Steele to Declare End of GOP Soul-Searching; Will Promise to Take On Obama ‘With Dignity’
EmailABC News’ Rick Klein and David Chalian report: RNC Chairman Michael Steele plans to tell GOP leaders tomorrow that the Republican Party has "turned the page" and is on its way to a comeback, asserting that he’s done apologizing for Republican mistakes and stands ready to present the GOP as the party of new ideas.
"The era of apologizing for Republican mistakes of the past is now officially over. It is done," Steele plans to tell state party leaders tomorrow in Maryland, according to advance excerpts of his speech provided to ABC News.
"We have turned the page, we have turned the corner. No more looking in the rearview mirror. From this point forward, we will focus all of our energies on winning the future," Steele plans to say in his first formal speech to RNC members since being elected chairman in January.
The speech, to be delivered tomorrow afternoon at National Harbor, Md., marks an attempt by Steele to re-frame the party’s image — and buck up his troops — after a sometimes troubled early tenure as chairman.
According to GOP officials, Steele plans to drive home two main points. First, he plans to reinforce his belief that now is the time for Republicans to end the party’s prolonged period of self-reflection.
Steele also plans to assert that the principles of his party are timeless, but that the GOP campaign playbooks of the past are no longer sufficient tools for winning elections. He hopes to take the key pillars of the Republican Party — low taxes, strong defense, less government involvement — and apply them to strategies and messages that are relevant in today’s world.
"Republicans may be the minority party at the moment, but we represent the ideas and concerns of the majority of Americans," he plans to say.
Steele is also vowing to draw strong contrasts with President Obama — but "with dignity."
"Candidate Obama was very moderate in his views, but President Obama could not possibly be further to the far left," he plans to say. "We are going to take this president on with class, we are going to take this president on with dignity. This will be a very sharp and marked contrast to the shabby and classless way that the Democrats and the far left spoke of the last president."
The GOP’s resurgence, he will say, is already underway.
"Our comeback is well underway out in the states, I can assure you of that," he plans to say. "The folks inside the Beltway don’t know it yet, but the people are beginning to rally, the comeback has begun. Those of you who live outside of Washington know what I’m talking about. Those of you who actually attend Lincoln Day dinners, county party events, and tea parties…those of you who toil in the vineyards, spending time in communities, in diners, barber shops, and coffee shops where real every day people can be found…you know it is real."
The effort to look forward, Steele will say, is in keeping with the spirit of Ronald Reagan.
"The thing we need to remember is this: Ronald Reagan never lived in the past. Ronald Reagan was all about the future. If President Reagan were here today he would have no patience for Americans who looked backward. Ronald Reagan always insisted that our party must move aggressively to seize the moment, he insisted that our party recognize the truth of the times and establish our first principles in both word and deed."
"As conservatives we must stop acting like we don’t really believe in our principles. Too often we act as if we are scared to apply our timeless principles to today’s problems and challenges… For Reagan’s conservatism to take root in the next generation we must offer genuine solutions that are relevant to this age."
Also at this week’s meeting, state party chairman will vote on a proposed resolution aimed at labeling the Democratic Party a "socialist" party. Steele attempted to throw some cold water on that idea during his appearance on NBC’s "Meet the Press" on Sunday, but a resolution along those lines is expected to receive a vote Wednesday.
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The preceding messaqe was endorsed by Rush. Rush liked the idea of appealing to those who “toil in vineyards” because without plonk he couldn’t do his radio show
Posted by: doug | May 18, 2009, 6:32 pm 6:32 pm
Define “dignity,” Mr. Steele.
Posted by: matt | May 18, 2009, 7:38 pm 7:38 pm
“The era of apologizing for Republican mistakes of the past is now officially over.”
When did that happen and did you tell the Cheney’s that those mistakes happened? If you look at what the party is actually saying it’s hard to find anyone willing to admit any mistake happened much less an apology.
In the end I couldn’t care less if the party some day apologizes for any of the past mistakes. But to pretend that at some point it did and that it apologized is ridiculous.
