We Welcome the Choice of Michael Steele, and Thoughts on the Stimulus Bill

I feel almost the same invigoration with the announcement that Michael Steele has been elected Chairman of the Republican National Committee as I felt when Sarah Palin was nominated. All traditional Americans who love their country and its history and understand that free-market capitalism has been the driving force in doubling man’s lifespan and allowing the poorest American to live better than the royalty of old – should rejoice at this choice. It does not matter that he is black, just as it did not matter to most Americans that Obama is half-black, but it is a nice touch.

All polls show that a majority of Americans are conservative in their beliefs, and conservatives usually win the day when they are matched against modern liberals for political office. It is always galling and a slap in the face when conservatives go to Washington and catch some kind of disease that makes them think they have to vote for liberal causes to retain their seats. I know that the liberal press is unmerciful in its criticism of conservatives; I know that the liberal elites throw the best parties, and that the movie stars mostly embrace liberal causes. Nevertheless, the people we send to Washington should be able to withstand the pressures and stay true to conservative principles much more than has happened in recent history.

It was especially galling to swallow John McCain as our candidate, and then have his campaign people undermine a true conservative, Sarah Palin. It has been very distressing since the election to read the comments of so many fools that conservative principles lost the election, and that the Republican Party has to “get with it”. The election of Michael Steele should give millions of Americans some hope that we might soon return to the policies that won the day in 1994 and kept Republicans in power until they deserted those principles and lost in 2006. The American people will elect real Democrats over pseudo Democrats every time, and they will elect conservative Republicans who stand up for their values over both of them.

Democrats: Beware of Michael Steele

By Bob Beckel February 06, 2009 RealClearPolitics.com (Excerpts)

“After blasting Republicans for an endless string of missteps last week, I concede the GOP finally got one right. Electing the former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, Michael Steele, to chair the Republican National Committee is a smart move for the GOP and a warning for Democrats.

I have spent hours with Steele at the Fox News studios, and in dozens of TV encounters, and at dinners. Steele is a friendly, formidable, and very partisan man who should not be underestimated. He has a disarming and gifted television personality and an uncanny ability to make the most unreasonable arguments sound rational. In a debate, he can charm his opponents into a false sense of security, and then proceed to maul them. Democrats who underrate Steele do so at their own peril.

The press continually refers to Steele as a "moderate", but he is not a moderate -- he only plays one on television. Under that friendly persona of reasonableness lies the soul of a doctrinaire conservative. From an ardent supply-sider to a committed pro-life advocate (he came within a year of being ordained a Catholic priest), Steele is firmly on the Right.

In the pro-choice state of Maryland, Steele rarely raised the abortion issue in his races for Lieutenant Governor and the U.S. Senate. But his party is looking to him to rekindle the passions of the pro-life movement on a national stage. And Steele is aware of the 2008 falloff of voter turnout in precincts where the pro-life movement is strong….

Democrats beware: Steele faces challenges, perseveres, and succeeds. Given the state of the GOP Steele holds a weak political hand, but you can be sure he will maximize the opportunities of whichever card he holds.”

Bob Beckel managed Walter Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign. He is a senior political analyst for the Fox News Channel and a columnist for USA Today.

Final Note: Senators Collins and Snowe from Maine and Specter of Pennsylvania reflect what has gone wrong in the Republican Party. These RINO’s should be cooperating with their Republican colleagues to stop the Democrat pork-bill, labeled a “stimulus” bill to fool voters, and substituting a much smaller bill that actually stimulates lending and home buying. Instead, as they have done many times in the past, they are playing to the liberal press who regard them as heroes. They are not heroes; they are a disgrace.

History tells us that substantial tax cuts work in helping to end recessions, while stimulus attempts always prolong the agony. Obama’s stimulus bill may be the worst piece of major legislation ever introduced in Congress – and the most damaging. The only intent of this bill is to cement Democrats's hold on power.