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On April 18, former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele filled in for nationally syndicated talk-radio host Hugh Hewitt: most of Steele’s show was dominated by a discussion of the recent troubles of Barack Obama. With great clarity and wisdom, Steele spoke of the danger Obama’s extreme liberalism poses to the country, and the importance of voting for John McCain this fall. At one point, Steele talked about the heat he occasionally receives from those who wonder why he, as an African-American, supports McCain. Steele stated that while he is happy that Obama’s running, he will do everything he can to...

President Bush showed the world that it isn't words, but actions, that truly make a difference. Millions throughout Africa would agree. Mr. Bush recently completed a historic visit to the African continent; a trip he described as "the most exciting, exhilarating, uplifting trip" of his presidency. During his visit, we saw pictures of the president dancing, celebrating and attending ceremonies with heads of state. But the real story is not about just this one trip; it is about the commitment the president made to Africa and what the United States has been quietly accomplishing throughout the continent over the past...

BALTIMORE -- Federal prosecutors have opened an inquiry into allegations that two Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee employees illegally tapped into Lt. Gov. Michael Steele's credit history. WBAL-TV 11 News reporter David Collins reported the workers obtained the report in July while executing opposition research on the lieutenant governor. In June, the Republican lieutenant governor announced he had established an exploratory committee to explore a candidacy for the U.S. Senate (Full Story). Paul D. Ellington, Steele's chief of staff, issued a statement late Wednesday afternoon in reaction to the allegations. "Lt. Gov. Steele was extremely disturbed to learn about the alleged...

Cannot Post due to copyright issues: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/03/17/080317taco_talk_hertzberg

Text: Remarks by Maryland Lt. Gov. Steele to the National Republican Convention FDCH E-Media, Inc. Tuesday, August 31, 2004; 10:24 PM<excerpt> Now, at the Democratic convention, we heard one word over and over again: hope. But there's a problem, my friends. Hope is not a strategy. Hope doesn't protect your kids from terrorism. Hope doesn't lower your taxes. Hope doesn't help you buy a home. And hope doesn't ensure quality education for your children. STEELE: As the book of James reminds us: "It's not enough just to have faith. Faith that does not show itself by good deeds is no faith at all."  (APPLAUSE) You see, it's results that matter;...

Short List of possible VP Candidates: Romney, Huckabee, Coburn, Hunter, Thompson, DeMint, Sessions, Lynn Cheney, Ingraham, Rush, Mark Levin, Lieberman, Giuliani, Condy Rice, Colin Powell, Rumsfeld, JOhn Bolton, Pawlenty, Sanford, Stallone, Chuck Norris, J. C. Watts, Jeb Bush, Michael Steele Any others? Have at it.

WASHINGTON -- A PBS video previewing the network's Republican presidential candidates forum, set to air tonight from a historically black university, asks, "Can the party of Abraham Lincoln win the hearts and minds of all Americans?" But none of the GOP's top White House contenders will show up to answer the question, each citing a scheduling conflict. Related - New Hampshire's GOP race a real one for now - TOP OF THE TICKET Blog on GOP black forum Related Stories - Democrats remain united on key issues Instead, viewers will see four empty lecterns on the stage as Tavis Smiley,...

Just five Republican candidates - half the invited field - will take part in Thursday's presidential debate in Baltimore, event organizers said yesterday. The four leading contenders, Rudolph W. Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson, have each said they will not participate in the forum focusing on issues facing minority voters. Their absence has drawn the ire of Tavis Smiley, the talk-show host who is moderating and organizing the debate at Morgan State University; he said the candidates are making a mistake in not reaching out to black voters. A list of confirmed participants released yesterday also omits...

I was asked recently what lesson should the GOP have learned from the results of the 2006 Mid-Term elections. That’s easy: You can’t please everyone, but you sure can make them all mad at you at the same time! Voters are not in the mood for petty political bickering or platitudes about “hope”. In fact, they are more skeptical of so called “political solutions” and even more negative about the direction the country is taking than they were in November 2006. Perhaps more disturbing is the fact that more American voters now think their children will be worse off than...

Even though the 2008 presidential campaign is in full swing, I have not heard a lot of talk about who the most likely vice presidential candidates will be. So far that talk has been largely limited to discussion of the second (and third) tier presidential hopefuls who have been getting exposure through the debates. I expect my favorite though, Michael Steele, will be getting plenty of VP buzz as the election nears. Since February of this year, Steele has served as chairman of GOPAC. Among other things he was an attorney, founder of a business and legal consulting firm, and...

