Mike Steel is new RNC chairmen

[philbob]

I would say this is a really good move on there side. But what the RNC has to do it is to get this guy out there (in the media) and really make him known, I listen to him speak before and he has a good way of connecting with people and making sence.

What are other peoples thoiughts on him or my 2 cents?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090130/ap_on_re_us/republicans_39

WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee has elected former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele the first black Republican National Committee chairman.
Steele was the most moderate candidate in the field and was considered an outsider because he's not an RNC member. He beat back four challengers, including incumbent Mike Duncan, who was forced to withdraw from the field midway through the balloting in the face of a lack of support.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Republicans fought for the national party chairmanship Friday after Mike Duncan, former President George W. Bush's hand-picked GOP chief, abandoned his re-election bid in the face of dwindling support.
"Obviously the winds of change are blowing," Duncan said as he withdrew to a standing ovation midway through the afternoon voting.
His departure ensures a fresh presence at the beleaguered GOP's helm as Republicans seek to rebound from back-to-back defeats in national elections that gave Democrats control of Congress and the White House.
After five rounds of balloting, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and South Carolina GOP chief Katon Dawson were locked in a close race to reach the 85-vote majority needed to assume the party's top spot. Steele was six votes shy with 79, while Dawson had 69.
They were going head-to-head in what is likely to be the last voting round, the sixth, and both were hoping to pick up some of the 20 votes Michigan state party chairman Saul Anuzis got before he exited the field.
"You've got two great people still running and I wish them the best of luck," Anuzis said. Neither he nor Duncan publicly endorsed a candidate, though former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell threw his "fullest support" behind Steele when he dropped out.
"I believe that the next chairman must inspire hope," Blackwell said.
Steele, the most moderate candidate in the field, would become the party's first black chairman and is considered an outsider because he's not an RNC member. Dawson, as a state party chairman, is a member; he's a staunch Southern conservative.
One of them will inherit a party trying to recover after crushing defeats in two straight national elections and seeking to take on an empowered Democratic Party under President Barack Obama in midterm elections next fall and beyond.
Despite the run of GOP losses, Duncan had argued that he should be re-elected because of his experience; his five challengers called for change and said they represented it.
The results of the first three rounds boded poorly for Duncan; he lost votes at every turn while Steele and Dawson gained. Anuzis and Blackwell were never a threat. But, taken together and from the start of the voting, the majority of the RNC cast votes that indicated members wanted a new direction under a fresh leader, rather than a chairman who is linked to the unpopular former president.
As he left the race, Duncan thanked Bush and said of his two-year tenure: "It truly has been the highlight of my life."
Another candidate, former Tennessee GOP Chairman Chip Saltsman, withdrew from the race on the eve of voting and with no explanation, saying only in a letter to RNC members, "I have decided to withdraw my candidacy."
Saltsman, who ran former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's failed presidential campaign last year, was considered a long-shot candidate who several Republican officials said likely wouldn't have had enough support even to be formally nominated had he continued his bid.

It faltered in December after he drew controversy for mailing to committee members a 41-track CD that included a song titled "Barack the Magic Negro" by conservative comedian Paul Shanklin and sung to the music of "Puff, the Magic Dragon."
___
On the Net: Republican National Committee: http://www.rnc.org (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/republicans/30783933/SIG=10kk8romf/*http://www.rnc.org)

[Parx400]

Very good pick.

[philbob]

The key is getting him out there and talking

[budgie]

He's got a suitably macho-sounding name for a Republican too. Did this guy used to be an 80's B-movie actor or a ****-star?

[California Joe]

^ What he said..."Ken Blackwell threw his "fullest support" behind Steele"...:)

[Walter Sobchak]

He's got a suitably macho-sounding name for a Republican too. Did this guy used to be an 80's B-movie actor or a ****-star?

No, he's a conservative, self-made, African American. Which in Democrat-speak means he's either "not black enough" or is unqualified based on a paper he wrote in the fourth grade where he might have implied that he wasn't fully behind Roe v. Wade. (Of course, if you're a Democrat you can be an ex-Klansman or a drunk-driver guilty of manslaughter and still serve in the Senate.)

[budgie]

No, he's a conservative, self-made, African American.

A **** star then?

[WarDancer]

No, he's a conservative, self-made, African American. Which in Democrat-speak means he's either "not black enough" or is unqualified based on a paper he wrote in the fourth grade where he might have implied that he wasn't fully behind Roe v. Wade. (Of course, if you're a Democrat you can be an ex-Klansman or a drunk-driver guilty of manslaughter and still serve in the Senate.)

