Thread: Gingrich, Steele duel for RNC chair

EXCLUSIVE: Gingrich, Steele duel for RNC chair

Ralph Z. Hallow
Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A battle to take the reins of the Republican National Committee is taking off between former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Maryland Lieutenant Gov. Michael Steele.

Republicans close to each man say they are intent on ousting Mike Duncan when his tenure ends in January and to insert themselves to articulate a counter-agenda to President-elect Barack Obama´s administration.

A bevy of backers for each man, neither of whom is an RNC member, have been burning up the phone lines and firing off e-mails as they try to sway the 168 RNC members in the wake of the second consecutive drubbing of Republicans at the polls.

"The Republican National Committee has to ask itself if it wants someone who has successfully led a revolution," Randy Evans, Gingrich confidante and personal attorney based in Atlanta, told The Washington Times on Monday.

Neither man seems inclined to give way to the other.

"Steele is a good guy," Mr. Gingrich said in an e-mail response to The Washington Times. "There are a number of good guys."

Mr. Steele was in a community-outreach meeting in Indianapolis Monday afternoon, Steele aide Belinda Cook said.

Mr. Gingrich is widely credited with having led the "Republican revolution," first as a backbencher in the House during the Reagan era and eventually the electoral earthquake in 1994 that brought the GOP into the majority in the House and the Senate for the first time in 40 years.

Tall, articulate and charismatic, Mr. Steele headed the Maryland GOP (and was the only African-American state GOP chairman) before being elected lieutenant governor and then losing his U.S. Senate race two years ago.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... eadership/

Please send emails to the RNC with your choice. I chose Newt.

I've said before that I would support Newt, but I have heard Steele speak, and he is very sharp as well. I hope whoever gets it solicits the support and participation of the other, and if a third person is selected RNC chairman, that person needs to be smart enough to tap into the skills and intellects of these two men.

We know Newt is with us on immigration issues.

Can anyone find us some materials about this other guy and his stances on illegal immigration, amnesty, etc.. ?

W

http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Michael_Steele.htm

Can anyone find us some materials about this other guy and his stances on illegal immigration, amnesty, etc.. ?

With regard to William's question, Steele's position on immigration, as well as other conservative issues are stated at this site. Below is a quote but suggest all interested should visit the above site and see his outlook on most conservative issues.

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Michael Steele on Abortion
Click here for 9 full quotes on Abortion OR background on Abortion.

* Support stem cell research that involves no embryonic cells. (Oct 2006)
* See embryonic stem cells as lives. (Oct 2006)
* Set up adoptions for unwanted embryos. (Oct 2006)
* Roe v. Wade should remain in place. (Oct 2006)
* More funding for adult stem-cell research, but not embryonic. (Oct 2006)
* Supports Bush's veto of embryonic stem cell research. (Aug 2006)
* Support stem cell research that does not destroy embryos. (Aug 2006)
* Pro-life Republicanism is mainstream of America. (Apr 2006)
* Pro-life, but we have to live with 33 years of reality. (Mar 2006)

Michael Steele on Budget & Economy
Click here for the full quote on Budget & Economy OR background on Budget & Economy.

* Deficit spending mortgages our great grandchildren's future. (Aug 2006)

Michael Steele on Civil Rights
Click here for 7 full quotes on Civil Rights OR background on Civil Rights.

* Support affirmative action and its improvements. (Oct 2006)
* Affirmative action programs still necessary to close divides. (Aug 2006)
* Marriage is a covenant between a man, a woman and God only. (May 2006)
* We're still discovering affirmative action in corporations. (Apr 2006)
* Led commitment to $70M in grants to minority-owned business. (Apr 2006)
* Affirms marriage is between one man and one woman. (Jan 2006)
* Move struggle to right to own the diner, not just sit in it. (Oct 2005)

Michael Steele on Corporations
Click here for the full quote on Corporations OR background on Corporations.

* Expand minority-owned business opportunities. (May 2006)

Michael Steele on Crime
Click here for 5 full quotes on Crime OR background on Crime.

* More focus on victims of violent crime. (Oct 2006)
* Mandatory sentencing guidelines for child sex offenders. (Oct 2006)
* Combat the proliferation of gangs. (May 2006)
* Personally opposed to the death penalty. (Mar 2006)
* Use anti-terrorism tools on criminals in our neighborhoods. (Oct 2005)

Michael Steele on Drugs
Click here for the full quote on Drugs OR background on Drugs.

* More enforcement against Drug Trafficking. (Oct 2006)

Michael Steele on Education
Click here for 4 full quotes on Education OR background on Education.

* Oppose the No Child Left Behind Act. (Oct 2006)
* Standardized tests keep teachers from educating students. (Aug 2006)
* Reinstate college-level grant and loan programs. (Aug 2006)
* Don't trap poor kids in failing schools. (Oct 2005)

Michael Steele on Energy & Oil
Click here for 4 full quotes on Energy & Oil OR background on Energy & Oil.

