2010-01-08
Mike Steele Wants Republicans to 'Shut Up'
Why? Because they're questioning what he has done with the Republican Party's cash reserves.
About this time last year, I was supporting Chip Saltsman for RNC Chairman because he proved he could do a lot with a little during the Huckabee campaign and that he can do a heck of a lot more with a lot. Saltsman's parody Christmas gifts unfortunately sank his chances of becoming the Chairman in 2009 (a bit unfairly, I might add). During the debate, people asked me who else I would support. Steele was one of the "I won't support him until he gets it" candidates. My reason for this was that he ran GOPAC into the ground by spending a ton of money on paying his friends and consultants and gave very little money to GOPAC candidates.
Steele's supporters said that was just the nature of GOPAC and that Steele would clean house in the RNC. I didn't believe them. When he became Chairman, I had to give him the benefit of the doubt as a Republican.
So from me to all of you who said Steele would make a good Chairman:
I TOLD YOU SO!!!!
Chairman Steele is spending money like John McCain and Barack Obama trying to solve a banking crisis. What's worse, fundraising has grinded to a near halt. Republican Party insiders are foaming at the mouth. The former Secretary of the VA under President G.W. Bush went on the record saying, "I do not see how a chairman can do book tours and give speeches for fees that go to him and not the RNC, which needs more money badly."
*Cough, cough! HUCKABEE!! Cough!*
When Steele took over the RNC, he had about $23 Million cash-on-hand. Today, after just ONE YEAR, the Republican National Committee has merely $8 Million cash-on-hand. Despite this, when asked by ABC News what grade he would give his first year as Chairman, Steele said "a solid B."
$8 Million is still a lot, right?
Well, for Mike Huckabee's supporters, yes. That's more money than HuckPAC activists can even fathom. The problem is that in the real world, $8 Million isn't a lot. Now, you may be saying to yourself, "Hey, no big deal, we'll make it up next year! 2010 is going to be our year!" Sort of like how Huckabee supporters always say next time will be THE time Huckabee raises a lot of money: it never is.
As with most things in life, political fundraising works in cycles. For PACs and National Committees like the RNC, NRCC, NRSC, DNC, etc., off election years (2007, 2009, 2011) are the time when the bulk of fundraising happens. They raise money during these periods so that during election years (2006, 2008, 2010), people can donate to the actual campaigns of the candidates directly. Election years are when it's acceptable for the RNC to spend $15 Million more than what it takes in. Now, we're going into 2010 - an election where we have a chance to clean house - and we're already handicapped because we have a Chairman who is more interested in giving enormous salaries to his friends than winning back the Congress.
How does Michael Steele defend himself?
From the LA Times: In a week of bad news for Democrats, [Steele] further riles fellow Republicans by saying he doesn't think they can win the House this year - and that he's not sure they're ready to be in charge.
If there's ANYBODY not ready to be in charge, it's Steele! That's like the owner of the Indianapolis Colts telling fans that he doesn't think his team can win the Super Bowl and he's not sure whether or not they even deserve to win. If I wanted a Chairman with the mentality of an apathetic 17-year-old Emo-Goth kid, I would have done a Google for "black hair dye and suicide tutorials" or "depression and vampires" and picked somebody that way.
Michael Steele's first year as RNC Chairman has been a complete and utter disaster. Whatever gains the Republican Party makes in 2010 is going to be completely in spite of anything and everything done by Steele.
