Video: Steele smacks down Cardin in debate
posted at 2:42 pm on October 26, 2006 by Ian
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Yesterday, Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R) debated Rep. Ben Cardin (D) and Independent candidate Kevin Zeese. For all you Marylanders out there who watched last week’s Ehrlich-O’Malley debate, this was just as good, if not better.
Cardin was hit by fire when he told Steele what he would have voted for if he was a United States Senator. Wrong move, to say the least. Steele stopped Cardin right then and there and told the congressman not speak for him.
Memorable quotes:
“For Ben Cardin to sit here and say that he is a change agent is laughable.”
“[Cardin] has been running against George Bush for over a year and haven’t you noticed sir, he is not represented here on this stage?”
The best doesn’t come until the end, when Steele quizzed Cardin on plans for a metro system in the Baltimore area. Cardin failed miserably. Watch:
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Smackdown! Ouch!
Shouldn’t the MSM be fawning all over this guy- an articulate, quick witted, good looking African American
on his way up? Oh yeah, sorry, wrong party. He’s just
an Uncle Tom sellout who doesn’t understand what it means
to be Black. See how easy this is when you understand the rules!
Scotsman on October 26, 2006 at 2:57 PM
I’m new to Maryland politics. Do you think there’s any chance that Steele might win?
tikvah on October 26, 2006 at 2:57 PM
What an exciting race there in Maryland!
sirmyth on October 26, 2006 at 2:57 PM
Dems outnumber Reps in the state 2-1……and the lastest poll shows tie!……..Go Mr Steele Go!
Limerick on October 26, 2006 at 2:59 PM
Steele tore Cardin to bits!!!
How can a candidate represent both the Libertarian and Green Parties? Since when were their platforms anywhere close to similar?
IndependentConserv on October 26, 2006 at 2:59 PM
Well here in Texas you got Kinky representing Willie Greens and the Survivalists…..figure that!
Limerick on October 26, 2006 at 3:01 PM
A minor nit to pick - the Purple Line and Metro refer to the Washington DC transportation system, not Baltimore…
rbb on October 26, 2006 at 3:02 PM
I like him more every time I see him. I loved that metro part.
“–I’m not going to answer you”
Awesome. It makes me wish I lived in Maryland.
Esthier on October 26, 2006 at 3:04 PM
If Steele wins this any claims of “moral victories” by and Dem should be openly laughed down.I mean finger-pointing ,tears from guffawing, wild snorting laughter.
bbz123 on October 26, 2006 at 3:05 PM
Oops. s/b “by ANY Dem”
bbz123 on October 26, 2006 at 3:06 PM
Limerick, don’t be misled by the 2 to 1 majority of Dems in MD; for years Republicans registered as Dems to be able to vote in their primaries.
Ehrlich managed to get elected last time so there is a reasonable chance for Steele to win. He’s got my vote.
Retread on October 26, 2006 at 3:15 PM
Steele is Cardin’s biggest nightmare. Cardin showed he has no grasp of any issue and is truely a village idiot. He has been that way through out his political career. A true “mental midget”. And in true form, when you can not debate, you scream! The “I am not going to answer you” is classic, considering Cardin tried to spit something out.
Steele should and will beat this guy! They could keep score, but I doubt Cardin can count.
dallas94 on October 26, 2006 at 3:15 PM
Ouch! I feel the pain of liberals, having to watch Steele’s awesome performance and Ben Cardin’s humiliating one.
If this debate gets any real press on the local stations, the Democrats are finished.
Dems and the MSM have already stated that if whites from Tennessee do not vote for Harold Ford (who appears to be Mediterrenean, hardly African-African), it is because they are racist. Can we say the same for white Marylanders who do not vote for Steele?
januarius on October 26, 2006 at 3:15 PM
Of course not. He’s a Republican. It’s not even considered racist when they throw oreos at him.
Esthier on October 26, 2006 at 3:19 PM
Whoops: “African-American” not “African-African” (obviously)
Man, I wish we had a preview screen.
januarius on October 26, 2006 at 3:20 PM
From the snippets, I’d say Steele got the better of the exchanges - but then again, the essence of the donkey party’s “election strategy” is to just keep reminding voters over and over again how much they hate George Bush, so when you take them off-message for even a moment they start flopping around like goldfish on the floor next to the aquarium.
