Posted on 09/18/2009 7:26:33 PM PDT by cpforlife.org
What's next, is Steele going to welcome gun control candidates into the party? Candidates advocating for higher taxes and spending?
In a September 3rd interview, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele told a surprised Columbus Dispatch reporter that he would lead the charge of pro-abortion GOP candidates if abortion is a value in their community. Columbus Dispatch Senior Editor Joe Hallett asked Steele "if there is room in the party for a pro-abortion rights candidate…"
Hallett quoted Steele's reply:
"There absolutely is, there absolutely is… The key thing right now-and I think this is true for Republicans across the country-is to have leadership that reflects the communities I live in, where we're from. As we get ready for the battles that lie ahead from this district to all the districts surrounding the state, that you're going to find those candidates emerge and rise up who reflect those values in those communities, and that's a very important step for the party to take, I think, and I'm looking forward to help lead that charge in the future."
There are two glaring problems with his statement. First, the official Republican Party Platform states: "We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it." Steele has thus flagrantly violated his own Party Platform by agreeing to fund the campaigns of GOP candidates who advocate abortion.
Second, the Platform touts itself as "The party of ideas, rather than a mere coalition of interests." But Steele's comments encourage candidates to be influenced by special interests in their communities rather than Republican principles of life, lower taxes, and smaller government.
It appears that Steele has forgotten that America elects representatives, not merely agents of puppeteer constituents. The words of the father of conservatism Edmund Burke in his 1774 speech at Bristol are more important now than ever: "Your Representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion."
This time, Steele is "lead[ing] that charge" of GOP candidates who refuse to protect preborn babies. What kind of pastel-colored GOP candidate will he welcome next? What if a candidate's community wants to give citizenship to illegal aliens , higher taxes, universal healthcare, and more government programs?
During the Jan. 4, 2009 RNC debate for the Chairmanship sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform, Steele revealed that he did not own a single firearm. Could this mean Chairman Steele will use RNC donations to welcome advocates of gun control next?
"How would one go about giving Steele the boot? Or, is the RNC controlled by a Republican version of Soros (or some other "star-chamber" of beltway insiders and north-east "country-club" conservatives) and there's absolutely nothing that can be done?
It is sickening to think that no matter who we elect, they will be depending upon the RNC for support."
Rush says we have got to get the leadership out of the hands of the country club blue-bloods who are completely embarrassed to be in the same political party as the pro-lifers and evangelicals.
He’s trying to win elections which means placing victory over principles and that is the ugly side of politics.
the stupid party bends over again.
bipartisanship, mccain?
That’s right. Let’s see who the candidates turn out to be.
Unfortunately its a losing proposition.
That’s right. Let’s see who the candidates turn out to be.
Oh great, just what we don’t need.
The politics of appeasement is a loser and the GOP will lose again big time with watered down RINO conservatism.
Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children.
Steele should be fired forthwith. He is an embarassment and a traitor to the values, ideals, and principles of conservatism and the GOP.
INDEPENDENT AMERICAN MOVEMENT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RESTORATION
I would rather end my life in an American gulag via Obama style communism then accept a pro-abortion plank into the Republican platform. And that is exactly what this portends. I will face GOD someday and that means more to me then winning a political battle.
Steele can welcome them and he can run them but I for one won’t vote for them.
Steele = McLame = L*O*S*E*R
The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame a “catholic” school supports baby killers too. As long as their ball teams win - that is all that matters.
Maintaining The Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life
Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life.
But it worked so well last time. LOL
Hard to say. This kind of attitude does NOT win elections, or if it does locally, it does huge damage nationally.
How has Arnold Schwarzenneger worked out for the party, for instance? By the time he is through, he will have fixed it so Republicans can never win California again. Ever.
Or how has Specter worked out for the party? Not too good.
What the typical RNC leadership fails to understand is that abortion is a LOSER for the party, which has been demonstrated again and again. But they support the Big Tent because they want sexual freedom and abortion and population control for their own selfish reasons.
Did he welcome Mitt Romney? Can’t get more pro abortion than that guy.
I’m friendly with a former RNC member...
