December 13, 2010
— Ace A conference call with supporters.
Fox News has confirmed Steele sent an e-mail to committee members Saturday night with the subject line, “conference call.”In the note, he asked members to join him "for a private conference call" Monday evening.
It's a good move, assuming it's true. Steele's RNC overspent and also lost the confidence of donors, winding up so cash-poor they couldn't even mount the traditional, critical 72-hours-before-the-election get out the vote campaign properly, and had to resort to less-effective but much cheaper initiatives like their call 40 friends program.
That's a good program, and should be continued, but it can't take the place of traditional face-to-face, door-to-door GOTV efforts. Our lack of a ground game probably cost us 5 seats and who knows, maybe a close Senate race too.
Steele had a good basic idea of outreach to independents to bring them into the GOP fold, and there's nothing necessarily wrong with his decision to make himself the chief spokesman for these efforts. But his message strategy was all wrong, and he wound up alienating conservatives in his effort to win over independents -- rather than push central conservative ideology in attractive new arguments, he often accepted the criticism of conservatism as a method to demonstrate his own reasonableness as a spokesman and thus draw in independents.
Calling Rush Limbaugh "just an entertainer" was a formulation, for example, that might please independents, but certainly it angered conservatives, 80% of whom are fans of Rush and certainly don't think he's just an entertainer.
Later, this time I think trying to win over both independents and disaffected Tea Party conservatives, he conceded that the GOP wasn't ready to govern-- a strange statement to make 6 or 9 months out from an important midterm election.
The problem was that Michael Steele may have been building up his personal credibility with independents or disaffected conservatives, but the way he was doing that was to concede that the GOP was badly flawed -- so even as he may have increased his own credibility, he reduced the GOP's itself, and the latter, of course, is really far more important.
The leader of a party apparatus might sound rather robotic in repeating mantra and doctrine, but that is what the job requires. A leader of a fractious organization can't spend so much of his time talking about how bad the organization is, at least not publicly. That sort of public criticism of an organization/movement, is the ambit of outsiders, not the ultimate insider, the top official of and national spokesman for the party apparatus.
Michael Steele set out to be a more-interesting-and-unpredictable-than-usual GOP head. His goal was wrongheaded from the start. A leader might make unexpected and surprising arguments -- that's a good thing, always -- but the head of the RNC should be perfectly predictable and downright boring in the conclusions he comes to.
Posted by: Ace at
10:24 AM
| Comments (41)
Post contains 496 words, total size 3 kb.
Steele, Don't let the door hitcha where the Good Lord split ya.
Posted by: maddogg at December 13, 2010 10:28 AM (OlN4e)
Posted by: FlaviusJulius at December 13, 2010 10:28 AM (SJ6/3)
I would like to retract my statement of firstnesss!
Posted by: Wolverine at December 13, 2010 10:28 AM (GvYeG)
I don't think we could do worse.
Sure we could:
Newt Gingrich
Lindsey Graham
The Maine Sisters
Charles Krauthammer.
Steele wasn't terrible, just bad.
Posted by: maddogg at December 13, 2010 10:31 AM (OlN4e)
I want an RNC chair with passion.
Howard Dean was a sonofabitch, but he was a great chairman of the DNC.
Posted by: Soothsayer at December 13, 2010 10:32 AM (uFokq)
Ace will you please put together a funny, snark filled thread on the launching of the "No Labels" movement today?
It's a parody in and of itself, filled up with democratic consultants and a few "conservatives".
It's like a more elitist top down version of the coffee party.
Obviously it is going to be an epic failure, as is anything David Frum or Mark McKinnon are involved with, but I think it deserves to be mocked.
Posted by: Ben at December 13, 2010 10:32 AM (wuv1c)
Steele lost me when he made the statement that he had to overcome the color of his skin in the republican party. He would know that better than I but it seems to me he got his position with the help of the color of his skin.
I don't agree with that happening but I believe it did. If he has some other race problem in the GOP he should point out what it is.
