Internal GOP Fight Over Next RNC Chair

UPDATE: Newt Gingrich denies reports of a fight and bows out of the race for RNC chair. Fox News reports:

Michael Steele, former lieutenant governor of Maryland, has decided to run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee and is in talks with Newt Gingrich to win the former House speaker's endorsement, FOX News learned Tuesday.

Steele declined to comment, but a source close to the situation said Steele would announce his candidacy as early as Thursday.

The source also contradicted a report in Tuesday's Washington Times that Steele and Gingrich were competing for the RNC post.

"There is no fight," the source said. "This tension between Michael Steele and Newt Gingrich is totally fabricated and, in fact, Gingrich and Steele are working together to create a new strategy for the direction of the GOP."

In a statement issued by the former House speaker, Gingrich said he was not interested in seeking the post of Republican Party chairman.

"A number of people have asked me to consider running for Republican National Committee chair. They have been very flattering, and I am very honored by their support," he said.

"However, my job as an American first is to develop a tri-partisan approach to developing solutions for the challenges we face. I use the word tri-partisan to designate the concept of attracting Democrats, Republicans, and independents to solutions that unify most Americans."

The Washington Times reports:

A behind-the-scenes battle to take the reins of the Republican National Committee is taking off between former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele.

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Neither man will acknowledge his interest in the post, but Republicans close to each are burning up the phone lines and firing off e-mails to fellow party members in an effort to oust RNC Chairman Mike Duncan in the wake of the second consecutive drubbing of Republican candidates at the polls.

The New York Times adds:

Mr. Duncan was installed by Mr. Bush, and the fight over his post reflects the effort by many party leaders to erase any remnant of the Bush legacy.

These struggles come as the party prepares for a broad ideological battle, in particular over how much to emphasize social issues like opposition to abortion rights and gay rights. Party leaders said the focus on those issues had constricted the party's appeal to moderate and independent voters more interested in jobs, health care, education and other issues that touch their lives in more concrete ways.

"We can't be obsessed with issues that are not the issues that are important to American voters," said Jim Greer, the Florida Republican chairman and a likely candidate for national party leader.

Across the party, Republicans described this period as one of the toughest in recent history, reflected by the scope of the losses last Tuesday but also by the recriminations that have gripped the party as it seeks to learn lessons from Mr. McCain's defeat and Mr. Bush's presidency.

...

The most important question for Republicans in both the House and the Senate -- and for the future Republican chairman -- is how forcefully to take on Mr. Obama once he becomes president. Richard N. Bond, a former Republican chairman, said he thought the Congressional Republicans would -- and should -- take on Mr. Obama aggressively. Mr. Bond suggested that Republicans should not be deterred by the enthusiasm inspired by Mr. Obama's election, which he argued would be transitory.

"When people wake up from their Bush hangovers, six months from now," Mr. Bond said, "it is my belief that they are not going to be buying into some of the things that Obama will potentially be doing. You have a real potential for these guys making a fundamental misjudgment of this election. They just didn't want George Bush anymore."

But Mr. Gingrich, a veteran of what turned out to be damaging Republican wars with President Bill Clinton in 1993 and 1994, cautioned against that, saying the party would be wiser to offer a broad idea of what it stood for and how it would lead the country, and pick its battles carefully.

Sam Stein wrote for the Huffington Post recently about the split within the Republican Party over how to work with President Obama.

Comments

[southbay]

"They just didn't want George Bush anymore." This is offered as an answer to how the GOP should proceed over the next eight years. This is also the statement of a irrational person. One could as easily say, "The didn't want Abraham Lincoln any more."

It's not the man ... it's the policy and it's the results. If Dubya had achieved the things he claimed to seek and had brought the citizens of the USA a better life, they would have voted overwhelmingly for his successor. The fact is, he failed to deliver on his promises and he brought a worse life for the average citizen.

The top 1% of income earners in the USA may(?) be able to deliver more campaign dollars, but they cannot deliver more election votes.

