Monday, November 24, 2008
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Michael Steele's Consultants Reflect "DC Insider" Connections
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Posted by:
Matt Lewis at
7:50 PM
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I've heard from several reliable sources today that Michael Steele's RNC Chairman race is being managed by Blaise Hazelwood.
In 2004, Hazelwood received a lot of praise for her success as political director of the RNC. She then moved over to become Elizabeth Dole's right-hand-woman, serving as campaign and media director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), during Dole's unsuccessful tenure.
As one Republican Strategist (who previously held a senior position at one of the Republican party committees) said of Hazelwood's management of Steele: "She lost a ten seat majority. Is that the crowd we need?"
Clearly, every candidate for the RNC Chairmanship has, by this point in their career, surrounded themselves with a political consultant or two. What makes Steele unique, however, is that his manager is a consummate DC political "insider" who has been helping make decisions regarding the direction of the GOP -- either as a national consultant or as a GOP staffer -- for several years now.
So why should this matter?
First, Steele has positioned himself as an outsider who wants to shake things up at the RNC. However, the fact that his campaign is being run by the same people who have been running things for years now, seems to undermine his "change"/reform message (this is sort of like Barack Obama selling "change" and then hiring Rahm Emanuel -- a consummate insider)....
The truth is that the people who surround a chairman -- who "run" the campaigns -- are arguably as important as the chairman, himself (once he is elected).
It's not uncommon for the campaign manager to go on to "run" the RNC, too -- either officially -- or unofficially. For example, Scott Reed ran Haley Barbour's campaign, and became chief of staff as soon as Barbour was elected in 1993.
So a new chairman who surrounds himself with staffers and consultants who are invested in the conventional wisdom of the past -- will likely fail to revolutionize anything.
Aside from impacting whether or not the GOP wins or loses elections, the chief of staff often makes the day-to-day decisions, including where to spend money (and which consultants to hire).
... Which brings us to the reason staffers and consultants encourage their candidates to seek these positions. As you might have imagined, landing a contract with the RNC or one of the committees is an extremely lucrative opportunity, and is usually a way to reward political friends. For example, the RNC will hire media operatives to run their Independent Expenditure (IE) campaigns, as well as voter mail firms, etc. Because they may spend millions and millions of dollars, firms stand to profit a great deal if "their" candidate (the candidate they are allied with) becomes chairman of the RNC -- or one of the Committees.
In short, the economy may be in trouble these days, but for political consultants, a campaign can be a major "economic development" opportunity.
This is not to suggest that Steele's team is any more interested in reaping the benefits than anyone else. But Steele has clearly "consultanted-up" more than most. In addition to Hazelwood, I'm told that Curt Anderson (Hazelwood's former boss at the RNC) is also on board. He is partners at a firm called OnMessage, which ran Steele's clever ads for his failed 2006 senate campaign in Maryland. Steele's blogger outreach is also being conducted by former McCain blogger-outreach guru Patrick Hynes.
Again, the interesting thing here is not that Steele has acquired consultants, but that -- in a year when Republicans are hungry for new solutions -- Steele has brought on many of the same people who have been pulling the strings nationally these last two unsuccessful campaign cycles. This, of course, may be a product of his living in Maryland, which is close to DC...
Note: Now that Ken Blackwell is rumored to be entering the race, I should probably remind everyone that he is a contributing editor at Townhall.com. In addition, he serves as Chairman of CCM with former Majority Leader Tom DeLay -- also a Townhall blogger. Additionally, a family member of mine has previously served as a consultant to Blackwell, though that is no longer the case. Of course, I have also served on campaigns where a family member of Hazelwood was the consultant....
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If the GOP wishes to survive, they need the votes of citizens, not illegal aliens or their employers. |
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It is time to get some fresh new people with ONSERVATIVE values who want US to remain in the Republican Party! |
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Matt, Give me a break. Get your bearings, son. Anyone remotely associated with Tom DeLay should be instantly disqualified. You gotta put ethics before ideology or party affiliation in my book. I'd rather stand next to an ethical liberal than a crooked conservative. Only by taking such a stand -- difficult as it may be at times -- can Republicans make any headway...because I can virtually guarantee a raft of Democratic corruption scandals within 4 years -- which will provide the needed open door for picking up seats and possibly the White House. |
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Between Harry Jackson Jr. and Michael Steele the "Whites Need Not Apply Inside" sign is out. The conservative message is based on moral absolutes and not moral relativsm. People like Steele, Rice, Watts and Jackson Jr R not conservatives. They R stealth militants who put race before truth R loyalty to country. Don't trust thesen guys. |
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convicted of? So far, almost all the trumped up charges have been dropped. My bet is that he will not be convicted of anything and is therefore ethically clean. Just because someone charges you with something, does not make it true. If he indeed did something illegal and is convicted, then you can banish him, but to act like a stupid liberal where all a conservative has to do is be accused and you are ready to throw them under the bus, is well, acting like a stupid leftist! |
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Now, Now!