Posted by: robtr at December 13, 2010 10:32 AM (hVDig)
I initially supported Steele's tenure as RNC Chairman, but after that disastrous "interview" with the odious Russell Simmons where he basically agreed with the premise that the Republican Party is racist, I thought it was time for him to leave. Things have only gotten worse since then, as the RNC's balance sheet shows.
Somebody suggested that there should essentially be two RNC chairs - one person to be a "pretty face" for the boob-tube and another person to do the dirty-work of formulating political strategies and fund-raising.
Posted by: Kratos (Ghost of Sparta) at December 13, 2010 10:34 AM (9hSKh)
Posted by: kathysaysso at December 13, 2010 10:35 AM (ZtwUX)
Look at their speaker list for today's webcast:
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Congressman Bob Inglis
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Congressman Tom Davis
David Brooks
Joe Scarborough
Mika Brzezinski
Senator Joe Lieberman
Senator Evan Bayh
Senator Joe Manchin
David Gergen
Governor Charlie Crist
Lt Governor Abel Maldonado
Congressman Michael Castle
Ellen Freidin
Who is missing?
Posted by: Kratos (Ghost of Sparta) at December 13, 2010 10:37 AM (9hSKh)
Who is missing?
Jim Jeffords
Chris Buckley
Andrew "sperm bank" Sullivan
Charles Johnson
Lisa Murkowski
Posted by: Ben at December 13, 2010 10:39 AM (wuv1c)
Posted by: Barry at December 13, 2010 10:42 AM (CzKXU)
Who is missing?
I wanted to go, but Pam wouldn't let me.
I'm conservative, sure...but I lean Left.
Posted by: Pam Geller's Left Nipple at December 13, 2010 10:43 AM (sk8k3)
The leader of a party apparatus might sound rather robotic in repeating mantra and doctrine, but that is what the job requires.
It's like being a beauty Queen on a parade float. Your job is to smile and wave.
Posted by: ¤§EZB§¤ at December 13, 2010 10:48 AM (Ty06w)
Posted by: richard mcenroe at December 13, 2010 10:56 AM (0GCID)
HA sez Norm Coleman may jump into the race.
I say, good idea. He's perfect for that kind of thing.
Posted by: rdbrewer at December 13, 2010 11:04 AM (ia2dD)
Posted by: Vic at December 13, 2010 11:15 AM (e4sSD)
I would say that GOTV, or lack thereof, probably did cost us NV where the damn unions did their thing.
Posted by: Vic at December 13, 2010 03:15 PM (e4sSD)
Christine O'Donnell was the cause.*Sigh!* Someone always doesn't get the memo.
Posted by: Ed Anger at December 13, 2010 11:19 AM (7+pP9)
Didn't The Vapid One® admit that he wasn't quite ready to be president a few years ago?
Oh, and I second the motion for Ace as RNC Chair.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy at December 13, 2010 11:28 AM (b6qrg)
Posted by: Kratos (Ghost of Sparta) at December 13, 2010 02:34 PM (9hSKh)
This is the way the DNC did it for a while. They had co-chairs, one of which went on TV all the time, the other one made deals and schmoozed donors.
Haley Barbour was a great RNC chair, he was able to go on TV and sound like a GOP cheerleader without sounding insincere and managed the books pretty well, as far as I can tell.
Steele wasn't good at the cheerleading with all of his gaffes and wasn't good at money management. I think he tried too hard to be liked by the media and the liberals and the independents and that's where the "racism in the GOP" stuff came from. He wanted to identify with them. I also think he didn't want to be the nemesis of the First Black President.
Of course, now that we're in the "be careful what you wish for" stage of the Obama presidency, I don't think it's so important.
All Steele had to do was either (a) go on TV and say that everything Republican is super-awesome or (b) stay off TV and schmooze donors and manage money. He did neither. I think it's best that we have a low-profile RNC chair from here on out. By the end of spring 2012, we will have a nominee who will be head of the party who doesn't need distractions.
Posted by: AmishDude at December 13, 2010 11:37 AM (T0NGe)
HA sez Norm Coleman may jump into the race.
I say, good idea. He's perfect for that kind of thing.
