The Atlantic - Latest Comments in The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

bread & roses — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:40:41 -0000

Say, what's the opposite of "political ju-jitsu?" (a sad, tired phrase, btw). Something that means trying to wrongfoot your opponent, but somehow pinning yourself instead. Because whatever it is, the GOP has it down. --hubcap

Vulgarity alert-

My husband likes to say "a lot can happen when you bite your own balls..."

(It's the punchline of a long joke about a wrestler interviewed after losing a match to an invincible champion, who gets him all tied up in a spot where he thinks he can bite his opponent's balls... oops.)

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Graf — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:07:32 -0000

Problem is, Steele as a moderate Republican is walking on the tightrope without a wire. He needs some clever moderate Republican think tank to give him direction and ideas, but there ain't no such thing any more. Shame, really.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

tobby — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:42:32 -0000

Word! Mr. Steele is a ground hustler.

They are getting huffy with him because the dude

knows why he was picked--to tarnished and rubbished Barack. He gets it and he is fully prepared not to fulfill such lucre-minded game plan. Remember what they did to brother JC Watts. This is the movie: "Two can play the game". He wants to get the last dime of his speech and slogan (Drill,baby Drill) at last year convention. If he was working as a message consultant for Pepsi or so, that slogan would have worth over $5 million. So let the brother have every dime of his labor.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Kylopod — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:11:32 -0000

And his last name is Steele. Oh, the irony.

And he's 6'4". And his sister was once married to Mike Tyson. DEFINITELY ironic.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

todd bbq — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:04:45 -0000

You can't make this stuff up. You just can't. And as per the norm, he walks it back within 24 hours.

And his last name is Steele. Oh, the irony.

Like I said, you can't make this stuff up.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Felicity — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:30:44 -0000

@hub @Deborah: Hoist by your own petard might do the trick.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

rikyrah — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:17:00 -0000

I have to admit, of all the issues I thought Steele would get in trouble for, abortion wasn't one of them. Abortion, and his stance during the Senatorial election, was one of the reasons given that he lost the election. This was a shock to me, because all the rest of his public statements on abortion have been pretty solid GOP.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

CParis — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:59:20 -0000

Tonight we're at the finals in the RNC Gynmastics Competition. We're watching Michael Steele of Maryland, representing the hiphoppers. He'll be attempting a Reverse MittRomney, with a 3.8 degree of difficulty. Let's watch...

Oh no! Steele flopped when he should have flipped, he's down on the mat with his head stuck us his ass.

Next up, Mike Huckabee, representing the AmTalibangelicals. Oops, he just pulled himself out of the competition, says he "needs to spend more time with his family". Either that or he just signed a $50b contract with FauxNews...

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Catherine — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:54:54 -0000

This just again highlights the extremism of the Republican party. This is, sadly, the most reasonable I've heard Steele sound, and I think it's a pretty moderate position for a lot of people. Alas, the GOP is so far gone that being reasonable and moderate will put your head directly on the chopping block.

Think about if this view on abortion were the standard Republican view? They'd actually be competing with the Democrats for some independent, centrist voters. Why can't they see that squelching this is total suicide? At what point do they cut the far right off so they can start their own crazy party? Say what you want about Democrats (and I have) but at least their whack jobs know their place.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Insert nom de blog here — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:43:49 -0000

Oh, TNC, I forgot to add: Michael Steele is ALL about the hustle. Thought you knew. When it comes to him, this is the quote I use to the uninitiated:

"I don't knock Steele's hustle--and it *is* a hustle."

Steele has no real convictions (though I believe he holds a few very right-wing positions) and loves the high life (saw him on a first class trip to Paris a couple of years ago...thought repubs didn't do anything French--heh)--how could he be anything *but* a Republican?

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Kylopod — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:43:48 -0000

Now maybe I am underestimating Steele, the way Howard Dean was underestimated, but I don't think so.

I've had similar thoughts. Steele and Dean have one thing in common: a knack for saying unbelievably stupid things. But Dean has two qualities that Steele utterly lacks: vision and cojones.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Remi — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:35:59 -0000

TNC - Way to have this post cited by the NY Times:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/steele-under-fire/?hp

Congrats!

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Deborah — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:29:10 -0000

We really do need a new vocabulary term here, something between "outsmarting yourself" and "Epic Fail." The latter is a little too general and grandiose.

The sense is captured in "That word you keep using, I do not think it means what you think it means." That sentiment, but shorter.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

DaveinHackensack — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:23:50 -0000

"I think that about does it. I don't know when, but I can't see Republicans letting this sideshow continue. It's fascinating. I've been reading about Steele for years, but I still have no idea why he's a Republican. I've yet to get any sense of deep conviction from him. Colin Powell, I got."

A couple of thoughts:

First, what Steele said above isn't as incoherent as you seem to think. What he seems to be trying to say is largely true about Roe v. Wade: the legal basis for it was specious*, it made the abortion issue unnecessarily contentious, and abortion would still be legal in most of the country even if Roe v. Wade were overturned (in that case, abortion laws would be made by the states, and in states like New York -- where abortion was made legal years before Roe v. Wade -- it would continue to be legal).

Second, I'm not sure what you "get" about Colin Powell -- the man's political leanings are those of a Rockefeller Republican if anything, which is to say he'd be pretty comfortable in the Democratic Party (and he seemed pretty comfortable endorsing Barack Obama). As for why Steele is a Republican, I suspect it is partly for career advancement, as I suspect it was partly for Powell (in Powell's case, gratitude may have been part of the equation as well, as it was a Republican President, Reagan, who accelerated his career). Since there aren't a lot of black Republicans, there are more career opportunities as a political appointee for a black Republican, especially when the party wants to appear more inclusive. Democrats, sporting the country's first black President, don't have as much need for this sort of symbolism, and in any case, if Steele were a Democrat he wouldn't be in the top tier of black political talent. Dems have a deeper bench of talented black politicians.

