Breaking: Ken Mehlman to step down as RNC Chair
posted at 9:32 pm on November 9, 2006 by Ian
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YESTERDAY: Michael Steele as RNC chair?
Update (Allahpundit): Steele’s not going to be RNC chairman. They’ve got bigger things in mind for him. Things like Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, baby:
One name that has come up as a possible replacement [for Mehlman] is outgoing Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who just lost a US Senate race. One of the sources, though, said a more likely scenario is for Steele to join the Bush administration in another capacity after the first of the year when a few members of the Bush Cabinet and other senior officials are expected to leave.
I hope it’s true, mainly because the flurry of posts from my colleagues if it happened would be such that I could probably take a week off.
Update (Ian): Tony Blankley predicts Steele to succeed Mehlman, as does Nina Easton.
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Not too surprised
Defector01 on November 9, 2006 at 9:33 PM
Go Steele!
vcferlita on November 9, 2006 at 9:35 PM
Nice guy, but he wasn’t outspoken enough. Bring on the man of Steele.
n2sooners on November 9, 2006 at 9:38 PM
Hurray! He did a terrible job and should be out (-ed?)!
$10 million to Lieberman? Nothing to a slew of good GOP incumbents?
Losers backed in the GOP primaries?
Never thought I’d say this, but I think that maybe former genius Rove should take early retirement, too.
Jen the Neocon on November 9, 2006 at 9:39 PM
With some more thought since yesterday, this could be a great move.
.
For now, for next year, and in ‘08. (plus, perfect name for headlines, POSITIVE headlines.
shooter on November 9, 2006 at 9:41 PM
zzzzzzzzzz….nice enough guy…..wrong guy for the job. Id rather Newt take it.
Limerick on November 9, 2006 at 9:43 PM
BTW….love the still shot…….”Ken Mehlman bribed the star witness into testifying”…..nice…nice that will be on DU shortly.
Limerick on November 9, 2006 at 9:45 PM
Oh please Steele, don’t join the administration in some lower level cabinet post … you would do both yourself and Republicans a much bigger service as RNC chair.
thirteen28 on November 9, 2006 at 9:48 PM
If the RNC knows what good for it, this regrouping process will include returning to the values of the conservative base.
infidel4life on November 9, 2006 at 9:51 PM
Yeah thirteen28…that would be a waste. Give him some foreign policy experience, don’t stick him with grain supply allocations.
Limerick on November 9, 2006 at 9:58 PM
Ouch!
Valiant on November 9, 2006 at 10:04 PM
Too bad the “R”NC is still taking its cues from those that are advocating just the opposite.
steveegg on November 9, 2006 at 10:09 PM
How about Tiki Barber for a cabinet position? I’m totally not kidding. He’s great on Fox/Friends…although I’m like totally assuming he’s at least a Republican if not a conservative.
SouthernGent on November 9, 2006 at 10:12 PM
The liberals calls him and Ronde “uncle toms” from what I’ve read online. I love Ronde (but I live in Tampa) and I’d vote for a Barber/Barber 08 ticket in a heartbeat LOL. Tiki and Ronde seem to happy and nice to be democrats, to be honest. But he says he is not political, I’ll take him on that.
Either way, they are both great guys. They write kid’s books and work for their respective communities. I wish they could’ve just played on the same team at some point.
lorien1973 on November 9, 2006 at 10:22 PM
…wanna know what surprise me here? That the RNC actually *had* a chairman!
I’m dumbfounded! Was he locked in Nancy Pelosi’s basement? Where was he during *THE ENTIRE FREAKING ELECTION SEASON*????
…leadership…leadership…when will they learn leadership?
Puritan1648 on November 9, 2006 at 10:38 PM
Maybe Steele could slide into a Presidential ticket as VP?
darwin on November 9, 2006 at 10:49 PM
I agree with Puritan.
Its the leadership, stupid.
lgodfrey88 on November 9, 2006 at 10:54 PM
Have Cheney resign for “health reasons”, and make Steel VP!
He’ll be a shoe-in for 2008, and we can rub it in Cardin’s face.
Enoxo on November 9, 2006 at 11:06 PM
…wanna know what surprise me here? That the RNC actually *had* a chairman!
Possibly when they learn to actually get values that they stick with.
I didn’t see the leadership during the election season, either, but did get deluged with stupid e-mailings from his site that were not at all inspirational nor motivating me to do more than hit “Delete”.
And when they bring on Steele to possibly head the RNC – at least long enough to get them back on track. Then they could learn leadership.
Save Gingrich for the primaries. He is so far the only Rep. that would seem to have both the knowledge, experience, and fighting spirit to win.
Of course, possibly having a running mate on the lines of Steele wouldn’t hurt either.
As for this election, they were divided – and they were conquered as a result.
