O'Donnell To Steele: "You Led Your Party To A Disastrous Loss... Congratulations" (VIDEO)

Lawrence O'Donnell had some tough words for RNC chairman Michael Steele this morning regarding the GOP's loss of the 23rd congressional district in New York for the first time in history. O'Donnell accused Steele, along with Sarah Palin and others, of leading the Republican party to defeat in the 23rd by ousting the Republican candidate Scozzafava from the race in favor of a more orthodox conservative who proved too orthodox for the voters. An incredulous O'Donnell asked Steele how such a stunning defeat could happen.

Steele responded with some humor: "Lawrence, I'll start by apologizing for letting you ask me a question in the first place... I don't apologize for anything. Last night was a great night for the Republican Party." The RNC chair argued that there wasn't much significance in the GOP losing that seat because it will have to be defended again in 2010, and he is confident the GOP can pick it back up.

It was here that O'Donnell got aggressive:

O'Donnell: Michael, you made the 23rd the most important congressional district in the country. The Democrats didn't do it. You did it. You lost it. You led your party to a disastrous loss that it has never experienced in that district before. Congratulations, nice work.

Steele: Hey Lawrence, if it makes you feel good, baby, then have at it. Just lay it on me. I'll shut up and listen to you. Because clearly you've got your talking points from the DNC. You roll them out and have fun with them. You're not going to spoil my juice right now; you're not gonna take this high away from me.

We would be remiss in not mentioning Steele's brilliant introduction in which he expressed his joy with yesterday's results by simulating the Heisman move and saying "assume the Heisman position." Co-host Mika Brzezinski was mortified enough to bury her hands in her face. A screenshot of Steele's move and Mika's embarrassment is below.

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Comments

[punkindmb]

They seem to think that if they repeat something often enough it will become the truth. Won't work. Can't spin failure into success.

[sippewissett]

Note to Steele. Be careful what you wish for. Two GOP governors will have a year to turn around their local economies, create jobs, save homes and stop the hemmhoraging because your brashness is setting them up to succeed or die in a year.

If they can do it in the middle of a worldwide recession, I will become a Republican. But I can go to bed tonight, resting sure in the knowledge that next year will be very much like this year. We are in what the economists call a U-shaped recession vs. a V-shaped recession. There's no fast way out of this one. All this hoo-hawing display of testosterone now won't pay in results that GOPers in VA and NJ can take to the polls in 2010.

[UNLVGOP]

In a new report, it shows how poorly the "saved/created" jobs were counted....

In Georgia a gov't agency says they saved 950 jobs w/ the stimulus....but they only employ 500.... Hmmmm does anyone see a problem w/ those figures?

The lack of lefty responses on this story is SHOCKING....haha

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/04/white-house-stimulus-repo_n_345217.html

[Jesster]

The commandeered special election in NY-23 was by far the most significant from an analytical or tea-leaf reading standpoint.

Virginia just did what it has been doing consistently for 20 years now.

Bloomberg spent $180 (of his own money) for every vote he received - and besides he was a Democrat before he was a Republican before he was an Independent - so that race calls more for psycho-analysis than political analysis and tea-leaf reading.

Corzine (D-NJ) ran an ultra-pathetic campaign (even by political standards) and was enormously unpopular even before anyone knew who Obama was. His Goldman Sach's connection didn't help either.

[billobasher]

UNLV, do you honestly believe anyone but the FAR right takes Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann serious?

[UNLVGOP]

Probably the same amount of people that take Reid and Pelosi seriously...

[Seán O'Nilbud]

You seem to be having mental problems your two insane know nothings are hysterical losers. Reid and Pelosi are in positions of power and are highly respected for the work they've done. If you can't even register the difference you must be just a republican (loser). Go away, you'll never see power again.

[factotem]

Reid and Pelosi have power, sweetie.
Even you take them seriously.

[billobasher]

UNLV,

You really do not know much about off year elections, do you? Both VA and NJ had turnouts of under 40%. Noone even pays attention to thses races. They are seen a practice runs for the national parties. Christie won by less than 100,000 votes with a total of 48%. Obama has a 57% approval rating in NJ. Did you bother to look at the exit polls in either state?

[UNLVGOP]

Yeah, the exit polls showed 60% of voters claimed Obama had no influence on their vote, and if he did....it was a wash....50% said it was to show support of Obama and 50% to show opposition.

Now I look at those numbers and see that Obama doesn't have much influence...and if he does...it doesn't matter...the negative balances out the positive.

That is a statistic that democrats need to change. If Obama doesn't have the power to influence in 2010, it could be a problem.