Spurius Ligustinus on October 26, 2006 at 3:22 PM
Steele can win. When he said Reagan Republican he wasn’t kidding. He’s postive, powerful, and forward-thinking.
No one thinks the Black voters in Maryland haven’t noticed how much trash and bile has been thrown at him by Democrats and how he keeps coming out on top, smiling, cheerful and focussed? Everyone loves a winner. When it comes down to the wire, and people need to decide, “Who represents me best? Sourpuss Same-Old or Mr. Go-Go?” Steele will be a very attractive choice.
naliaka on October 26, 2006 at 3:23 PM
Naliaka,
An attractive choice is right. If/when he wins…keep your eye on him over the next 8 years!!!! The Senate will not be his last stop!
dallas94 on October 26, 2006 at 3:26 PM
Can I say it? Steele is a “ROCKSTAR!”
Queasy on October 26, 2006 at 3:26 PM
Go Steele! Hope he pulls it out.
High Desert Wanderer on October 26, 2006 at 3:27 PM
I’ve got to think that performances like that are going to play well in the black communities. he doesn’t need to pull that large a percentage of that demo to get elected.
Put party expectations aside, and you’ve got an intelligent black man making a white weasel look like a fool. Somehow, I don’t see that playing well for Cardin among blacks.
Then again, he did beat Kwaesi Mfume…
Pablo on October 26, 2006 at 3:30 PM
To be fair, I don’t think I would have answered the question Steele asked either. That just puts you on a defensive footing.
DaveS on October 26, 2006 at 3:34 PM
I’m campaigning like mad to get my wife to vote for Steele. Cardin is staunchly pro-Israel, which is a huge deal for her (me too, but I think Steele’s pretty pro-Israel, too; she just doesn’t see it yet). MD going for Steele would be a frickin’ enormous coup.
And says a great deal about the direction the state is heading. The WaPo just endorsed Erlich for governor, which must have O’Malley absolutely twisted in fits. A Republican Governor; a Republican Senator; what’s next, the state legislator losing its veto-proof Democratic majority? I dare to dream!
nukemhill on October 26, 2006 at 3:36 PM
I wish we had leaders like Gov. Steele here in Rhode Island but will surely welcome him to the Senate.
Wade on October 26, 2006 at 3:44 PM
Steele. Kicked. Cardin’s. ASS.
Steele looked totally calm, cool, and completely in control. Cardin looked lost and, as Steele characterized him, clueless.
thirteen28 on October 26, 2006 at 3:48 PM
Today’s polls on Steele/Cardin
Entelechy on October 26, 2006 at 3:50 PM
januarius wrote: “Ouch! I feel the pain of liberals, having to watch Steele’s awesome performance and Ben Cardin’s humiliating one.”
Me too.
And I’m enjoying it!
georgej on October 26, 2006 at 3:56 PM
I like Steele’s line that was something like, “This guys plan for Iraq was to have a plan.” Steele seems like the conservative version of Barack Obama. I wonder what the polls are showing?
V15J on October 26, 2006 at 4:02 PM
I am sorry,but at this stage I think that all the poll should be called PS, as in BS.
bbz123 on October 26, 2006 at 4:03 PM
Whoo hoo! I’m now an official Woman of Steele.
tikvah on October 26, 2006 at 4:06 PM
DaveS, when you enter into a debate you’re there to challenge your opponent and defend your position. In your world I suppose staring into space would show signs of leadership and being in touch with the issues.
If you can’t defend your position you should stay home and walk the dog.
fogw on October 26, 2006 at 4:13 PM
V15J wrote “Steele seems like the conservative version of Barack Obama.”
Obama is a puppet of the dems whose votes appear to be scripted by Kennedy. A rising star indeed.
Steele is a man of his own making and beliefs.
BobK on October 26, 2006 at 4:14 PM
Steele is smart, articulate and a forward thinker. Partisanship aside, the voters of Maryland would be doing themselves a gross injustice if they do not elect this man.