Posted by: morethanpolite | May 18, 2009, 7:49 pm 7:49 pm
How funny. The GOP will listen to Steele about as well as they would listen to me. When will he figure out that he is just a token black put in place to show that Republicans have a black guy, too? Even more amusing is the fact that they can’t get rid of him without igniting a racial firestorm. So they just ignore him…
Posted by: DaveM | May 18, 2009, 8:13 pm 8:13 pm
And besides, Mr. Steele, on cannot just announce that the party has suddenly turn the page and is a “party of new ideas” with demonstrating such. So far the American people have seen NOTHING new. Case in point, the party spokesmen are Cheney, Gingrich and Limbaugh.
Posted by: DaveM | May 18, 2009, 8:18 pm 8:18 pm
Reset button anyone?
“Moderate” surprise…(pun intended)
Posted by: Prnag | May 18, 2009, 8:23 pm 8:23 pm
What a circus; what fools.
Posted by: Thinking | May 18, 2009, 9:21 pm 9:21 pm
just wait leftys, 2010 is just around the corner, now if the country can just stay afloat until then we’ll be able to make it to 2012 and get that joke out of office. That is if he leaves us enough money to put gas in our cars to get to the polls. One day soon you will all wake up to what Obama is trying to do and you, thinking, will be saying those words while looking in a mirror. Until then, keep drinking the kool-aid and giving glory to Obama. Sleep well.
Posted by: notanobamafan | May 18, 2009, 9:52 pm 9:52 pm
“low taxes, strong defense, less government involvement ”
Taxes today are near if not lower than in generations, to the point that the lowest brackets have fallen out of paying any income tax and the highest ‘millionaire’ bracket has been eliminated entirely.
We have billion dollar bombers that are useless fighting a bunch of throwbacks who use tactics more like Jack the Ripper than Hitler.
And if you believe Republicans are for less government involvement after the last 8 years of anti-abortion, anti-science, anti-gay fundamentalist rule, then you certainly are part of the 21% bitter enders who Mr. Steele is talking to.
Posted by: jhw539 | May 18, 2009, 10:42 pm 10:42 pm
At the Conservative Political Action Conferance (CPAC) Steele gave the opening speech, speaking in sonorous tones about how the “Republican Party has lost it’s way,” and “We came to change Washington and Washington changed us.” And then he held out his hands with this huge grin and shouted really loud, “MY BAAAAD!” and the whole audience went wild.
Sounds like they’ve really been doing a lot of soul searching. Sounds like they’ve been on a retreat with a bunch of Trappist monks. Sounds like they’ve really turned over a new leaf.
And if you believe that, you’ve got a screw loose.
Posted by: Matthew Bright | May 18, 2009, 11:52 pm 11:52 pm
I hope they check with RUSH first..He really runs this party and reason I left. He puts party/politics before country.
May he R.I.P.
Posted by: John | May 19, 2009, 7:14 am 7:14 am
They need to check with RUSH. For too long..RUSH has been voice of party..
Posted by: Listening | May 19, 2009, 7:25 am 7:25 am
I agree with stopping the apologies. Why apologize when the left is doing a much worse job?
At least Steele is moving ahead, and any type of progression is better then nothing right now. I hope a leaner, meaner, conservative GOP party emerges soon.
Posted by: Srdb | May 19, 2009, 8:19 am 8:19 am
Us lefties as some like to call us, kept quiet for 8 long arduous years of lies and deception. Now I guess the republicans are starting over. Why go back when the future looks so bright. Why go back to divisivness, hatred, racism, and religious zealots telling us how we should act as a country. Why go back to anything republican? 2010 will be interesting. Maybe by then Rush will be knighted by the church of holy deception.
Posted by: chuck | May 19, 2009, 8:40 am 8:40 am
… with apologies to Rush Limbaugh, of course. ;-)
Posted by: Allen | May 19, 2009, 10:08 am 10:08 am
the only apologizing i’ve heard republicans performing is to Limbaugh.
Posted by: Paul Wall | May 19, 2009, 10:14 am 10:14 am
When Michael S. Steele took over as chairman of the Republican National Committee earlier this year, he brought along longtime personal assistant Belinda Cook and gave her a salary nearly three times what her predecessor made.
