The Republican Party, still reeling from its inability to refute the leadership of Rush Limbaugh, took some additional hits over the weekend, fighting with themselves almost as much as they are fighting with the Democrats. Much of the focus remains on Michael Steele, who looks to be a total disaster as Party Chair. The New York Times did a story on him over the weekend.
Most chairmen wave the party flag; Mr. Steele smiles and shreds it. A man of constantly colliding analogies, he compares Republicans to drunks in need of a 12-step program and to the mentally ill. He has insulted Rush Limbaugh and moderate Republican senators alike, and he has promised a “hip-hop makeover” that would attract even “one-armed midgets” to his party.
I don’t know how a guy like John Boehner will respond to a “hip hop makeover”, but if I had to guess I would say he wouldn’t go for it. (Although I would love to see Boehner try out some “moves” on the dance flooor). Steele has said that he is not afraid of failure in his quest to build a larger Republican Party.
Even those who applaud Mr. Steele’s vision of a more inclusive Republican Party wonder if he can execute it. “Does he have the mettle to wage that type of fight?” asked Benjamin T. Jealous, the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Mr. Steele says that he does, but that he is entirely willing to risk failure. “I always found it interesting that people would cast aspersions on failure, as if it were a bad thing,” he said.
I think that Democrats would agree. Mr. Steele’s failures are not a “bad thing”. And some Republicans are already calling for him sto step down.
Last week, Ada Fisher, one of a handful of black Republican National Committee members and a persistent critic of Mr. Steele’s, called on him to resign, arguing in an e-mail message to the entire committee that he “makes us frankly appear to many blacks as quite foolish.”
Mr. Steele vows more of the same, with volatility a key component of his management style. And in other Republican news Newt Gingrich compared Rahm Emanuel to Bob Haldeman, Richard Nixon’s Chief of Staff, on Meet the Press. I guess the Speaker is still smarting from the ongoing debacle with Rush Limbaugh, and blames Rahm personally for the Republicans engaging in a circular firing squad. I did not hear Gingrich making such comparisions when Republicans kept asking candidate Obama to disown remarks made by third parties. I have attached a video released in the Washington DC media market attacking Republicans, and highlighting the Limbaugh connection.
Bill Manzi.com 
Your Honor,
I had long ago reached the conclusion that the Obama White House is just like the Nixon White House and that Ron Emanuel plays the role of Bob Haldeman. These were not pleasant thoughts. Handlman had a Gustapo like auro about him.
I see you are going to Sara Palin Bob Steele. It appears to me that if anyone in the Republican party rises to a leadership role you guys dengrate them. Of course you have lots of people who will willingly join the fray.
The Republican party has problems. It requires a population of conservatives, which is becoming more and more scarce. Your constituents are largely dependant on government hand outs. How do you build a party of free people when they are disapearing.
As I told you before, I fear for our republican (small r) style government.
Jules
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I am not sure how you equate the Obama Administration, after two months, with the Nixon Administration. And I don’t know why Republicans do not want to answer a question or two about Rush Limbaugh. Was it the Republicans who demanded that candidate Obama take a position on every person he ever met that said something silly? Why is it different now? And if Limbaugh is so great and universally loved then why don’t the Republicans simply embrace him, and his views? Why the hesitation?
Bill
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Why are you making Rush such an issue? The country is falling down around you, and yet Rush is still your issue. Get your head out of your …
Why don’t you concentrate on the Democrats who are actually IN power. Here’s one:
What about him?? NOOOO, let’s talk about Rush.
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Mr. Mayor:
Curious that the Newt would bring up Nixon’s Haldeman: it’s almost like Jindal invoking Katrina, isn’t it? Why continue to point out the failures emanating from your own party?
Democrats don’t even have to load the gun he uses to shoot himself in the foot.
Jules:
With your last line, you reminded me of Roman citizens pining for the Republic, long after the Empire took hold. It’s a very noble sentiment (as long as you don’t use a capital R).