Secure the border first By Michael Steele Thursday, June 14, 2007 When House Republicans passed legislation last December that secured our borders and put a premium on strict enforcement of our immigration laws, the American people had hope that their elected leaders had heard their demands. Sadly, the legislation that is currently leading the debate in Washington shows our Senators have turned a deaf ear to the public. Despite last week’s action stopping it from coming to the Senate floor for a final vote, efforts are being made to tinker around the edges with this legislation and pass it later...

ANNAPOLIS -- Former Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele will lead a major Republican fundraising group and start a public affairs consulting firm in Maryland. Mr. Steele will be the chairman of GOPAC, the national fundraising outfit that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich elevated to national prominence in 1994, and start the Legacy Strategies public affairs firm, he told The Washington Times yesterday. "I'm really looking forward to it," Mr. Steele said. "It has been a whirlwind challenge. I just finished up four years as lieutenant governor, and I was excited to do it. We'll keep plugging along." He begins both...

Dear Steele Supporter: You've always known me to call it as I see it, so I will get straight to the point. Steele for Maryland Inc. has just over $205,000 in unpaid bills from my Senate campaign. As hard as it is to write this letter, you're one of the few I can count on to help me raise the dollars I need to pay all of my Committee's bills. This is why I am asking you to please send me a debt-retirement contribution of $35, $75, $250, $500 or even more. If this amount is more than you can...

Two simple and succinct comments made by Michael Steele and Newt Gingrich at the National Review Institute Conservative Summit last month provide guidance to the conservative movement and the Republican party on how to sell their ideas and widen their base. Were the advice to be followed, the entire country would benefit. Gingrich observed that conservatives have a tendency to take self-defeating pride in not paying attention to language. By this he wasn’t saying that conservatives should employ politically-correct language, but rather, that conservatives need to improve their ability to communicate their ideas and message to the broader public. For...

For all the media discussion, blogging boom, and enthusiasm for Michael Steele as Republican National Chairman among RNC members, no one in the Bush White House ever offered or even suggested the party post to the former Maryland lieutenant governor and 2006 U.S. Senate nominee. That’s what Steele himself told me this morning, as he arrived at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. “No, we never had any offer,” said Steele, who was the nation’s highest-elected black Republican while serving in Maryland’s second-highest office from 2002-06. “The [talk of me as a possible...

Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who lost his race for a Senate seat, expressed interest Sunday in becoming chairman of the Republican National Committee. "I have not had any conversations directly with the White House yet on this," Steele told C-SPAN. Ken Mehlman, the current chairman, is stepping down when his two-year term ends in January. Mehlman made a point of emphasizing outreach to black voters and helped recruit Steele for the Maryland race. Steele, who lost to Democratic Rep. Benjamin Cardin by a margin of 55 percent to 44 percent of the vote, said he believed it was time...

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, whose party just lost both chambers of Congress, will leave his position in January, and the post as party chief has been offered to Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele. "It is true," Mr. Mehlman told The Washington Times when asked about reports last night that he would resign. "It's something I decided over the summer. No one told me I needed to. In fact, folks wanted me to stay." Mr. Mehlman said he "told the White House over the summer it was my decision" to leave the RNC post, "win, lose or draw."...

Update 11:07 pm Eastern... 613 of 1,793 precincts - 34 percent Michael Steele, GOP 225,146 - 49 percent Ben Cardin, Dem 224,899 - 49 percent Kevin Zeese, Grn 7,384 - 2 percent

<p>Inaccurate sample ballots describing Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Senate candidate Michael S. Steele as Democrats were handed out to voters in at least four polling sites in Prince George's County this morning.The ballots were handed out by people who said they arrived by buses this morning from Pennsylvania and Delaware.</p>

Just heard on the news that Michael Steele just received the endorsement of prominant black ministers from PG County. He will win!