Of course, the scandals didn’t help, either!
Emmett J. on November 10, 2006 at 12:08 AM
Screw the scandals, Emmett–a lot of people had a point about wanting us to fight the war better and harder and doing something real about immigration and borders. Stupidly, they thought the Dems might do better than the Rs and they had a point!
I voted straight GOP, but these folks had a point.
We had a majority in both houses and didn’t use it to get critical stuff done.
The American voters called us on it and they were right.
Hopefully, we’ll learn our lesson.
Jen the Neocon on November 10, 2006 at 12:13 AM
I’m not sure Michael Steele will have that tenacious, killer instinct.
He would be great in elected position as an executive. I hope he runs for governor of Maryland in 4 years.
We need a Rahm Emanuel type – someone who can recruit great candidates and do whatever it takes to help them win.
Thomas Galvin on November 10, 2006 at 12:18 AM
I have a better idea. Cheney retires and BOOM, Vice President Steele!
- The Cat
MirCat on November 10, 2006 at 12:37 AM
Hopefully so, indeed.
Keep in mind, though, that some of the Demmies elected are closer to moderates (like the party used to be) than they are to the nutroots wing of the party. There is hope!
Don’t underestimate him – sometimes it’s the quiet ones who you have to worry about.
He’ll do just fine if given a broader audience and another chance.
Emmett J. on November 10, 2006 at 12:55 AM
I’m sorry but that guy gave me the creeps. Some people weren’t meant to be on TV.
Steele would roll!
Drtuddle on November 10, 2006 at 1:18 AM
Steele of course. And Malkin on his crew!
I think we take Michelle for granted. Her insight into the racism on the left had me saying “AMEN” sister!
Steele and Malkin working together would be the Democrat’s worst nightmare.
Agrippa2k on November 10, 2006 at 5:28 AM
Taking a cabinet position is the kiss of death. A career ender!
We need the Man of Steele at the RNC!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on November 10, 2006 at 8:55 AM
Well if Michael Brown could be head of FEMA, why not?
;^)
honora on November 10, 2006 at 10:37 AM
Please don’t use Cheney and BOOM in the same sentence. My nerves….
honora on November 10, 2006 at 10:38 AM
Politically, the DEMs played this one perfectly.
1. Mehlman wasn’t a nice guy. He was nice-spoken. He was the hatchet-man, water carrier for Bush who suffocated all anti-amnesty candidates. Because Bush failed, Mehlman would be expected to resign.
2. Therefore, the DEMs send out their water-carrier to out Mehlman before he resigns,
3. Now Mehlman’s resignation will be played in the media as proof that the GOP is bigoted against gays.
the DEMs get a free swipe at the GOP because the GOP was too stupid to move. That stupidity is what killed this election. You could say that Mehlman was publically unassuming, privately ruthless, and too dumb to know this was coming, unless he was mad at the GOP too. His being outed before resigning could be a good revenge. Who will ever know in the Machiavellian town of D.C.
entagor on November 10, 2006 at 11:16 AM
a footnote, Mehlman had already been outed in a low key way. The DEMs never played that song during the election because they would then have been called bigoted.
Timing is everything
entagor on November 10, 2006 at 11:23 AM
Don’t look now, but Cheney and Rumsfeld, to cite just 2 examples, were both in Cabinet positions.
Excuse me, but Mehlman was outed by Bill Maher on Larry King, for God’s sake!
I knew it months ago and was glad to hear the guy connected up with someone, sometime.
As with Mary Cheney and Mark Foley, so with Ken Mehlman; the Dems forced these unfortunate homosexuals to come out whether they wanted to or not!
How cruel is that!
Maybe they figure their sex lives and their private lifestyle choices are nobody’s business–Hello! Not every homosexual wants to be out!
Mehlman wasn’t fired because he was gay and came out; he was fired because he did a crappy job as head of the party! Hello again: We lost both houses and Mehlman was part of the problem!
Jen the Neocon on November 10, 2006 at 12:42 PM
Ken Mehlman,
Thanks so much for helping Bush sell this country out to the scum of the Earth. I hope you never serve this country again. Good riddance; and please, just fade away and take a few more with you.
Cary on November 10, 2006 at 12:45 PM
Somehow I missed this. Ken Mehlman is gay? Wow.
Must…rethink…entire…support…for…Republican…conservatives….
Or not. Just to head-off any clueless trolls, the above was heavy sarcasm.
The Democrats are pathetic. They really don’t understand that all of us would vote for Liberace (were he alive) as long as he stood for Reagan conservatism.
Anton on November 10, 2006 at 2:58 PM
The CNN Goons are coming to take us away:
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/11/cnn-tells-youtube-to-pull-down-video.html
Seems that Maher is an un-person now.
pedestrian on November 10, 2006 at 3:01 PM
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