BINGO!! Couldnt have said it better myself.

[helomech]

No, he's a conservative, self-made, African American. Which in Democrat-speak means he's either "not black enough" or is unqualified based on a paper he wrote in the fourth grade where he might have implied that he wasn't fully behind Roe v. Wade. (Of course, if you're a Democrat you can be an ex-Klansman or a drunk-driver guilty of manslaughter and still serve in the Senate.)

You hit the nail on the head!

[brainplay]

Was an awesome pick. Unfortunately already there have been a few snags.

Timing is a bit off. Already, many Dems have started labelling him as the token black republican (or the "wannabe Obama") despite his superior creditials. They'll be trying to pigeon hole him as such in a hard way from here on out.

[budgie]

Until the GOP holds one of the houses again they the Dems will likely largely ignore him.

[dave81]

I'm sure this has nothing to do with having a half black president.

[Geezah]

No, he's a conservative, self-made, African American. Which in Democrat-speak means he's either "not black enough" or is unqualified based on a paper he wrote in the fourth grade where he might have implied that he wasn't fully behind Roe v. Wade. (Of course, if you're a Democrat you can be an ex-Klansman or a drunk-driver guilty of manslaughter and still serve in the Senate.)

I voted for Ken Blackwell for Gov of Ohio, shame, we got Strickland instead.
As far as him appealing to Black voters, I doubt it, there was a girl at work that said she hated Ken Blackwell, I guess in her eyes he is an Uncle Tom.
It's a shame she never got on the Black GOP website. MLKjr was a Republican.

NationalBlackRepublicans (http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=pages.BlackGOP)

[Geezah]

A **** star then?

As you're not a Septic, I guess you're just fanning the flames?

[Breakfast in Vegas]

Never heard of him. I'll give him a chance, even though the timing makes the Republicans look a bit stupid and reactive.

[Geezah]

I'm sure this has nothing to do with having a half black president.

Actually there are quite a few prominant Black Republicans, it's just we in the past have given them the opportunity to show their strengths.

MLK jr being one of the most well known Republicans.

[dave81]

Never heard of him. I'll give him a chance, even though the timing makes the Republicans look a bit stupid and reactive.
You mean like when Sarah Palin was announced as running mate to go against a possible Hillary presidency?

[Geezah]

You mean like when Sarah Palin was announced as running mate to go against a possible Hillary presidency?

You mean like........

It's a sign of the times, we have had Black members of the GOP holding higher positions in Office until your mixed race President got in.

He still isn't black, he still isn't white, he's mixed race, where the Republicans are open to giving anyone th echane to succeed.

I see you're still making this a black and white issue.

[bugkill]

I'm going to give some of you guys a bit of advice when dealing with all this talk about Steele not being "black enough" or that he is a "Oreo cookie", and that is for many of you to completely ignore it. The best thing that the Republican Party and other conservatives can do is completely ignore talking about Steele as being the first African-American RNC chairman and stick to values. Steele is highly qualified and has a very good background, nothing else needs to be said about him.

I would also like to add, as a black man in this country, I find it absolutely hilarious how so many people (white and black) give so much weight to all this talk about being "black" or "acting black". What the f**k does that mean? That whole deal is actually thrown around by people that have no true concept of what it means to be an american. Yes, our (blacks) history in this country has been both a tragedy of injustice and a showcase of the human spirit, but we were not the only ones to go through tough times, so we are nothing special.

Also, we have a very diverse black community with various opinions and views of this country, just like any other ethnic group. Steele represents a certain viewpoint that MOST african-americans identify with, but he belongs to a party that made the mistake of ignoring the black community. The Republican Party in the last 30-40 years surrounded itself with whites and some of their candidates in state and national races used tactics that further alienated blacks from the party.

The Republican Party did not have to cater to blacks. They only needed to stand on their values, but also show an understanding for why many blacks were in the situation they were in and the history of it. It is not as simple as many of you may think, not at all, very complicated. So, what happens is that when you have a black politician saying he is a republican, he is going to get scorn for aligning himself with a party that is perceived as being hostile to blacks and even using us in a negative light to win elections (which has been done over the years).

That is why Steele will be looked at as a token black, not because of Obama, but for the fact that the recent history of the Republican Party has showed that they have pretty much been against showcasing blacks in high positions or even support black polticians that are conservative. This choice looks like a knee-jerk response to Obama's victory and the best thing that the Republican Party can do is limit talking about Steele's color and concentrate on the substance of the man himself.