The National Republicans (Think East Coast Blue-Bloods) see THREE ISSUES that are hurting them on a national level:
1)The Conservative stance on Abortion
2)The conservative stance on Gays
3)Conservative opposition to Immigration
Out of these three, the one they would most like to jettison is the stance on Gays, because they feel that THIS is what is killing them with a largely-gay/gay-supporting National Media.
And Rush has stated these very same things in the past.
I agree...
WTF?
this kind of thing is why I’m no longer in this party...I don’t think there is a party out there to suit me... being a strong Constitutionalist with certain Libertarian leanings.
I am embarrassed to be in the same political party as the the country club blue-bloods .
Will someone please ask this idiot if he would support a pro-slavery candidate if that’s what the ‘community’ wanted?
Somebody needs to remind these idiots that we’re pissed off at the democrats but we aren’t feeling a heck of a lot better about the GOP at this point. Poking us with a stick (or coathanger) isn’t the brightest move they can make.
The GOP needs to abide by the party platform and embrace pro-life candidates ONLY.
And that is why I don’t answer the phone when they call and throw Mr. Steele’s letters in the garbage. Until they take Conservative Republican principled positions they will get nothing from me.
Now, do you believe the Columbus Dispatch reporter?
If you still believe the reporter I have some bridges for sale ~ cheap ~ bring me all your money!
Now this idiot is welcoming in the polar opposite of what we stand for. Away with him I say. Clean the house!
INDEPENDENT AMERICAN MOVEMENT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RESTORATION
A pro-murder candidate will never get my vote. Never.
If the (R) embraces murder of innocents they abandon the last thing that really differentiated them from the (D).
Screw you steele, screw you and your “choice” to reject principles.
Please FreepMail me if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.
"It is the duty of every patriot to protect his country from its government"
--Thomas Paine
Who is funding the Republicans. I’ve read multiple posts here at FRee Republic of members claiming to send money only to the candidates themselves, never to the RNC.
We at the Ranch haven’t sent a nickel in years to anybody but the candidates of our choice. We send nothing to the GOP.
If people would cut off the GOP funding, perhaps they would take interest in listening to us.
I tend to defend Mr. Steele over comments I wish he wouldn't say. You're absolutely correct. You can't cede states and districts where abortion supporters outnumber opponents. OTOH, I wish he'd find a more subtle way of saying some things.
Just when I was beginning to warm to him, he turns into a dud.
The RINO’s get along fine with Soros. According to DiscoverTheNetworks, John McCain spoke at the Soros Shadow Convention last year, during the GOP Convention.
Does that tell you what we’re dealing with?
If Palin is going to build a shadow party within the GOP and take it over, we need to start very soon.
We need a shadow party within the GOP. We can take it over.
Thats right the 50% of this country thats pro-life should just sit back and watch the GOP win without them.
You surrender life, I had better never hear anyone talk about "values" after they surrender on life. Nothing else matters without it.
If Sarah Palin finished writing that book yet?? Then we can get on with the business of creating our shadow party within the GOP and taking it over.
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3.I’m adamantly anti-abortion, and yet I’d support Rudy Giuliani in a New York minute over Duke Cunningham, who received a 0% rating from NARAL.
Sam Johnson, the Republican congressman I helped elect in Texas (where I live), holds a much stronger view on gun rights than any Republican congressman who could be elected in the Northeast. But if Sam Johnson ran for Congress in Massachusetts, he’d lose.
The party with the majority of Congressmen/Senators elects the speaker of the House and the leader of the Senate, who control which bills are brought to a vote. Insisting that all Republicans hold exclusively conservative positions will only insure that the Democrats retain power.
To those who believe that it’s everything or nothing, and withhold your support for any candidate who isn’t ideologically pure, I have one simple question. How do you like having a veto-proof Democrat Congress and the most Liberal president in history?
We don’t have an ideologically-driven political system like England, which elects “Conservatives” and “Liberals”. We have a party system that elects Republicans or Democrats, and the occasional independent. If we act ideologically in a non-ideological political system, we guarantee our minority status, which means we guarantee that we will have little political power.
