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The Spectacle Blog
I just got off a bloggers' conference call for Michael Steele, who is running for chairman of the Republican National Committee. Steele held himself up as an effective conservative messenger, someone who would stand up for the party's core values but be able to communicate them in non-threatening ways to audiences that have traditionally been unreceptive to Republicans.
Steele criticized the McCain campaign and the GOP more generally for letting the Obama campaign "play the race card" with impunity. Steele pointed to Obama's effectiveness against the Clintons in the primaries and also McCain's fear of raising the Reverend Wright issue in the general election. Steel argued that it would be difficult to play the race card against him. Yet he also disavowed the idea that his color (Steele, like Obama, is black) was a reason to elect him chairman of the RNC.
Steele contended that Republicans need to find ways to make their arguments on Social Security reform, immigration, and cutting goverrnment without making it easy for Democrats to cariacture their positions. In those cases, as well as on the energy issue, Steele felt the GOP was taking the right stand but making it too easy at times for Democrats to launch attacks against the Republicans as racist, xenophopic, etc. He said he would make it clearer that Republicans understood the real people involved in these issues. He didn't provide detailed examples of how he'd vary the arguments or better utilize technology, but he did vow to be a positive face for the Republican Party.
I asked him if he thought the fact he wasn't a current member of the Republican National Committee was a liability, since it's been reported that RNC members prefer to pick from within. He more or less said no. I wrote about Steele's 2006 Senate race in an American Conservative piece about the "year of the black Republican" at the time.
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More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2008/11/14/michael-steeles-glass-is-half
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Captain America| 11.14.08 @ 6:44PM
Few in recent memory went through the amount of insults hurled at him as Steele did during his senate run. And I really hate the notion of selecting someone because of his race (thereby addressing the "race card").
But Michael was unable to overcome the nastiness of blacks throwing Oreo cookies at him and insulting him on a personal scale.
Just how does it hope to overcome this as chairman?
Thomas| 11.14.08 @ 7:09PM
NO endorsement of anyone in the Republican Party for any Party office from me. But, you gotta admired the way he played the "race card" while disavowing that he was playing it. Maybe what the Party needs is somebody from the Alphonse Capone School of Business Management and Charm to run things. It can't be any worse than it has been for awhile.
As for blacks throwing Oreos at Michael Steele, who's gonna do it, Colin Powell?
Ken| 11.14.08 @ 11:54PM
Blacks threw Oreos at Steele twice, the first during his successful run for Lt. Gov of the People's Republic of Maryland and again during his try for Senate a couple of years ago. The most glaring incidents occurred at debates at Morgan St University during both campaigns. Morgan is a historically black colleege. During the gubernatorial run, the Baltimore Sun said he was named to the ticket only because of his race. Steele is a good man and could be effective as RNC chairman.
Scott in Georgia| 11.15.08 @ 6:40AM
I just plain like Michael Steele. Always have.
The man is articulate, eloquent and intelligent.
He appears to me to be of concrete character with unimpeachable ethics, honesty and integrity.
Cara| 11.15.08 @ 1:14PM
The Republicans need a star to lead the party.
Michael Steele just might be it!
We have got to get the life back.
I like Pence and Cantor for more prominent positions, also.
williakz| 11.16.08 @ 1:27PM
Hmm...
Before Steele takes the flag for the GOP, maybe he should clarify his statements and behavior at an NAACP function in late 2006. The whole thing is worth watching but especially around 45 mins in.
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=195772-1
Liz in Florida| 11.22.08 @ 7:51PM
I admire Michael Steele for who he is. I like him a lot and will support him in anyway I can. His most noticeable qualities are sincerity, integrity and intelligent.
Michael Steele for Chairman of RNC - YES.
Joseph Tomanelli| 11.25.08 @ 8:37AM
I have been a fan of Newt and would support Newt. Let's face it, Michael Steel would be a major improvement over the current leadership that spawned McCain through the use of all the Blue States in the North East in the land of Republicans too liberal to be Democrats in the South.