Yesterday afternoon RNC Chairman Michael Steele once again attempted to retrieve his Political chutzpah by announcing to American voters that "the Republican Renaissance has now begun". Can anyone please tell me what this means?
While standing before an audience of G.O.P. State Chairmen, he gave a Super LONG (too long), yet somewhat motivating speech referencing the Republican Party's plan to rebuild their image and regain lost territory.
Although his commentary lacked any meaningful details on how Republicans will able to accomplish such a daunting task, I must admit for a brief fleeting moment it appeared as if Michael Steele REALLY were in charge of the G.O.P.
Since his election as the party's first African-American leader, Steele has come under fire for his brash speaking style, bashing Rush Limbaugh, challenging President Obama, trying to hog the limelight, etc.,
There were even recent rumors of him being secretly asked to step down.
If he could just get his party to wake up out of their slumber and rally behind him, perhaps his dreams of a G.O.P. comeback could materialize.
Michael if you want your party to win come close and let me tell you a little secret:
Stop bashing President Obama! We're talking apples and onions here.
Mr. Steele have you seen President Obama's poll numbers lately?
Attacking him is Political Suicide!
He is a Political Genius and a nice, extremely intelligent guy well liked by basically everyone who comes in contact with him.
In addition whether anyone wishes to admit it or not, he's doing a great job!
Whhhhhhhhhhhhy are you consistently challenging him? Isn't that counterproductive to your party's goal for future victory?
Instead clearly lay out the G.O.P.'s agenda on important issues which personally affect the lives of American people and change the way those issues are presented to Constituents.
Get a clue! It's the Message! It's the Message! It's the Message and....the Messengers.
For example: Where are the jobs? People are still losing their homes, Health Care Plan providers like North Carolina's Blue Cross Blue Shield are robbing plan members blind, there are too many Failing Segregated Public Schools that need to be shut down (again North Carolina), College Students need assistance with funding to complete their Education, Illegal Immigration Reform, National Homeowner Association Regulation is desperately needed, Homeland Security due to Terrorism is being threatened, etc.,
Instead of jumping on President Obama's back, why not focus on those very important issues?
At least President Obama and the Democrats are working diligently to help correct these areas of concern which personally affect American voters.
Tell us what is the G.O.P. doing to fix those issues?
As they say in the hood "Talk is cheap". Show us why the G.O.P. is still relevant or......Shut up!
Will Republicans go down in history being identified as the out-of-touch "Party of No" or re-emerge as the Party of a new, more polished message which was used to win again in 2012?
Is it just me or does anyone else believe that perhaps Michael Steele should NOT be the face of the G.O.P.?? Chairman yes, Spokesperson no!
(Sidebar: However neither should polarizing, loud mouth Rush Limbaugh.)
Some well received choices for believable G.O.P. Spokespersons would be former Secretary of State Colin Powell (to help reach more Minorities), Joe Scarborough (he's the Republican voice of reason, funny and a Celebrity), Congressman Eric Cantor (he's young, friendly and handsome), Congressman Olympia Snowe (she can help reach Moderates and Women voters) and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory (he's a Moderate on the move).
As RNC Chairman Steele SHOULD leave President Obama alone, leave Nancy Pelosi alone, work on unifying the G.O.P., focus on raising money for the G.O.P., include and warmly welcome Minorities, Moderates, Women, Young Voters and help the party win elections. That's it!
Then and only then will he like DNC Chairman Gov. Tim Kaine be taken seriously.
Below are a few excerpts from Steele's remarks.
Is it just me or can anyone else sense the loneliness in this man's words?
"In 2002, I was approached by then-Congressman Bob Ehrlich to run with him as his Lt. Governor. It was an uphill battle. No Republican had won the governorship of Maryland since Spiro Agnew. More importantly, we ran against Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Uncle Teddy's little niece."
"We ran an unconventional campaign that wooed a number of Democrats to our side. We built coalitions and met with a diverse community of civic, religious and political leaders in their neighborhoods and places of worship. On election night when the votes were counted, we made history becoming the first winning Republican ticket in 40 years and beating back the status quo thinking that it could not be done. So, I know little something about winning against the odds. I wanted to begin with that reflection to create the context for what comes next: Lessons learned; lessons that have shaped me as your chairman and that will shape us as a party."
"We are at a crucial juncture for our party, and more importantly for our country. Simply put, America needs us now more than ever before. It's time to rise to the occasion. It's time to make our voices heard. It's time to serve our country as the loyal opposition."
"We all realize that the Democrats want us to be silent. They want to diminish our voice, and they even want to try to suggest that by being the loyal opposition we are in some way being less than patriotic. You've heard the suggestion that if we oppose the president's policies we are in some crazy way rooting against American success."
"But we also know nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is, we would be abandoning our responsibility if we were to be silent while they spend our country into the abyss, while they borrow money we don't have, and while they usher in the most massive expansion of federal government control in the history of our Republic."
