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Michael Steele on 'Fire Pelosi' Bus, With Tea Party at the Wheel

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ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Michael Steele has been paying attention. At an early stop on the 48-state, 100-city, seven-week Fire Pelosi bus tour, he was introduced as someone who "has embraced the Tea Party like no other."
And just in case the crowd of 100 or so didn't get the message, the Republican National Committee chairman on Friday went on to explain "why I love Jim DeMint," the state's U.S. senator who is getting praise and grief for backing Tea Party-approved candidates across the country.
"We do it the people's way, not Washington's way," Steele said, before thanking DeMint "for standing up with Christine O'Donnell," the newest GOP star who beat Republican establishment candidate Michael Castle in Tuesday's Delaware Senate primary.
Steele was solemn. "This is the people's moment," he said, and Tea Party members are "average Joes and Janes, making their way on their own." It's the government's job "to help the least among us," Steele said, and "get out of the way so we can do the rest."

Then, he turned sarcastic, with a litany of fantasy statements that had the crowd laughing. An example: "All I want to be is dependent. That's my life goal." He gave homework, an assignment to dream up a Nov. 3 newspaper headline, and ask every day, "What have I done today to make that headline come true?"
The RNC chair – despite criticism of his own leadership skills -- has found his groove. Michael Steele is cheerleading his way across the country, energizing the party's base and trying to pick up discontented converts with the help of Tea Party enthusiasm.
Friday's rally outside the York County Victory 2010 headquarters – one of about 300 fully staffed centers around the country, Steele said – was also about South Carolina's November contests. Nikki Haley, the GOP's gubernatorial candidate, had her share of supporters and an endorsement from Steele. "She's ready to lead, folks," he said. (Sen. Lindsey Graham – often rebuked by South Carolina Republicans for being too cooperative with Democrats -- might be worried about his 2014 race; his name was the only one greeted with silence.)
But much of the energy and the chatter centered on the District 5 congressional race between Democrat incumbent John Spratt and his Republican challenger, Mick Mulvaney. "It's close, it's home and it's personal," Steele said. Many in the crowd agreed, to judge from the "Beat Spratt" shirts and signs. Martha Wilson, 53, of Cheraw, S.C., works the phones as a volunteer. She said that Spratt, who voted for health care reform, "ignored us." (Spratt, for his part, has not shied away from his record and his 28 years of service.)
Joe Thompson, president of South Carolina District 5 Patriots, said he started his group after Spratt "decided he may not have a town hall meeting" a little over a year ago. Today, he said the Patriots have an en e-mail list of 600, adding he was pleased Steele acknowledged Tea Party activists.
After the rally, Steele dismissed the notion that Tea Party candidates could be bad for the GOP in November by driving the party's agenda too far to the right. "I don't see that," he said. "A lot of that is political punditry that is more self-interested and more upset that they didn't get their way." In Delaware, "it wasn't for the establishment to chose, it was for the people," he said. "That's why we have primaries."
The first African-American RNC chair addressed the charge that the Tea Party is not inclusive – and he did it on the home turf of Glenn McCall, the African-American chair of the York County Republican Party.
The issue is "part of my conversation with the leadership of the movement," Steele said. "They hate the characterization of the national media, of taking a picture of one lone crazy person with a sign and saying this is representative of everybody in the movement."
In July, Steele didn't make his planned appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in San Diego, which could have taken his message to a more diverse audience, because of food poisoning. The Maryland native said he regretted the last-minute cancellation, and learned an important lesson: "Not to eat seafood out of my state."

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11 Comments

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J. R. Gilbert

I am sure that the author of this article is, in no way racially motivated and or captivated. The article sounded like slanted journalism to me. I don't think that I will be interested in anything Curtis writes in the future.

October 19 2010 at 11:00 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
GAB

The TEA party is just using the Republicans to get attention, I guess they pick them as the lessor of two evils. Once the party becomes on the menu, the TEA party will scuttle them.

September 20 2010 at 12:29 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
derrickz2121

ROGELL- I will respect the offce of the President of USA.. as soon as te president himself respects the office AND our country !!! comments made towards Obama?? have you listend to what he says about OUR country??