*The legal basis -- a "right to privacy" -- is specious because if that right were consistently upheld it would also be unconstitutional for law to proscribe drug use, suicide, etc.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Tray — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:22:02 -0000

I don't quite understand what his position is, but it sounds like he... personally wouldn't vote for an abortion ban in his own state, but he believes that Roe was wrong and that states should be allowed to ban it if they like. Which I guess is about my position. Anyway, I don't know that's a disqualifier.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Insert nom de blog here — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:22:00 -0000

I'm really trying to understand why he said what he did, because Steele is personally VERY anti-choice.

All I can surmise is that he forgot his audience for a moment: During his Senate run he tried to shade just how anti-choice he was. But he's RNC Chair, now--not a Maryland Senate candidate.

I didn't expect him to last long, but this is ridiculous.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

CitizenE — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:20:25 -0000

Don't mean to thread jack, but personally, I wish the left would not get so caught up in what appears to be minor and mediocre players on the right. I find the soap opera on the right to be somewhat bo-ring. Now maybe I am underestimating Steele, the way Howard Dean was underestimated, but I don't think so. The Republican party and its enablers strike me as a dithering bunch.

Now, on the other hand Obama's recent hire of Van Jones strikes me as a rather interesting occurance. I like how he connects environmental issues with people issues. I've been waiting for decades for a voice like that myself. Perhaps some here know more about him. He's a west coast guy, so I like that too.

But at any rate, I am hoping that Van Jones becomes an African American "politician" that has more to offer us than Michael Steele will ever dream of having: http://vanjones.net/page.php?pageid=2.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Bruce — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:59:47 -0000

This might inspire him (Steele) to a new approach to hip-hop-ifying the GOP...going on tour with Rick Ross and turning "Hustlin'" into the antem for the RNC!!

"everyday i'm hustlin'...everyday i'm hustlin'!"

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Evan — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:57:41 -0000

TNC, don't call Michael Steele a "hustle." That term would imply that he's actually competent at something (i.e. "hustling").

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

M.C. — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:52:10 -0000

Add me to the list of people who would like to see the back of Roe. The reasoning is bad, and it has a corrosive approach on party politics. There's way too much emphasis on who will get to appoint the next few Supreme Court justices. That kind of Kremlinology is unsuited for a system where major policy initiatives are supposed to come out of the legislature and include inputs from a variety of sources.

I hate abortion. I think it's always a bad thing. But sometimes it might be the least bad option. Not as often as current abortion rates would indicate, though. We need to do a lot more to reduce the need. I kind of think I'm near the political center of gravity on the issue. Permit abortion early in pregnancy, but do everything you can to make it unnecessary.

You can't have the discussion you need to get you there if abortion is enshrined as a right, though.

Steele's position in the intial post here doesn't strike me as absurd. If he backtracked afterwards, though, then he's not doing enough to manage wingnut expectations.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Lev — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:35:13 -0000

Roe was not a good decision, because states all around the country, from Alaska to Montana to North Carolina, as well as California and New York, were legalizing abortion all on their own. It wasn't seen as a religious issue, as the President of the Southern Baptists at the time said he had no problem with abortion, and it wasn't seen as a partisan issue as conservatives like Reagan supported it, while plenty of Democrats like Scoop Jackson opposed it (though Scoop was no liberal). It was Roe that turned it into a thing, and the religious right used it as part of their backlash against the liberal elites.

What's more, this is not a conservative view, it's the one held by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as well as myself. Not to mention it wasn't a very good decision from a legal point of view: I like the two trimester guideline, but it's just not in the Constitution.

As for Steele, I am not sure even he knows what he's talking about when it comes to basic political issues.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

hubcap — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:31:46 -0000

Also, he's clearly very ambitious and seemingly has more career opportunities as a moderate African American in the Republican party than in the Democratic party.

Definitely. Especially in Maryland, where there are plenty of smart, ambitious African-American Democrats.

"Women liked Hillary Clinton...how to respond...I know...Sarah Palin!"

"America elected a black President...how to respond...I know..Michael Steele!"

I guess EPIC FAIL will do.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

sgwhiteinfla — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:27:12 -0000

DougEMI

To cover his ass today Steele said that he is for a federal ban on abortion. Is that also conservative in your book because it seems to contradict his earlier statement about state's rights? Of course thats the kind of double speak you get from leading "conservatives" nowadays.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/12/steele-pro-life/

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Andrew — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:11:18 -0000

How did you become a Republican?
My mama raised me well.

While the interviewer took it as a joke, I think there's a lot of truth to this. Steele is, as has been pointed out, very moderate/centrist politically, and could probably be welcomed in either party. Why is he a Republican? Because his mama didn't want to raise her children with government money.

Also, he's clearly very ambitious and seemingly has more career opportunities as a moderate African American in the Republican party than in the Democratic party.

Re: The End Of The Michael Steele Era

Kylopod — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:10:59 -0000

So, doing research on stem cells is being like a Nazi doctor, but abortion is a woman's choice? This guy is for real?

I just don't believe it.

As for Katon Dawson, according to this article, "Republican party strategists in attendance at the meeting openly fretted about the possibility of electing Dawson, who had acknowledged his membership in a whites-only club, and the signal it would send to a country that had just elected Barack Obama as the nation's first black president."

What this suggests is that the Republican Party is not monolithic. There are many who realize how stupid an idea it would be to promote someone like Dawson now, but a certain number of them are every bit as clueless as we suspect.

P.S. For the record, I think Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided. And I consider myself pro-choice.