Check out the video of Michael Steele responding to an editorial from the Washington Post. I hope he gets to say "Eat It!" to them on Tuesday night. http://hotair.com/archives/2006/11/05/video-michael-steele-unloads-on-wapo/

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin yesterday tried to rally support among black Democrats in Prince George's County, while Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele campaigned with county Democratic leaders who broke ranks this week to endorse him. Mr. Cardin appeared with Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson and about 30 other lawmakers in Hyattsville, aiming to keep a diminishing lead in the polls. In his first public show of support for Mr. Cardin, Mr. Johnson ... But the rally turned sour later. State Sen. Nathaniel Exum, Prince George's Democrat, berated Mr. Cardin for excluding him and other local delegates from speaking...

There are now just four days until Election Day and a brand new poll shows the top races in Maryland are closer than ever. Our SurveyUSA poll, conducted exclusively for 9NEWS NOW, shows Democrat Martin O'Malley leading Republican Bob Ehrlich in the Race for Governor, but only by one point. That’s within the survey's 3.8 percent margin of sampling error, meaning the contest is a tie. Men are rallying to Ehrlich. Ehrlich trailed among men by 3 on 9/20, led by 6 on 10/18 and leads by 18 today. O'Malley leads by 18 among women. That’s up from 17 points...

Washington — Though political momentum appears to be with Democrats around the country, the trend is going the other way in one solidly blue state, where a Republican candidate is gaining on the favored Democrat in a contest with an unexpected racial twist. The state is Maryland and the candidate is Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, a black Republican running for the Senate against a white Democratic congressman, Benjamin L. Cardin. Once trailing by more than 10 points, Steele narrowed the margin to where the race is now considered by some to be nearly a tossup. His recent gains reflect growing...

"A leading minister of Black conservative Christians is launching a voter registration and education drive encouraging Black Christians to vote on Nov. 7. They want Black Christians to vote for candidates who support Christian values and not on the basis of party. "Bishop Harry Jackson, chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition and senior pastor of the Hope Christian Church, said that he sees the Black vote in Maryland as the swing vote in next month's elections. As a result, he launched the "Maryland Values Voter Initiative" on Oct. 18. ".. Jackson said. "We need to look to leaders who...

All Press Releases / October 30, 2006 Steele to Make Major Campaign Endorsement Announcement TEMPLE HILLS, MD – Today, Michael Steele will make a major campaign endorsement announcement in Prince George’s County at 12:45PM. WHO: Michael Steele WHAT: Major Campaign Endorsement Announcement WHEN: TODAY Monday, October 30, 2006 12:45PM WHERE: Infusions Tea Cafe 800G Shoppers Way Largo, MD 20774

STEELE: I’m Michael Steele, and I approve this message. TURNER: I’m Dr. Monica Turner. Congressman Ben Cardin is attacking Michael Steele with deceptive, tasteless ads. He is using the victim of a terrible disease to frighten people all for his own political gain. Mr. Cardin should be ashamed. There’s something you should know about Michael Steele. He does support stem cell research, and he cares deeply for those who suffer from disease. How do I know? I’m Michael Steele’s little sister. I have MS, and I know he cares about me. Video at link

Ouch! I'm pretty confident that Michael Steele is going to beat Ben Cardin in Maryland's Senate race, in part because Cardin keeps shooting himself in the foot. He's now running one of those disgraceful Michael J. Fox embryonic stem cell research ads, which misrepresents Steele's position on the issue (as well as President Bush's). Here is Steele's devastating response, in his own ad: STEELE: I’m Michael Steele, and I approve this message. TURNER: I’m Dr. Monica Turner. Congressman Ben Cardin is attacking Michael Steele with deceptive, tasteless ads. He is using the victim of a terrible disease to frighten people...

Calling on one of my Sistagirls who lives in Baltimore County to get her take on the U.S. Senate race in Maryland, I got a response that pretty well sums up what may be the biggest problem for the Republican candidate, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele. "I like Michael Steele a lot personally, but I just don't know who he is or where he stands," said this black professional woman. "That's why I don't trust him." Now that he has attracted suitors with those EHarmony-like ads, the real Mr. Steele has to show up in person. He talks a good...