-FM
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Your Honor,
Handlman was a “sharp” person like Emanuel.
It is interesting how you assign a “silly” lable to a man who sets off explosions near public facilities.
Is Rezco “silly”?
Have you been following the “silly” tax cheats including the fellow who runs the IRS.
Rush has some poor polling numbers with the so called moderates. He is stricly a conservative commentator. Do you listen to
him?
What questions do you have about Rush? Actually, your honor, I don’t understand why you are concerned about Rush. He’s not a REpublican. He is a conservative. There is no conservative party.
Steele is finding his legs just like Barak Obama. Obama is not doing well either. Seems to be wandering while enacting all the Democratic wish lists instead of resolving our struggling financial markets.
Jules
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But Jules, Haldeman was convicted of the felonies of conspiracy and obstruction of justice, and served prison time. All Rahm Emanuel has done is to say that Rush Limbaugh is the leader of the Republican Party. And by your horrified reaction to that I would never guess that you are a Limbaugh fan. If “El Rushbo” is so right on the issues and so wildly popular why are conservatives like yourself and Michael Steele repudiating his obvious leadership of the Republican Party. And as to your comments on my “picking” on Michael Steele (like I picked on Sarah Palin) I would point out that my criticism of Steele came only after “El Rushbo” lambasted Steele very publicly on his radio program. I was only following the lead of Rush Limbaugh, the undisputed leader of the Republican Party. (Unless you think that maybe Ann Coulter would be a more fitting choice!)
Sincerely,
A man enjoying this way too much!
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Patrizia,
And why would we not want to talk about Rush? Why are all the “dittoheads” in a tither about talking about a man who has all the answers? And why do folks think that those ideas should only be shared with the “ditto-heads” that populate Rush Limbaugh’s audience. Should we not want to share his pearls of wisdom with the rest of the world? I see your attempt to “censor” El Rushbo to be the start of some crazy attempt to limit his ability to reach a wider audience. And once we do that are we not advocating for the eventual censorship of all thought with which we disagree? And if so is that not an indictment of the American way of life? Well, I’ll be damned if I am going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America. Gentlemen!
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Jules, Jules, Jules,
Unlike his predecessor who couldn’t even handle a single task at a time, he is doing what is known as ‘multi-tasking’, or, more succintly in layman’s terms ‘his job’.
So while I recognize the concept might be foreign to a die-hard winger considering the man-crush they’ve had for the past eight years (everybody loves an idiot don’t they?), unlike his predecessor, he really does have a voter’s mandate to do the people’s work, and considering the mess that was left behind for him, he sure does have one crappy diaper and a hell of a lot of whining conservative babies to deal with.
“Seems to be wandering while enacting all the Democratic wish lists instead of resolving our struggling financial markets.”
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How dare you invoke the GREATEST SPEECH OF ALL TIME.
Make no mistake, sir, you cannot hold the hem of his frock.
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Your Honor,
I was not talking about the Handleman trial, but how he behaved on a day by day basis. I felt this way during the Nixon administration.
Rush does not hold an elected office in the Republican party. Your commentary is strictly because you are a shill for Ron Emanuel.
Heck, you do know your party won the election, don’t you.
I would advise you to keep your eye on your man in the White House who seems to wandering around lost.
Jules
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Yes Jules Haldeman behaved badly during his tenure. That is why he was convicted of multiple felonies and went to prison. All Rahm Emanuel did was point to the towering (and engorged) leadership of Rush Limbaugh. I do not see how you can compare that to multiple felonies.
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At least the CIA learned something from Nixon …
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/02/cia-destroyed-tapes-interrogations-documents/
-FM
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And now Rush and Newt are going at it!
Will the comedy never end?
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0309/Rush_whacks_Newt_He_wishes_they_were_running_TV_ads_against_him.html
-FM
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Your Honor,
There is plenty of time for Obama and his Chicago gang to screw up.
Jules
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