BURN: Big Tents Are For Circuses

swede   
Update: Steele Tenure - Start: $15 million / Finish: $25 Million Deficit

Michael Steele Graciously Steps Aside; Nobly Sacrificing Personal Interest for the Sake of the Party He Loves
- and also because he lost. Big.

The prevailing punditology proclaims Steele's chronic size 12 hoof-in-mouth syndrome was the reason for his untimely demise. Well, no one can deny the endlessly recurring, cringe inducing effect of watching Sleele digging deep holes with stunningly moronic statements - then digging deeper yet with strange and pathetic attempts to spin it, deny it or explain it.

The real reason for his exit, however is that he never should have made an entrance. His credentials: 1) An unremarkable lawyer with no notable cases or projects. 2) One term / two years as Lt. Governor of Maryland - no notable accomplishments there. 3) And, oh yeah, He is an African American - Political Party Affirmative Action or something. Before you start - please, just give it a rest. It is not racist in any way, shape or form to say this man had zero qualifications to lead the GOP other than to act as a counter balance for the first Democrat African American president. And his accomplishments at the helm of the GOP were predictably every bit as mundane as those of his previous endeavours.

Moreover, his attempts to steer the leaderless, wandering GOP hard left and establish the RINO faction as the mainstream in the GOP was ill informed and demonstrated a stunning cluelessness of core Republican values. Then he had the mind-boggling arrogance to claim he represents the Tea Party - and that his work won the election!?  MEMO: To Michael, "Big Tents are for circuses." Just sayin'

Top Ten (MOL) Steele Hits - Those Golden, Bone-Headed, WTF-Were-You-Thinking Moments:

1. February 2009: Steele Promises New GOP Image - Hip-Hop??!? - "We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles," Steele told the Washington Times. "But we want to apply them to urban-suburban hip-hop settings."

2. March 2009: "Rush Limbaugh is not the leader of the Republican party... he is an entertainer... incindiary... ugly."  Wait! Yes he is - I mean, uuhh, no, he isn't... Steele Appologizes to Limbaugh, Praises His "Leadership." D'OH!!??!

3. March 2009: Abortion Is An Individual Choice -- No Wait, It's Not! "I am pro-life, always have been, always will be."

4. November 2009: White Republicans Are 'Scared Of Me'

5. January 2010: Will The GOP Win The House? 'Not This Year' (Face Palm)



6. January 2010: 'I Wrote This Book Before I Became Chairman' - Didn't 'divide my time'. You're lying Mikey - The book contained reference to issues up through late 2009.

7. April 2010: African-Americans 'Really Don't Have A Reason' To Vote GOP

8. July 2010: Afghanistan 'Was A War Of Obama's Choosing'...'not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in.' - Wait no it wasn't.

9. August 2010: Arizona Immigration Law Doesn't Reflect GOP's View


The core problem in the current Republican Party is a pronounced leadership vacuum and the resulting absence of a compelling vision for the future. Pining for Reagan's Republican Revolution is useless, and more than a little pathetic. We need new, dynamic, visionary, resolute, focussed, genuinely conservative, consistant, charismatic, compelling leadership. In other words, Adios, Senior Steele - Don't let the door hit your assets on the way out. Drop by any time. But call first.

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Update: Michael Steele Ignored Large Donors (from WSJ)

Raising cash is obviously among the most important responsibilities of the chairman.  Steele blew off the party's largest and longest standing donors. As in ignored them. Donors looked at the chaotic management structure and put their money elsewhere.

"[An internal] document shows that the RNC raised $21.1 million from its largest donors during the 2006 congressional elections and $19.1 million from them in the 2008 presidential election. But during Mr. Steele’s two-year tenure, the RNC brought in just $2.5 million from the Regents."

We knew his accomplishments would be anemic. We did not know his biggest accomplishment would be driving the party into the ground.  Heckuva job, Mikey!