I have conservative values, but I'm a stauch independent with no allegiance to any party. I'm absolutely fed up with all of this talk about Steele and Obama being first black this, or first black that. The bottom line is that they are human beings and have the EXACT same chance of being a failure or being a success with respect to anyone else, regardless of the color of their skin. Skin pigmentation does not think, eat, sleep, decide, or has intelligence, so why continue talking about one's color when over 99% of the country is not blind?

I don't know, maybe I think too highly of people in my ethnic group to be all shocked or excited when any of us attain any success in this country, I fully expect it.

[Geezah]

A few Black members of the Republican party.

http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/website/black_gop_files/image002.jpg
http://www.trustedpartner.com/images/library/000143/image010.jpg
http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/website/black_gop_files/image016.jpg
http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/website/black_gop_files/image018.jpg
http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/website/black_gop_files/image024.jpg
http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/website/black_gop_files/image028.jpg
http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/website/black_gop_files/image030.jpg
http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/website/black_gop_files/image032.jpg
http://www.trustedpartner.com/images/library/000143/Lynn-Swann.jpg
http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/website/black_gop_files/image036.jpg
http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/website/black_gop_files/image026.jpg

[JKD]

Congrats to the new chairman. He's got a tough job ahead, repairing the Republican 'brand'.

[11 Bravo]

I already heard on the radio some left nutter spewing that the neocons are trying to "out black our black " ( oblahama ).
It's rather amazing as pointed out some of the MAJOR charachter flaws of the demo party .. the swimmer , the Klansman etc etc. Correct me if I am wrong , but was it not the DEMOCRATIC party that fought against the whole civil rights movement.

[Geezah]

And wire tapped MLKjr's phone, but this is nothing new, they will always try and rewrite history.

[philbob]

I tell him good luck and you are right that the republicans should not focus on the fact that he is black and maybe (steel) of all people should call the dem's out when they do. But that aside, Steel won lt.gov in a democratic state and he knows how to talk to people, i have confidance that he will be able to turn the party around, also it helps that the biggest scandels of the year 2008 and early 2009 have all involved democrats.

Also lets be realisitc barring a huge and i mean HUGE screw up by the democrats the republicans will not win in 2012, but they do have a chance to retake the house and really put the clamp down on the democrats and Obama's agenda. Obama did alot of the work for them for the next election in establising the 'new' internet generation of campaigning

[Walter Sobchak]

Until the GOP holds one of the houses again they the Dems will likely largely ignore him.

He's the head of the Republican Party. He has no official governing power. Whether they ignore him or not is irrelevant.

I'm always interested in the typical, scripted, knee-jerk Democratic reaction to any black Republican or conservative. He or she is always a "token" or "acting white" or "unqualified" in the eyes of the Democrats. Yes, this is the same Democrats who boldly embrace the likes of Cynthia McKinney, Shelia Jackson Lee, Barbara (don't hurt the terrorists) Lee, William (cash in MY freezer?) Jefferson, Alcee Hastings, Charlie (I don't pay no taxes) Rangel, etc. How can anyone with a double-digit I.Q. take this double-standard seriously?

[philbob]

Like i said i love how the biggest scandles of the 2008 and 2009(so far) have all involved demorcrats

[Walter Sobchak]

I already heard on the radio some left nutter spewing that the neocons are trying to "out black our black " ( oblahama ).
It's rather amazing as pointed out some of the MAJOR charachter flaws of the demo party .. the swimmer , the Klansman etc etc. Correct me if I am wrong , but was it not the DEMOCRATIC party that fought against the whole civil rights movement.

Al Gore's Daddy and Clinton's great friend and mentor, J. William Fulbright, were fierce segregationists.

Meanwhile, Prescott Bush and the Republicans allied with Northern Democrats to vote in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

And isn't it ironic that Obama tried to compare himself with Abraham Lincoln, the founder of the Republican Party, a theme that echoed through his inaugural? Imagine the screams and jeers if a Republican President tried to pattern anything after JFK, FDR or any other Democratic president. I'll be most Americans think Lincoln was a Democrat!

[philbob]

JFK, FDR, and Truman have nothing and i mean Nothing in common with todays democrats. They were good men who loved their country and did things that they would think make it better. They are not the kind to belive it is our fault when we are attacked, or that we must change our belives for someone else.

[budgie]

I already heard on the radio some left nutter spewing that the neocons are trying to "out black our black " ( oblahama ).
It's rather amazing as pointed out some of the MAJOR charachter flaws of the demo party .. the swimmer , the Klansman etc etc. Correct me if I am wrong , but was it not the DEMOCRATIC party that fought against the whole civil rights movement.