Why don't you just tell us how wonderful your own RNC Chair candidate is instead of taking circuitous hits at Mike Steele by putting the pigtails of one of his staff in your inkwell.
We need someone who can vocalize core issues in a positive light. Mike Steele is great at this.
Ronald Reagan was successful in large part because he was an adult who had core values that he really believed in and therefore could articulate in a positive manner.
Tony Snow had similar gifts.
Now we need Mike Steele. |
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Michael has charisma and is telegenic and articulate. We need someone who has contacts and will go in front of the cameras and deliver the conservative message. We have had no spokesperson since Ronald Reagan, except Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, who could effectively deliver any message. |
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are people so very interested in who heads their national committee? The ONLY reason why Republicans are hyping up Steele is because they think (incorrectly) that he's their "black hope!" Somehow their dellusional minds are counting on him being the next great thing and a counter to Obama. Give me a break. I have no issue with Steele although I wonder why he would hire anyone associated with Elizabeth Dole's miserable and failed campaign this year. That aside, it's so phoney and disingenuous of Republicans to be all over this man. Where were you all when he ran in failed campaigns before?
Hilarious!
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From the moment that Michael Steele announced his candidacy, I had the suspicion that it was an attempt by the losers currently in control of the RNC to stay in control, but with a fresh face. I didn't know the connection, but Steele has always been the guy to speak for the establishment beltway Republicans. The beltway Republicans have been the ruin of the party. The new leadership has to come from the States. |
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The gop dosn't get the illegal alein vote the dems do!It's a fact go ask cnn. |
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You're right, but the dunderheads at the RNC don't know that so they keep pandering for the illegal alien vote while ticking off their core constituency. If they don't get their head out of their nether regions, they will go extinct.
GOP-RIP |
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would be my family's first choice, then Michael Steele. |
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If he can't win his own election how can we expect he will win any seats in 2010? |
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I too am uncomfortable with Mr. Steele being the voice of the Republican Party. He seems a nice guy, but if he cannot win his own election, it is a little doubtful he can help Republicans win others. I especially like Ken Blackwell, but he has the same albatross around his neck. Get some fresh blood into the position who is truly a conservative and doesn't have a losing record. |
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It's amusing to see the comments on this article...They include those who think that the Republicans need a "winner"...Here's a News Alert!: The GOP has not developed ANY "winners" who happen to be "Black"...Until now, it's not been a requirement...The Grand ol Party has never FOCUSED on producing ELECTED people of color....They have been content to APPOINT diversity (see: Powell, Rice, Clarence Thomas) and delegate the losing Black pols to Fox News and/or Townhall..Now the faithful wants to judge Michael Steele on how much he's "won"??...The challenge is clear to those not blinded by ideology...The GOP needs to talk to Blacks, Hispanics etc..They need to mute rigid ideology in order to attract Black Christians who are suspicious of White men controlling a woman's body (for ref: see 'slavery'). This requires a softer approach to win the "pro life" war...We NOW see that Ken (I'm a REAL Republican) Blackwell will now compete with Mr Steele for the unofficial title of "Black-ops" to the incoming first Black President....The GOP is looking for "Stars" (see Sarah Palin) when they should try a little self-examination about "who they are" (white males) and decide if they need to expand the party's attraction to those who have not traditionally been a part of it...If the GOP wants to continue to phase into the Party of the deep South, then let's skip Steele and go with the usual suspects....If not..let's take a page out of the recent election results and "Give the Brother a chance. It CAN'T get any WORSE!" |
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Wikipedia definition for Incompetent JackAsses
----------------------------------------------
Republican party – circa 1984-2008
Leaders – Ronald Reagan, George Bush
Known for failed trickle down “voodoo economics” and deficit spending.
Responsible for American Financial devastation during 2008
Supporters – religious extremists and uneducated southern whites
Spokespersons – Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh
Also known for promoting a ideological neoconservative agenda resulting in 2 failed wars and a diminished USA standing in the world during 2003-2008, at a cost of 1-3 trillion dollars.
Accomplishments – NONE
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Finally, if Steele is so critical of the RNC and the Party in general for its minority outreach ask him: How many African American candidates did he recruit to run in Maryland while he was Chairman? How many African Americans did he employ on his staff as Lt.Governor? How many African Americans are on staff at GOPAC? Finally, if he is so critical of the RNC's minority outreach, how does he explain his own dismal performance in his 2006 Senate race where he received less than 15% of the black vote.