From what I’ve seen from him, I think he’s someone who should be seriously considered for the GOP national ticket in 2008.
Can you imagine what a Rice/Steele ticket would do to the moonbats?
Seriously though, as Katie would say, the man has gravitas…….
BacaDog on October 26, 2006 at 4:17 PM
Thanks for the link, tikvah! I’m now a Woman of Steele, too!
Go Steele! You’ve got the Power!
(And may you bring lots of your brothers and sisters with you off that Dem plantation!)
Jen the Neocon on October 26, 2006 at 4:21 PM
If Steele wins this US Senate seat. I can see him
on the short list for VP in 08.
This guy has that very likable quality as seems
unflappable.
Texyank on October 26, 2006 at 4:23 PM
Steele is a very smart man, who has a chance of winning. Go Steele!
americanpundit on October 26, 2006 at 4:24 PM
Cardin left there with his tail between his legs. Talk about getting bit@^slapped.
You mean our next president (as Time magazine recently pointed out)?
Rick on October 26, 2006 at 4:25 PM
Barack Obama is a liberal Michael Steele wannabe. The more I see of Steele, the more I like him.
jdpaz on October 26, 2006 at 4:25 PM
I love Cardin’s “power punch,” (paraphase) You stumped for GWB, you spoke at the Republican National Convention & you brought GWB into MD for a fund raiser. Oh no! A Republican canidate bringing a sitting Republician President? Oh no! Who would have ever thought to do that?
Mr. Steele for MD senator. I can’t vote there but I can donate there!
VikingGoneWild on October 26, 2006 at 5:00 PM
Question:
Does anybody know offhand what percentage of the African-American vote Ehrlich-Steele got in 2002? I’ve been diddling around trying to find it online, but I can’t seem to come up with it.
I ask because I get the feeling it was probably pretty low. But I wouldn’t mind being wrong!
Enrique on October 26, 2006 at 5:04 PM
Steele put the proverbial smack-down on that ass-clown. Love it!
x95b10 on October 26, 2006 at 5:06 PM
RICE/STEELE ‘08 - F YEAH!
tickleddragon on October 26, 2006 at 5:37 PM
An odd peek into the hard left mindset. Cardin honestly believes that Bush hatred is so universal, believes that he can presume upon it so much, that merely by stating that Maryland’s current Lt. Governor works with the President, he expects to derail the man’s campaign.
God help us all if he were correct, because it isn’t about who sits in the Oval Office, nor about your opinion of him. This could be done to anybody by an opposition willing enough, if it were a workable strategy.
As for Steele, he needs to stay as public as possible, a thinking person cannot help but be impressed by his intellect, his demeanor, and his willingness to engage an opponent. Too many Republicans play duck-and-cover, this guy stands up and fights.
Freelancer on October 26, 2006 at 5:51 PM
Enrique, I can’t find the actual results breakdown by race, but this poll taken a couple of weeks before the election, pegs Erlich/Steele at about 11% of the black vote.
Pretty low. But, recent polls for show Steele possibly pulling over 40% of the black vote in the current Senate race.
Seems high to me, but what do I know. In any event, I hope he wins.
BacaDog on October 26, 2006 at 5:54 PM
And he really does like puppies!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Really!
shooter on October 26, 2006 at 5:57 PM
You got picked up over at : bamapachyderm
Way to go naliaka, it really does say it quite well.
shooter on October 26, 2006 at 6:10 PM
It would be very cool to see Steele win given the way he’s been treated by the opposition in this race.
Benaiah on October 26, 2006 at 6:16 PM
Every time I see this guy I like him more.
Steele for prez in ‘08?
starflyer on October 26, 2006 at 6:40 PM
Mad props on that, BacaDog! The reason I was wondering is because Carl Cameron really played up the black vote issue at the end of the clip. It made me wonder if Ehrlich/Steele got a substantial share of the black vote previously.
That poll leads me to believe that they didn’t do better than Republicans typically do. Which makes me think that the black vote will break 90% for Cardin, because, well, that’s the way it always is. Even though Steele came off great in the debates, I’m pretty sure he’s just not going to make significant gains among black voters in November. Which sucks.
