Steele: Don’t Use Sanford and Palin to Paint GOPers with ‘Broad Brush’
EmailABC News’ David Chalian Reports: Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele doesn’t want the controversies and scandals surrounding a couple of high profile Republicans to be used as part of a “broad brush sweep” depiction of the GOP at large. “I don’t buy this broad brush sweep that a lot of folks want to do to take situations involving Sanford or Palin and make it writ large for every Republican in the country,” Steele said on ABC News’ “Top Line.” Chairman Steele responded to a question about the four Republicans, including former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC), he cited as rising stars in the party during a Fox News interview last February. “If I knew what I know now, then, my answer probably would have been a little bit different. I certainly wouldn’t have put Sanford up as one of those stars of the party that were going to be looked to leadership because he’s got other issues he’s got to deal with,” said Steele. Mr. Steele called former Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R-AK) decision to resign her office in the middle of her first term a personal and political decision he respects. “She made a very personal, a very political decision for her to get out of the way of her state moving forward because her leadership had become a distraction with all the media attention and the attacks,” Steele said. “She made, I think, a very personal decision. I respect that,” he added. The GOP chairman argued his point by questioning if Democratic politicians should have had their reputations besmirched in the 1990s by Bill Clinton’s behavior. “When the president, the former president of the united states is caught with an intern in his, underneath his desk, does that impugn every Democrat in the country?,” Steele asked. Praising Republican candidates running for office across the country, including his party’s gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia, Chairman Steele said he feels good about the current state of the GOP. “We have a lot of work to do. We have a long way to go. But I feel good about where we are.” To read the transcript of our interview with Michael Steele, click HERE. ABC News’ Teddy Davis contributed to this report.
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Who knows? Maybe they’ll be made to spend 40 years in the wilderness for their lapse.
Posted by: bobj72 | August 31, 2009, 3:08 pm 3:08 pm
I chuckle at all those who for whatever reason have turned their backs to the GOP. The youth for sure will be sorry when they finally learn in a few years how much of their hard earned wages they committed as future taxes to our Democratic led government ideology.
Posted by: Mr. Data | August 31, 2009, 3:22 pm 3:22 pm
“I don’t buy this broad brush sweep that a lot of folks want to do to take situations involving Sanford or Palin and make it writ large for every Republican in the country,”
“We have a long way to go.”
Sanford and Palin are a huge embarrassment to the Republican Party.
Micheal Steele always strikes me as a guy who can’t help but tell the truth.
He doesn’t mean to, but it often pops out of him.
Posted by: Amy in Maine | August 31, 2009, 3:25 pm 3:25 pm
Don’t Use Sanford and Palin to Paint GOPers with ‘Broad Brush’
Don’t use Ensign, either…or DeLay…oh yea, don’t use Cheney, Larry Craig or Scooter Libby, either. Did I miss anyone?
Posted by: Daniel | August 31, 2009, 3:48 pm 3:48 pm
If Palin and Sanford are not representative of Republicans who is? Jim DeMint?
Bob McDonnell?
Sorry, sorry bunch.
Posted by: Bill in NC | August 31, 2009, 3:51 pm 3:51 pm
I chuckle at all those who for whatever reason have turned their backs to the GOP
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The GOP turned the backs on the American public a long, long time ago..At the beginning of Reagan’s second term…The American public is just wising up…It is too bad so many Americans remain so blind.
Posted by: indy_voter | August 31, 2009, 4:27 pm 4:27 pm
Steele tells us not to use a wide brush yet he uses a wide brush in his examples. No, nop all Republicans are greedy corrupt idiots. Unfortunatly the bad apples have rotted the party and no one wants to toss them out before it gets worse. The rot follows the GOP mantra…trickle-down.
Posted by: Waysie | August 31, 2009, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
Steele, “argued his point by questioning if Democratic politicians should have had their reputations besmirched in the 1990s by Bill Clinton’s behavior.”
Isn’t that exactly what the GOP tried to do in the 90′s?
Also, if we’re not supposed to use the likes of Palin to represent the GOP, why does the GOP trot her out at every opportunity?
Posted by: JR | August 31, 2009, 4:52 pm 4:52 pm
Democrats are often criticized for saying it’s Bush’s fault we are in the mess we’re in, but the repubs sure do bring Bill Clinton out whenever they want to. Unbelievable hypocrites!
Posted by: zee | August 31, 2009, 5:05 pm 5:05 pm
Democrats are often criticized for saying it’s Bush’s fault we are in the mess we’re in, but the repubs sure do bring Bill Clinton out whenever they want to. Unbelievable hypocrites!
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The reason is very simple. Most Republicans will never admit they are wrong and while they preach personal responsibility never take it themselves….The few Republicans who do are chastised for it…
Posted by: indy_voter | August 31, 2009, 5:12 pm 5:12 pm
Steeele had better be careful. Lumping Sanford and Palin together in the same sentance and saying that they should not be seen as representing all Repubs is sure to get him in trouble again with the fanatics in his own party – which is mostly composed of fanatics right now.
