Steele Gets Testy With NPR: Says Reporter Is Doing "A Wonderful Little Dance"

Challenged to explain his inconsistent view of the appropriate government role in health care, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele accused his interviewer of being "cute" and doing a "wonderful little dance."

In an exchange that grew testy quickly, Steele told NPR Thursday morning that there was nothing contradictory about accusing the president of raiding Medicare while also insisting that the government-run program is a financial failure.

And when host Steve Inskeep called Steele out for promoting government involvement in regulating the private health care insurance market, things grew heated - certainly by NPR standards - culminating in a frustrated Steele asking Inskeep "What don't you understand?"

LISTEN TO THE CLIP. STARTS AT AROUND 4:45

TRANSCRIPT

Steele: ...Sure there are issues in the insurance market that we could regulate a little bit better and that we can control better to maximize the benefits to the consumers. That is something that yeah, we can rightly reform and fix

Steve Inskeep: Wait a minute, wait a minute you would trust the government to look into that?

Steele: No, I'm talking about private. I'm talking about citizens...

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Inskeep: You said it was something that should be looked into. Who is it that should look into that?

Steele: Well who regulates the insurance markets?

Inskeep: That would be the government, I believe.

Steele: And so what. Wait a minute. Hold up. You're doing a wonderful little dance here and trying to be cute. But the reality of this is very simply. I'm not saying the government doesn't have a role to play, I've never said that. The government does have a role to play. The government has a very limited role to play.

Inskeep: Mr. Chairman, I respect that you feel that I'm doing a dance here. I just want you to know that as a citizen I'm a little confused by the positions you take because you are giving me a very nice, nuanced position here.

Steele: It is not nice and nuanced. I'm being very clear

Inskeep: You are giving me, nevertheless, a nuanced position.

Steele: What's nuanced? What don't you understand?

Inskeep: What nuanced means is you are not doing it absolutely black and white. You are saying you recognize that the government has a role to play here... but when you and your party come to the actual rhetoric it seems more along the lines of absolutes. It's between a patient and the doctor.

Steele: I'm sorry. I don't accept your premise. And you known, you have your view and you can say it as much as you want

Inskeep: I'm not saying nuanced is a bad thing sir.

Steele: I'm being very clear. I want to have an open debate. I want to put ideas out there. I want the people to understand what this is going to look like when it is all said and done. Seriously, I'm not trying to be nuanced. I'm not trying to be cute. I'm trying to be very clear. I'm not saying the government doesn't have a role to play here. It does. It is managing a Medicare program so it has a role to play.

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Comments

[sandboxreport]

Hot Michael Steele News: Michael Steele's Violent Past - http://sandboxreport.com/?p=457

[Ipanemagirl]

Are the GOP saying that no republican needs public HC option? Can it really be that all republicans and wwingnuts are happy with their for profit HC system???? Or is the GOP cheating their own people out of what would be good for them?

[Alabama John]

Capitalist Republic -- On to a social democracy

Before we can get healthcare for all, which is charity for the poor healthcare, which is socialist healthcare, we first need to abolish our capitalist Republic.

For a capitalist Republic, like our 1776 Republic, is the unregulated freedom to compete for excessive wealth. The reverse of equality and the total destruction of democracy.

Whereas social democracy is the freedom to not compete, and in so doing have equal wealth. Such as Venezuela since President Hugo Chávez took office, for Chávez has put into place nation healthcare for all and reduced poverty by 30%. For most in Venezuela predict that his goal to eliminate all poverty will be reached in our lifetime.

For our capitalist Republic has just installed a coup dictatorship in Honduras, doubled its military power in Columbia, and knows full well that if it does not destroy social democracy in Venezuela, then such a good example would surely destroy it, and capitalism along with it.

[Ipanemagirl]

Sorry , but having a HC system that is socialized does not bring the country down with Socialism!
That is a scare tactics the R-wingers like to use and I am tired of hearing it!
. Everything else in this country is capitalist and for profit ony, but HC is one item that does not work well as a for profit organization, as we have seen its failures!

[DestinationsUnknown]

LIES LIES LIES

When will McCain be truthful? He voted NO for Senator Kennedy's H.E.L.P. Bill

160 GOP amendmnets accepted in that Bill-

What did McCain-Gra­ssley-Greg­g A:: voted NO!

Not one GOP VOTE!

McCain said Healthcare was a privilege

Obama said Healthcare is a Civil Right

This am- Aug 27-2009- on C-Span-

Tom Scully- Bush's CMS Administrator stated Medicare Advantage, Part C- is overpaid!

This is what OBAMA wants to CUT!

