Gingrich Backs Steele In Developing RNC Civil War

Only a few months into his tenure, Michael Steele has already been forced to do battle with some senior party insiders, with the latest show of no-confidence coming in the form of an RNC resolution that would limit Steele's hold on the party's purse strings.

On Thursday morning, however, the Chairman received a bit of a boost. Newt Gingrich, who will occasionally call out the old guard of his party, stuck up for Steele and called the RNC members orchestrating the resolution a group of stale, self-involved individuals.

"The Republican National Committee is this tiny group of people, some of whom have been there 20 years or more," the former Speaker told CSPAN. "And they all think they're precious. And they all think they should be taken care of. And they all think that the job of the chairman first of all is to make the RNC members happy."

Gingrich's endorsement comes at a somewhat critical moment for Steele. His role in spending money early in his term has created gripes among fellow Republicans in private and increasingly in public. His tumultuous media appearances, likewise, have caused heartburn within the party.

The most recent effort to rein him in came this past week, as the 168 RNC members began floating a resolution that would require any expense exceeding $100,000 to be pre-approved by executive officers independent from Steele.

Steele has privately pushed back against the effort, sending a harsh email to those members pushing the resolution, accusing them of orchestrating a power grab.

"It is of course not lost on me that each of you worked tirelessly down to the last minute in an effort to stop me from becoming chairman," Steele wrote, as reported by the Washington Times.

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[stonelaw]

Let me make this perfectly clear, the GOOP will continue to move as far to the right as they possibly can - throwing everyone out (Specter, et al) who don't share their ultra, fright-right beliefs.

Their nominee in 2012 will be so ulttra-conservative, it will make a traditional, Rockefeller Repubican laugh, cry and run to the Democratic party.

Once nominated, the GOOP followers will honestly believe that their candidate will be elected (that's how far out of touch they are with mainstream America). And when their candidate is soundly defeated in 2012, MAYBE they'll finally begin to lose their grip and control on the once-proud Republican party. My guess is that it will probably take another loss in 2016 for it to actually start to happen.

[bat713]

The blind leading the blind through the land of the clueless.

[bikerdude]

Newt thinks he can manipulate Steele. I think he's right in this instance.

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

Yeah Newty giveth and Newty taketh. He has something up his sleeves.

[C65]

bikerdude,
Steele has already been manipulated from not only the time he became a Republican,
but inhansed his manipulation when he was chose as their Chairman.That's how they
think or DON"T THINK.These dummies really believe BLACK people are so stupid,we
will cling to them because they put a black man in a top position.Steele,is not our kind
of representative,never has been and never will be,because he is as STUPID as the
GOP he is a part of.NEXT move,this one failed more miserably than the Pallin JOKE,
at least she got a few Hillary REJECTS.

[joceeco]

Anyone can manipulate Steele, because he has no backbone!

[instagladiator]

I think you folks in the Us need to change the scale on the Stoopid Meter? (again)

[iamvalid]

The only thing I know of that stale white bread is good for is stuffing a turkey.

[blaising]

Let's assume for a minute that GOP actually does have significant influence on congressional legislation in Washington. Then let's look at who the GOP leaders are.

Hmmm...

I just realized something. The GOP doesn't need any elected members of congress! We're so good that we have power WITHOUT wasting our time on pinhead, liberal stuff like governing. This is great!!

I mean, look at how much power Palin's got. And she only barely got her feet wet for a few weeks, and didn't even win. Come 2012, we're gonna roll out our candidates about 48 hours BEFORE election day! We can ride the curiosity-based opinion polling right into the White House...and think of the money we'll save.

[smileatfear]

You seem to be confusing notoriety with power. Being mocked publicly is not power. Palin, Steele, JtP, Bachman, Teabaggers, Octomom. Yep, they all get press everytime they say something because it's always so laughable. But power, no so much.

[NamelessGenXer]

Bwahahahahahaa! Can you say: marginalized for at least a generation (and possibly finished for good :-)

[Navy26Yrs]

Great TV. Marginalization with commercials.

[mervr1]

The RNC is developing into a civil war?

...because the RNC members orchestrating the resolution are a group of stale, self-involved individuals."And they all think they're precious. And they all think they should be taken care of. And they all think that the job of the chairman first of all is to make the RNC members happy.

And this why they lost!!