* Moratorium on gas taxes until price stabilizes. (Aug 2006)
* Create and sustain real energy independence. (Aug 2006)
* Solar and renewables are the energy sources for the future. (May 2006)
* More biomass, more hybrids, more fuel efficiency. (May 2006)

Michael Steele on Environment
Click here for the full quote on Environment OR background on Environment.

* Revitalize the Chesapeake; focus on open space preservation. (May 2006)

Michael Steele on Families & Children
Click here for background on Families & Children.

No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Michael Steele on Foreign Policy
Click here for background on Foreign Policy.

No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Michael Steele on Free Trade
Click here for the full quote on Free Trade OR background on Free Trade.

* Led trade mission to Ghana and South Africa. (Oct 2006)

Michael Steele on Government Reform
Click here for 2 full quotes on Government Reform OR background on Government Reform.

* I have to take money in small increments, in current system. (Oct 2006)
* Declines to sign Voters First Pledge for campaign reform. (Sep 2006)

Michael Steele on Gun Control
Click here for the full quote on Gun Control OR background on Gun Control.

* No ban on guns; focus on enforcement instead. (Oct 2006)

Michael Steele on Health Care
Click here for 4 full quotes on Health Care OR background on Health Care.

* Let businesses avoid burdensome and ineffective system. (Aug 2006)
* Extend sign up period for the Medicare Rx Drug plan. (Aug 2006)
* I don't need government dictating socialized medicine. (Apr 2006)
* Spend more on care and less on bureaucracy. (Oct 2005)

Michael Steele on Homeland Security
Click here for 4 full quotes on Homeland Security OR background on Homeland Security.

* Rumsfeld wouldn't be my secretary of defense. (Oct 2006)
* Terrorism's tentacles penetrate within US and abroad. (Aug 2006)
* Supports secret biodefense research at Fort Detrick. (Aug 2006)
* More spending on biodefense. (Aug 2006)

Michael Steele on Immigration
Click here for 2 full quotes on Immigration OR background on Immigration.

* Opposes amnesty for undocumented workers. (Aug 2006)
* Secure our borders immediately; meaningful reform later. (Aug 2006)

Steele sounds good, except on opposing the death penalty.

From the above link, it sounds like he is saying the "secure the border first" (similar to what McCain says). At least from the quotes in the above link, I don't see anything about opposing all forms of amnesty, including "pathways" etc. I hope he supports attrition through enforcement, the true middle ground way to solve this crisis.

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From above link:

Opposes amnesty for undocumented workers
Steele opposes amnesty for undocumented workers because he said the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 encouraged more than 12 million undocumented immigrants to flood the United States over the past 20 years.
The act legalized undocumented workers who could prove they entered the United States before 1982 and lived here continuously since then. The Immigration and Naturalization Service reported more than 3 million of an estimated 4 million eligible undocumented workers applied for residency under the act, which eventually allowed them to gain U.S. citizenship.

Steele said Congress' priority should be border control before it should tackle the problem of undocumented immigrants already in the country. "If we're out on the Chesapeake Bay and we spring a leak, what are we going to do, bail water or stop the leak?" he said. "When you stop the leak you have the peace of mind to deal with the water that has accumulated in the boat."

Source: Clifford Cumber inteview in Frederick News-Post Aug 8, 2006

Secure our borders immediately; meaningful reform later
Q: Discuss your views on immigration reform, particularly with regard to undocumented aliens already in this country.
A: Congress's unique inability to multi-task highlights our nation's need for common- sense immigration reform. Until we see Congress take some real and immediate steps to secure our borders, we can hardly expect Americans to seriously consider proposals for dealing with those illegal immigrants already in our county and those employers who fail to adequately report them. Nearly 1.2 million people were arrested trying to illegally enter the U.S. through the Mexican border last year alone, and an estimated 500,000 evaded capture. This is unacceptable. When a patient has a serious laceration, the doctor's first priority is to stop the bleeding, and then they can decide if simple stitches or surgery is needed to fix the problem for the long term. First thing's first: secure our borders and then we can deal with meaningful immigration reform.

Source: Responses to Baltimore Sun Survey Aug 7, 2006

Found this column from Town Hall written by Michael Steele. Most of this sounds good, but what does he mean by "Once we know who is in our country then we can take the next step in immigration reform" ? I wish he would say "secure the border period."

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Thursday, June 14, 2007
Secure the border first
by Michael Steele

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 this year.

The better course of action is for our elected leaders to follow the no-nonsense direction being called for by hard-working, tax-paying, law-abiding citizens: Secure Our Borders Now!

The current Senate legislation is a mirror image of the approach passed by Congress in 1986 when it forced on us amnesty for illegal immigrants in exchange for border security.

The result of that misguided approach then is an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States now.

The American people are fed up and won’t be misled again. This Congress will be judged on their actions, not their words.

Congress must stop the flow of illegal immigrants across our border. Once we know who is in our country then we can take the next step in immigration reform.

The supporters of the current Senate legislation have stated that “triggersâ€

Newt would be pretty good for me. But either way is better than what we got.

I like Newt. I always have.

Sounds like Michael Steele is repeating the McCain double speak!

Newt would be better.

W