I certainly admire the fervent, almost Andrew Sullivan-like cheerleading among many conservative bloggers and pundits on behalf of former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell’s candidacy, but it’s important to give serious consideration to the facts, particularly when debating the future of the Party and the next Chairman of the Republican National Committee, and sadly, few have.
Two narratives, with a staggering deference to the candidates’ records, have emerged in recent weeks as the clearest obstacles in Michael Steele’s path to securing the top Republican post, the first of which being his association with the centrist Republican Leadership Council, and second, of course, the notion, that while serving as its Chairman, GOPAC underperformed in fundraising, messaging, and candidate recruitment.
Republicans, believe it or not, have an opportunity to build a broad coalition, one unified under the basic tenants of conservatism – strong national defense, limited government interference, and greater personal liberties – but if we’re to survive, let alone build that coalition, the Party must allow for a diversity of opinion. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m unaware of any other method of building coalitions aside from reaching out to those with whom you have disagreements. After losing independents and moderates to the Obama campaign by a margin of 8 percent, Republicans simply can no longer afford to be tone deaf, and Steele, I dare say, understands this. His vision of a revitalized the Party is not one where we’ve sacrificed our conservative principles, but rather one where we’ve effectively advocated for them, even to unfriendly audiences, an act some have wrongly characterized as “tratorious.”
With Senator John Danforth and Governor Christine Todd Whitman, Steele, who won the endorsement of the National Right to Life organization in his bid for US Senate, worked to establish the RLC, a moderate group whose stated purpose is to advocate for “fiscally conservative, socially inclusive” policies and Republican candidates nationwide. However, when the rubber met the road, the RLC proved more successful at marginalizing social conservatives than in offering an “inclusive” agenda for Republicans. After resigning from the RLC’s executive board in July, Steele told the Washington Times that, despite working to make a more inclusive, productive, and vibrant Republican Party, he could not, in good conscious, further “alienate people” from the movement.
While I both greatly admire and respect Rob Bluey and Matt Lewis, the implicit allegation that Steele, who hired Blaise Hazelwood – a well-known Republican politico – to run his campaign, would interfere in GOP primaries is downright absurd and, to be frank, nothing short of a lie. Steele’s record actually suggests something quite contrary to the narrative the two attempted to build: His resignation from the RLC, while multi-faceted, came amid frustration the organization had begun endorsing incumbent candidates in GOP primaries. “I have a fundamental issue with organizations getting involved in primaries,” he said in a recent interview. Adding, “the organization was endorsing candidates in primaries,” something he saw as dangerous and unhealthy for any Republican organization.
To say the least, Steele’s fundraising record, who many conveniently gloss over, is impressive. GOPAC, under his leadership, gave more to state parties and local candidates than at any other time in the organization’s 29 year history. As Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, Steele tripled individual contributions, and as Chairman of GOPAC, the committee raised more than $8 million dollars for Republican candidates nationwide – neither figures warrant scoffing.
As Bluey dutifully notes, ‘political celebrity’ should be low in conservatives’ check-list when deciding who to support for the next Chairman of the RNC, but that is not to say that political celebrity and a life-long commitment to advancing the conservative cause are mutually exclusive. Passionately advocating for a candidate, or in this case, kneecapping one, is one thing when you employ un-filtered facts, it’s another when you entirely forgo your responsibility to present those facts.
Cross-posted at Skepticians.com.
Steele is all wrong
AHALgal Monday, January 5th at 5:36PM EST (link)After today’s debate, it was obvious that Steele will be Mike Duncan version 2.0.
The issue isn’t moving to the middle to gain more support from Independents and “conservative” Democrats, it’s building the ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK of the GOP to provide for the needs of REPUBLICANS.
Let the candidates worry about getting support of Indies and Rats, the next GOP Chairman needs to concentrate on organization, rules, infrastructure that leads to candidates, fundraising, and voters.
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You picked Steele to be "all wrong" lets start with the obvious..
JadedByPolitics Monday, January 5th at 7:10PM EST (link)Duncan this is a guy who should have been fired for LACK of performance….if he had a job in the REAL world he would be gone…and then lets move on to Chip who while he is probably a fine man he is not a smart man and yes it is not wrong to have sent the tape it just was not politically SMART…..and when you are fighting both Dems and the MSM as the President says you have to be RIGHT 100 percent of the time.
The issue is getting the base back BUT the issue is also refining the MESSAGE to bring those “moderates and the middle” back BECAUSE those would be the wimpy 5-8 percent who decide every election. We have been losing because we have not walked the talk of the conservative message and Steele by the way does WALK HIS TALK!