He has executive experience as mayor of St. Paul and is capable of fading into the background when the nominee is chosen. We could do worse, however, he's not exactly the most conservative stalwart and I think it's dangerous to nominate someone who will make conservatives nervous again.
Posted by: AmishDude at December 13, 2010 11:40 AM (T0NGe)
Posted by: kansas at December 13, 2010 11:46 AM (mka2b)
I pity the fool who gets the RNC job. It's not going to be fun to moderate the fight between the tea party and cocktail party republicans.
Posted by: MrTea at December 13, 2010 11:49 AM (ytCsK)
Now he can spend his own (taxpayer) money on limos, planes, & lesbo strippers.
Posted by: TexBob at December 13, 2010 12:09 PM (7cXE7)
$100 says he spends the next few years trashing conservatives and calling people racists.
Because that's how you get on MSM talk shows so you can pimp your latest book.
Posted by: Warden at December 13, 2010 12:31 PM (HzhBE)
From Fox News:
Controversial Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who last month presided over the GOP's biggest electoral gains since 1938, will announce tonight that he is running for re-election, Fox News has learned from two RNC members.
Ending weeks of rumors that he would not seek a second term, Steele plans to throw his hat into the ring during a conference call with RNC members at 7:30 p.m. ET, the sources said. Steele is said to be amused by false reports of his retirement and intentionally kept his plans secret for the last month in order to flush out competitors for the post, Fox has learned.
Posted by: AmishDude at December 13, 2010 12:32 PM (T0NGe)
...taking a poll to decide whether the Pelosi/Reid/Obama Democrats were socialist sealed his fate. You don't poll for a definition unless you're strictly revisionist progressive.
Posted by: maverick muse at December 13, 2010 12:40 PM (H+LJc)
Sure, Michael Steele of the Tea Party.
Posted by: maverick muse at December 13, 2010 12:41 PM (H+LJc)
Does this strike anyone as he's leaving because he couldn't prevent Republicans from taking the House? 'Cause I sure didn't see him doing anything useful in that area!
Posted by: Merovign, Strong on His Mountain at December 13, 2010 02:16 PM (bxiXv)
Then he was never right for the job. Steele was appointed because of his skin color and his performance on the Sunday programs. He was supposed to be the chief critic of the Obama administration, and as a black American, Steele would effectively prevent the race card being played. Instead, he went on air and agreed with the Dems that the GOP, those people who pay his salary and contribute to Republican candidates, are racists. That was an epic screw up, and it completely undermined his credibility.
Maybe it was pride that compelled Steele to resist his basic responsibilities. He might have bought into liberal hype and seen himself as a token negro. That is another reason he should have quit, if he had any self respect or dignity. Instead, this fool maxed out the charge card and went on a book tour. As RNC chair, he is the face for the Republican party. When he talks about Republican failures or agrees with Democrat talking points, he is talking about himself. He never understood that. Nobody hurt Steele more than he did with his multiple gaffes.
Posted by: Tattoo De Plane at December 14, 2010 07:21 AM (mHQ7T)
Posted by: Merovign, Strong on His Mountain at December 13, 2010 06:16 PM (bxiXv)
All Republican victories in the midterms were despite Steele, and I have often wondered if he was a Democrat mole or a Republican distraction. The RGA and the RSLC operated under the radar and pulled off stunning victories while everyone else followed the Senate races.
Posted by: Tattoo De Plane at December 14, 2010 07:28 AM (mHQ7T)
Steele (or his staffers) apparently can't spell, either:
A letter from Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele to fellow RNC members announcing his bid for reelection for chairman is rife with typos.
...While not an indictment of SteeleÂ’s leadership of the RNC, the typos suggest his bid for reelection is a last-minute, frenetic affair.
“Did he run Microsoft spell check? I think capitalizing ‘RNC’ is kind of basic,” noted one Republican operative in reference to another typo.
Posted by: Miss'80sBaby at December 14, 2010 10:23 AM (EPuYQ)
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Sweeet.
Merry Christmas!!
Posted by: Olliander at December 13, 2010 10:25 AM (j4xgZ)