Steele vs. Steele -- tries to clarify views
Posted: Thursday, March 12, 2009 11:44 AM by Domenico Montanaro
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Republicans
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
RNC Chairman Michael Steele has come under criticism for statements he’s made so far -- from some even in his own party.
We mentioned this morning his lengthy, wide-ranging Q&A with GQ. The big news from the piece was his comments on abortion, calling it an “individual choice.”
Steele issued a statement through an RNC spokesperson to clarify his views and tries to walk back and redefine his "choice" remark.
"I am pro-life, always have been, always will be," Steele said. "I tried to present why I am pro life while recognizing that my mother had a ‘choice’ before deciding to put me up for adoption. I thank her every day for supporting life. The strength of the pro-life movement lies in choosing life and sharing the wisdom of that choice with those who face difficult circumstances. They did that for my mother and I am here today because they did. In my view Roe vs. Wade was wrongly decided and should be repealed. I realize that there are good people in our party who disagree with me on this issue. But the Republican Party is and will continue to be the party of life. I support our platform and its call for a Human Life Amendment. It is important that we stand up for the defenseless and that we continue to work to change the hearts and minds of our fellow countrymen so that we can welcome all children and protect them under the law.”
During the GQ interview, Steele also said he thinks Roe v. Wade was “wrongly decided.”
But he wasn't so strident on Meet the Press in 2006, when he was running for senator in Maryland against Ben Cardin. Steele said then that Roe v. Wade should actually remain in place, and he deflected questions on supporting a constitutional amendment.
“Is is your desire to keep it [Roe v. Wade] in place?” asked Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert.
“My desire is that we follow what stare decisis is at this point, yes,” Steele responded.
When Russert also asked if he would "vote for a constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion," Steele demurred.
Here’s the exchange from Oct. 29, 2006:
MR. RUSSERT: Another issue that has emerged in the campaign. Here’s the latest headline. “Religious leaders and abortion foes are pumping more than $140,000 into the final weeks of the Maryland U.S. Senate contest to motivate ‘values voters’ by elevating such issues as abortion and same-sex marriage. ... National Right to Life’s political action committee plans to run radio commercials on Steele’s behalf ... and has spent more than $72,000 supporting [his] candidacy with ads and mail.” The National Abortion Rights Action League supporting your campaign, Mr. Cardin. The issue is being engaged. And let me ask each of you. Mr. Steele, if you’re United States Senator, would you vote for a constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion?
LT. GOV. STEELE: I don’t — vote for a constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion? I think we’d have to have that get to the Supreme Court, wouldn’t we? I haven’t seen that bill proposed. I don’t think...
MR. RUSSERT: That’s been introduced in the Senate.
LT. GOV. STEELE: I don’t think anyone’s going to propose that this day.
MR. RUSSERT: So you wouldn’t do that?
LT. GOV. STEELE: No.
MR. RUSSERT: Would, would you encourage — would you hope the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade?
LT. GOV. STEELE: I think that that’s a matter that’s going to rightly belong to the courts to decide ultimately whether or not that, that issue should be addressed. The, the Court has taken a position, which I agree, stare decisis, which means that the law is as it is and, and so this is a matter that’s ultimately going to be adjudicated at the states. We’re seeing that. The states are beginning to decide for themselves on, on this and a host of other issues. And the Supreme Court would ultimately decide that.
MR. RUSSERT: But you hope that the Court keeps Roe v. Wade in place?
LT. GOV. STEELE: I think the Court will evaluate the law as society progresses, as the Court is supposed to do.
MR. RUSSERT: But what’s your position? Do you want them to sustain it or overturn it?
LT. GOV. STEELE: Well, I think, I think, I think Roe vs. Wade, Roe vs. Wade is a, is a matter that
should’ve been left to the states to decide, ultimately. But it, it is where it is today, and the courts will ultimately decide whether or not this, this gets addressed by the states, goes back to the states in some form or they overturn it outright.
MR. RUSSERT: Is is your desire to keep it in place?
LT. GOV. STEELE: My desire is that we follow what stare decisis is at this point, yes.
A lot more in the interview
While his views on abortion have caught a lot of the focus, the interview is worth a full read. There are lots of other noteworthy nuggets.
Asked if being gay is a choice, he was unequivocal.
“Oh, no,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever really subscribed to that view, that you can turn it on and off like a water tap. Um, you know, I think that there’s a whole lot that goes into the makeup of an individual that, uh, you just can’t simply say, oh, like, ‘Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being gay.’ It’s like saying, ‘Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being black.’”
He reiterated earlier stated views that the Republican Party has not demonstrated openness to minorities.
The GQ reporter said, “You made the comment at the convention about the sea of white faces. And you got a little bit of heat for that.”
Steele responded, “I sure did. And I looked at the people who gave me the heat and said, ‘What’s your problem? You tell me I’m wrong. Look at the room. Thirty-six black folks in the room? What, are you kidding me? Out of 4,000 people? Come on!’”
Though, Steele said, “I don’t know” if he’d have his job if he were white.
On the political pressure he faces, Steele noted it’s tough “balancing so many competing interests. Balancing the House, the Senate, the base. I mean, everyone’s got something to say, and they’re saying it. [laughs]”
On how he deals with the criticism, he said he prays on it, but what does the former seminarian say to God in his prayers? “Hey, let me show just a little bit of love, so I absolutely don’t go out and kick this person’s ass.”
On pursuing the priesthood, he said his friends at Johns Hopkins were surprised that he decided to go for it, because he had a reputation as a partier: "I loved to party—still do—and have a good time."
Steele, who spent three years in Seminary school, also talks about the church scandals and that he "knew there were men who should not have been there. These are individuals who were, you know—they used the priesthood as a place to go hide."
He calls Rush a "bomb thrower extraordinaire", said "Rodney King" "la la land" bipartisanship can't work, that he "probably" voted for Ford over Carter (he's not totally sure).
He even plays fashion critic to the Obamas, saying "wasn't feelin’” the president’s inaugural white tie (since he didn’t have a tail) and that he didn’t like Michelle’s dress -- though he admits he "tucks his undershirt into his pajamas." The only time his shirt comes untucked, he said, is after "one or two drinks."