Ken Blackwell is another fine conservative who has great money raising ability and who WALKS HIS TALK!
Katon Dawson is again another fine man BUT to STAY in a whites only club while trying to effect change again makes him not politically SMART and again like the President says WE need to be RIGHT 100 percent of the time.
Saul Anuzis is a guy who GETS the NEW MEDIA which is a necessity for anyone who wants to play in the new world of politics and he may be a great fundraiser BUT what has he done in MI for Republicans? that state is so blue its almost black and I will give him that its a total union state BUT surely there should be more Republicans in that state than elections would indicate.
The bottom line is this….conservatism wins when its packaged correctly and is done by politically smart people who can do it in 30 second sound bites and they must WALK THEIR TALK…..WE cannot have a “moderate” nor a “squish” running this party PERIOD and one more for the road WE must be RIGHT 100 percent of the time. One last item the RNC nor any of the other lettered national organizations should get involved in primaries EVER and NO MONEY should come from the RNC to those organizations to get in the primaries while acting as if their hands are clean WE KNOW BETTER!
I personally like Steele, Anuzis, Blackwell, Dawson, Saltsman in that order and yes Duncan is not included because he SUCKS!
Whoever has his enemy at his mercy &
does not destroy him is his own enemy
Your rant proves you have no earthly what the GOP Chairman does for his check
AHALgal Tuesday, January 6th at 10:49PM EST (link)80 percent is organizational
20 percent is public spokesperson
The two reasons I’m not crazy about Steele:
1. Newt appeared to be in the race. Steele got in and Newt immediately endorsed him. I don’t want ANY GOP chairman to be that close to a potential POTUS candidate. Not good for the party. Not good for voters.
2. Steele has surrounded himself with moderates/liberal Republicans over the years. See Christine Todd Whitman. The GOP can no longer allow a large percentage of the base to sit in out like election data shows they did in 2008. No more liberal Republicans. We’ve got McCain, Snowe, Graham, and Voinovich and that is four too many. I appreciate the “big tent” philosophy, but think the big tent should be the Reagan big tent, where moderates get a seat, but conservatives get the voice. Not the other way around.
In the end, if Steele gets in, I won’t be devastated. However, I will be very skeptical of potential success. That’s why I prefer Blackwell. He’s strongly conservative, has the support of many of the conservative movement’s finest thinkers and doers, and has a very compelling organizational plan to right this ship.
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Agree on the RLC Issues
jonscott Monday, January 5th at 7:55PM EST (link)Steele should not be pigeon holed as a RINO because of his association with the RLC. And reality is that the talk is really code for life issues. He is solidly pro-life for those who see that as a litmus test. He said it today in a debate that he clearly won if a viewer were to listen to the applause.
I am a bit concerned with his execution and organization but have the faith that he will surround himself with folks who will implement the theory and make it reality. I have spoken with some of his inner circle about his desire to ensure that the NRCC and NRSC are effective. He talked about his desire to get away from the losing strategies of the last two cycles and he has an understanding that tech issues need to be addressed even if he is not the king of tech.
If folks are going to attack Steele, lets bring some transparency to the debate. If its about life issues - lets say that.
JPS
scottricongress@yahoo.com
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And the check's in the mail
AceInTX Monday, January 5th at 8:49PM EST (link)His performance on Meet the Press when he was running for the Senate says otherwise…I like Steele…but what I see in him is what I see in Romney…someone who is willing to say anything and be anything they think they need to be to win election to the office they are seeking…and will do anything and say anything to hold onto the office once they’ve attained it.
Everything he’s said or done up till the last year or so tells me he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
As for his association with the RLC…I was one of the first people here…if not THE first that blow the whistle on his involvement with the RLC here at Red State. I ran accross the RLC while researching the RMSC and knew of his association with them from that research. As I say in my post to this thread…By associating with Whitman and Danforth at the RLC…he was either naive or woefully ignorant about them and their history, (which anyone whose paid any attention to politics in the last ten to twenty years can tell you what they are about)…or he agrees completely with them and is now trying to hide his true identity…neither of which speaks well of how he’d do as RNC chair…
The other thing to me is this… What’s he done at GOPAC? I mean…sure he’s raised lots of money…so has Duncan…but what was done with it? What did GOPAC do with all that money? How did the candidates that GOPAC contributed to fare?
I remember GOPAC being at the forefront of the Gingrich Revolution in the 90s…They were one of the leading organizations leading the pack in the GOP idea machine….where are they now? what are their policies…goals….accomplishments?
