The obligatory “Steele gets silly with RNC interns” post
posted at 5:57 pm on December 11, 2009 by Allahpundit
I’m giving you this only because anti-Steele sentiment in the comments tends to run almost, but not quite, as hot as anti-Huckabee sentiment and I’m curious to see if that’ll hold true even for something light.
Goofy holiday photos with interns: Fun? Or an undignified breach of decorum?
It’s a good thing Michael Steele left the Maryland political scene in order to tackle our nation’s issues in a serious manner.
A seriously funny one, that is!
Check out these images (unearthed by our old friend Jim Newell) on Maryland photographer Mark Odell’s Web site of Steele cuttin’ up with Republican National Committee “interns.” He’s putting people in headlocks. He’s proposing to them. He’s bribing them with cash and is even doing cheers with a little girl. Oh, the yucks just keep on coming.
33 percent in the sidebar poll at the link say they’re furious, but TPM, which has a gallery of the 17 goofiest shots, seems uncharacteristically charmed, as does the Atlantic. I think it’s cute too, but then it’s not for nothing that I’m the second-most annoying blogger in the right-wing blogosphere. Let’s poll it. Flip through TPM’s gallery and vote.
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That lil girl is racist for turning her back on a black man?
rickyricardo on December 11, 2009 at 5:59 PM
Well, there’s always 2010 :)
AUINSC on December 11, 2009 at 6:00 PM
Congrats! Personally I’d take that as a compliment.
Meric1837 on December 11, 2009 at 6:01 PM
OMG!! Steele!!! ARGHHHH!!!
Really though. It’s nice to goof off sometimes. Good for them.
portlandon on December 11, 2009 at 6:01 PM
I’m 100% cool with it. I also the GW chest bumping grads was awesome (and not disrespectful in anyway).
re: Steele someone whom I respect, Rove maybe? referenced the GOP candidate recruitment as excellent, so I’m ready to 2nd look Steele.
Spirit of 1776 on December 11, 2009 at 6:02 PM
The interns must be scared of Steele because he is black. Any cigars in play?
farright on December 11, 2009 at 6:03 PM
make that, “someone whose political opinion”
Spirit of 1776 on December 11, 2009 at 6:03 PM
Dude, you try to be annoying. You got best blog. Quitcher.
spmat on December 11, 2009 at 6:04 PM
Most of them are just usual poses. The rest of obviously silly, but they’re interns working at a party HQ and meeting the chairman. A little silliness is fine.
amerpundit on December 11, 2009 at 6:04 PM
Steele gets a bad rap. Considering what he’s had to work with since 2008, he’s done a good job fundraising. Which is his job. Not policy.
Allah’s the RINOiest RINO of the RINOers of RINOtown. And considering we agree 90% of the time, I’m pretty RINOey too, except I’m Catholic. And I like Dogs.
Nethicus on December 11, 2009 at 6:05 PM
I guess folks like to be anoyed then AP, I notice HA was #1 overall.
JusDreamin on December 11, 2009 at 6:05 PM
Grrr you mentioned Huckabee and Grrr Steele.
jhffmn on December 11, 2009 at 6:05 PM
All work, no play, …
WashJeff on December 11, 2009 at 6:06 PM
Oh, and clearly those interns are racist. Look how horrified they were of the black man. /
amerpundit on December 11, 2009 at 6:06 PM
I bet all the interns were RINOs.
Weight of Glory on December 11, 2009 at 6:06 PM
Great, let’s act like the left some more.
nazo311 on December 11, 2009 at 6:06 PM
Damn. Just how tall is this guy?
Shambhala on December 11, 2009 at 6:08 PM
Fun, but a little weird in that the girl in the thumbnail appears to be an actual 19-year-old clone of Laura Ingraham…
Blacklake on December 11, 2009 at 6:09 PM
IF Steele were actually doing a job worth a damn, I would say fun, but it comes across as stupid as his attempt to appeal to the “hip” crowd.
TQM38a on December 11, 2009 at 6:10 PM
My problem with Steele is not that he is a lightweight. It is that he is a lightweight in a position which demands something more than a figurehead who responds to difficult questions by saying “I don’t do policy” questions.
Have fun Chairman Steele, with all that is coming out of DC and down our throat, your priorities are well established.
Chairman Steele is the RNC’s Cloward Piven strategy, the system isn’t working and is beyond repair. Destroy the RNC, and we can start anew.
Angry Dumbo on December 11, 2009 at 6:10 PM
I’m cool as long as there was no fisting involved.
txag92 on December 11, 2009 at 6:10 PM
Best one, LMAO.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/gallery/2009/12/best-boss-ever-michael-steele-the-rnc-interns.php?img=12
nickj116 on December 11, 2009 at 6:10 PM
Facepalm. Oh wow. Lol.
nickj116 on December 11, 2009 at 6:11 PM
Liberals are up in arms over this.