Back door elimination to Medicare Med Advantage is now unfolding as to why this was infiltrated into Medicare.

Mr. Scully admits that Med Advantage turned out to be tactfully wrong- he would not admit the other failure- the philosophical failure.

Yet they continue to scare the seniors with their 'death panels' rhetoric.

Scully admits politically- no one wants to tell those 10 million seniors on Med Advantage that the benefits that were subsidized by tax dollars to Insurance companies will no longer be given thus they will not get the benefits they thought they were going to get.

GOP will not - will never admit what they set up has failed miserably.

Just like GOP will never admit MED D failed miserably.

Back door elimination to all democratic institutions- that is the C-Street Philosophy.

[Ohioan730]

Boy, those GOPs love to project, dont they? Steele is the one doing a wonderful little cute dance talking out of both sides of his mouth. He thinks he's a clever magician, making his cards disappear up his sleeve and whatnot. The problem is, he's a hack and people see the strings and hidden pockets. He doesn't know what he wants and he doesn't know what he's talking about.

[twb1951]

"tool": born a "tool", lives a "tool's", will die a "tool", and in obscurity. Poor guy, grow a pair and start doing what you are actually paid to do. Advocate for society, all society not just the 5% that own 90% of the nations wealth and don't pay their proportionate "freight". Poor, poor, "tool".

[harriettubman]

Steele needs to go away. After all this time the MSM nor his own party gives him any respect. LOL, save face man. With no respect what exactly can he accomplish?

[ChiGuy]

The diversity t oken of the wh ite boys club just can't help but trip over his own tongue.

[jalowe1957]

Which side are you on, Mikey? Which side are you on?

[thundermummy]

I laughed my a$$ off listening to this in my car. "You're being cute here, pointing out that I am talking out of both sides of my butt."

[medic628]

His masters have let him out of the house yet again.

[WhatDreams]

I heard the interview yesterday morning, and it was obvious Steele was itching for a fight.
When he had no good answers to Inskeep's perfectly reasonable questions Steele attacked Inskeep and the questions.

Inskeep even tried to give this horse's back side an out a couple of times; when he said Steele's answered were nuanced, Steele took offense. When Inskeep then explained that Steele's views were complex, not black and white, Steele huffed that his answers were very clear.

Steele assumes Inskeep is a liberal but I have no idea what Inskeep's political views are. Neither does Steele. Plenty of conservatives work at NPR. Look at Scott Simon. Simon is a great host and he's clearly a moderate conservative who had nothing but criticism for Obama and nothing but praise for McCain all through the campaign.

In my opinion Steele only agreed to do the interview so that he could trash NPR. He ended up disgracing himself, but in the eyes of the conservatives he is trying to court, he probably did exactly the right thing and is now their hero. So to him, the interview was a success.

These days the republicans are throwing a collective tantrum and don't want no stinkin' facts cluttering up their beliefs.

[1differentdrummer]

The authoritarian right wing just humors this guy because they don't have enough white comedians.

[PhilipTaylor]

RNC Steele’s Bill of Rights for Seniors "We need to protect Medicare and not cut it in the name of health insurance reform."

Steele=Loves Medicare=Medicare for ALL!

STEELE: “What makes Medicare a valuable program is that it is the last line of opportunity to receive health care for a lot of our seniors, and it has been now for - since the 1960s.”

Steele=Socialized Medicare is a GREAT SUCCESS=Medicare for ALL

“The Medicare system has been raided over the years, from time to time.”

Steele=We Republicans Must stop Raiding Medicare! We Favor Medicare Cuts!

Medicare=Serves the Oldest and therefore S!ckest patients in America and if it is broadened out to the 260,000,000 more younger population so COST PER PERSON DROPS LIKE A ROCK!

Steele=“I'm not saying the government doesn't have a role to play here. It does. It's managing a Medicare program, so it has a role to play.”

Steele=Medicare by Government is a success = Medicare for ALL!

Where did he get his legal training?

Disneyland?

PRIVATIZE PROFITS+SOCIALIZE COSTS is the theme of WALL STREET+INSURANCE COS!

Ask Insurance Companies if they will take over Coverage of Medicare Patients and you get the same kind of "ALICE in WONDERLAND TALK!"

They only want people who rarely use Health Care to MAXIMIZE PROFITS! Covering Medicare Patients would NOT ONLY EAT UP THEIR PROFITS it would BANKRUPT THEM!

So it is NOT just STEELE who talks like this! 99.9% of Republican­s+Insuranc­e Industry talks like this!

[jemborg]

"ALICE in WONDERLAND TALK!"

:D

[FINJA]

Does anyone intelligent take this guy seriously? Steele is a clown, what do you expect?!