Why Is Hotair Parroting Michael Steele’s Talking Points?
I love Hotair, but Ed Morrissey and Allahpundit really don’t understand the RNC very well at all. Tonight’s breathless post, Confirmed: RNC will not remove Steele as chairman is a great example.
The basis for this article is the letter of support Steele’s people have been circulating among RNC members that now has 58 signatures, enough to prevent a 2/3 vote of the RNC to remove Steele as chairman. That completely misses the point. Even though, technically, a 2/3 vote would be required to remove Steele, in reality, he cannot practically run the RNC if a majority wants him out. The fact that his letter has circulated for two days and Steele has only rounded up 58 out of 168 signatures is actually a very ominous sign for him, and those 58 can certainly change their minds.
What do people think is going to happen when RNC fundraising goes off a cliff next month? The RNC’s cash situation was already bad, and anyone who doesn’t think that the Voyeur scandal is going to have a tremendous impact is incredibly naive. Major donors were already avoiding the RNC, and that situation will now escalate. National GOP figures won’t want to appear at RNC events. Tony Perkins has called on social conservatives to stop giving. Small donors are sending their forms to Michelle Malkin instead of returning them to the RNC with money in them.
When next month’s fundraising numbers come out, watch for a lot of those RNC members to flip and call on Steele to resign. He likely won’t have any choice then.
There are rumors floating around SRLC that last night Steele had a dinner planned with several large RNC donors which was turned into a cocktail party.
And then cancelled.
The RNC folks are not talking about it. The word is that they're in panic mode. The delegates are all talking about which parallel organizations they can get involved in to help elect conservatives because the RNC is a joke.
I actually think a decentralized party is a healthy thing.
Hey, maybe Steele should hire you to do his PR — support Michael Steele, because the collapse of the RNC is a good thing!
I completely disagree. The average conservative, sitting in his La-Z-Boy and watching Fox News, wants to give $25 to help elect conservatives across the country. If not the RNC, then whom should he give it to? He's probably going not going to spend the time to figure out a good way to spend it. What happens then is that people give inefficiently, like the million or so that Joe Wilson got after the "you lie" moment. Wilson is in a safe district and didn't need any of that. I gave money ($25 each — it's not like I'm made of money) last year to David Vitter, Marco Rubio, and Pat Toomey, but I wouldn't give any of them money right now, because they are now the favorites in their elections, and Vitter and Rubio are strong favorites.
I agree with giving money to organizations that best reflect your beliefs. I would give to the Club for Growth, for example. I think that conservative activists are correct to support them. But 527s can't do the work that the RNC does, due to campaign finance restrictions, and PACs have contribution limits.
In short, a strong and healthy RNC is a critical component of a successful strategy for conservative victory. The collapse of the RNC is a tragedy this election cycle that has probably already cost us 5 seats in the House. The lost fundraising won't be made up by other groups or effectively distributed, and the worst part is that this could have been prevented if the RNC had decided to show some backbone in January.
There are rumors floating around SRLC that last night Steele had a dinner planned with several large RNC donors which was turned into a cocktail party.
And then cancelled.
The RNC folks are not talking about it. The word is that they're in panic mode. The delegates are all talking about which parallel organizations they can get involved in to help elect conservatives because the RNC is a joke.
I actually think a decentralized party is a healthy thing.
Hey, maybe Steele should hire you to do his PR — support Michael Steele, because the collapse of the RNC is a good thing!
I completely disagree. The average conservative, sitting in his La-Z-Boy and watching Fox News, wants to give $25 to help elect conservatives across the country. If not the RNC, then whom should he give it to? He's probably going not going to spend the time to figure out a good way to spend it. What happens then is that people give inefficiently, like the million or so that Joe Wilson got after the "you lie" moment. Wilson is in a safe district and didn't need any of that. I gave money ($25 each — it's not like I'm made of money) last year to David Vitter, Marco Rubio, and Pat Toomey, but I wouldn't give any of them money right now, because they are now the favorites in their elections, and Vitter and Rubio are strong favorites.
I agree with giving money to organizations that best reflect your beliefs. I would give to the Club for Growth, for example. I think that conservative activists are correct to support them. But 527s can't do the work that the RNC does, due to campaign finance restrictions, and PACs have contribution limits.
In short, a strong and healthy RNC is a critical component of a successful strategy for conservative victory. The collapse of the RNC is a tragedy this election cycle that has probably already cost us 5 seats in the House. The lost fundraising won't be made up by other groups or effectively distributed, and the worst part is that this could have been prevented if the RNC had decided to show some backbone in January.
I have also been hearing some of the same sort of things.
I think enough people (like us) sent back their donation forms marked, "No More Rinos!" that it has gotten their attention.
Donations are down, but, thanks to Steele, expenses are way up.
I have also been hearing some of the same sort of things.
I think enough people (like us) sent back their donation forms marked, "No More Rinos!" that it has gotten their attention.
Donations are down, but, thanks to Steele, expenses are way up.