Opinion was mixed among black leaders in Prince George's County yesterday about whether a top Democrat's comment that Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele is "slavishly" devoted to the Republican Party is racist. "If there are those that feel offended, then I guess it has merit," said the Rev. Joel Peebles, assistant pastor at Jericho City of Praise, a large black church.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - Will Michael Steele be the next Barack Obama? Hell no, say Democrats. Steele, who, as the lieutenant governor of Maryland, is the highest ranking black person ever to serve in elective office in his state, is running an uphill battle to win the state’s Senate seat. If Republican Steele defeats Democrat Ben Cardin, a 19-year House member, and Green-Libertarian-Populist candidate Kevin Zeese, he’ll join Obama as the second black member of the Senate, or perhaps the third, if Harold Ford, Jr. wins in Tennessee. Steele has a charismatic, relaxed quality in front of television cameras. Even...

Toss-Up For Open MD US Senate Seat: In an election for U.S. Senator in Maryland today, 10/18/06, Republican Michael Steele and Democrat Ben Cardin tie, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for WMAR-TV Baltimore and WUSA-TV Washington DC. 20 days to the 11/7/06 election, it's Steele 46%, Cardin 46%. Since an identical SurveyUSA poll released 4 weeks ago, on 9/20/06, the Democrat Cardin has lost 1 point, the Republican Steele has lost 2. 53% of whites vote for Republican Steele, the same percentage who vote for the Republican Bob Ehrlich in the MD Governor's race. But: Steele, who is...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A ranking Democrat in the House of Representative is apologizing for saying an African-American Senate candidate "slavishly" supported the Republican Party. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, said he meant no offense when he made the remark about Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, the GOP nominee for the seat being vacated by longtime Democratic Sen. Paul Sarbanes. In a statement issued Tuesday, Hoyer said, "I should not have used those words." Hoyer was speaking to a largely black audience at a campaign event for Steele's Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin, when he made the comment. Steele's...

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - Mike Tyson says he may include bouts with women on his next tour, and mentioned professional boxer Ann Wolfe, who is 21-1 with 15 knockouts. "She's such a prominent, dominant woman in the boxing field," Tyson said. When asked if he was joking about fighting women, Tyson said, "I'm very serious." Russ Young, a promoter for Wolfe, said such a bout will never happen. "That's the first we've heard of it," Young said. "No state would sanction that. She would be outweighed by 60 to 70 pounds. Ann would never entertain the idea." The 40-year-old former heavyweight...

You cite a USA/Gallop poll showing Senator Allen up by 3 points. It looks suspiciously like the USA poll from 8/21/2006. Yesterday morning, you mention bot Senator Allen and James Webb are tied. You did not report at all on the Zogby poll showing Senator Allen with an 11 point lead. Your reporting concerning the local polls is dishonest. But who cares about honesty as long you get the ratings. I will mention to all concerning your dishonest election coverage.

Democrats are fretting that after watching two high-profile African-Americans lose primary battles for spots on their statewide ticket, black voters, the key to the party's chances in November, won't bother to vote. Maryland Republicans are practically gleeful at the Democrats' situation. Much of the GOP's message less than six weeks before the election centers on the diversity of its statewide ticket, which features Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, an African-American, as its candidate for U.S. Senate, as well as women running for lieutenant governor and comptroller. The party is promoting the idea that Democrats take minorities - blacks in particular...

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin has called on U.S. Sen. Barack Obama to woo black voters in his Senate run against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, a black Republican making inroads in Maryland minority communities that typically vote Democrat. "I think he will be helpful for energizing my campaign," Mr. Cardin said of plans to campaign tomorrow with the Illinois Democrat, the country's only black senator. "I think he will attract all voters of Maryland."

BALTIMORE -- Prominent black Democrats yesterday bucked their party to support Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele -- the Republican nominee in Maryland's U.S. Senate race. "Like so many people who have come out today, I'm sick and tired of being taken for granted by the Democratic Party," said William H. "Billy" Murphy Jr., a Baltimore civil rights lawyer who hosted the "Steele Democrats" event at the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center.

No, Maryland voters, the printer did not make an error. Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele's new campaign signs seem to identify him as a Democrat. A "Steele Democrat," they read. The bright blue placards and bumper stickers made their debut yesterday in Baltimore during an event announcing a new coalition of Democrats supporting the lieutenant governor's U.S. Senate bid. Steele, of course, is the Republican nominee for Senate and a former chairman of the state Republican Party. The group and accompanying signs appear to be the latest Steele effort to distance himself from an unpopular White House and a Republican...

Hope the link works ok. If not click here and look for the "other features" video.