If there are any…it seams to me that Steele has the same problem Duncan and the rest of the inept Republican message machine has…because he certainly hasn’t made sure we know what he or GOPAC has accomplished….putting all the RLC stuff and everything else aside…I don’t think I need to know any more than what I just said about his inability to communicate what GOPAC is about and what he’s done as it’s chairman to know he’s a bad choice for this position!
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Well done
politisite Monday, January 5th at 8:07PM EST (link)Thanks for a good positive article. Steele is my choice but I did see why folks have great admiration for Blackwell. I think both, ‘get it’ admittedly from different frames of reference. I will be happy with either
Albert N. Milliron
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Heh!
AceInTX Monday, January 5th at 8:20PM EST (link)Steele has a record of being soft on abortion and playing footsie with leftist Republicans.
..You play a nice game naming Danforth and Whitman as “Moderate Republicans” and you stretch it even further when you discuss their supposed fiscal conservatism….how about some truth in advertising…They’re anything but. On both counts! I would call them radically liberal in social issues and moderate to left on fiscal issues.
Let’s say I accept your premise that Steele resigned from the RLC because he became uncomfortable with the fact that the RLC became more adept at alienating social conservatives than building coalitions…that’s all well and good…but what does that say about Steele’s political abilities and his failure to see flame about to burn the end of his nose?
Danforth and Whitman and the rest of the folks at the RLC have a record as do the groups they partner with, You all know where I am with the RMSP, then there is Pro Choice Republicans, and Republicans for Choice, the Log Cabin Republicans and the rest. What about Whitman’s “It’s My Party Too! which was formed specifically to stick a thumb in the eyes of social conservatives.To my mind…I don’t know which is worse…but one or the other are true….his willingness to jump in with both feet into the water prepared for him by Whitman and Danforth speaks either to a naivete’ of epic proportions and a tone deafness bigger than what you accuse us with…or it says he agrees with them whole heartedly and he’s trying to play the politician and duck his true views where the RLC is concerned till he’s won the Chairmanship!
If he doesn’t have the brains or the ability to know who he’s climbing in bed with…why would we want him as the RNC chair?!!
Then there is his comment quoted by you and which I’ve read elsewhere:
“I have a fundamental issue with organizations getting involved in primaries,” he said in a recent interview. Adding, “the organization was endorsing candidates in primaries,” something he saw as dangerous and unhealthy for any Republican organization.
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What record?
James Richardson Monday, January 5th at 8:37PM EST (link)In what instance, specifically, has Steele been “soft on abortion?” And why then would National Right to Life and Maryland Right to Life — two organizations who, honestly, don’t dick around with their endorsements — support his candidacy for US Senate? Moreover, when did associating with (pro-choice) high-level Republican elected officials render one a conservative leper?
If you’re going to make a claim like that, you need some factual support, Ace.
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Hmmm...let's see
AceInTX Monday, January 5th at 8:54PM EST (link)See his appearance on Meet The Press when he was running for Senate…
and that’s before he cawled in bed with Danforth and Whitman and the RLC…and the organizations the RLC supports such as the RMSP, Log Cabin Republicans, Republicans for Coice, and Pro Choice Republicans along with Whitman’s “It’s My Party Too”
Nuff Said
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Here it is....and you should read the rest of the debate...Steele doesn't sound so Conservative!
AceInTX Monday, January 5th at 9:22PM EST (link)What I see here is someone who is trying to have it both ways…on the one hand he says he believes in stare decisis which basically says Roe V Wade has been decided and precedent must be honored…but on the other hand the activist courts should overturn the precedent…either way…he’s hardly communicating a solidly pro life positions…
The rest of his replies and waffles in the debate are very telling as well.
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Well, here's an eye-opener
1SGinTN Monday, January 5th at 10:04PM EST (link)To wit:
“LT. GOV. STEELE: I think the Court will evaluate the law as society progresses, as the Court is supposed to do.”
Sounds like he believes the Constitution is a ‘living document’. That’s a non-starter. SCOTUS is to evaluate the law against the Constitution as written - period.
Tu Ne Cede Malis
-Virgil
Steele hit every liberal talking point on abortion in that debate
AceInTX Tuesday, January 6th at 2:12AM EST (link)House Conservatives Fund
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Sometimes the Truth Hurts
Robert Bluey Monday, January 5th at 10:23PM EST (link)If you’re suggesting there are factual errors in my post about Steele, please detail them. As you can see from my post about GOPAC, I will gladly correct or clarify the record.