RNC's Michael Steele: Moving forward
Asked for three 'future' GOP faces, he names three -- then Sarah Palin
Posted February 1, 2009 10:15 AM
The Swamp
swamppolitics.com
by Mark Silva
Michael Steele, newly seated chairman of the Republican National Committee, and the first African-American leader of "the party of Lincoln,'' vows that his party will reach out for broader support while remaining true to its core principles - "life,'' fiscal conservatism, protection of the borders and more.
Steele and McCain
Asked about the deficits that the party has run up in the House and Senate - shown the sizes of the margins the majority Democrats have massed - Steele had this to say today:
"That's ugly isn't it -- that's some ugly numbers,'' the chairman said in an interview on FOX News Sunday. "Now we've got an opportunity to turn it around...
"Putting good candidates in a position to win, that's my job,'' said Steele (pictured at the right in a photo of the party's new and old faces, Steele, left, Sen. John McCain, right, in a photo by Monica Lopossay/Baltimore Sun/MCT) Steele, who was seated as RNC chairman on Friday in the sixth round of voting among divided committee members, said today: "We're not going to win all of them, but we're going to start to win in races that matter....
"The losses you displayed there had nothing to do with our values for life, our values for the economy,'' Steele told FOX News host Chris Wallace - rather, the chairman maintains, it was a matter of straying from the party's principles.
"When we said we believed in less government, we spent more... We had a contract with America... ten principles that would follow...We moved away from that,'' Steele said. "Tthey moved away from us because we behaved badly. We came to Washington and we behaved like the people we came to replace, and they replaced us.''
Steele was asked about a comment he made after the RNC vote on Friday - warning that anyone who will stand in the way of the party's progress should "get ready to be knocked over.''
"I'm thinking of both inside and outside the party,'' Steele said. "It's time for us now to move this party now on the ideas that matter... My goal is to move this party forward. We're in the business of winning elections... I'm expecting (all) to get on board... for a winning pace to move forward.''
For those who want to engage in name calling and tired old tactics, he said, "I don't have time for it.''
So, in appealing to more voters, should the GOP be looking at its stance on immigration, for instance?
"The GOP's position on immigration is very much the position of many, many Hispanics who are in this country,'' said Steele. "The GOP's position is secure our borders first, let us know, let the American people know, that we have taken care of the important issue of dealing with illegal immigration...
"How we message that is where we messed up the last time,'' he said. "We were pegged as being anti-immigrant, and nothing could be further from the truth.''
The chairman is "a pro-life Roman Catholic conservative, always have been,'' he said, yet "the reality of it is, the party has to recognize the diversity of the opinion that is out there.... We can't get everyone to agree... There are some 80 percent issues out there...''
So, if someone believes in a woman's right to choose or gay rights, where is the 80 percent? Wallace asked.
"You just narrowed my scope to two issues,'' Steele complained. "If those are the two issues they disagree with us on... there are a whole range of issues out there that we can address and the American people can come to our table... ''
What about the party standing in unanimous opposition to the economic stimulus plan of a new Democratic president, Barack Obama, with 70 percent approval ratings, Wallace asked.
"I'm saying the GOP did what the GOP had to do to protect the interests of the American people,'' Steele said. "That's a bad bill. It's not a stimulus bill. It's a spending bill... The Republican (House members) did a great job of drawing the line...
What if all the Republicans oppose it in the end, are they obstructionist? Wallace asked. "If I think you propose something that's not in my best interests, why should I be considered obstructionist if I don't agree with it,'' Steele said.
How about some new ideas for the party to address?
"Let's focus on poverty,'' Steele said. "Let' focus on somebody who is being poorly trained in a public school... give their parents a choice.'' They did it in his hometown of Washington, D.C., he said. "Create those opportunities...;;
How about the future of the party - name three new faces of the party who are under 50, Wallace asked.
"I say, certainly Bobby Jindal, Gov. Sanford, Palenty, Palin,'' Steele said. "We have a whole host of folks out there who are starting to emerge and will serve us well in the future.''
Let the record reflect that the chairman named the governors of Louisiana, South Carolina and Minnesota before Alaska. |
