Michael Steele becomes first black RNC chairman

[Yurt]

Michael Steele becomes first black RNC chairman

WASHINGTON – Michael Steele was elected Republican National Committee chairman on Friday, defeating the incumbent party chief and three other challengers over six rounds of voting to become the first black to lead the GOP. The former Maryland lieutenant governor takes over a beleaguered GOP as Republicans seek to rebound from back-to-back defeats in national elections that gave Democrats control of Congress and the White House.

"As a little boy growing up in this town, this is awesome," said Steele, the most moderate candidate in the field and considered an outsider because he's not a committee member.

In a brief acceptance speech, the new GOP chairman struck a tone of inclusiveness.

"We're going to say to friend and foe alike: We want you to be a part of us, we want you to with be with us, and for those who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over," Steele said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090130/ap_on_el_ge/republicans;_ylt=ArCqfZYX1Sg8rcCxJqhFNdQDW7oF

[red states rule]

Congratulations going out to Michael Steele!

There is finally hope for this party!

Of course the left will start with their usual racial slurs

[Yurt]

yeah, aren't the republicans racist....

i don't much about him, why is he good?

[red states rule]

yeah, aren't the republicans racist....

i don't much about him, why is he good?

Michael Steele is the answer to the problem the RNC has.
The RNC hassn't had a message, or solutions solutions. Steele has always been on message and gives real solutions to real problems.

In 2006, you should have seen the racist atacks made on him by the Dems during the Senate race.

[Yurt]

Michael Steele is the answer to the problem the RNC has.
The RNC hassn't had a message, or solutions solutions. Steele has always been on message and gives real solutions to real problems.

In 2006, you should have seen the racist atacks made on him by the Dems during the Senate race.

why is he the answer?

do you have links to the attacks, would love to see them.

[red states rule]

why is he the answer?

do you have links to the attacks, would love to see them.

He stands for Reagan conservatism Yurt

Here is one article on the attacks

'Party trumps race' for Steele foes

Originally published 10:49 p.m., November 1, 2005, updated 12:00 a.m., November 2, 2005

Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican.

Such attacks against the first black man to win a statewide election in Maryland include pelting him with Oreo cookies during a campaign appearance, calling him an "Uncle Tom" and depicting him as a black-faced minstrel on a liberal Web log.

Operatives for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) also obtained a copy of his credit report -- the only Republican candidate so targeted.

But black Democrats say there is nothing wrong with "pointing out the obvious."

"There is a difference between pointing out the obvious and calling someone names," said a campaign spokesman for Kweisi Mfume, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

State Sen. Lisa A. Gladden, a black Baltimore Democrat, said she does not expect her party to pull any punches, including racial jabs at Mr. Steele, in the race to replace retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes.

"Party trumps race, especially on the national level," she said. "If you are bold enough to run, you have to take whatever the voters are going to give you. It's democracy, perhaps at its worse, but it is democracy."

Delegate Salima Siler Marriott, a black Baltimore Democrat, said Mr. Steele invites comparisons to a slave who loves his cruel master or a cookie that is black on the outside and white inside because his conservative political philosophy is, in her view, anti-black.

"Because he is a conservative, he is different than most public blacks, and he is different than most people in our community," she said. "His politics are not in the best interest of the masses of black people."

During the 2002 campaign, Democratic supporters pelted Mr. Steele with Oreo cookies during a gubernatorial debate at Morgan State University in Baltimore.

for the complete article

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/nov/01/20051101-104932-4054r/

[Yurt]

dems are the biggest racists out there

[theHawk]

I've seen him on FoxNews shows alot over the past two years. He is very smart. Wish he would had run for President.

[red states rule]

I've seen him on FoxNews shows alot over the past two years. He is very smart. Wish he would had run for President.

Give him time

[Kathianne]

Indeed, I like Michael Steele.

To echo RSR:

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/2008/11/michael_steeles_rx_for_the_gop.html


Michael Steele's Rx for the GOP
The Wall Street Journal dedicated an op-ed page today to the question, "What Does the GOP Do Next," with brief essays from various conservatives, including former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. Steele's prescription for the GOP: Become the party of the future by emulating Ronald Reagan. Essentially, Steele says, the party's problem is that it betrayed its principles in order to win and ended up losing instead.

So the party needs to follow the example of Reagan, who "made it cool to be a Republican."...


http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/11/michael_steele_i_left_moderate.asp


Michael Steele: I Left Moderate Republican Group This Spring

Segments of the conservative movement have been questioning Michael Steele's commitment to conservative values, particularly social issues, posing the first obstacle in his bid for RNC chair.

At issue is his part in founding the centrist, pro-choice Republican Leadership Council with Christine Todd Whitman and John Danforth, whose mission includes embracing fiscally conservative candidates with diverse social views. But Steele told the Washington Times this week that he is no longer on the RLC's board, having left in spring of this year when the organization began getting involved in Republican primaries (audio, here):

"I shouldn't be listed on their site because I'm not on their board anymore...I have a fundamental issue with organizations getting involved in primaries, and the organization was endorsing candidates in primaries, which I am fundamentally opposed to...I get what you're trying to do, but if you do it in a way that will alienate people, then it's not ultimately to the benefit of the party...I can't be a part of that."

