Michael Steele 'Open To' Punishing Stimulus-Backing GOP Senators [UPDATED]

[UPDATED, below.]

During an appearance on Your World with Neil Cavuto yesterday, Michael Steele told the host that he was "open to" punishing Senators Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, and Arlen Specter for their votes on the stimulus package, by withholding RNC monies for their re-election bids. He then said he was "open to everything, baby," because that's his bold schtick: inserting the word "baby" into everything.

[WATCH.]

CAVUTO: Republican Senators Collins, Specter, and Snowe who voted for the stimulus plan in the Senate, what...uhh...retribution will you exact?

STEELE: Look, my retribution is the retribution of the voters in their states. They're going to have to go through a primary in which they're going to have to explain to those Republican voters in that primary...

CAVUTO: I know, but will you, as RNC head recommend no RNC funds being provided to help them?

STEELE: That is something I'll talk to the state parties about and we'll follow their lead.

CAVUTO: So, in other words, are you open to that?

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STEELE: Oh, yes, I'm always open to everything, baby, absolutely.

Chairman Steele did not explain whether this beau stratagem comes from the "Party Of New Ideas" file or the "Urban/Suburban Hip-Hop Dance Jamz" file. Seeing as how he was basically goaded into saying these things by a newsman who visibly struggled with the whole concept of Senators voting for things in the Senate, there's a good chance Steele doesn't really know, himself.

UPDATE:

Elena Schor at TPMDC says Michael Steele is backtracking, baby, backtracking!

...when I asked him about it today -- the RNC chief joined ex-Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) as an official lunch guest of Senate GOPers -- Steele backtracked.

"It's totally up to the state parties," he told me, in a stark contrast to his comment on Fox that he would "talk to the state parties" about withholding funds to the three stimulus-supporting Republican senators.

Schor also reports that "Senate Republican campaigns chief" John Cornyn also expressed support for these incumbents.

But why is Steele backtracking? Maybe he finally realized what 538.com's Nate Silver already knew - Steele's bluster was nothing more than an "idle threat":

In Pennsylvania and especially in Maine, having a (R) by your name is a liability, not an asset. With leaners included, Democrats have roughly a 19-point partisan ID advantage in Maine and 16 points in the Keystone State. Collins, Snowe and Specter get re-elected in spite of being Republican, not because of it.

Theoretically, moreover, there would be little to stop any of them from pulling a Jeffords and caucusing with the Democrats. If one assumes that the principal motivation of each Senator is to win re-election -- and that's never a bad guess -- then the three Republicans must already be wondering whether life might be easier in the Democratic Party (or more likely, as independents who caucused with the Dems). If Steele pushes too far, he risks actuating this outcome.

Comments

[aloha43]

I just don't understand how they can punish them for a vote. A vote is a personal opinion, and no-one should be "punished" for giving their opinion.

[Burkelbile]

Giggle-Time-Almo

[Vern58]

Let him try. 2 of these senators are from Maine, where the Repubs are more of a family tradition, not an idealogy. I see the last stronghold of republicanism in the eastern US fading into the rear view mirror- fast.

[FR]

EXACTLY.
And the third one is getting voted in by a sizeable number of Dem voters, who vote their own party the minute Reps put up anyone but Specter.

[Tropiholic]

HA! This is getting more hilarious by the minute!

[OB08]

STEAL needs the stimulus money to pay his mortgage payment, so I guess he is going to punish himself.

[slj316]

Good idea Mike. Let's punish those senators who want to help their constituents, which then helps them get re-elected. Yeah, leave that dirty Democrat money on the table. Stay in lockstep with the party, who caused all of this financial turmoil in the first place. If you haven't noticed Mike, you're going to be the scapegoat when all of this GOP grandstanding and b.s.ing costs the party at election time(or when the s*** really hits the fan). Hope it was worth it baby.

[stuckinredstate]

This is the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Rockerfeller???
One can hear the collective turning in four graves and more.
Every action and word coming from the GOP points to their true agenda: they want America to FAIL.
Sounds like the definition of TERRORISM to me.

[sueno]

Steele is a bum- and a sore loser.
Steele has "no game", he hasn't a clue.
Its is actually fun to watch him in action,
what a loser and cry-baby.
This way pure GOP "bling-bling"-

[realitychecks]

Another shining example of what the Republicans have to offer,absolutly pathetic.

[Beka13]

Punish them with what? A dinner out in public?

[Davonne Rushing]

He wants to punish the three republican senators who voted for the stimulus.

[TheGuide]

Did he call him "baby?" Steele really does think he's the hip cat.

[slj316]

Most tools do believe that about themselves.

[wthomas]

How can you call him a tool? Aren't tools supposed to be useful?

[trvlr64]

Arlen Specter will wipe the floor with Michael Steele. Arlen may be a Republican but in the state of PA he's very well liked. I'm a Democrate but I have voted for Arlen many times and so have a lot of other PA Dems.

Steele picked the wrong Senator to start a fight with.

Where did this jackA$$ come from?

[goatboyslim]

Exactly the same here in Maine: the concept of Republican challenging Susan or Olympia in the primary, with any kind of state party backing is absolutely hillarious.

[CalSailor]

Maryland, unfortunately :-( He's not had an outstanding record there, either.

Former MD resident.

[me again]

The poiliticians who broke rank are thinking for the good of the Country and know their constituents are behind them. Those Republicans who would punish them for free thought and voting their concious are frankly against the good welfare of the Nation.

[Rog49Thomas]

Personally I favor stoning though I suppose burning at the stake is an option.

The decision rests I'd guess on whether Brother Michael is appealing to the religious or science-minded base in the RP.

[ConcernedJoe]

"-isms" are dangerous things. Right or Left.

"-isms" love dogma and love to be dogmatic

They consider themselves the prime heliocentric entity and expect all to revolve around them.

Facts, rationality, tolerance are backseat to promoting the power of the "-ism"

They stifle free-thinking, innovation, truth seeking, and healthy progress.

All actions - even obvious good ones - must filter through the ideology and pass its narrow tests.

They make ideologues and are the home ideologues.

They give power to the insane or narrow-minded or power hungry.

They thrive on adversity and adversaries and instill fears to control the masses.

They make very intelligent people use their strengths to cleverness and to protection of the status quo.

They are embedded into and are the worst of the religions and political parties of the World.

No entity in power is pure and not under their influence but to varying degrees

However the Republican Party somewhere along the line sold its soul big time -- one almost feels sad for the dupes like Jindal - but more importantly its corruption and pure irrelevance are getting obvious to the masses and they are en garde (at least one can hope).