[sippewissett]

DUH. "Obama had no influence" means they were voting on local issues, dummy. i.e., They are not voting in '09 on the same issues as in a Congressio­nal/Senate voting year. O's ratings weren't affected by the polls. Folks in these two states want to believe these GOP jokers can turn around and find jobs. Great. I'm waiting....

[billobasher]

Christie barely beat an unpopular incumbant governor with a 37% approval rating. Christie got a "whopping" 48% of the vote in one of the lowest voter turnouts in the history of New Jersey. Yep, a HUGe Republican "mandate."

[UNLVGOP]

Well don't forget 5% went to the third party candidate, which most likely would have gone to Christie.

It's not a "mandate"....it shows that voters are losing confidence in Democrats as well as sitting Republicans....

[factotem]

It does nothing of the sort. The GOP "referendum" is a fiction of lazy journalists and newscasters. This election was about whether the candidate that represented the rights NEW agressively, hostile overture to teabaggers (Hoffman) could capitalize on it. He FAILED. The teabaggers will now be marginalized.

Hoffman lost in a Republican stronghold (!), with the left sitting this one out (!). You also lost two more votes to Obama's healthcare. Governors don't get a vote in DC.

[billobasher]

UNLV,

A notmal Democratic turnout in NY would have changed the result. You do not get it. Corzine was unpopular even with Democrats. It had nothing to do with Obama. How come your ilk never said anything about the fact that the Republican's lost these races in 2001 after Bush took office?

[billobasher]

Does anyone honestly believe that the Republican's could have won these races had they been the incumbant party? In this economy? People vote out incumbants when the economy is poor. It has always been that way. Reagan lost seats in 1982. Why? Because unemployment was soaring to 10%.

[Amock]

I for one am glad that Corzine lost from I read about him he did a poor job and deserved to lose. Democracy at work. Now it is up to the new Republican Governor to automatically turn the State around,create jobs, end poverty, provide health care to the residents of his State while at the same time reducing the size of the State Gov't and while also lower taxes for all! That is the Republican mantra - right? Less taxes, smaller gov't, yadi yadi yadi! Time to deliver on that mantra!

[keepemhonest]

Amock

I agree about Corzine - pathetic governor ... I don't think the new gov will be any better ... in fact, he might even be worse.

[Amock]

For the sake of the people in NJ I hope not. Republican or Democratic I want to see the State do well so the people of NJ will do well. Unlike Rush I don't wish for failure! THAT is not the American way that might be Palin way and Rush way but not for me!

[brt929]

I'm not sure Corzine was a pathetic governor. NJ was in a big mess before he took office. Two months after he took office, the state government shut down. (He sure made enemies of the state workers.)

Then there was the fact that some of his ideas to fix the budget were met with a lot of resistance. (The toll plan.)

NJ is in a mess. If Christie thinks he can turn things around using the same old Republican play book, he will be a single term governor as well.

NJ, as does California, needs someone with vision and new ideas.

In my opinion, the California and New York Governor's races are the ones to watch.

[CaptRuby]

What is is saying that Corzoine was not able to manage weak economy, lost jobs etc. well and therefore was punished.

Why was he not immediately reminded that, Olbermann would have asked that, this mess was created by your folks/party.

[jdiary]

Sigh. Michael Steele. Why does he even bother to show up?

[billobasher]

Sarah Palin is a TU--RD in Michael Steele's punch bowl.

[KeepMeLearning]

Nice visual. (EW!)

[timmmahhhh]

You betcha - fanned.

[billobasher]

Voter turnout in the 2009 Republican "groundswell."

VIRGINIA 2008- 3,684,537- VOTED
VIRGINIA 2009- 1,850377- VOTED

NEW JERSEY 2008-5,920,481- VOTED
NEW JERSEY 2009-2,125,301- VOTED

Is it any wonder that the far right hates groups likeACORN who register new voters? THe right only wins in LOW turnout electios.

[CaptRuby]

Good info, thanks for posting it!!

[UNLVGOP]

Those numbers should scare the heck out of democrats....

If voter turnout in 2010 is similar to yesterday....it's gonna be a bad year for Democrats

[billobasher]

No UNLV,

The national party will be much more involved next year. You see, in truth these two odd year elections are the equilevent of NFL exhibition games. The only side that cares about them is the party out of power. That is why the out party ALWAys wins these races after we get a new president. Just like 2001,1993, 1989, and 1981.

[sueno]

I love O'Donnell!

[CaptRuby]

What is hilarious and frustrating at the same time is how quickly republicans turn around and start blaming Obama for something they have been sc-re-wing up in past 8 years unabated.

The sad fact is that some people buy their argument.

I blame democrats for behaving pu-ssy-cat and not forcefully reminding them their role in the current state of the economy.