Anyway, just wanted to put the cloud on this thread’s silver lining. Sure Steele was great on TV, and knows the issues better, and has superior ideas - but at the end of the day he’s an “R” and in a state like Maryland, that’s too big a drawback to overcome.
I hope I’m wrong, but I think the jubilation is premature.
Enrique on October 26, 2006 at 6:54 PM
C’mon, he’s no Hillary.
Enrique on October 26, 2006 at 6:56 PM
Enrique, This SurveyUSA poll (10/16) has Steele with 25% of the black vote, nearly double what he pulled with Erlich in 2002. Interestingly, Steele’s take of the “independent” voters has increased from a 4 point lead to a 20 point lead in less than 4 weeks.
Hopefully, he’s gaining momentum.
BacaDog on October 26, 2006 at 7:42 PM
Whoo-hoo! Thanks!
:D
naliaka on October 26, 2006 at 8:05 PM
Damn straight, he’s smarter and better looking.
infidel4life on October 26, 2006 at 8:08 PM
All of my family members from Maryland are voting for Steele. My Aunt may be in doubt… she’s getting a call this weekend!!
Oh the joy of the Dems losing their strangle hold on the black vote. Then a border fence to reduce their desired target market… the possibilities are endless!
Theworldisnotenough on October 26, 2006 at 8:22 PM
Makes me wish I still lived in MD… I like Steele.
On another note: Remember libral 101 teaches that tolerance and multiculturalism is only necessary if you’re white. If you’re a minority, then loyalty to your race over all others is required.
Double your standard, double your fun.
BadBrad on October 26, 2006 at 9:15 PM
The Dems and their enablers in the MSM are all agog for Hal Ford and Obama (if Kennedy can’t pronounce his name)…but when the Republicans put TWO black folks in the drivers seat over at the State Department, one’s called a “house n****r” and the other is called a “skeezer” (or was it “skeezah”…it was ebonics poetry, and I don’t speak ebonics).
Mike Steele gets oreos thrown at him. Clarence Thomas sides with the Republican point of view and he’s excoriated as a pervert at his confirmation hearings, and then a Democratic Party (Gore’s campaign chairwoman?) wheeler-dealer wishes that he’s fed high-fat foods so’s he can die of arterial blockage.
If you’re black and Democratic, you’re in…if you’re useful. If you’re Republican and black, you’re not genuinely black.
Go Mike Steele! You piss off all the right people!
Puritan1648 on October 26, 2006 at 9:22 PM
Go Michael Steele! Go! You are the man!
gatewaypundit on October 26, 2006 at 10:34 PM
Thanks for the laugh, Brad!
tikvah on October 26, 2006 at 10:44 PM
Wow, I might vote…
For Steele… as for Elhrich… who knows? It’s the embryos, stupid.
ar_basin on October 26, 2006 at 11:16 PM
**Ehrlich
yet, unimportant…
ar_basin on October 26, 2006 at 11:17 PM
Somehow I think it affects MD as it planned to Circle around the Beltway. Half of which happens to be in the state he is running for.
What I found weird was Cardin’s constant focus on the camera. He refused to look at Steele or the moderator in the eye. I’m no psychologist but I think that says something. Something like “Why I am I here?”. Like Steele said he’s clueless. Not just about the Metro but all things political. GO STEELE! I wish I lived in MD so I can vote for him.
InstantNemesis on October 27, 2006 at 1:53 AM
Cardin sounds like Andrew Sullivan. “I’m not going to answer you! I’m not going to take your questions!”
see-dubya on October 27, 2006 at 2:43 AM
Steele scores again.
Black Adam on October 27, 2006 at 7:39 AM
Yup, I may have to donate to the Steele campaign. If I lived in MD, he’d have my vote. My liberal friends there must be going boinkers over his campaign. :P
itzWicks on October 27, 2006 at 8:57 AM
This Cardin sounds liek a jackasss. I hope Steele wins.
Hilts on October 27, 2006 at 9:08 AM