Mrs. Cook’s son, Lee, also landed an RNC job.
Mr. Steele hired another family friend, Angela Sailor, to be the party’s outreach director at a salary of $180,000, more than double her predecessor’s compensation, though new responsibilities have been added to the job, according to a high-ranking RNC official and Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.
Mr. Steele’s early record and personnel decisions figure to be hot topics at a special meeting of Republican state party chairmen Tuesday and Wednesday at National Harbor in Washington’s Maryland suburbs. His hiring of friends and the salaries he is paying them already helped to instigate a struggle over who controls the party’s purse strings, one that forced the new party chairman to relinquish some control to elected RNC members.
“These salaries we hear about are way out of line for what staff should be paid for working for a political party, which most of us think of as a cause,” said Hawaii Republican Party Chairman Willis Lee. “And if certain staff at the national committee are making that much, then the public understandably might think they are examples of cronyism.”
(That was from FOX News)
Looks like business as usual for Steele…..
Posted by: SearamblerOne | May 19, 2009, 10:22 am 10:22 am
Well, then……..if Michael Steele says so, it must be so.
Of course, this means the Republican Party will be less morally and intellectually corrupt and way less stupid, right?
Did Steele check this all out with Boss Limbaugh………..because if he didn’t, the Great Bloviator may make Mikie eat crow again.
Posted by: Sammy | May 19, 2009, 10:22 am 10:22 am
The GOP is out of ideas. We have tried their playbook and it brought us terrorism, a near depression, and a war that was dictated by religious fundmentalism.
We either sink or swim with the Obama adm. the republicans have no ideas except name calling, like renaming the democratic party, my how juvenile.
To think I was a dues paying republican until 2004.
Posted by: joelt | May 19, 2009, 10:30 am 10:30 am
Ronald Reagan Is the past! In fact he started this mess with the deregulation and cowboy attitudes of “big companies” and financial institutions raking the American people over the coals. He did it while laughing and joking. Mr. Steele you have not one ounce of class in your spineless body. You are a puppet for a party that is hell bent on destroying the very thing our country stands for….. fairness.
Posted by: tychisum | May 19, 2009, 10:34 am 10:34 am
DIGNITY
The Gop dont know the Meaning of that word!
Posted by: Angie in Pa | May 19, 2009, 11:36 am 11:36 am
Mr. Steele, the republican party needs to apologize for doing nothing for the last eight years on energy, social security, health care, unemployment which started on the decline while they were in power, the banks, massive spending which produced nothing. Other than that,,,,,they don’t need to apologize. Mr. Cheney, however, has a lot to apologize for but I don’t expect you to do this for him. He broke the law with waterboarding and unlawful wiretapping which was against the law and for lying about weapons of mass destruction. If he feels Pelosi should be prosecuted ….so should he.
Posted by: talmag | May 19, 2009, 11:38 am 11:38 am
LIBERAL=Leftist=Socialist=Communist. That’s what need to be explained.
Posted by: Ron | May 19, 2009, 11:44 am 11:44 am
“The thing we need to remember is this: Ronald Reagan never lived in the past . . .”
If you keep constantly talking about Regan, then chances are you yourself are living in the past.
Posted by: DragonScholar | May 19, 2009, 11:50 am 11:50 am
STEELE IS BAFFLING! IT IS A BLESSING FOR DEMOCRATS TO HAVE STEELE WITH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. HE IS CONFUSED AND LACKS THE ABILITY TO INTELLIGENTLY IMPLEMENT POLICIES THAT FOCUS ON REACHING IMPORTANT GOALS. HE ATTEMPTS TO ORIENT THE ELECTORATE BUT TRIPS UP ON HIS OWN TONGUE.
Posted by: Juez7 | May 19, 2009, 12:34 pm 12:34 pm
Ron……….a basic course in political science should clear up any questions you may have about the differences between Liberals, Leftists, Socialists, and Communists.
