Steele: "I Have A Problem" With New GOP Group Slamming Reagan

RNC Chairman Michael Steele's fill-in stint as the host of Bill Bennett's radio talk show has produced a handful of quasi-embarrassing moments -- most notably his claim that Mitt Romney's Mormonism helped doom him in the Republican Primary.

At the very end of the nearly two-hour segment, it turns out, was another whack Steele took at his fellow Republicans. Responding to a caller disparaging the National Council for a New America -- the new Republican re-branding effort -- the RNC Chairman joined the fray, saying he had "a problem" with the notion, as put forth by former Gov. Jeb Bush, that the party needed to move beyond the legacy of Ronald Reagan.

"This tour is not about bringing minorities to the Republican Party," Steele said, correcting his caller. "This listening tour that these individuals have put in place is their way, as they said, to look forward, bring about a grassroots caucus and to bring moderates and like-minded Democrats to a series of public forums around the country where we can have a debate of ideas. Now, on its face I see nothing wrong with that. But if you are going to go and start this and start slamming Ronald Reagan, I have a problem. And it is going to be an issue. Because you can't blame the past particularly when that past contributed to the success of the party."

In offering his objections to the messaging coming from the NCNA, Steele joins a host of other Republican officials. Still, it remains rare to see the head of a national political committee disparage major players in his own party. In addition to Bush, the NCNA includes former Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Eric Cantor, and Sen. John McCain.

Later in the program, Steele was told that he should have run against Barack Obama in 2008, to which he responded, "It would have been an interesting race." When another caller lamented the media's treatment of Gov. Sarah Palin, he said the issue was endemic to all true conservatives, before saying he preached a type of political philosophy that has people "looking over their shoulders and wondering whether or not Michael Steele is standing there."

"Look, the fact that Sarah is a conservative," he said. "Michael Steele is a conservative, Bill Bennett is a conservative, a Jack Kemp was a conservative. We were a target, we were a ready target for these guys... but the strength of conservatism is that it is real and in its realism it has a way to go out to talk to people and connect to people. That's the biggest threat that we offer. And that's the threat I want to take to the streets everyday. I want them looking over their shoulders and wondering whether or not Michael Steele is standing there. Because I will be, with you [caller] standing right next to me and a whole lot of other conservatives."

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Comments

[amessenger]

I Love Michael Steele! He is absolutely purrrrrrrrrrfect for the "Pugnantcans" chair. Entertaining from the first day, his last live performance at the Press Conference Dinner was ("whas,...whats the word,..."exfoliating",...fast-shizzle!)
He must do Saturday Night Live, for he carries the Republican message better than anyone since Johnny Cockpit McCainiac.

[lejman]

wake me up when they start slamming abe lincoln.

[Colaholic]

Someone who worked with Reagan in the fifties called him "the most fatuous person I've ever met."

[caesar4149]

Anyone want to place bets on how much longer Steele has before the RNC gives him the boot? I say August.

[jeanwny]

Keep him there he is like rust on a sinking ship adding to it every day in every way.

[Russell Davis]

Hey Michael Steele why don't you have the Republican Party build a temple to honor Ronald Reagan since you love him so much.

[DevRock]

News to the GOP: Ronald Reagan is dead. Has been for many years now. Move on.

[beeper]

I wish the corporatocracy that was built on his watch had died with him. Government of the corporations, for the corporations, by the corporations. It is truly quite a legacy.

[kjo46]

He was dead while he was Governor of California, never mind as POTUS.

[shespeaks]

There's something beyond creepy about a man who talks about himself in the third person. Yes, Bob Dole did it, but that was just comical. This is sinister-creepy, particularly to see that he is so delusional he believes a race between Michael Steele (say it again, Michael Steele) would have been "interesting". As fiction, maybe. But probably not even then. "Michael Steele" is his own reality show.

[sunbeltvoter]

"Because you can't blame the past particularly when that past contributed to the success of the party.""

One letter Mr. "You can't blame the past" Steele: "W"

Now I understand the Bush Lie-gacy Revisionist History Project, soon to read "You can't blame the past particularly when Bush contributed to the soaring prosperity and peace of the world."

[desthmoneses]

The funny thing on top of it was Steele was too stupid to understand Jeb Bush wasn't blaming Reagan for anything, just acknowledging that we live in a different time and the Reagan era agenda and pining for Reagan doesn't help come up with solutions for the future. Hello! The whole reason their doing this tour is to come up with solutions for the future (according to them) apparently Micheal Steele doesn't even remember that much between his third person tough guy routines.

[bowthai]

I didn't even understand that last paragraph. He gets more incomprehensible by the day. It seems like he had a few coherent, albeit grossly flawed, talking points that he used up right away, and now he's just drooling nonsense.