The GOP needs to get real. The GOP fails to talk to the bulk of the voters. Consider it this way. As Everyman, I could care less about the Lehman Bros collapse. I lost roughly 15 cents because of that bankruptcy. Who is the beneficiary of the $700B? It's not me!

I have no interest in a 15% capital gains tax. I don't have capital gains to tax. Why would I care how high that tax rate is? That's a rich man's tax. By supporting a reduction in capital gains rates, the GOP is positioning itself as a rich man's party. How many rich people are there? About 1% of the electorate. Can you win with 1%?

[majorteddy]

Exactly, how stupid it is that the man who has to work for a living gets high taxes , while the rich guy that already has money gets to make more money with it for low taxes. Not Fair!

[hopefulinflorida]

Well, that's why they get richer and richer, because the poor and middle class pay the taxes. And then, if the democrats try to do things to help the people, they call in a "handout" or "welfare" , They are all brainwashed, even the ones who are middle class say the same thing. I have a friend in Indiana who is afraid she's going to lose everything she has worked hard for. She says she will work less so she can get a handout. There is no reasoning with these people. Spending for war is tantamount to spending for the people . That' s the inherent difference.

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[Fair]

I am listening to McCain on Leno and he is dilussional.

He is answering Leno's question about these "alleged aides" who smeared Palin and he is making excuses for these alleged aides.

These aides do not exist - it was a hoax.

This is what I mean, they have no idea that they were make a laughing stock by this Eisenstat person who maintains a phony thinktank and who isn't real.

[MasterfullyInept]

Newt did not actually use the word honest in the same sentence with GOP did he?

Oh the irony

[orangepetal]

The venom in the Democratic Party is just as real, just less intentional perhaps. Since when did two wrongs make a right ? Democrats do have IMO a somewhat more correct agenda, but if they can implement it remains to be seen. Dodd, Barney Frank et al are guilty of allowing real estate prices to bubble with no oversight. The so called 'progressives' treatment of Hillary, McCain and Palin was vile. So excuse us if we do not jump for joy at the Democratic promise.

[Fair]

But the GOP has a brazen smuggness in their delivery which is appalling.

Like when Michael Steele told Bill Maher's audience that they had no right to vet Sarah Palin and that "they better accept the fact that she and McCain where going to win" and when John Fund did the same and told the audience and Janine Garfolalo to "keep it up", meaning that any criticism of Palin would surely mean a Democratic defeat or when Sean Hannity created the whole idea that Joe the Plumber was being attacked by the media.

Brazen smuggness which is very intentional. No one on the Democratin side does this, Thank God the public rejects it.

[eden4barack08]

You know what might help? Every once in a while, turn to another channel, one other than FNC, for your information. Try and balance it out, at least a little, because all the "points" you mentioned, are FNC points.

[chronic]

Steele will get the job. Purely because hes AA.


Repubics are chasing a losing strategy.

[miamia]

AA?

[research]

The GOP has to go all the way back to Hoover to realize just how failed their ideology is.

After FDR cleaned up the GOP conservative mess last time, the GOP never got over it. The Conservatives actually tried to kill FDR and replace our democracy with a corporate fascist state.

Ever since then, the GOP has sought single mindedly to unravel FDR's regulations.

When the GOP finished the last steps: Deregulation of shorts and derivatives and lowering the top marginal income tax to 25%...

The economy crashed.

Just like the great depression.

The GOP worship the false gods of deregulation and no income taxes.

[TomTheAlmostUgly]

What I got from this article: "That Obama, he must have hypnotized the voters. It can't possibly be that we Republicans have done anything wrong!" Put some popcorn in the microwave, the next four years will be fun to watch. (If you're a Democrat.)

[TurkerB]

Right now anything the RNC touches is poison. Michael Steele may be 'sincere' in his desire to head the RNC, but at this point the old-line Republicans can't stomach the thought of a minority holding a position of prominence within its party unless it's a 'token' one.

And having "Mad-Dog" Gingrich even in consideration for this position is laughable - the GOP learns nothing from the past and wants to continue using failed, self-centered, lying, devisive hypocrites to dictate the GOP course for the future. The GOP mindset is so out of touch with reality in so many ways -- starting with their top-down line of thinking to their belief of what this country truly represents -- what most Americans are going through is beyond their limited thought processes and would take a MAJOR overhaul to even begin to get a grip on the challenges our nation faces at this time.

