trying to attract new voters.

But the line he has been touting since is down the wrong path. Clumsy courting of SOLIDLY leftist young Blacks, the hapless Interview with that gangsta on CNN, several foot-in-mouth moments regarding Jindal and Rush, and his inclination to rather attack Conservatives than Obama, have clearly shown that he is not the one we need now.

The situation the GOP is in isn't an easy one, and any RNC chairman will have a though time... and I think some attacks on him were undue, but it is clearly the time for a RNC chairman who stands up for Conservatism with vigor or at least does his work of fundraising and setting the groundwork for the coming elections.

[nathanbedford]

Long before his ascendancy to chairman of the Republican National Committee, I argued against Mr. Steele in favor of a more charismatic figure. I believe the party chose Steele because he is black and would serve as a Republican counterpoint to the president. Of course, Blackwell would have served the same purpose and I believe he would have been more aggressive and more effective. Nevertheless, we chose Michael Steele. At the time of his election I posted the following reply to set forth the qualities we need from our national chairman in these hypercritical times. I think Mr. Steele has demonstrated that he is a man not up to the task. Here is the reply:

I think the position today is unique in its historical context. The chairman will become the default spokesman of the party. I suspect he is also going to be the leading policymaker-if he has the stuff for it. He must carry his policy with his rhetoric and he must contrive a policy which will justify the rhetoric. I see no one else on the horizon at this time who can step up to that role. By virtue of their offices the minority leader of the Senate and the minority leader in the House might offer themselves. Mitt Romney might evolve to a party spokesman but that will be awkward for an undeclared candidate. By default, Michael Steele will be the face of the party and probably its brain.

As you point out, his responsibilities include the nuts and bolts of running the party and that means herding cats but also a host of other duties: although he inherits $20 million, he must raise tens of millions more; the entire IT footprint of the party must be adapted to the Blitzkrieg introduced by the Democrats in the last two elections; candidates must be found who can wage credible campaigns at least in a few areas where we might regain some ground; a strategy must be developed to penetrate the red states and that implies selling something that the voters want to buy; legislative strategy must be coordinated with our minorities in the House and Senate so that the party speaks with one voice; discipline must be established and ruthlessly maintained; and finally, a sense of urgency and destiny must be imparted so that the whole country knows what is at stake and what must be done, they must believe it can be done, they must believe that it will be done. They must believe that only the Republicans can do it.

In sum, he must define conservatism and throw down the gauntlet to the creeping statism represented by Obama and his ilk. He must define the limits; this far and no further!

These responsibilities call for a Winston Churchill or a Newt Gingrich. They beg for charisma. The Republican Party might have only one more chance for survival. We need a wartime leader not a conciliator. The best analogy I can think of is that of England in 1930s reluctantly shaking off Neville Chamberlain, its exponent of appeasement, for Winston Churchill whose warnings had been so terribly vindicated that no one now could gainsay him. He told him what his policy was: to wage war. to wage war on land, sea and air. He told them what his aim was: victory. Victory at all costs, victory whenever the price, victory no matter how long or hard the road.

Since the Republican Party is that it position analogous to Great Britain after the fall of France, anything short of this level of commitment dooms the party which in turn shelters and nurtures conservatism and that ultimately dooms the Republic.

This is no time for business as usual. Can Michael Steele grasp the nettle?

[kindred]

Conservatives need a NEW CONSERVATIVE PARTY TO REPRESENT THEIR VALUES AND ISSUES AND MORAL CONCERNS, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS CONTROLLED BY LIBERALS WHO ARE IMMORAL AND HAVE DIVIDED THE PARTY.
A BARREL OF ROTTEN APPLES MUST BE DUMPED AND CLEANED OUT AND REPLACED TOTALLY, PUTTING FRESSH APPLES WITH BAD APPLES IS ALWAYS DISASTER AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY SHOULD BE LEFT TO DIE BY CONSERVATIVES LEAVING AND FINDING ONE CONSERVATIVE PARTY THAT ONLY CONSERVATIVES CAN JOIN AND ALL POLITICIANS MUST BE CONSERVATIVE AND THE PEOPLE WHO ELECT THEM MUST BE CONSERVATIVE. LET THE DEAD LIBERERAL REPUBLICAN RINO PARTY DIE.
WE HAVE LESS THEN 4 YEARS TO RALLY BEHIND A NEW CONSERVATIVE PARTY OR CONTINUE TO LOSE ELECTIONS BY ALLOWING RINOS AND LIBERALS TO RUN ONLY LIBERALS LIKE MR.BUSH AND MR. M’CAIN WHO DO NOT REPRESENT CONSERVAITVES.
REMEMBER, THE FIRST CONSERVATIVE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WAS A MAN NAMED ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND THE CORRUPT WHIG PARTY DIED.
WE NEED A NEW CONSERVATIVE GRASSROOTS PARTY WITH CONSERVATIVE ONLY POLITICIANS, THE GOP AND THE RNC ARE DEAD,DEAD,DEAD.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Steele needs to go now.

[PistolPaknMama]

This is what happens when we choose based on the color of skin rather than content of character.

Ouch! I posted pretty much the same thing way back when there were rumblings of appointing Steele and got lamblasted! To them, now I say: HA HA HA!

Hey Satan, I was wondering how that global warming thing is working for you in your line of work. :-))

[txrangerette]

Rush and Hannity are close with Steele.

That’s a big reason his Rush gaffe bugged Rush as much as it did.

Hannity was horrified that his buddy Steele would do such a thing.

Rush and Hannity didn’t realize until now how poorly Steele would perform in this RNC chairmanship position.

I assure you their Steele connection was based on an incorrect assessment of HIM and NOT on the COLOR of his skin.

My reasoning is that those who elected Steele saw his race as a bonus, not the reason to pick him.

Like Rush and Sean they had a favorable assessment seperate from race but did not realize what they were getting.

Of those who ran for the position, was there ONE that stood out for you and that you viewed as a superior pick going forward?

I didn’t find one, speaking for myself.

[Blue Highway]

Can you please give a summary of his from the Laura Ingraham show. They removed the show from the local AM Station 970 WFLA that her show used to be on.

[Crawdad]

I hate to be blunt, but it’s never been more obvious that no one in the GOP leadership has ever run a business.

[70th Division]

Yes he is black first. therefore he will never say anything bad about Obama a brother.