...

...Steele on the other hand, despite running in a the moderate state of Maryland, has been clear about his personal pro-life views, was an energizing underdog Senate candidate in 2006, and rallied much of the base to his side in an unsuccessful campaign for RNC the same year. He supports overturning Roe v. Wade eventually and more politically attainable pro-life measures in the interim, and has said that he would keep the overturning as part of the Republican Party platform. He's against embryonic stem-cell research funding, but he sounds more skeptical about something like a Federal Marriage Amendment, which given the polling trends on gay marriage, is a perfectly reasonable political position.

In addition, Steele is a devout Catholic who spent three years in seminary preparing to be a priest. One wonders if he'd actually have to be the Pope to satisfy some of the critics as to his pro-life credentials.

Let me be straight-forward in a way I think Michael Steele would appreciate: A black Catholic who grew up in D.C. and lives in Prince George's County becomes a Republican, overcoming social pressure and withstanding abuse, because he believes in conservative ideas and the way they can serve all communities, not because he wishes to be a squishy moderate beloved of the Beltway press. The knock on his pro-life credentials has always struck me as silly, and his leaving the RLC should quiet that line of attack.

[manu1959]

yea....think he can top the frank fahrenkopf lee atwater combo

[PostmodernProphet]

yeah, aren't the republicans racist....

i don't much about him, why is he good?

I understand he criticized Bush in 06 for not controlling government spending.....

[avatar4321]

Steele was definitely an excellent choice. He is a very strong conservative.

[Kathianne]

I understand he criticized Bush in 06 for not controlling government spending.....

and that would be a point in his favor, no?

[red states rule]

and that would be a point in his favor, no?

Here is one of his comments on spending

Q: What should be done about the enormous federal budget deficit?

A: The plain truth is we are spending more than we have in the bank. We've all heard it said that we are mortgaging our children's future. We are now mortgaging our grandchildren and great grandchildren's future. When a "bridge to nowhere" receives millions of dollars in funding, we know Washington has lost touch with reality; and until Congress places real priorities on spending, deficits will always be a pressing concern.

http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Michael_Steele.htm

[Yurt]

and that would be a point in his favor, no?

yes, he was answering my question about why he is good.

[Kathianne]

yes, he was answering my question about why he is good.

Indeed. Thanks for answering a direct question, even if not directed to you!

[PostmodernProphet]

and that would be a point in his favor, no?

???.....yes, that's why I gave it as an example in response to the question "what's so good about Steele?" {okay, when I answered this I was still on page 1....that's the second time that has happened to me today......I'm not really that dumb, I just look that way"}

[moderate democrat]

I applaud the RNC for chosing Michael Steele as their chairman. He is an articulate and thoughtful man.

[Kathianne]

???.....yes, that's why I gave it as an example in response to the question "what's so good about Steele?" {okay, when I answered this I was still on page 1....that's the second time that has happened to me today......I'm not really that dumb, I just look that way"}

Na, you don't look dumb. I was stating the obvious.

[red states rule]

Mr Steele does have more executive experience than the man running our country - and I like his fiscal conservatism


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3407/3240314769_826e703007.jpg?v=0

[Yurt]

btw, i am finding out that steele is not such a conservative afterall and has some shady situations...some are out of context, but the others....

and what exact conservative creds does this guy have. seems a lot of dems are happy about steele's win.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judd-legum/5-facts-about-the-new-rnc_b_162683.html


Former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele was just elected chairman of the RNC. Here are five facts about the new leader of the Republican party:

1. Steele compared stem cell research to Nazi experiments during the Holocaust.

2. Steele bused in homeless African Americans from Philadelphia to distribute literature in inner-city Baltimore that featured a "Sample Democratic Ballot" with votes for Steele and former Gov. Bob Ehrlich, along with photos of prominent black Democrats.

3. Steele once described that "R" next to his name as a "scarlet letter," complaining that being a Republican was hurting his electoral chances.

4. Steele was endorsed by Mike Tyson during his run for Senate. When Tyson, who used to be married to Steele's half sister, pleaded no contest to assault in Montgomery County in 1998, Steele was on hand to support him.

5. Steele defended former Gov. Bob Ehrlich's decision to hold a $100,000 fundraiser at a country club that did not allow non-white members, saying that the club's membership's policies were "not an issue" because "I don't play golf."

[PostmodernProphet]

Na, you don't look dumb. I was stating the obvious.

no, I meant posting something that somebody else has already said.....

[Kathianne]

no, I meant posting something that somebody else has already said.....

We all do that from time-to-time. I'd say most of the mistakes I make come from only reading part of what someone wrote, then rushing to answer it. In any case, I like reading your posts, some very good stuff there. :beer: