Chuck's thoughts on Steele's victory

Posted: Friday, January 30, 2009 5:54 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Republicans

From NBC's Chuck Todd
The GOP averted a P.R. disaster after the race came down to Steele and Dawson. It was a pretty obvious choice: Pick the African American or the guy who had to quit an all-white country club. Had Dawson not had that negative mark on his resume, he would have won because he was a party insider. (Will this lead to him and other southern Republican politicians to end these country club restrictions? It's very retro in this day...)

As for Steele, he's got a lot of work to do. The big knock on him was that he wasn't an RNC insider and he's not the best organizer. His Senate campaign in 2006 was a lot of hot air, but he was simply crushed and he ran as a moderate at the time. Get used to a lot of sentences that end in "baby," Steele is fond of the word when he wants to showboat a tad in speeches. He certainly will be a better TV book than Duncan or Dawson would have been. And that does matter.

But Steele will be judged on mechanics more than optics. The issue for the GOP isn't finding a new face; it's finding a new political identity and catching up with the Democrats on the technological front. Steele may become a good spokesperson for the party -- the bar's kinda low right now as it stands. But can he raise the real money and put in place the grassroots tools necessary to make the party competitive?

By the way, while Steele's an outsider to the RNC, he's not exactly a Washington outsider. He was born and raised in the DC area and has hob-nobbed plenty with the powers that be in the GOP. So it won't be the culture shock to the GOP leadership that, for instance, an Anuzis or Dawson election would have been since neither were DC guys.

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Comments

As a life-long Republican, I used to wonder how any-
could belong to the Democratic party and still claim to be a Christian or a Patriot.
Now, after two years of speaking and overhearing Demo
blogs,I notice that some of those folks exhibit a fervor bordering on crazy. Just like us.A great many of them claimed to adore President Obama because he was 'articulate'. They didn't know what it meant, and
they couldn't spell it, but they loved it. Many others
hated Obama but loved Mrs. Clinton. They loved her so
much that 18 million of them swung their support over to Obama, because she asked them to.
Obama reciprocated by helping Mrs. Clinton repay her
campaign debts and eventually appointing her as Sec of State.Thanks to her, Obama defeated McCain by about 5 million votes. Had it not been for Mrs. Clinton, Obama would have lost the election by about
11,000,000 votes(Two against one).
What I've learned is that the Democrates were lied to, just like us.They had the same desires and concerns that we have. None of us could have been
expecting what we are about to receive.
Why cant we just flush the whole mess down the toilet
and start all over?
concerns that we have.

Bill Wages (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 12:11 AM)

You guys obviously know nothing about Steele as a person or as a professional. I've seen him several times as a FoxNews commentator speaking on various subjects and he is an extremely smart, passionate and humble man. He got elected because people were truly excited about him and the new direction he could take the party - not as a "token," not as a Republican version of Obama and not because there was something bad about Dawson. I can't believe that some of you are actually insinuating these things, wow!

-From a white female independent...

Gwen, Colorado Springs, CO (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 12:25 AM)

Repubs are still playing games for weak minded people but I think the majority of Americans are now able to see through the smoke screens. Steele has no substance and its obvious that the Repubs are deciding to go further right instead of coming to the middle. They still don't get it!

If I am not mistaken didn't Repubs have the candidate they wanted, that was one of the most moderate Repubs out there? How did that go for them? Repubs need to get back to being Reagan Repubs in this time of economic down turn. Government is not the answer there the problem. Cuts taxes put more money in THE PEOPLES pocket and get out of the way.

Johnny P Houston, TX (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 1:16 AM)

Chuck, now I have a sense of your polical leanings...characterizing the GOP insiders as members of all white country clubs and asserting that Steele selection is all window dressing on the part of a party that produced "Barack the magic Negro..."

eNews Reference (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 7:38 AM)

Steele's a joke; just watch some tapes of him on the clown show 'Hannity' and you'll see the GOP is going nowhere. The Dem's are going to continue to eat the GOP's lunch since he's got little to no sizzle and absolutely no steak. When Obama points to his replacement during his second term Steele will be a name of the past.......

BG, Guilford, CT (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 9:06 AM)

Steele says, "the Republican Party is the party of the people" but neglects saying they have demonstrated it is the party of the select few people and Special Interests.

REG in AZ (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 10:04 AM)

This site needs Direction and reform, too many B.S articles are posted to incite the negative opinion. Msnbc is biased and creates false petty views!

fact (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 10:20 AM)

So now the GOP has a token black who likes to say baby, blunderbrain Palin, the great speaker Rush Limbaugh and the ever refreshing Ann Couler. They'll go far.

PJC27 (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 10:34 AM)

Whites only country club is retro...Todd give me a break. Call it what it is, it's racist

True American (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 11:45 AM)

Here is the elephant in the room. Everyone knows he was chosen for obvious reasons "He's Black" and will be used by the repubs to try and bring Obama down but it will not work because everyone knows, he is simply a token

Deb (NY) (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 12:13 PM)

With the Repubs it's like putting lipstick on a pig. Making an African American leader of the party does not change the party the way it needs to change. It's still the same old Repub party, run by all the good ol' rich (white)boys, for the good ol' rich (white) boys.

Perhaps if they pulled their heads out of their fundamental orrifices, they may see that the world has changed while they have been pushing their same tired old agenda.

If they ever change their policy so that they truly represent "middle class" America, instead of trying to put "fear" into middle class America, they may just have a chance of getting somewhere.

Jimbo, HI (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 12:27 PM)

Chuck Todd, You are right the issue for the GOP isn't finding a new face-- "it is finding a black face". The Repubs know black leaders are the new in thing this year, and the Repubs are nothing but copy-cats. Just like their Sarah Palin, They pulled her out from under a rock last year because Hillary did so well in the presidential election. Hillary got 18 million votes; and that sent the Repukes in motion; they had to get a woman in the running; but one BIG mistake they made was Sarah Palin is no Hillary.."

gepa (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 12:46 PM)

Electing Steele will actually destroy the Republican Party! It will actually split those whites who by the way left the Democratic Party to join the Republican Party (the Southern Strategy) will be outraged by the election of a black man to lead their party out of their wilderness. Don't you remember it was the Republicans who said "kill him" at the Republicans rally.

Mark (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 5:09 PM)

Seth Myers on SNL said it better than I ever could; Do the republicans understand that "any old Black guy" won't do? Or, words to that affect. Michael Steele is a token that has allowed himself to be used. Soon, he will find out what is means to be "yesterday's garbage".

Just Me (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 10:39 PM)

Let me make sure I got this right--for chair of the RNC it came down to a guy who is still practicing segregation or the Black guy—MMMMMM. I heard the most appropriate description of the Repubs pick for RNC chair. A guest on the Rachel Maddow show explained how the Repubs view Obama as Superman and how they felt they needed Kryptonite so they went to Planet Black Man for help—(I’m paraphrasing). I wonder if the RNC views Steele as their “Magic Negro”? Have the Repubs gotten so desperate that they have forgotten how Steele campaigned--he tried to give the impression that he was a Democrat.He gave out bumper stickers identifying himself as a Democrat. Was Steele too ashamed to say out loud that he was a REPUBLICAN? This is not a change in the Republican Party--it is simply more window dressing. First they tried to stick a woman in the window and now they have stuck their token in the window.

MAWMAW Decatur, Georgia (Sent Monday, February 02, 2009 8:31 AM)

The Republican Party is in way too much trouble to pick a leader just for the color of his skin. Steele was picked because he is an inspiring politician who has been able to win support from members of both parties.

Linda (Sent Monday, February 02, 2009 9:55 AM)

How come none of you commentors noticed thst Condoleeza Rice is Black. Was she picked as Secretary of State because of Obama? Obviously not. Steele is going to be a great leader. He happens to be black. deal with it.

Fred (Sent Monday, February 02, 2009 9:58 AM)

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