"Well, I've got news for them. We aren't going to be silent. We are going to speak up, and we are going to show that we have the courage of our convictions. We will not be afraid to agree with the president when we believe he is doing what is best for America, but neither will we be afraid to disagree with the president when we believe his actions are hurting our country."
"So, today I'm going to talk to you about some very important turning points for our party.The first turning point is this: Today we are declaring an end to the era of Republicans looking backward. We have just endured two successive elections where we were soundly defeated. As a result, many of us, me included, have done some soul searching. We have looked closely at the places we went wrong, we have talked openly and publicly about our mistakes and our deficiencies. If you don't learn from the past, you are of course destined to repeat it. This has been a difficult, yet healthy and necessary task for our party."
"People are sick of politicians and political parties who never own up to their mistakes. We have done so. We lost our way on spending and we owned up to that. We came to Washington to change it and in some ways we let Washington change us, and we owned up to that. We've taken some important steps to recover our values and our senses, and we can say we see the world with a clearer head and a sharper vision."
"The era of apologizing for Republican mistakes of the past is now officially over. It is done. The time for trying to fix or focus on the past has ended. The era of Republican navel gazing is over. We have turned the corner on regret, recrimination, self-pity and self-doubt. Now is the hour to focus all of our energies on winning the future."
"The Republican Party is again going to emerge as the party of new ideas. It will take some time, for sure, but it is beginning now. Our governors are emerging with fresh answers to old problems. Some of our brightest stars in Congress are emerging with new approaches. New groups and new entities are being formed. Republicans are rising once again with the energy, the focus, and the determination to turn our timeless principles into new solutions for the future. The introspection is now over. The corner has been turned."
"The second turning point for our party is this: We are going to take the president head-on. The honeymoon is over. The two-party system is making a comeback, and that comeback starts today."
"The Democrats are in power. They wanted it and now we are going to make them own the results of their arrogance of power: Policies that are hurting the long-term health of our country. We are going to give voice to the growing chorus of Americans who realize that there is a difference between creating wealth and redistributing wealth. And we are not going to be shy about it. Simply put, we are going to speak truth to power."
"There has been a great deal of talk in Republican circles about how we should deal with President Obama and the entire Obama phenomenon. Many have suggested that we need to be careful, that we need to tip-toe around President Obama, that we have to be careful not to take him on, at least not directly. This has led to some hand wringing among Republicans; and quite frankly some missed opportunities. We've seen strategists writing memos and doing briefings urging that Republicans avoid confronting the President. Steer clear of any frontal assaults on his Administration, they warn. They suggest that instead we should go after Nancy Pelosi, whom nobody likes. Or Harry Reid, whom nobody knows. Or this Tim Geithner fellow, whom nobody believes. Or maybe even Barney Frank, whom nobody understands."
"The argument goes that we should be careful here, because the polls suggest that President Obama is popular."
"Well, the president is personally popular. Pity the fool who paid for a poll to figure that out. Folks like him. He's got an easy demeanor. He's a great orator. His campaign was based on change and hope. He's young. He's cool. He's hip. He's got a good looking family. What's not to like? He's got all the qualities America likes in a celebrity, so, of course he is popular."
"There's only one problem. He's taking us in the wrong direction and bankrupting our country. Were it not for that little detail, I'd be a big fan too."
"This popular politician who is our president is engaged in the most massive expansion of the old industrial age model of government that our country has ever seen. This popular politician is spending America into debt of such mammoth proportions that none of us can even begin to calculate it or really understand it. The numbers are so big that they seem impossible."
"If we have the courage of our convictions, and we do, then we will and we must stand against these disastrous policies, regardless of the president's personal popularity. This is not a game, this is not a popularity contest, and this is not American Idol. This is the future of our country that is at stake."
"Candidate Obama was very moderate in his views, but President Obama could not possibly be further to the far left. Candidate Obama talked about fiscal responsibility, about government living within its means. But President Obama is saddling our unborn grandchildren with mountains of debt. Candidate Obama boasted about cutting taxes, but President Obama will have to raise taxes to pay for his massive top-down government explosion. Candidate Obama was all about being bipartisan, but President Obama could not be more partisan, yielding his legislative agenda almost entirely to radicals like Nancy Pelosi."
"So...what's the loyal opposition to do with this popular president? We are going to speak truth to power. We are going to speak directly, and we are going to take him on."
"This is not about personalities. This is about the very sizable gap emerging between America's opinion of President Obama the man, and America's opinion of President Obama's policies. In fact, it's not a gap, it's a chasm. In the end we are all about ideals, principles, policies, and ideas. We have only one goal, and it's not power. It's not majorities. It's success for America."
"The honeymoon is over. We are going to challenge those policies that we believe are wrong, and we are going to do so without apology and without a second thought. But there is a very important distinction I want to make here. We are going to take this president on with class. We are going to take this president on with dignity. This will be a very sharp and marked contrast to the shabby and classless way that the Democrats and the far left spoke of President Bush."
(RNC Chairman Michael Steele attempts to save the G.O.P.)
Sources: Huffington Post, Whitehouse.gov, Politico, Fox News, Media Matters, Day Life, Flickr, Youtube
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