Newt Gingrich: 'Foolish' to focus on Michael Steele (over bondage-themed nightclub expenses)

Politico ^ | 2010-04-07 | Andy Barr

[rabscuttle385]

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich defended Michael Steele on Monday, urging the GOP to turn its focus from the embattled chairman of the Republican National Committee.

“It's foolish for Republicans to focus on Michael Steele as the person,” Gingrich said during an interview on NBC’s “Today" show.

“We ought to focus on defeating Democrats, and we have a real chance to elect John Boehner as speaker and to elect Mitch McConnell as majority leader,” he said.

Steele has had few defenders since it was revealed that the RNC spent nearly $2,000 at a bondage-themed nightclub. And Gingrich’s comments came only hours after RNC chief of staff Ken McKay resigned along with Curt Anderson, one of Steele’s top consultants.

[NormsRevenge]

Personally, I want new leaders in the House and Senate.. if the GoP doesn’t muck this election up

Bachmann in the House and DeMint in the Senate.

[GVnana]

If you think Steele and his RINO GOP will return the country to its conservative roots I’d like a little of what your smoking.

I never said he would and don't expect he will. Isn't that your job?

[GVnana]

He calls all of his critics racists and has been doing it for weeks.

Man, that is the same line I've been reading from oust Steele advocates for the last week. "He always does blah, blah." "He did blah, blah."

You said he called you a racist, I'd like to know WHEN he did that and WHAT he said.

Damn. I feel like I'm reading the Daily KOS or something.

[sig226]

Micheal Steele is mediocre at best. We can do much better, and we need to do much better, or else we are going to get another McCain in 2012.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Take a hike Newtie-toot-toot, go toot your horn elsewhere. Steele has been an unmitigated disaster. Plain and simple.

[BigSkyFreeper]

He calls all of his critics racists and has been doing it for weeks.

At times he reminds me of Obama.  When this scandal surfaced, he had the gall to say that he and Obama have it tough because they're black.  That's nonsense.  For one thing, Obama is the leader of the free world and secondly Steele is the chairman of the GOP.  Instead of leading, they're both constantly whining.

[D1X1E]

I do not care for Newt either, for a variety of reasons. It is beyond me why Sean Hannity, in his supposed quest for conservatism, seems to be always kissing up to him. His record is nothing to brag on and he just looks smarmy as my daddy would say. He is a guaranteed loser just as McCain was.

[dools007]

Consider for what? If you’re talking about proven conservative leadership—someone who consistently draws thousands to see and hear her—Palin is that person. And she is doing this despite the massive politics of personal destruction attacks mounted aganst her by RINOs and Demrats.

Despite the political heat, Palin did what she thought was right for Alaska and prevailed. Everything she did there has conservative roots. And please spare me the “she quit” nonsense. She did what she had to deny her enemies a platform from which to attack her. The only people who raise this argument are Palin’s enemies. Alaskans, from what I’ve read, have no problem with what she did.

There are no other credible conservatives out there. Romney is a RINO. Huckaby is as a populist opportunist. Paul is a libertarian cult figure. Ditto his son. Jindal says conservstive things, but who knows. And so on.

Not sure what’s up with Palin’s McBipartisan endorsement, but she spends most of her time campaigning for conservative candidates. In the absense of any other coherent explanation for her support of McCain, I think she is marginalizing him as a critic. Sadly, the man continues to wield what ever popularity/power he has on the back of his having been a Vietnam hero. I respect that sacrifice, but he is a completely different person today. Retaining his political relevance—at least as he sees it—is now more important to him than his nation’s security.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

You seem to think that being conservative is a sure way to lose.

America 60% conservative 30% liberal
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068181/posts

You want to make it hard to win? Keep thinking that way. Keep picking McCains and see where that gets you. McCain is just a suck-up to the drive-by daddy war bucks liberal machine. That’s what RINOs are. We call them “Cocktail Conservatives” because they like to stand out in leftist cocktail parties. “I’m a republican BUT ... I’m a REPUBLICAN saying this.” They feel special you see. The more they stab us in the back, the more cocktails they get. They get more face time on the alphabet channels.

“I’m not speaking of Steele only here. The comments on Newt too are bad. People hate Newt, Romney, McCain, there is bashing of Palin here too. Who will ever be good enough?”

It’s an age old battle when you have intelligent people discussing leadership qualifications.

“The comments on Newt too are bad.”

Newt goes out of his way to tweak conservatives sometimes, like supporting Steele when he probably didn’t know the real reason for our anger. This can blow over the minute Newt does something righteous like he did with “drill here, drill now”.

And that’s the root problem — we have RNC leaders who hate conservatives. Steele is beginning to sound like one of them. If they openly hate us, what are we supposed to do? Wimper like dogs? Forget it.

“People hate Newt, Romney, McCain, there is bashing of Palin here too. Who will ever be good enough?”

I liked Romney in the last primary, mainly because he was the last conservative standing against McCain. And if that primary were to happen again, I think Romney would beat McCain. Romney has been caught trying to lie about his record. Despite that, we would follow him much more willingly than McCain. But we would prefer a more consistent leader.