And on the other point – well, it’s symptomatic of the Repubs disconnect from reality that they still think that Bill is an embarrasement and Chaney is a believable spokesman.
Posted by: OB-Wan222 | August 31, 2009, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm
Steele is an idiot….I wish he would shut up especially to take pot shots at Palin. Unlike Steele, Palin has a direction, leadership abilities, common sense, and some morals.
Posted by: PotatoeGater22 | August 31, 2009, 5:24 pm 5:24 pm
Both parties hate Palin—she’s a washington outsider not big on spending like Bush and espeically not like Obama.
Posted by: PotatoeGater22 | August 31, 2009, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
Neither the Dems nor the GOP, seem to care one hoot about what the CITIZENS want.
It really is time to get a citizens party going, and stop letting the wealthy and powerful dictate to the citizens.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | August 31, 2009, 5:39 pm 5:39 pm
I swear this guy talks just to hear himself talk. Don’t paint (i.e., smear) all Republicans with Sanford and Palin?!?!? Why pair those two, and say we shouldn’t view all Republicans as being like those two? It would make sense if he simply said don’t smear us with Sanford as your stereotype. But with Palin being the darling of The Base, why is he wanting to disavow her as a typical or representative Republican?
He’s a lot like Sanford actually, in that his foot loves to live in his mouth (apologies to Buffy).
Posted by: windrider | August 31, 2009, 6:03 pm 6:03 pm
What about Democrats and their scandals?? Do all Democrats get painted with the same broad brush as John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer, Charles Rangel, Marion Barry, Barney Frank and William Jefferson (just to name a few?
It’s the hipocracy that kills me.
Posted by: No Parties at all | August 31, 2009, 6:03 pm 6:03 pm
To Mr. Data. You think the democrats are going to rob our youth of their hard earned wages through taxes? Well, lets see how you computer these figures. I worked by butt off for over 30 years putting 20% of my after tax income into my 401(k). Shortly before you man Bush left office I noticed that under his watch I was $200,000 lighter in my 401(k). And I do believe that this is a direct result of your man Bush and the GOP deregulating the banking industry. Now, what was that you want to tell the young workers of America?
Posted by: dameek | August 31, 2009, 6:27 pm 6:27 pm
He doesn’t want the RNC to be painted by the issues with Palin and Sanford? but he respects them? HAHA. Could he be any more mealy mouthed? After he was cowed by Limbaugh who cares what he says? He obviously can’t say anything meaningful for fear of irritating the irrational wing of their party.
Posted by: trueblue | August 31, 2009, 8:53 pm 8:53 pm
He missed mentioning Michele Bachman, ms. looney tunes.
Posted by: citizen voter | August 31, 2009, 8:54 pm 8:54 pm
Hey libs how’s that war goin… Er how about that robust econo… Hey! At least we have national health care and financial securi…. Well, um… Anyway Go Obama! Yeah! I mean he looks DAMN good on tv don’t he! I am so proud that my vote was count-ed…Er… um… Hey at least we still live in a Republic where minority rights are still protected…Er…uh, Ah hell. Thank (insert personal deity here) for our “Democracy”! Mob rule worked under the last administration. Surely this one won’t incur the same disaster and results. WHAT!!! Holy mother, Employment is HOW HIGH! Jeez, look at that deficit, and the budget is HOW MUCH!!! Um, folks, you might want to get your lifeboat out. (What do you mean the Government confiscated THEM!)
Posted by: jafo | August 31, 2009, 9:37 pm 9:37 pm
“Don’t Use Sanford and Palin to Paint GOPers with ‘Broad Brush’.” This from the man who recently claimed the VA has “a manual out there telling our veterans stuff like, ‘Are you really of value to your community?’ You know, encouraging them to commit suicide.”
That little comment earned Steele a “Pants on Fire” rating at Politifact.
Posted by: WWW | September 1, 2009, 4:47 am 4:47 am
“Palin has a direction, leadership abilities, common sense, and some morals.”
“she’s a washington outsider not big on spending like Bush and espeically not like Obama.”
________
Leadership abilities? She quit her job as leader of Alaska.
Common sense? Try non-sense. “They are also building schools for the Afghan children so that there is hope and opportunity in our neighboring country of Afghanistan.” – Sarah Palin
Morals? Like when she politically exploited her disabled baby to support her fear mongering death panel lies.
Washington outsider not big on spending? Yeah, she’s a small-timer – less than $30,000 snatched out of Alaska’s cookie jar to fly the kids around the country, put them up at the Ritz Carlton, and of course stock the home fridge in Wasilla with groceries more than 300 times.
Direction? She has a direction all right – on the highway to Hell and headed straight down.
Posted by: WWW | September 1, 2009, 5:46 am 5:46 am
Michael Steele = Uncle Tom.
Posted by: SupaFly | September 1, 2009, 11:52 am 11:52 am
Jafo I think it’s funny you compare Obama’s election to mob rule just because it was such a landslide, despite the fact that Obama’s system of democratic republic has not changed. We still have delegates.
Posted by: MMF | September 1, 2009, 6:42 pm 6:42 pm