Michael Steele Is The New RNC Chairman

by Todd Beeton, Fri Jan 30, 2009 at 09:56:11 AM EST

It's been interesting to watch the results of the various ballots in voting for RNC Chair. You need 85 votes to win and while incumbent Mike Duncan was not a prohibitive favorite going in by any means, I did think it was amusing that it was looking as though this Bush appointee who presided over such an electoral rout for his party might squeak into the spot again. Well, sadly, it looks like the RNC is poised to bring in some new blood after all. Who that will be, however is still up in the air.

From TPM:

Incumbent Mike Duncan, who presided over the Republican party's nationwide routing in the November elections, has withdrawn from the RNC Chair race, he just announced. On the third ballot, Fmr. Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele finished in first with 51 votes. An 85-vote majority is needed to win.

What's amusing about the prospect of Michael Steele winning is that, you'll recall, he distributed signs during his run for Senate in 2006 saying "Steele Democrat." But it looks as though he's getting a last minute challenge from South Carolina Republican Party Chair, Katon Dawson, who has just taken a slim lead on the fourth ballot. Dawson, it so happens, is a member of a country club that until recently was all-white.

Stay classy, RNC and bring the change!

Update [2009-1-30 15:8:23 by Todd Beeton]:Ken Blackwell dropped out after the 4th ballot and threw his support behind Michael Steele. Blackwell had 15 votes.

Update [2009-1-30 15:36:45 by Todd Beeton]:After 5 rounds, Michael Steele is in the lead with 79 votes (he needs 85 to win.) Saul Anuzis has just dropped out but did not endorse. Steele's only challenge is Katon Dawson, who has 69 votes. Anuzis's 20 votes are up for grabs so it's still either man's race. They're now going into 6th round of voting.

Update [2009-1-30 16:13:41 by Todd Beeton]:Michael Steele won the chairmanship 91-77.

Steele is proud to lead "Our proud and strong Republican National Committee.""To those who believe in the conservative principles that have made us the strong and proud party that we are." Chuckle.

"We're going to bring this party to every neighborhood, boardroom, street corner...and to those who want to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over." Sounding very 50-state strategy-y except for the whole threat of violence thing.

"To my friends in the Northeast, get ready baby, it's time to turn it on." Sassy. "And work to do what we always do well and that is win." Ummm, riiiiiight.

Tags: Mike Duncan, RNC (all tags)

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Frak Frak Frak

Blackwell was gold, Duncan was money without a plan, and Anuzis has a nice failed record in Michigan.

Steele and Dawson were the only two who had actual plans to win region by region, district by district (Steele much more so). If it is Steele our job gets much harder for 2010.

I'm hoping for Dawson, at least then we get to attack the RNC as being run by the brainchild of Karl Rove and whites only country club membership. It'll be dirty as all get out, but he's less competent than Steele.

by Trowaman 2009-01-30 10:18AM | 0 recs

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Re: Frak Frak Frak

Of course, any Republican monitoring Democratic sites now knows that the one we don't want is Steele.

by vcalzone 2009-01-30 10:27AM | 0 recs

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Re: Frak Frak Frak

But this thing went to four votes and is SERIOUSLY split. I don't think we can forget that this is nowhere near a consensus. This wouldn't seem to be the end of the beginning for a new GOP.

by vcalzone 2009-01-30 10:29AM | 0 recs

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Re: Frak Frak Frak

It's not like Steele is going to be a barnburner... The guy's a cheat and a hack, too... but, he's more moderate, which is the face the party needs right now... the tokenism won't help the party at all... in fact, it will probably hurt it...

by LordMike 2009-01-30 10:38AM | 0 recs

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Steele or Dawson?

I should be pulling for Steele, but if they vote in Dawson, we all know how much in the Stone Age the GOP continues to be....

by Zeitgeist9000 2009-01-30 10:40AM | 0 recs

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Re: Steele or Dawson?

The fact that it's so close is an indication that it still is. A bunch of people are probably voting for Steele simply on the basis that they feel a black chairman would be "change" in and of itself.

These are country club people. And when a country club gets hit for diversity and being behind the times, do they throw the gates open? No, they bring in token members in the hopes that it will mean they can keep doing the exact same thing they've been doing but somehow seem like they've evolved.

by vcalzone 2009-01-30 10:49AM | 0 recs

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Re: Steele or Dawson?

Michael Steele can be extremely aggressive and persuasive in his politics.

I'm hoping that the GOP is not that smart to vote him in.

But you're right, it might end up being an instance of putting lipstick on a pig!!!!!

by Zeitgeist9000 2009-01-30 11:05AM | 0 recs

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Mike Duncan Drops Out Of Race UPDATED

So their choice is between a loser and a racist (loser).

by RandyMI 2009-01-30 10:53AM | 0 recs

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Re: Mike Duncan Drops Out Of Race UPDATED

In the Maryland Senate race of 2006, he did get a third of black voters to cross over and vote for him in the GE.

by Zeitgeist9000 2009-01-30 11:06AM | 0 recs

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Re: Mike Duncan Drops Out Of Race UPDATED

I'm sure he'll do the same for Srah Palin or Mitt Romney.

by RandyMI 2009-01-30 11:14AM | 0 recs

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Re: Mike Duncan Drops Out Of Race UPDATED

LOLZ

by Zeitgeist9000 2009-01-30 11:15AM | 0 recs

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Darn!