*sigh* That's correct.

However it was when the Democratic party in the south abandoned segregation in the sixties that the so-called States' Rights Democrats (Dixiecrats) defected en masse to the GOP. Since then the GOP has been infested with southern racists like Strom Thurmond (R-Deceased) and has slowly been exorcising them.

In short the Dems moved to toward greater integration undertsanding and the GOP went the other way. Hence the Democratic party being generally more popular with black voters to this day.

This is an oversimplification of course but then so was the post I'm responding to.

[WarDancer]

Strange thing. The GOP has more minorities in position of power and influence and the Jack ass party has people such has Robert KKK Byrd, Mayor Daly, Dixie Democrats and a whole host of race baiters. Yet it is the GOP that is seen as exclusive of minorities.

[Walter Sobchak]

*sigh* That's correct.

However it was when the Democratic party in the south abandoned segregation in the sixties that the so-called States' Rights Democrats (Dixiecrats) defected en masse to the GOP. Since then the GOP has been infested with southern racists like Strom Thurmond (R-Deceased) and has slowly been exorcising them.

In short the Dems moved to toward greater integration undertsanding and the GOP went the other way. Hence the Democratic party being generally more popular with black voters to this day.

This is an oversimplification of course but then so was the post I'm responding to.

This is the DNC line, totally.

Segregation ended in 1964. The old guard of Dixiecrats began changing their stripes (to stay elected!) or retiring soon after. Only Thurmond and a couple of others "defected", but in the mind of the DNC revisionists, that's a groundswell! The real defection of the conservative Democrats began in the early 80s when Reagan was President. You just need to arm yourself with some historical documents and you'll see.

Another huge factor was redistricting. It wasn't until control of the statehouses changed that so many gerrymandered Democrats left office. I was in one of those districts that literally followed a two-lane road for miles and selectively grabbed neighborhoods and excluded others so the political mix was just right to keep the Democrats in a majority. From my front yard, I could throw a baseball into two other Congressional districts at one time, all Democratic.

That's why it was so funny to see the Democrats in the state legislature run off to Oklahoma in May 2003 to derail redistricting by the Republicans. For 130 years, the Democrats controlled the state legislature, and the GOP was gerrymandered out of power, so when the balance of power finally shifted, the Democrats ran off to Oklahoma so the legislature would not have a quorum!

Also, one point: If Strom Thurmond was in your words a "southern racist", what does that make Robert KKK Byrd? Was one "rehabilitated" and not the other? Look at their records, post-1964. Ol' Byrd has a nasty habit of dropping N-bombs now and then, while I think think Thurmond pretty well changed his ways. So, should the Democratic Party "exorcise" Byrd, or is it possible to change one's ways (even without modifying their vocabulary)?

[11 Bravo]

In the same 'closet' there was a demonazi in Ky a couple years ago that used the phrase "N****R rich" on a TV interview and soon after did a wad of really goofy packpeddling. It got almost no national play as the local demo mobsters quashed it and hushed it up as best they could.
It's nice to see our resident oblahmatons have no retort for historical fact... their silence is loud .


This is the DNC line, totally.

Segregation ended in 1964. The old guard of Dixiecrats began changing their stripes (to stay elected!) or retiring soon after. Only Thurmond and a couple of others "defected", but in the mind of the DNC revisionists, that's a groundswell! The real defection of the conservative Democrats began in the early 80s when Reagan was President. You just need to arm yourself with some historical documents and you'll see.

Another huge factor was redistricting. It wasn't until control of the statehouses changed that so many gerrymandered Democrats left office. I was in one of those districts that literally followed a two-lane road for miles and selectively grabbed neighborhoods and excluded others so the political mix was just right to keep the Democrats in a majority. From my front yard, I could throw a baseball into two other Congressional districts at one time, all Democratic.

That's why it was so funny to see the Democrats in the state legislature run off to Oklahoma in May 2003 to derail redistricting by the Republicans. For 130 years, the Democrats controlled the state legislature, and the GOP was gerrymandered out of power, so when the balance of power finally shifted, the Democrats ran off to Oklahoma so the legislature would not have a quorum!

Also, one point: If Strom Thurmond was in your words a "southern racist", what does that make Robert KKK Byrd? Was one "rehabilitated" and not the other? Look at their records, post-1964. Ol' Byrd has a nasty habit of dropping N-bombs now and then, while I think think Thurmond pretty well changed his ways. So, should the Democratic Party "exorcise" Byrd, or is it possible to change one's ways (even without modifying their vocabulary)?