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RNC chairman defends stewardship of party affairs
Yahoo News ^ | 04/05/2010 | AP

Posted on 04/05/2010 5:30:56 AM PDT by iowamark

Republican Party chairman Michael Steele defended his stewardship of party affairs Monday and dismissed criticism as the talk of GOP figures uncomfortable with his "streetwise" managerial style...

Steele had already come under fire for committee spending on flights, limousines and high-end hotels, but he was not present at the Voyeur Hollywood West on Jan. 31 when a group of young Republicans ran a tab picked up by the RNC...

But he also attributed his problem to "unnamed Republicans who don't like me."

Steele was asked if he felt he has a smaller margin of error than others because he's black.

"The honest answer is yes. It just is," the former Maryland lieutenant governor said. "Barack Obama has a slimmer margin than others."

"But you take that as part of the nature of it," Steele added. "It's more because you're not somebody they know. ... Not old-boy network oriented. ... My view on politics is much more grassroots oriented ... so I tend to, you know, come at it a little bit stronger, a little bit more street-wise. That's rubbed some feathers the wrong way."

...Steele has hired a special finance assistant who himself was fined by the District of Columbia three years ago for improperly spending money from a political action committee, according to published reports. The special assistant, Neil Alpert, will help with fundraising, The Washington Post reported Monday.

The Post said that in 2007, the District's Office of Campaign Finance found that Alpert improperly spent $37,670 on items not authorized by the D.C. Baseball PAC, which he chaired, or the D.C. Baseball Association, a nonprofit group the PAC created to raise money for youth programs. Alpert was asked to reimburse the groups, which were later dissolved after Major League Baseball authorized a Washington franchise. He was fined $4,000.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: michaelsteele; rnc; rncchairman; steele
Steele, however, acknowledged controversy over the $2,000 the party spent recently for a party at a sex-themed Hollywood nightclub, but said that "when I first heard about this behavior, I was very angry.."

But not angry enough to refuse payment for it, or even to refuse to put the payment on the FEC forms.

1 posted on 04/05/2010 5:30:57 AM PDT by iowamark
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To: iowamark

Steele’s problem........He’s black...Lest we offend that base....


2 posted on 04/05/2010 5:33:02 AM PDT by Sacajaweau (What)
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To: iowamark

Angel Rodriguez dismantles a tent used by the national Republican Party at the Voyeur club in West Hollywood, Calif., Thursday, April 1, 2010. Democratic groups tried earlier this week to make a campaign issue out of the news that the national Republican Party spent $1,946 at the sex-themed night club, but GOP activists said party chairman Michael Steele will weather the hubbub.
3 posted on 04/05/2010 5:33:56 AM PDT by iowamark
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To: iowamark

Put the race card away, Mike. That’s in the other team’s deck. Conservatives react to incompetence, not skin color. When was the last time you heard anyone on the right say something negative about Thomas Sowell?


4 posted on 04/05/2010 5:34:36 AM PDT by TruthShallSetYouFree (Barack Obama: Government:: Bernie Madoff: Finance)
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To: iowamark

People who talk about race are idiots. To do so brands one as a third rate intellect.


5 posted on 04/05/2010 5:37:15 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (I do not want the Union to be maintained. I want the US to break up. I support secession.)
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To: TruthShallSetYouFree
Conservatives react to incompetence, not skin color.

Exactly. Steele has been a miserable disappointment because of his incompetence and elitism, not because he is black. He had an opportunity to really shine as head of the RNC, but that window has long since closed. He's now become a huge distraction for Republicans in a crucial election year. It's past time for Steele to wave bye-bye.....

6 posted on 04/05/2010 5:41:08 AM PDT by Thermalseeker (Stop the insanity - Flush Congress!)
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To: Thermalseeker

Look, as much as I thing steele is not qualified for this job, you must remember that the commies are in full fledged panic mode for the ‘10 elections. They will pull everylittlething they can find out of the deck to attempt to distract and divide us...we must not fall into the trap...keep steele around till after the elections, then dump him like a bad habit...we must keep our minds crystal clear and focused for the upcoming communist purge, and everything else is a distraction...


7 posted on 04/05/2010 5:51:41 AM PDT by joe fonebone (They will get my Fishing Rod when they pry it from my cold dead fingers)
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To: iowamark
I just saw a clip of this colossal @sshat (that'd be Michael Steele) responding to Stephanopolous, who asked Steele if he thinks he gets less "margin for error" because he's black, and if the same is true of Nobama.

Disappointingly, the buffoon said that yes, that both he and Zero did have less margin for error because they're black. What a tool. What a moron. If anything, he's being give MORE margin for error because he's black, just as Nobama is (although Nobama is half-black, or half-white, though oddly enough he is never referred to as being half-white. Gee, I wonder why?).

Steele is a serious disappointment who is way out of his depth as RNC Chairman. He absolutely needs to go now, before he completely blows whatever chance there is to rout the dimwits this fall.

Incompetent doesn't begin to describe the failure that is Michael Steele.

8 posted on 04/05/2010 5:52:05 AM PDT by Sicon ("All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." - G. Orwell)
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To: iowamark

RINO RNC hack.


9 posted on 04/05/2010 5:53:27 AM PDT by stephenjohnbanker (Support our troops....and vote out the RINOS!)
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To: Sicon

The purpose of Michael Steele is two-fold: (1) to make Marylander Spiro T. Agnew seem sensible, (2) to show the irrelevance of the Republican National Committee to saving American from self-destruction.


10 posted on 04/05/2010 5:53:54 AM PDT by Theodore R.
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To: Thermalseeker

The RNC couldn’t even choose the logical candidate, Ken Blackwell.


11 posted on 04/05/2010 5:55:03 AM PDT by Theodore R.
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To: joe fonebone

I would agree with your assessment for the most part, however, Steele has made several other blunders besides brushing off this latest incident. It’s quite clear he was far from the best choice to head up the sagging RNC to begin with. My distaste for Steele has grown exponentially since he took the helm. I used to like the guy, but it’s become obvious to me that he’s just another political hack out to make a buck. I’ve listened to many of his appearances on various venues and he always falls short. The country is at a huge turning point right now. The future of the Republic is at stake here. Sadly, the Republicans are the best last hope we have for the future. The chairmanship of the RNC is essentially a cheerleader position. It’s clear that Steele has done a miserable job. Joe the Plumber would do a far better job of rallying the troops than Steele could possibly muster at this point. Steele himself has shot his own foot repeatedly. The wounds are self inflicted. The Dims didn’t do it, but they will capitalize on his ever apparent incompetence. Steele needs to resign now while there is still time to put someone with a fresh face up front that can do the job that needs to be done. Time is ‘a wastin’.....


12 posted on 04/05/2010 6:13:04 AM PDT by Thermalseeker (Stop the insanity - Flush Congress!)
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To: Thermalseeker

Streetwise = incompetence.


13 posted on 04/05/2010 7:18:06 AM PDT by satan
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