We have to listen to Steele whine for the next four years....

by Zeitgeist9000 2009-01-30 11:10AM | 0 recs

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Sassy!

I like it.

The Sassy Michael Steele, RNC Chairman.

Think we can get Larry King to introduce him that way?

by WashStateBlue 2009-01-30 11:22AM | 0 recs

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Re: Michael Steele Is The New RNC Chairman

Is it time to start shaking in our boots again then way so many people did when Sarah Palin because the Vice Presidential nominee? Look, the choice was between Steele and a segregationist, which in reality was no choice at all Steele will not control who the Republicans nominate in 2012 (if he is even around that long) and 2006 and 2008 proves that his "plan" to fight in every state/district means nothing if they cling to a failed ideology. Obama's incredible GOTV probably gave us North Carolina, Indiana and the Nebraska 2nd. But in other states, it only incresed the margins where he was going to win anyway because of his compelling message and the disasterous policies of the Republican Party.

Michael Steele is the same failed message on a new face.

by RandyMI 2009-01-30 11:30AM | 0 recs

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Re: Michael Steele Is The New RNC Chairman

He may be the same failed message.

But he seems willing to recruit candidates that are not. Similar to how we are willing to recruit people like Childers, Kratovil, Schuler, Marshal, Chet Edwwards, Gene Taylor, Parker Griffith, the entire Tennessee delegation, etc. Y'know, candidates who are wiling to give the finger to the base and are more inclined to vote as their districts would like rather than the Club for Growth.

Prepare to see an influx of Mark Kirk type candidates and less Bill Sali's.

by Trowaman 2009-01-30 11:46AM | 0 recs

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Re: Michael Steele Is The New RNC Chairman

That kind of recuiting would be done by the NRSC or the RNCC. Steele will be nothing more than a talking head.

by RandyMI 2009-01-30 12:01PM | 0 recs

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Between Steele and Dawson...

We would have benefitted more from Dawson being elected.

Not that I necessarily think Steele can resurrect his dying party, but the election of Katon Dawson would have been a HUGE win for us.

by Obamaphile 2009-01-30 11:33AM | 0 recs

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First comment

in the thread at Free Republic:

"I'm surprised they didn't elect Morgan Freeman."

Oy.

by Neef 2009-01-30 11:34AM | 0 recs

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To be fair

there is another, more adult thread buried a page or two back.

by Neef 2009-01-30 11:42AM | 0 recs

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Steele makes it harder

Steele is a good politician, has the moderate image (regardless of reality), and does, at first glance, come across as a "change" chairman. So he'll make this harder for us.

That said, we should still be able to beat a Steele-led Republican Party. He's not some masterful strategic thinker, his election doesn't change who the incumbent Republicans are, and like the DNC chair, the RNC chair doesn't have much control over who gets recruited for congressional races and who runs for president. This is significant only for the messaging and the behind-the-scenes organization.

So I'll make two predictions:

1.) Steele's moderate message will be hijacked by the Rush Limbaughs and GOP members of Congress, so it won't really cut through.

2.) And "fifty-state strategy" the GOP tries to implement will not be as effective as Howard Dean's program. We had more grassroots energy and we already had a grassroots infrastructure-- the netroots-- that was compatible with that vision. The top-down nature of the Republican Party and even their grassroots activists (less user-generated content, more talk radio) isn't as compatible.

Mind you, if Tim Kaine screws up the fifty-state strategy, then we might face a challenge. But if we can't beat a guy who spent his last race pretending to be a Democrat, we really don't deserve to win.

by Fitzy 2009-01-30 12:28PM | 0 recs

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Re: Steele makes it harder

I actually think 2010 is even simpler than that.

It's all about the stimulus package. If things start to turn around for the better, we'll reap huge benefits, and the voters will remember all those Republicans who stood in the way.

If, however, our economic situation doesn't seem the least bit improved or gets worse by the midterms, we're in for some pain.

People want results. We've been given a mandate to deliver our agenda, and the centrists will judge whether or not we deserve to keep that mandate by the results produced from our legislation. If the economy still sucks ass and it feels as though we flushed $1 Trillion down the toilet, we'll get our asses handed to us. If we start to see an FDR-type rebirth in our economic reality, we'll be rewarded with an even stronger Democratic Congress.

But it largely falls on us at this point.

by Obamaphile 2009-01-30 12:51PM | 0 recs

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why so few votes for Blackwell?

He had a lot of "conservative intellectual" endorsements, and I thought he'd be more of a contender today.

by desmoinesdem 2009-01-30 12:31PM | 0 recs

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Almost 20 years to the day

Since Ron Brown became the first African-American to chair the Democratic National Committee. Nice to know that the Republican Party is still two decades behind the rest of America.

I'm curious to see what sort of chair he will be. Fundraiser? Strategist? Evangelist? I admit I didn't follow the campaign, but did they even discus that, or was it all "I love Jesus and Reagan."

by Drew 2009-01-30 01:22PM | 0 recs

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About the best they can do

Steele is at least reasonable and seems like a good guy, unlike some of their other choices, especially Anuzis and Dawson. I have to say that I just saw the funniest post at Redstate:

"We are the most non-racist people around. We judge each individual on their merits."

Yes, Republicans. Electing Michael Steele to be RNC chairman means you are officially post-race. Now if only those African Americans would work harder and stop getting themselves arrested for driving their own cars legally.

by ProgressiveDL 2009-01-30 02:35PM | 0 recs