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (AP) -- A national black Republican group is running a radio advertisement accusing Democrats of starting the Ku Klux Klan and saying the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican, a claim challenged by civil-rights researchers. Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, the black Republican nominee for Maryland's open Senate seat, disavowed the ad Thursday as "insulting to Marylanders." He said his campaign asked the Washington-based National Black Republican Association to stop running it. At an event in Baltimore, Steele said, "I don't know exactly what the intent of the ad was" but that "it's not helpful to the...

Just days after Rep. Ben Cardin won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Maryland, we've found the secret blog of a female Cardin staffer who has quite a bit to say about race, gender, and creepy old Jewish guys... It's not quite Washingtonienne, but Cardin's mystery staffer, known as Persuasionatrix, is dishing some anonymous dirt that's sure to leave a black eye on the campaign... [Predictably that site is has been modified to remove the last two posts, but it's been preserved here at Wizbang Politics] First, in a race where race is the great unspoken factor (Cardin's main...

Cardin 47% Mfume 38% Rales 7% Undecided 7% Other 1% 424 Likely Democratic Primary voters MOE 4.9%

The leading Democrat in Maryland's U.S. Senate race yesterday turned to his political machine, built over his 40 years of state politics, to launch an imposing voter-turnout effort before the primary election Tuesday. "We've got to get the vote out, so we need your help today," Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin, a 10-term congressman from Balti-more, said to about 100 volunteers at a rally in Towson. High overall turnout will benefit him because it will offset the black vote, which accounts for about 40 percent of votes in Maryland Democratic primaries. Most of those votes likely will go to primary rival...

With the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to check up on Rudy Giuliani. He is the last remaining political action figure from that tragedy, having left office at the top of his game, before anything like the Iraq war could tarnish him. After years of private-sector buck-raking, the mayor is back in campaign mode, traveling across the country to help Republican candidates and thinking about running for president. But is he ready for the brutality of a presidential race? This would be the week for him to practice savaging Democrats....

I spoke last week with a former top-level member of the Reagan administration, who has humbly faded into anonymity, but who is a very devout and pro-life Christian and a wondrously strong prayer warrior. This person was pleading... most assuredly not expecting me to post to such a forum... for prayers for the election of Liuetenant Governor Michael Steele to the United States Senate. She insists he is a wonderful man, dedicated profoundly to prayer. He is a daily communicant, a grace of extraordinary devotion among Catholics. Please pray for the election of Michael Steele, and if you live in...

Maryland Democratic Reps. Al Wynn and Elijah Cummings will endorse former Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) on Wednesday in his bid to win the party's Senate nomination in the Sept. 12 primary, a spokesman for Mfume's campaign said. The Democrats in the Maryland congressional delegation have split along racial lines. Wynn and Cummings, who are black, will back Mfume while Reps. Steny Hoyer, the minority whip, and Dutch Ruppersberger, who are white, have contributed money to Rep. Ben Cardin. Only Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has not given money to either candidate. About 30 percent of Maryland's population is black and...

Hip-hopper sings Steele praise August 21, 2006 Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons will be the host of a campaign fundraiser Thursday for Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele's run for U.S. Senate.     The fundraiser for Mr. Steele, a Republican who would be the state's first black U.S. senator if elected... [snip]     Also scheduled to participate in the event are Cathy Hughes, founder and chairman of Radio One, a black-run broadcasting company specializing in urban markets... [snip]     Ms. Hughes and Mr. Simmons, the man behind the Def Jam Recordings music label and the platinum-plated careers of acts including the Beastie Boys, LL...

In the latest Rasmussen Reports poll of the competitive U.S. Senate contest in Maryland, Republican Lt. Governor Michael Steele slightly trails each Democratic contender. Congressman Ben Cardin (D) leads Steele 47% to 42%. Former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume (D) leads the Republican 46% to 44% (see crosstabs). This sets the stage for a closely fought general election no matter which Democrat wins the September 12 primary.

With a month to go before primary voters head to the polls to choose Senate nominees, Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin kicked off yesterday a weeklong effort to highlight his congressional record and vision on health care by making the mother of all campaign promises - to cure cancer. Cardin, a Democrat from Baltimore County, gathered with cancer survivors and doctors in Lutherville to detail his efforts to expand cancer screening and his plans to fight the disease. "We are going to lick cancer by 2015," Cardin told a group of 15 people at the HopeWell Cancer Support Center on Falls...