“I worry that we’ll end up just as we were in the last two elections where people sat on their hands instead of voting because the choices were not ultra conservative.”

You have it all backwards. In 2006, people were fed up with things like the Bridge to Nowhere and the reservation casino scandals. Spending was too high, and the GOP was in our face about “guest worker” aka amnesty when border safety should be our priority. We don’t want a city nuked just to have cheap lettuce pickers. That’s darn important to us.

“We got what we deserved in that case and are stuck with Obama and a Dem Congress.”

You really need to get informed about how crossover votes foisted McCain on us. That turkey is everything we despise about RINOs. Supporting McCain is the main beef people have over Palin.

I support Palin despite it, but I’m really having to hold my nose.

“Who will conservatives rally around that will also entice young, more centrist Republicans or Independents?”

A conservative — a STRONG conservative can beat Obama hands down and energize the base. McCain types will NEVER EVER EVER EVER have our wholehearted support. We didn’t select him in the primary — crossover voters did. And he LOST. Why keep running back to a losing strategy?

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

OK, so you are totally out of the loop about Steele?

Ever hear of google?

steele + “race card” — 88,000 hits. Here’s the first page:

Michael Steele Plays Race Card? White House Says He Should Worry ...Apr 5, 2010 ... The president, apparently, is not amused with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele’s assertion that the two of them, ...
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../gibbs-steeles-problem-isn_n_525240.html - Cached

Michael Steele: White House Reacts to RNC Chairman’s Race Comments ...Apr 5, 2010 ... “I think Michael Steele’s problem isn’t the race card, it’s the credit card.” The embattled chairman played the race card today when asked ...
abcnews.go.com/GMA/Politics/michael-steele-obama-slimmer.../story?...

The RNC’s Michael Steele plays the race card against the GOP ...Apr 5, 2010 ... Michael Steele is the gift that keeps on giving. When I ran into him during the DNC convention at an airport in Denver, he sounded like an ...
crooksandliars.com/john-amato/michael-steele-plays-race-card - Cached

Playing the Race Card, Michael Steele Style - Coop’s Corner - CBS NewsApr 5, 2010 ... The RNC Chairman’s Comments On Race Ticked Off Some Inside the GOP, but it Likely Bought Him More Time on the Job Read more by Charles ...
www.cbsnews.com/8301-504365_162-20001785-504365.html - Cached

Video: Michael Steele Plays the Race Card | The Daily Show ...Apr 7, 2010 ... Michael Steele claims the criticism over the lesbian bondage fiasco and RNC mismanagement is racist. Airdate - //
www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed...7.../michael-steele-plays-the-race-card

Michael Steele plays the race card | Midwest VoicesApr 5, 2010 ... As White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday, “Michael Steele’s problem isn’t the race card, it’s the credit card.” ...
voices.kansascity.com/node/8473 - Cached

Moonbattery: Michael Steele Plays the Race Card AgainApr 5, 2010 ... Michael Steele Plays the Race Card Again. Posted by Van Helsing at April 5, 2010 9:49 AM. Like our Community Organizer in Chief, ...
www.moonbattery.com/archives/2010/04/michael-steele.html - Cached

Michael Steele Was Against the Race Card Before He Was For it ...Apr 5, 2010 ... Actually, he was also for the race card while he was against it. RNC Chairman Michael Steele, in a Good Morning America interview this ...
www.mediaite.com/.../michael-steele-was-against-the-race-card-before-he-was-for-it/ - Cached

Pam’s House Blend:: MC Steele tosses out dusty race card to ...Wow — weren’t we told that the RNC is a color-blind organization and that Michael Steele was picked as the best lawn jockey man for the job of a new, ...
www.pamshouseblend.com/.../mc-steele-tosses-out-dusty-race-card-to-deflect-attention-away-from-his-outlandish-incompetence - Cached

Is Michael Steele seriously playing the race card? « SpeakEasyApr 5, 2010 ... Is Michael Steele seriously playing the race card? Facing tough questions, a donor exodus and a very funny scandal over money spent at a ...
blogs.alternet.org/.../is-michael-steele-seriously-playing-the-race-card/ - Cached

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

“Instead of leading, they’re both constantly whining.”

And whining is the only leadership style either of them have. If they couldn’t whine, they’d both be exposed as complete losers.

The only reason Steele is chairman is because we all felt sorry for him when leftists gave him a dose of REAL racism and threw oreo cookies at him. We thought, maybe he could be a good leader. That’s the way the left chooses leaders— more from pitty than from qualificataions. We should remember this lesson. FRegards ....

[GVnana]

OK. So when did Michael Steele call you a racist?

[amutr22]

Thank you for this thoughtful reply. I was truly looking to understand and you gave me good food for thought.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

You equated me with Daily Kos. I took time to google for you since you were too lazy too. Now you persist in that question even though my point was made. You aren’t worth any more of my time.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

I am certain you know this word, but others clearly do not:

Comity: a state or atmosphere of harmony or mutual civility and respect

Congress members used to revere that word. While we should aim our ire outward, it’s best if we follow your good example of comity to our fellow truth seekers and patriots.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

RINO love.......

[GVnana]

Well, you still didn’t answer my question, so let’s just say the feeling in mutual.