[bikerdude]

Its not a civil war. The far right of the GOOP is trying to strengthen their control. They have little opposition, so they are moving ahead. They could care less what voters think. They will shape that for them...Talking points will become talking mandates.

[Godweiser]

Yeah, they're a movement, not a party. That's what the General Secretary of the Party, Limbaugh, said.

I guess that means they don't care about winning elections.

Can't say I don't mind that position, myself.

[Godweiser]

Err, I mean, that I can't say I MIND that position. Typo.

[DubyaGump]

RNC Civil War, What are they going to out cry each other?

[madisonhack]

Quick everyone! Wave and smile...let's try and look like we are getting along. And whatever you do - don't say anything negative about Rush!

[TeejMan]

"...called the RNC members orchestrating the resolution a group of stale, self-involved individuals."

Pot meet kettle.

[indy girl]

Maybe he meant the entire Republican Party.

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

Apparently the Reactionary National Committee doesn't want to be a slush fund for businesses owned by Mr. Steele's family.

[PhilipTaylor]

CAREFUL OF NEWT GINGRICH: WHAT and WHO IS BEHIND HIM?

1. Newt supports Rich Corporate C0AL, 01L, HEA1TH CARE, and M1LITARY interests. Clinton gave Bush the largest budget surplus in History and Newt helped squander it giving corporate welfare to Big Oil and Health Insurance interests doubling US Spending AMERICA"s Debts, Bush's $Trillion deficit!

2. Newt tries to focus Healthcare Reform on trivialized Electronic Checks while hiding his real agenda of Building More Hospitals and expensive MRIs while paying workers Lower Wages! He avoids proper focus on 100% coverage, Single Payer Insurance, and Health Care Reform! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBGcIm15Nrw&feature=pyv&ad=2605209504&kw=newt%20gingrich&gclid=CKePh4mR3ZkCFRYiagodThdIXg

3. Newt Ignores new "green" energy jobs in favor of more Carbon emissions. Newt"s big New Flashy Orwellian Slogans, "American Solutions for Winning the Future," pretends to help Americans while using lobbyists to campaign Congress for Greater Oil/Coal usage, earth-ki11ers. He wants Corporations to have Rights to remove precious American resources for FREE and sell to other countries for private profit? Newt gets O1L contributions of over $4 Million from 14 Bush Pioneers and another $1 Million from 8 McCain supporters. He wants to continue Bush"s OIL as a "national security issue" producing Ever Higher Profits for Big Oil! Newt "Fairy Tale" is there's a massive pool of crude in Alaska and he again mistitles his "energy contract for America" which wants to sell American Oil to China fighting Contract Clause limiting Oil for America"s use!

[PhilipTaylor]

4. Newt ignores the 68 million unused acres of land&offshore oil drilling leases owned by BIG OIL and shares Cheney secret energy policy that including support of Kenneth Lay of ENRON. Current US crude-oil production capacity is 5 million barrels per day, accomplished with about 510,000 oil wells averaging 10.5 barrels per well per day. That is more than half of all the producing oil wells in the world. Newt knows Big Oil has not built refineries in decades so cannot process additional crude, so Drilling is for other countries. Also, there is a FIVE YEAR backlog on deep water drilling equipment so why Lease now and wait five years for the drilling equipment to be delivered.

5. Newt's "contract" with K Street right-wing lobbyists is an effort to reward & corrupt Congress. G0P majority built "K" street L0BBYING so they can profit after Congress, and write America's legislation. Newt"s lobbyists campaign Congress for increased Coal Profits corralled McCain to support his COAL propaganda campaign. He raised $275,000 in Coal Money from Peabody, the World's Largest Coal Company.

6. Newt also has right-wing casino kingpin Sheldon Adelson pumping in over $3 million in 2006.

[dirtfarm]

Sweet, thanks Phil. Posts like yours keep me reading the comments on Huffpo. Hope you'll comment on sources below for Huffpo DIY research enthusiast audience:

http://www.opensecrets.org/
http://www.campaignmoney.com/
http://www.followthemoney.org/
http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/
http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/disclosure_data_search.shtml

[HiGhBrowse]

hehe 11 times 5 ...nice math

[AlwaysRightLeftist]

Party of Whiners.

[indy girl]

Party of Waterboarders!

[NamelessGenXer]

Party of Sub-Humans