Posted on 11/09/2006 12:27:27 PM PST by Bluegrass Conservative
I was just watching Fox News. Carl Cameron mentioned that Ken Mehlman will most likely step down as RNC Chair this January. Among potential replacements, he mentioned Bill Owen (Governor of Colorado) and Michael Steele (Lt. Governor and 2006 Senate nominee from Maryland).
At first glance, I really like the idea of Steele leading the party. He has both elected and party experience. Your thoughts?
Not Owens. He fouled up a lot of opportunities in Colorado. Go with Steele!!
And he did SURPRISINGLY well considering the state, the year, and the political climate. He did get about 25% of the Black vote in MD.
Translate that to:
If he ran for President...and got that kind of Black vote margin...he would CLOBBER any Dem they could put up. Yes, even Obama.
I'm a great admirer of McConnell. I should have been clear that I'd like to have seen a shake up of the people below him. But as long as no gang of 14 12 members are in leadership, I'm cool.
J.D. Hayworth!
Mehlman is toast.
The RNC needs a skilled technocrat in charge, not a politician.
Nope, hes the senior memeber of the majority party (I just read it this morning.)
Dear Bluegrass Conservative,
He did a lot of good for the Republican Party in Maryland when he was chairman. He knows how to do the job.
Haley Barbour was RNC Chairman, and I imagine the public exposure to the nation as large, along with the contacts he made during the job, gave him what he needed to run for and win the governorship of Mississippi. The combination of the national exposure he got as RNC Chair along with his successful experience as governor have put him on lots of folks short list for the presidency.
Mr. Steele could do much worse than to follow this path.
sitetest
Balls! That's what he has and that's what we need.
Wait just a minute. What do we really know about Steel? If I remember correctly, he was not exactly talking like a conservative in his campaign. If he is not a conservative, why would we want him in that position?
Wouldn't Tom DeLay be a super choice. He has been accused, but convicted of nothing...and probably won't be. The DIMS got rid of him the only way they could...by slander which is what they invented!! Delay ran the House like noone else ever could. He is far too important to be tossed out with the bathwater!
Thumbs up for Steele.
Someone mentioned that it should be a technocrat instead of a politician. I disagree. The National Chairman is the public face of the party. His right wing man should be a technocrat, though.
If you all truly support Steele, take the time to call your Republican National Committeeman and National Committeewoman. They are the ones that actually vote on this! They can be found at: http://www.gop.com/About/ Click on your state and it will show their names and give contact information for your state party.
If Tom Delay beats his legal wrap, then he might be viable. It would not look to good to have him in there with pending legal troubles. What about the former PA senator?
Put conservatives in elected positions. Moderates are fine in party roles if they advocate the conservative message of the Party as a whole.
He'd need to be the Man of Steel.........
Dear Vision,
Don't just look at the gubernatorial race. That's a poor way to judge the chair of a state party.
Mr. Steele was a party chair during the time when the Republican Party made significant gains in Maryland. Increases in registration and significant increases in representation in the legislature are part of his legacy (and others who worked with him, as well).
In 1990, there were 24 Republican legislators out of 188 in the Maryland House of Delegates and state Senate. By 2004, that was 58 seats. The Republican Party went from being a joke to a credible minority party.
That kind of party building is what creates the "farm system" for a state party. If you don't have folks in the state legislature, you'll never have real candidates for the US House, Senate, governship, etc. Mr. Steele played a key role in building up that farm system. That is precisely the sort of party-building we will need over the next few years as we work to re-build majorities in Congress and governorships, and work for the long-term to replenish our "bench" for folks who can run successfully for President.
sitetest
Owens is a weenie.....I vote for Steele......or Cheney...
we need to get back to basics and not be afraid of the press and the Democrats...the truth ALWAYS wins....we need to get out there and fight for the truth....not the crap the MSM says
That's why he'll be a fine RNC Chair, continue to pander to the muddled middle rather than to the right extremists that are running like hell.
Who'll give the Party his steele-toed boot in the backside!
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