by CHQ News Staff FEB. 2, 2009 - Last Friday, the Republican National Committee elected former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele as its new chairman. Steele is the RNC's first black Chairman, and won after six rounds of voting. He replaces Chairman Mike Duncan, who came under heavy criticism for the electoral failures of the GOP under his watch. “This is awesome,” Steele said to members of the RNC in a speech after his victory. "It is with a great deal of humility and a sense of service that I accept and appreciate and thank all of you for the opportunity to serve as the next national chairman of our very proud, our very strong, and our very, very hard-working Republican National Committee." The Republican Party is still reeling from two embarrassing losses in 2006 and 2008, and looks to Steele to help reshape the party for 2010. Backlash against the Bush administration, which strongly backed Duncan, and the GOP's electoral losses played a significant role in Duncan's reelection defeat. "Duncan has been the Invisible Chairman, installed in January 2007 by Karl Rove to be unobtrusive — a mission he has carried out brilliantly. Many, if not most, Republican leaders and activists don’t know who he is," said California RNC Committeeman Shawn Steel. Steel added that Duncan "hasn’t provided the kind of leadership the Republican National Committee needs in this day and age." "Steele’e emergence as the victor appeared to signal a desire on the committee to distance itself from the eight years of the Bush administration and put forth a new face for the party," wrote Politico following Steele's election. Steele faces a mountain of challenges as he tries to rebuild a Republican Party that is politically weak and ideologically confused. "Michael Steele's first task is to unite the factions and assuage concerns in the South that he's a moderate," New Jersey RNC member David Norcross told the Washington Times. "Definitely, Michael's first job is to mend fences." The defeat of John McCain in the 2008 presidential election appeared to be a continuation of the Republican Party's downward spiral begun in 2006. With McCain's loss came a serious call for reevaluating the GOP's electoral strategy, and even its political identity. "The failures of the Bush administration to live up to conservative standards, and a Republican Party that failed to hold the Bush administration accountable, has left the GOP in a miserable state," says Richard Viguerie, chairman of the conservative grassroots Web site ConservativeHQ.com. "Steele's greatest task will be returning the GOP back to its limited government roots, and convince the American public that the Republican Party has returned to the principles of lower taxes, less spending, and smaller government." Viguerie points to the fact that many stalwart Republicans supported former GOP Congressman Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate, in the 2008 election as a sign that conservatives are unhappy with the direction of the GOP. However, Steele's victory is not without its share of criticism. This is especially true among social conservatives who say Steele is too much of a "moderate" on cultural issues. The Washington Times reported that prior to the election, "anonymous" leaflets left under members' hotel room doors called Steele "soft" on social issues. Others also cited his past relationship with the moderate Republican Leadership Council as cause for concern. Steele says he's just trying to build a bridge between the GOP and its moderate members—a strategy that could bring some libertarian-oriented voters back into the Republican Party. "I think that's an important opportunity for us, absolutely, because within our party we do have those who have that view as well as outside," Steele said in an interview with FOX News' Mike Wallace, regarding reaching out to moderate voters. "The reality of it is the party has to recognize the diversity of opinion that's out there." The resurgence of the Republican Party will be an uphill battle, but despite the criticism, Steele has strong support within the party and is poised for action. "We're going to bring this party to every corner, every boardroom, every neighborhood, every community, and we're going to say to friend and foe alike, we want you to be a part of us, we want you to work with us," Steele said in his victory statement. "And for those of you who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over." -30-
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