>> "Because you can't blame the past particularly when that past contributed to the success of the party."
And more evidence of Steele's fundamental misunderstanding of the problem the GOP faces. If they insist on praising Reagan, so be it. But at some point you need to acknowledge that what worked in the past no longer works in the present. Resurrecting Reagan would not help their party now.

[Dupree]

I am so tired of the "Ronald Reagan" legacy. Ronald Reagan would not even recognize the updated version and rewritten history of his term in office. They have resurrected Reagan of the imagination and forced him into our reality. They have redefined him. Revised his true historical image. I do not say this to belittle Reagan ....but to highlight how different his actual record is from the projected image these Republicans continues to create.

They need to remember that there were some good and evil under his regime. He did not walk on water or parted the Red Sea. He had mere feet of clay and I understand that he was not all that knowledgable but did "learned" his lines very well when the camera rolled. This was stated by one that worked closely with him. I do not know how authentic that story is....but considering the fact that he was an actor...may have not been an exaggeration of facts. I also heard that he had a very charismatic personality...and that is fine. I will not take that away from him...but to pretend that the idea of "great presidency" begins and ends with him is doing the Republican party a great injustice and the historical account void of the stamp of authenticity.

[petphotos]

I saw on TV a political insider make the comment that "Ronny was a good boy, he did what he was told." An actor to the core.

[OpalSky42]

Reagan's policies were so successful that in 30 years the country was bankrupt, the middle class destroyed, the poverty level expanded and millions of people are losing their homes. Until the GOP gets over their obsessive adoration of St. Ronnie, it will wander in the wilderness.

[tomasedison]

Raygun was the first of the gigantic borrowers. He borrowed $4 TRILLION during his two terms in the 80s when dollars were really dollars. He always bragged it would be repaid with cheaper dollars. To date we haven't repaid anything - just the interest every month for nearly 30 years.

[smiththomas]

i remember what it was like coming out of the Carter era with high inflation and high interest rates and the Iran hostage situation. there was tremendous improvement under Reagan and the smaller government policy. we'll see in the next few years how successful the opposite approach is. i hope im wrong and the president's big government approach improves our standard of living

[3dtrix]

I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see "I hope I'm wrong " from a poster such as yourself. It speaks to open-mindedness and a true love of country. I have come to believe the things I do (which are surely different from yours) not from adherence to dogma, but from analysis of data and history. I too would gladly adjust my beliefs in the face of new evidence.

[smileatfear]

I third that. Whatever works. That's why I'm so supportive of President Obama - he seems to make pragmatism instead of ideology the basis for his decisions. When both extreme conservatives and extreme liberals are complaining you know he's probably found the working point.

[MalloMel]

Those high interest rates and high inflation actually started under Gerald Ford. The same way as this depression that we are in actually started under Baby Bush. I hope that the Obama people keep driving this home. The Carter people should have done just that, but now the Republicans get to saddle Carter for something that they themselves were responsible with.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whip_Inflation_Now

The Republicans were destroying this country even back then, and before. Actually, it started with Regan.

[kjo46]

I heard that Reagan's campaign people paid off the Iranians not to release the hostages until after the election that put him into office. I heard it on public radio. It never made the headlines, but it is indelible in my mind.

[dadw5boys]

Reagan's accomplishments ----

Robbed Social Security to provide tax cuts for Millionaires -- started the ball rolling.

Supported, trained and armed Ossama Ben Lowdown --- Clinton had to stop Osama in Eroupe with bombs.

Continues the arms supply to Ossama after Russia left Afgainstan !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Raised the Retirement age when Social Security Funds started to drop faster than expected.

Armed the Middle east to the teeth.

Smuggled Concaine into the USA to be sold to Americans to get money to break USA laws going around Congress to supply arms and money to forgien governments !!!!!!!!----This is Sedition !!!!!!!!! Then Treason when they sent the money overseas !!!!

Over 14,000 people were arrested and jailed for Cocaine Pocession just after the Iran/ Contra Cocaine Smuggling began !!!!!

Used Taxpayer money to bailout farmers in the dairy industry. Paid Top Dollar for old dairy cattle. He paid $2.95 a lb on the hoof when the market was $0.50 cents a lb for old cows !!!!!

Butter went from $0.50 lb to $2.00

A CHEMICAL MIXTURE CALLED MARGINE became the new butter. Thanks Regean for the new chemicals in our diet.

Reagan raised the Retirement age a second time from 68 to 70 making sure that millions would never reach retirement.

[NoWMDs]

Right on...We reap what we sow. Sep 11 would be just another day if Reagan would not have been president. I'm going to hate myself for saying this, but the long goodbye was God's punishment to Ronald. Eight years of suffering for the eight years of suffering.

[MalloMel]

I know that some say that we should not wish ill will on others, but in Regan's case, it was well deserved. None of us knows what awaits us down the line, but in his case, it WAS surely deserved.

[whohortonehears2]

anyone know where this guy gets his smoke, casue daym...