In 1983, Woody Allen made the mockumentary film Zelig about a
man who longs for approval so badly that he changes to fit the
people who are surrounding him. The movie may as well have been
written about Michael Steele, who continues to tie himself in
knots as part of his effort to reach out to moderates.
Steele already has been ridiculed by all sides of the political
spectrum for
blasting Rush Limbaugh on CNN only to apologize
when he received blowback. But now,
via Matt Lewis, I see he told
GQ that he believes abortion is an individual
choice. Here's the portion of the interview:
How much of your pro-life stance, for you, is informed
not just by your Catholic faith but by the fact that you were
adopted?
Oh, a lot. Absolutely. I see the power of life in that—I mean,
and the power of choice! The thing to keep in mind about it…
Uh, you know, I think as a country we get off on these
misguided conversations that throw around terms that really
misrepresent truth.
Explain that.
The choice issue cuts two ways. You can choose life, or you can
choose abortion. You know, my mother chose life. So, you know,
I think the power of the argument of choice boils down to
stating a case for one or the other.
Are you saying you think women have the right to choose
abortion?
Yeah. I mean, again, I think that’s an individual choice.
You do?
Yeah. Absolutely.
So basically, in an effort to seem more inclusive, Steele tried
to appropriate the language of the left by saying life is a
choice, but then he allowed himself to be backed into a corner in
which he said that women have the right to choose abortion -- by
definition, a pro-choice postion. Perhaps realizing what he had
just said, Steele then tried to add nuance to his point:
Are you saying you don’t want to overturn Roe v.
Wade?
I think Roe v. Wade—as a legal matter, Roe v.
Wade was a wrongly decided matter.
Okay, but if you overturn Roe v. Wade, how do
women have the choice you just said they should
have?
The states should make that choice. That’s what the choice is.
The individual choice rests in the states. Let them decide.
Do pro-choicers have a place in the Republican
Party?
Absolutely!
So, after getting boxed in, he suddenly shifts from "individual
choice" meaning "women have the right to choose an abortion" to
it meaning that states have an "individual choice" about
whether or not to permit women to exercise choice. Liz Mair, charitably,
thinks that Steele was trying to express the pro-choice,
anti-Roe, position but that he just was clumsy about it.
Even if that were the case, however, it wouldn't be consistent
with other recent statements he made on the subject.
In December, when he was under fire during the RNC race for being
a member of Christine Todd Whitman's moderate Republican
Leadership Council, he portrayed himself as emphatically pro-life
to CBN's David
Brody, barbing, "I was a monk for goodness sakes ok?"
Appearing on Fox News Sunday after his election to serve as RNC
chair, Steele declared,
"I'm a pro-life Roman Catholic conservative, always have been."
In a debate
moderated by Tim Russert during the 2006 U.S. Senate race in
Maryland, Steele was all over the place on Roe. Check
out the following exchange:
MR. RUSSERT: Would, would you encourage — would you hope the
U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade?
LT. GOV. STEELE: I think that that’s a matter that’s going to
rightly belong to the courts to decide ultimately whether or
not that, that issue should be addressed. The, the Court has
taken a position, which I agree, stare decisis, which
means that the law is as it is and, and so this is a matter
that’s ultimately going to be adjudicated at the states. We’re
seeing that. The states are beginning to decide for themselves
on, on this and a host of other issues. And the Supreme Court
would ultimately decide that.
MR. RUSSERT: But you hope that the Court keeps Roe v. Wade in
place?
LT. GOV. STEELE: I think the Court will evaluate the law as
society progresses, as the Court is supposed to do.
MR. RUSSERT: But what’s your position? Do you want them to
sustain it or overturn it?
LT. GOV. STEELE: Well, I think, I think, I think Roe vs. Wade,
Roe vs. Wade is a, is a matter that
should’ve been left to the states to decide, ultimately. But
it, it is where it is today, and the courts will ultimately
decide whether or not this, this gets addressed by the states,
goes back to the states in some form or they overturn it
outright.
MR. RUSSERT: Is is your desire to keep it in place?
LT. GOV. STEELE: My desire is that we follow what stare decisis
is at this point, yes.
Huh?
The problem with Steele's defenders is that they like the idea of
Steele -- i.e., the idea that Steele is going to reach out to
moderates. But the reality of Steele is quite different. He is
proving himself to be a shape shifter who is trying to please
everybody, but in the end delivering a completely muddled
message. Ultimately no pro-choice independent or Democrat is
going to be more inclined to become a Republican as a result of
that GQ interview, because Steele comes off like a
bumbling clown who is trying to have it both ways. The mere fact
that we have to have a whole debate over what he means
demonstrates that he's doing a terrible job at communicating. And
lest we forget, communication was supposed to be his strong suit.