Enoxo on December 11, 2009 at 6:11 PM
Hey – if they really hated you, they’d call you the most annoying blogger in the left-wing blogosphere.
calbear on December 11, 2009 at 6:11 PM
Gentlemen, ahem.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/gallery/2009/12/best-boss-ever-michael-steele-the-rnc-interns.php?img=5
nickj116 on December 11, 2009 at 6:12 PM
The poll needs a “Meh” selection.
Patrick S on December 11, 2009 at 6:12 PM
And grats AP and Ed on best blog. You guys deserve it.
spmat on December 11, 2009 at 6:13 PM
Not voting in the poll. If Steele wasn’t “ill befitting his position,” the shots wouldn’t bug me.
But the guy is a flyweight in a heavyweight’s job, so whatever he does short of cleaning out his desk and vanishing doesn’t work for me.
Did think of a few good captions, but not knowing how ready the ban-hammer is today, I ain’t sayin’.
MrScribbler on December 11, 2009 at 6:14 PM
I like Steele. I would not like that job. The MSM-promoted reputation for country club conservatism is hard to overcome and I think he can do it. These photos show that these folks do not take themselves too seriously and that is a relief…..
chaswv on December 11, 2009 at 6:14 PM
Meh.
TheUnrepentantGeek on December 11, 2009 at 6:15 PM
” I’m the second-most annoying blogger in the right-wing blogosphere.”
That poll is bull! There isn’t a McCain around that’s half as annoying as Allapundit! And when I say annoying, I mean, Annoyingly Awesome!!
fitzsweetpea on December 11, 2009 at 6:15 PM
Lighten up. They’re fun, lighthearted pictures not a new Penthouse spread.
powerpro on December 11, 2009 at 6:16 PM
Harmless and fun!
However,the Lefty’s are going to have a field day photo-
shopping these!!
canopfor on December 11, 2009 at 6:17 PM
Don’t have a problem at all with the pics. He gave each of them a sort of fun pic for their own albums. Harmless, and probably good for morale.
But if this were a large corporation, with all the PC types in HR and elsewhere in the company today, his goofing around, especially with the women, would’ve caused all kinds of trouble.
Now, if Steele would only go Palin on the Dems and RINOs…
TXUS on December 11, 2009 at 6:19 PM
Hey, look over there, the libs are voting the nation into financial ruin! Oh, Steele is doing a Tiger Beat photo op with interns? Never mind….
Don’t give what’s left of your money to the RNC folks. Money, meet deep dark hole.
Fletch54 on December 11, 2009 at 6:19 PM
Blowin’ off some steam. It has to be done once in a while.
pugwriter on December 11, 2009 at 6:21 PM
Congrats on the #1 overall! And the second place as well!
infidel on December 11, 2009 at 6:22 PM
Lighten up Nancy. It’s motherf*cking Christmas.
Apologetic California on December 11, 2009 at 6:23 PM
Obviously it’s just fun, but if there were a poll option for “Doesn’t he have something better to do?” I’d vote for that one.
Ronnie on December 11, 2009 at 6:23 PM
Don’t bring Christmas into this. You’ll get AP all upset.
Fletch54 on December 11, 2009 at 6:25 PM
At least they’re not Socialists so there is still time to save them.
thomasaur on December 11, 2009 at 6:26 PM
I’m cool as long as there was no fisting involved.
txag92 on December 11, 2009 at 6:10 PM
LOL !! You made me snort my Diet Mt. Dew!!
These pics are fun, and pretty innocuous. Lighten up..
catlady on December 11, 2009 at 6:27 PM
That’s what struck me. Is he 7 feet tall or are all the interns midgets?
Guardian on December 11, 2009 at 6:31 PM
Not worth getting in a twist over, not for me at least.
Bishop on December 11, 2009 at 6:32 PM
Conservatives tend to have a better sense of humor than liberals. I think the pictures are fun.
Rose on December 11, 2009 at 6:32 PM
Nor texting.
TXUS on December 11, 2009 at 6:32 PM
Heh.
Weight of Glory on December 11, 2009 at 6:32 PM
The one thing that ticks me off about Steele is not only is he trying to embrace the ignorant hip-hop culture, but he does it so badly.
mizflame98 on December 11, 2009 at 6:33 PM
Somehow, someway, this means Republican interns are racists!
Speedwagon82 on December 11, 2009 at 6:36 PM
Love the pictures.
El_Terrible on December 11, 2009 at 6:36 PM
If Steele was doing his job, it would be all good. But with obama and the leftists field dressing America at lightning speed, it’s all bad.
tigerlily on December 11, 2009 at 6:36 PM
At least Steele can be around interns without trying to nail them.
Oh, and Merry Christmas, Allah!