September 20 2010 at 12:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ken

While I want more Republicans than Democrats in the House and Senate after November 3, (and don't I wish that were right now the case!), I'm not thrilled with the choices the Tea Party and Republican Party are offering. Part of our problem is that George W. Bush had an infirm VP who could not use an incumbent's advantage in 2008. The Dems saw it coming and it brought people out of the woodwork - including Obama. They all knew a wide-open election like that wouldn't happen again soon. Now our disenchantment with Obama's policies is luring all sorts of people to run as Republicans, and many are women. The biggest problem is the way women legislators so often bloc-vote for positions on "women's issues" such as abortion. Even David Souter turned out not to be the conservative Supreme Court justice he was expected to be. What are these untried Republicans going to turn into, once in office?

September 19 2010 at 10:14 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
Rogell

Michael Steele has it all wrong. Instead of firing House Speaker Pelosi, the republicans need to fire him (Steele.) In fact, they should begin with him, and go down the line i.e., Bachmann, the republican House Minority Leader including the governors of Minnesota, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas for past and present personal remarks and/or comments directed at the POUS. If you can't or don't respect the man, the very least you can do is respect the office itself, because your behavior has been abhorent and/or disrespectful.

September 19 2010 at 4:39 PM Report abuse -7 rate up rate down Reply
catracho4obama

Americans, go ahead and vote Republicans and thee shall reapt what you sew. It's doesn't take an IQ of 160 to realize, they got the ball rolling and got us into this mess, now a good many of you are trying to reward tham for standing on the side lines, do nothing,and many Americans families are en-route to dah-dumps. Bring 'em back and you might as well enjoy in SOup companies cuz, depression style soup lines will be the in-thing.

September 19 2010 at 8:55 AM Report abuse -6 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to catracho4obama's comment
jsgraham1010

But both parties gop and dems r way corrupt indepent is the only way to possibly get a straight shooter

September 19 2010 at 2:49 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
j1234b

I believe you mean "Thou shalt reap what you sew"... Maybe it's not such a good idea to mention IQ and then fail to use your own spell check. You now look ignorant and uneducated. You obviously do not follow issues (not just the headlines), voting, or do much reading of the bills that are passed, nor do you connect the dots and do the math. If you would put your brain where your mouth is... and do a little research, you'd find that the mess we're in is not the Republican's doing. More government handouts and growing government larger will cost the whole country. You should read before you vote in the future.

September 20 2010 at 4:35 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
msmichlee

And just when I was thinking that it was just a few Republicans that have completely lost their minds. Now I am convinced it is the whole darn crowd. Out with the republicans especially in SOUTH CAROLINA they are running this state and this country into the ground for profit. We are the laughing stock of the world at the moment when we have people supporting mentally challenged person. I would like to know what makes this O'Donnell woman any better than Alvin Greene. I get it he's black, the difference is he has a degree in Political Science. Funny how 2 faces people can be.

September 19 2010 at 1:16 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
haley6345

If Democrats are serious, why not put everyone on a pay scale that pays for performance rather than voting for pay raises for entitlement? If unemployment raises above 10%....House and Senate members get 40% of their pay and have to fly commercial, no expense account, no perks....emplooyment goes below 5% you get 120% or your pay and fly on a government fleet and we can talk about flying family members and the $100,000 year for liquor?

September 18 2010 at 10:09 PM Report abuse +13 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to haley6345's comment
msmichlee

You forgot to mention the republicans, I wonder who is paying for Joe Wilson to fly all over the country with his wife for no reason other than to vacation at the expense of the tax payers. Everyone of them do it some more than others, its not just Democrats. Every senator has the option to wave their raises I wonder who waved this year.

September 19 2010 at 1:18 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
rpopeteacher1

The government only has two jobs: 1. Protect citizens. 2. Uphold the Constitution. That's it.

September 18 2010 at 9:07 PM Report abuse +9 rate up rate down Reply
vicbar88

The bottom line is that the Dems got their chance to pilot the ship to safety but ended up on the rocks anyway ------ Choke!

September 18 2010 at 7:59 PM Report abuse +9 rate up rate down Reply

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