Without political power, there is no way to advance our principles legislatively. Advancing 50% of our principles is better than advancing none of them, particularly if those 50% will help lay the foundation for educating the public as to the overall wisdom of conservatism, which will allow for a greater advancement of principles the following election(s).
Politics is about power as well as ideology. If you insist on complete ideological purity, you will insure victory for your opponents. This doesn’t mean abandoning principles for power. Rather, it means that you must operate in the real world, and recognize that some populations are not as ideologically or morally advanced as others.
Running Sam Johnson for Congress in Texas works just fine. Running him for Congress in NY City is a disaster. So, you run Sam Johnson for Congress in Texas, and get someone who is maybe 30% conservative to run for Congress in NYC. You now end up with 2 Republican congressmen (and if the same model is followed in other districts), a Republican majority in the House and Senate. No Nancy Pelosi, no Harry Reid, no ultra-liberal legislation.
Or, you can run Sam Johnson’s twin in NYC, lose, elect a Democrat candidate who is 0% conservative, keep Nancy and Harry in power, and insure a few million more dead babies through federally funded abortions. But, at least you’ll feel good about yourself because you kept people out of the party who weren’t conservative enough for you.
If you want to exercise political power in America, recognize and understand how that power is actually acquired, and what happens to those who lack the power to push those principles.
If you want to remain ideologically pure, forget about ever holding real power, and be content to know you personally oppose killing babies, but weren’t actually prepared to do anything in the real world to actually limit or restrain abortion, because you’d rather be ideologically pure than elected to office.
It makes no sense, in the American system of government, for the perfect to be the enemy of the good. And it makes no sense to pretend that we have an ideologically-driven system of elections and government in this country when we don’t. The ideology of the House and Senate leadership is important, and that’s where our focus should be — helping those elected to office gain leadership positions who hold the strongest conservative values. If it takes a pro-abort Republican candidate in Massachusetts to give us that Republican majority where we can get a strong conservative leader, I’ll gladly support him/her.
In short, I’d rather have 50 more Rudy’s in Congress and, through them, regain control of the House where a Conservative leadership can set the agenda, than run 50 losing candidates, feel good about myself, and let Nancy Pelosi continue to push legislation permitting federal funding of abortion.
This is how politics operates in the real world. Wishing things were different won’t advance your interests one bit.
Comment by Phillip Ellis Jackson | September 18, 2009
If Steele said this, he must go. Not another dime from me to the GOP. I will support pro-life candidates directly.
They scream every time you mention 3rd party and then they do sh** like this. The liberals have infested the republican party leadership in a big way. I don’t even think RINO fits any more, republican communist would be more like it.
1)The Conservative stance on Abortion
2)The conservative stance on Gays
3)Conservative opposition to Immigration
Do these RNC types realize that as soon as any of the 3 is abandoned, they will loose 10 to 20% of the CURRENT party?
Not only that but what about the current GOP makes it attractive to homosexuals, illegals, or feminists...that the DNC doesn't have more of? Your RNCers have stupid utilitarian amoral thinking.
When/if the morality of the GOP (or the OP, as someone put it above) sinks so low that it gives in on any of these, I, and millions like me will go 3rd party.
The GOP was founded in the 1850s over 2 moral issue:
1)Opposition to slavery
2)Opposition to Mormon polygamy.
Abandon the moral high ground, and you abandon any solid ground.
I am really disappointed in Michael Steele.
Conservatism always wins. The reason we don't have control of the legislature now is because the of the RINOs being run for office in all of our states and districts.
You also contradict yourself, if we had 50 Rudys in office we wouldn't have a conservative majority, we would have a RINO majority, we had one of those before the 2006 elections and look where it got us. Vote for who you want, I will vote conservative every time and work like he** to get RINOs booted in the primaries.
It would be nice to have the chairman actually follow what is a key plank of the party.
This is not the first time he came off sounding fine w pro-abort candidates.
Same here. I screen my calls and never answer the GOP callers and I throw my letters into the circular file.
Why is anyone surprised? Right up until the moment he decided to run for RNC Chairman he was part of Christie Todd Whitman’s organization whose whole purpose is to elect pro-abortion, pro-homosexual Leftist Republicans.
I did not write post # 41. Please see my into to it. Just want there to be no confusion on that.
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