It’s amazing how politically ignorant so many Americans are. It’s a miracle democracy has survived here………..Gott sei dank!
Posted by: Sammy | May 19, 2009, 12:42 pm 12:42 pm
I’m willing to go for less government and a strong defense. If the Repubs can turn around all this wasteful, government grabbing & spending I’m all for it. We are standing on the threshold of the highest taxes we have ever seen to just begin to pay for Obama’s spendulous and budget, not to mention over reaching government into every aspect of our lives. Social security and medicare are on the edge of collapse so their debt must be factored in to the mess we are in. It’s time for American citizens to stand up and say ENOUGH!
Posted by: Gary | May 19, 2009, 12:48 pm 12:48 pm
Sounds like wishful thinking and little bit of jealously(maybe) on the President’s performance and achievements so far. Steele’s best maybe to support the President in his speech on how to get out of this big hole GOP got the country into in the last 8years.
Posted by: pana | May 19, 2009, 3:29 pm 3:29 pm
Re, Posting by: DaveM.. “How funny. The GOP will listen to Steele about as well as they would listen to me. When will he figure out that he is just a token black put in place to show that Republicans have a black guy, too? Even more amusing is the fact that they can’t get rid of him without igniting a racial firestorm. So they just ignore him…”
Why do people get into this “You’re not black enough to be Black” mindset? Rather than reflecting and analyzing Mr. Steele for what he is: Chairman of the RNC, he is initially seen as an African American. And, DaveM, I’ll bet you consider yourself color blind and progressive.
As far as being ignored, did you see the CNN program on the Black Belt, which featured Selma, Alabama (Dallas County) and the infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge? I’ll bet anyone, that more than 99% of the Dallas County African American community voted democratic during the past 20 years, only to be totally ignored until there is another civil right anniversary. Then the politicians flock to Dallas County and the “Bridge,” with their feign compassion and concern, which they hope will garner votes. As soon as they get back to Montgomery and get on their jets, heading back “Up North,” Selma, the Bridge, and Dallas county are destined to be ignored and forgotten.
In other words, these democratic politicians have mastered the art of “pimping” the African American communities. Like all pimps, they bring their glitter, sweet talk, mellow strut, contagious smile, and shiny suits/dresses. They strut among the “Fifth World People,” talking ’bout how they are gonna do what a thousand years of praying has not done: Deliver the Fifth World People, from the the hell-hole they are constantly mired.
And, the Fifth World People, being steeped in festive behavior, laugh, take in the praise, accept the compliments, and admire – from afar – the pimps; as they offer praise. As for the pimping democratic politician, we all have ideas concerning the kind of respect pimps have for their ######.
Posted by: Percy | May 19, 2009, 3:50 pm 3:50 pm
And besides, Mr. Steele, on cannot just announce that the party has suddenly turn the page and is a “party of new ideas” with demonstrating such. So far the American people have seen NOTHING new. Case in point, the party spokesmen are Cheney, Gingrich and Limbaugh.
Posted by: DaveM
____________________________
What’s new about YOUR party these days? There is NOTHING new. Case in point. Your party spokeman is Karl Marx.
Posted by: marco | May 19, 2009, 4:46 pm 4:46 pm
Apology? They never made one, but that would probably go a long way towards forgiveness as they continue to turn and twist in their grave. You robbed the country, and all the ‘dignity’ you can muster and false apologies you may utter won’t be enough to revitalize you.
Posted by: You won't be heard because you can't be trusted | May 19, 2009, 7:19 pm 7:19 pm
Marco,
Case in point as to how far you and your party are removed from the truth. Karl Marx has been dead for a good long time now and he’s not the spokesman for anything. Oh wait, that’s supposed to be an insult… Hahahaha…burn, ouch. Drop the name calling and maybe people will begin to take you seriously. Not likely, but maybe.
Posted by: Remove the dust from your eye | May 19, 2009, 7:22 pm 7:22 pm
Conservative=righty=fascist=tyrant. That’s what needs to be explained. There you go Ron. Now you know.
Posted by: Mirrored mentality | May 19, 2009, 7:27 pm 7:27 pm