Cross-posted at Legum's New Line.
Former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele was just elected chairman of the RNC. Here are five facts about the new leader of the Republican party:
1. Steele compared stem cell research to Nazi experiments during the Holocaust.
2. Steele bused in homeless African Americans from Philadelphia to distribute literature in inner-city Baltimore that featured a "Sample Democratic Ballot" with votes for Steele and former Gov. Bob Ehrlich, along with photos of prominent black Democrats.
3. Steele once described that "R" next to his name as a "scarlet letter," complaining that being a Republican was hurting his electoral chances.
4. Steele was endorsed by Mike Tyson during his run for Senate. When Tyson, who used to be married to Steele's half sister, pleaded no contest to assault in Montgomery County in 1998, Steele was on hand to support him.
5. Steele defended former Gov. Bob Ehrlich's decision to hold a $100,000 fundraiser at a country club that did not allow non-white members, saying that the club's membership's policies were "not an issue" because "I don't play golf."
Check out Legum's New Line for the latest on Michael Steele.
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RNC CHAIRMAN RESULTS: Race For New Republican Leader Ends
WASHINGTON — The Republican Party chose the first black national chairman in its history Friday, just shy of three months after the nation elected a...
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Michael Steele, RNC Chairman (VIDEO)
See earlier updates below Michael Steele became the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee on Friday after defeating his lone remaining challenger, Katon...
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RNC Elections: A Fun Fact
So, at the Republican National Committee Leadership Elections, Michael Steele has prevailed in his bid to become the new chairman. The RNC is currently voting...
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Chris Matthews: 'I Voted For Michael Steele'
Tonight on Hardball, Chris Matthews admitted to John Heilemann and Michael Scherer that he voted for newly-minted RNC Chairman Michael Steele when Steele ran for...
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Michael Steele's Challenge
There exists a leadership gap in the Republican party with no strong frontrunner for 2012 and evidence of growing division between the leading candidates. Steele must fill this leadership vacuum.
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The Meaning of Michael Steele
It's hard to remember the last time a party chairman's race has been so closely followed, but the reality is that Steele's win really doesn't mean much.
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Steele, the GOP and Confronting the Southern Strategy
That fact that Steele won the RNC chairmanship is a hopeful sign that the GOP has begun to confront its shameful exploitation of race as a national political strategy.
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Steele's Slippery Slope
Republicans needed a public relations break more so than a Michael Steele, a fact that will show itself much sooner rather than later.
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Michael Steele: No Profile in Courage
When Steele was faced with a choice between political expediency and denouncing bigotry, Steele chose expediency.
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The GOP Finally Got Something Right with Michael Steele Pick
The Steele call was really an easy call, indeed the only call to make. This was the only thing the Party could do to avoid being shoved to the outer margins of national politics.
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The New RNC Chairman -- Providing Full "Race Card" Default Insurance
Selecting Steele is designed to help position the Republicans more advantageously in their effort to fight off charges of "using the race card" when their attacks on the president become really tough.
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He is simply there so that every criticism made about President Obama will be prefaced with the following disclaimer:
"We at the GOP have a black national chairman, so you know we are not being racist when we say the President......."
Micheal Steele-- The new GOP leader by convenience. In other words, the perfect token.
And by the way Mr. Steele, please tell us, how many African-American delegates were at the rebushlican convention last year?
They are in serious trouble.
In the few times that I have seen Mr. Steele on television, I have not been impressed. He is arrogrant and like many other Republican leaders is quick to attack Democratic issues but never comes with a solution to make it better for the people. We shall see if he does better in his new role as RNCChair.
http://www.theamericanview.com/index.php?id=1205
And forget "conservatism," please. It has, operationally, de facto, been Godless and thus irrelevant. Secular conservatism will not defeat secular liberalism because to God they are two atheistic peas-in-a-pod and thus predestined to failure. As Stonewall Jackson's Chief of Staff R.L. Dabney said of such a humanistic belief more than 100 years ago:
Our country is collapsing because we have turned our back on God (Psalm 9:17) and refused to kiss His Son (Psalm 2).
John Lofton, Editor, TheAmericanView.com
Recovering Republican
JLof@aol.com
As a woman, I was SO insulted when they picked Palin as VP. It was such an obvious pander to women. Not that I'd ever vote R, but choosing her put me so far over the edge that I volunteered for the Dems and actually participated in politics for the first time ever.
Granted, there aren't many African Americans in the Republican party. But are the Repubs stupid enough to think black people will just join up because of Steele? Is this how blacks are interpreting this? Or is it me still PO'd about Palin?
"Dill Baby, Drill"!!!
LMAO
I live in MD too, (SoMd). You and I both know how Michael Steele got to be Lt.Gov, that's why he and Erlich only served ONE term and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's political career is over. in the four years thery were there I can't point to one single thing they accomplished, and the RNC is gonna see the same. The RNC should know that "black" people don't vote for folks or agree with someone just because they're black, Powell, Thomas, Rice, Watts, are good examples. We voted for Obama because he is right for the job Period.
Now here is the RNC thinking that Obama is the flavor of the month and so they pick a token black guy. Yet another sign that they're desperate. If the general public is smart and observant enough, they're realize what they're up to and this whole scheme will backfire. Also Legum should be insulted by being picked as their token! Not only that, to think that we'll be bowled over by this guy due to his color and the RNC is insulting! The majority of us haven't forgotten the hell we've endured by that party and they're still thinking that the public has a short memory. I think that despite this, there is still going to be alot of in fighting or at least, alot of friction.
All of their policies tried and failed, the Hispanic population rising in states that have historically been Republican strongholds, urban creep turning what used to be conservative towns into progressive mini-cities - there comes a point where the base planks of the Republican platform are no longer viable. I've even heard people discussing the possibility of the Blue-dog Democrats breaking off, absorbing the disenfranchised Republican population and forming a new party - leaving the Evangelical extreme right to its own devices and certain demise.