While Mr. Steele makes for an attractive "Spokesmodel" the party needs a worker/tactician as Chairman. Whereas, Mr. Steele, is a product of a few smart consultants angling for RNC contracts. Instead of running a national campaign for RNC Chairman he should be a "National Republican" and be in Minnesota helping Norm Coleman or Georgia working to elect Saxby Chambliss!
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'drill baby drill'
yawn.
on the other hand, he's not as eager to get on board with no-growth eco-marxists as, say, Newt Gingrich. once again the GOP chooses between losers.
furthermore, anyone who even knows someone named "Blaise" should be purged from the party. |
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In a 2006 interview with Tim Russert Steele firmly stated his ardent pro-Affirmative Action stance.
“LT. GOV. STEELE: In this sense, that, as an African-American, and the only African-American on the bench. You know, I’ve disagreed with Clarence Thomas on a number of issues.
MR. RUSSERT: Which ones?
LT. GOV. STEELE: Affirmative action, for one. I, I strongly support affirmative action and, and believe...
MR. RUSSERT: You haven’t always supported it.
LT. GOV. STEELE: No, I’ve always supported affirmative action.”
The more I research Steele the less conservative he sounds.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15473528/page/18/ |
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Together with Christie Todd Whitman and John Danforth, Michael Steele restarted a political action committee called the Republican Leadership Council. Steele resigned from the group earlier this year.
This organization claims to be fiscally conservative but socially centrist.
In reality, one of the group’s main goals has been to marginalize social conservatives, especially Pro-Lifers and the Religious Right, in an effort to reach out to social centrists of the Kathleen Parker variety.
I believe that Steele’s recent resignation was a belated attempt to distance himself from people like Whitman and Danforth so that he can appear more conservative in order to win the RNC prize.
Steele’s decision to form a PAC with a pro-abortion liberal like Christie Todd Whitman, and Danforth, who can't stand the Religious Right, should give pause to all social conservatives.
http://www.republican-leadership.com/ |
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Steele's abortion position vis-à-vis States Rights versus Roe v Wade is entirely illogical.
Steele claims that “the matter should have been left to the states to decide.” However, he doesn’t seem to want the matter to revert back to the states. His statement on stare decisis proves that he doesn’t want Roe v Wade overturned.
And if Roe v. Wade is not overturned, it is impossible for “the states to decide, ultimately.”
It took a while for Russert to get a straight answer out of Steele.
“MR. RUSSERT: Would, would you encourage — would you hope the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade?
LT. GOV. STEELE: I think that that’s a matter that’s going to rightly belong to the courts to decide ultimately whether or not that, that issue should be addressed. The, the Court has taken a position, which I agree, stare decisis, which means that the law is as it is and, and so this is a matter that’s ultimately going to be adjudicated at the states. We’re seeing that. The states are beginning to decide for themselves on, on this and a host of other issues. And the Supreme Court would ultimately decide that.
MR. RUSSERT: But you hope that the Court keeps Roe v. Wade in place?
LT. GOV. STEELE: I think the Court will evaluate the law as society progresses, as the Court is supposed to do.
MR. RUSSERT: But what’s your position? Do you want them to sustain it or overturn it?
LT. GOV. STEELE: Well, I think, I think, I think Roe vs. Wade, Roe vs. Wade is a, is a matter that should’ve been left to the states to decide, ultimately. But it, it is where it is today, and the courts will ultimately decide whether or not this, this gets addressed by the states, goes back to the states in some form or they overturn it outright.
MR. RUSSERT: Is is your desire to keep it in place?
LT. GOV. STEELE: My desire is that we follow what stare decisis is at this point, yes.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15473528/page/15/ |
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A) The author I don't know you.
B) Michael is the only one on the stage fighting
for conservative values while the others tell
John McCain to get out of Michigan.
C) I never heard of the others, why because they
were too scared to debate liberal. Michael
Steele was out there everyday fighting.
D) Who ever you are congratulations for doing
and saying what democrats say. He has
lobbyist. The only issue is A) can Michael
run this party and B)will he make us
competetive. The answer to these questions is
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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I'm an independent but Steele is appealing. He seems reasonable and talks about issues that people care about like fiscal conservatism. I think he'd be good for the position. |
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If the replublican party wishes to exist . It has to too attract more non whites and educate the plublic. THe replublican party message is not bad but hte messenger is horible. Such as myself a black conservative that SUPPPORTED MCCAIN |
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