[Fair]

Micheal Steele is a joke and he is usually wrong.

Directly after McCain picked Palin he sat on Bill Maher's panel on the show and told Bill's audience, that was rightfully suspicious of Palin's credentials, that they "better get used to it and her, because she was going to be their next VP".

The problem with the GOP is that they haven't a clue what the public wants and needs. They are living deep in the past and they do not have the ability to figure out how to run this country correctly. They even ran the McCain-Palin campaign deep in the past. it was steeped with hateful and fearful rhetoric. They really believed this was going to help John McCain win.

They also cannot tell when they are being had, for instance that prankster Martin Einenstat of the Harding Institute spreading all the Sarah Palin gossip to Carl Cameron of Faux News. These people are so power hungry, partisan and so out to destroy the Dems they can't even acertain when they are being punked and pawned.

They're ridiculous and dillusional. They need guidance, some street smarts and the where-with-all to throw the Far Right loons out of the mix and start over. They need to get out of the business of social and bedroom issues, or they will never make it.

[hopefulinflorida]

Michael Steele is an uncle tom who thinks he can be part of the good ole boys club, he's delusional, no one gets in the club but white men. He'll find out one day when they use him and throw him under the bus, like Colin Powell.

[grizhead63]

The GOP has a ton of leaders- Huckleberry, Jindal, Sarah, Romney, Gingrich, Bachmann, Boener, Stevens, Rove, Joe Lieberman, Hannity, Coulter, Limbaugh, the Most Reverends Hagee, Parsons, Alamo, Dobson, and the WitchHunter ...is America Great or What?

[Britta100]

Rumors have been swirling about his run for president in 2012. If Gingrich, Palin, Romney, Huckabee, and Jindal run that will be great fun to watch. I'm inclined to believe that maybe some of these guys may have a part in spreading rumors about Palin while publicly praising her.

[genia]

Geez what a bunch of copycats...always...they tried with that Jindal fellow...and now they suddenly need a black man in charge...what a joke this party is.

[chronic]

LOL and don't forget how they recruited Sorry Sarah for the VP spot.

[RODERICK098]

Mr.Gingrich who claimed he was sickened by Clinton 's affair with Monica was having an affair of his own I believe at the time. The lies the Republicans tell is unbelievable. If they told the truth it would be the following WE ARE THE PARTY OF RICH WHITE MEN SOME OF WHOM ARE SELFLOATHING CLOSETED GAY PEOPLE. tHAT IS THEIR TRUTH. they stand for nothing else

[grizhead63]

I saw a report yesterday that said Dindrich served divorce papers on his wife while she was hospitalized.

[RODERICK098]

I wish some one could confirm this but I beleive he wrote a book about World War 2 where the nazis were sympathetic characters.

[NotMcCain]

They're the party of big government, big spending, big deficits, and lots of effort to help big business get richer and bigger.

How can David Brooks say they lack an ideology?

[3dtrix]

The GOP has historically championed the interests of big business at the expense of the citizenry - conveniently forgetting that every dollar of profit business realizes originates from the citizenry. Look around - that veil has dropped. It'll be hard to slip it back into place.

The GOP has historically exploited the fears and resentments of the bigoted, ignorant and intolerant - harnessing these pathologies in service of their elitist agenda - being that their policies largely benefit a tiny minority who are themselves numerically insufficient to win elections, they've always needed to find a means by which large numbers will pull the lever for them. The fact that this demographic is shrinking represents an oncoming train in the GOP tunnel - those who they have consistently shunned - minorities - will soon constitute, in the aggregate, the majority. Is that Karma?

If the Obama presidency is even fractionally as successful as the Bush presidency was disastrous, it's over for them. Have you ever once heard people long for the bad old days?

For the GOP to once again be successful they have to put their brand on an entirely different breed of animal. In other words - NOT be the GOP.

[miamia]

That was great. Very true.