HornetSting on December 11, 2009 at 6:36 PM
Anyone who has a problem with a boss taking goofy pics with his interns needs to go see the proctologist and get the stick surgically removed.
LincolntheHun on December 11, 2009 at 6:37 PM
LMAO. Agreed!
HornetSting on December 11, 2009 at 6:38 PM
The Best Blog Overall
Can we say “we knew you when”…?
Seriously, Congratulations to all!
Seven Percent Solution on December 11, 2009 at 6:38 PM
And let’s not forget to give a shout out to Michelle, who got high props for her own site as well.
And, oh yeah, and you, too, Allah for your #2… heh, heh, heh.
TXUS on December 11, 2009 at 6:40 PM
Weird. Meant to click “Fun” after viewing the gallery, and did a whoops and polled as “undignified breach.” Looks like he’s well on his way to a thumbs up with these photos, nonetheless.
DrStock on December 11, 2009 at 6:42 PM
Welcome to Camp Gitmo Chicago style.
txag92 on December 11, 2009 at 6:46 PM
As long as he’s not f***ing any of them, I don’t care.
Darth Executor on December 11, 2009 at 6:46 PM
Give me a break.
Having served an internship in DC, I can say without a doubt that if these interns did their time, for free, at the RNC, and at the end of it got to take some goofy pictures as a memento of the time they spent running all over the city, doing mindless data entry, and being treated like garbage, it’s the least they’ve earned. It’s also likely the first time they got any “face time” with Steele.
Let the kids have ten minutes of the Chairman’s time, for Pete’s sake.
wv619 on December 11, 2009 at 6:46 PM
I don’t care what he does in his spare time if he does his job properly, which does not include spending Republican donations to support candidates like New Yawk Dede.
a capella on December 11, 2009 at 6:47 PM
There wasn’t a button for ‘trying too hard’ so I clicked ‘fun’.
chicagojedi on December 11, 2009 at 6:54 PM
Too bored with this to finish a
gekkobear on December 11, 2009 at 6:55 PM
Michael Steele is little more than a pacifier for the lefty’s who claim us righty’s are all racists and/or that we all side with racists and/or we all put racists up on high to represent us. Otherwise, he’s about as useful as a teets on a bull. But, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and he’s entitled to have some fun and let off some steam as are the folks that are stuck with Michael Steele as their mentor. Right place at the wrong time I suppose.
You’d still have been second most annoying blogger if they’d placed you in the left-of-center category. Right behind Charles Johnson. It was a catch-22. So, be happy they put you in the right-of-center category at least.
SilverStar830 on December 11, 2009 at 7:00 PM
There should be choice in the poll somewhere in between the options you have given:
( ) Who the freak even cares.
warden on December 11, 2009 at 7:08 PM
Slow news day.
n0doz on December 11, 2009 at 7:11 PM
Fun.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
rbj on December 11, 2009 at 7:13 PM
very slow news day but it tells me alot about Steele that he would do this.
You know what its good too.
This was about the interns not Mr Steele.
Do you think Obama would ever do this?
By the Way Allah, Ed, Michelle and everyone Merry Christmas.
Gracelynn on December 11, 2009 at 7:18 PM
I don’t think it was a breach of position. It’s just that given his history of trying to be “hip”, I think it makes him look foolish. Dubya could get away with it because he wasn’t trying so hard the rest of the time.
MadisonConservative on December 11, 2009 at 7:18 PM
This is “BREAKING NEWS” on CNN. I’m not kidding.
SouthernGent on December 11, 2009 at 7:19 PM
Maybe there’s hope for the Republican Party afterall.
therightwinger on December 11, 2009 at 7:21 PM
This is fine.
I’m not a Steele fan any more, and I can’t find anything bad about this.
Having some fun is a whole universe away from calling your own party redneck racist trash.
So I’ll take this, sure.
12thMonkey on December 11, 2009 at 7:21 PM
I like how of all the pictures the one with the Asian guy is, well, rather normal. Michael Steele knows Asian people aren’t funny so just take the damn picture and get that hottie over here stat.
Heftyjo on December 11, 2009 at 7:21 PM
I believe it’s fun; however, I’m certain Al Sharpton has a problem with Steele posing with only white women.
madmonkphotog on December 11, 2009 at 7:23 PM
Yes, I loved Free Republic until I got booted off for not licking the loafers of Alan Keyes.
lol. go figure.
mylegsareswollen on December 11, 2009 at 7:25 PM
They’re laughing because they’re having fun, like Republicans, and not laughing like Democrats–not laughing because they saw an old lady get knocked over by a bike messenger–so obviously they’re genuine Republicans.
RBMN on December 11, 2009 at 7:30 PM
Seems like good fun. Being a good conservative does not mean being humorless, in fact given that conservatives can actually see the world as it is, we need to be able to laugh more, lest we cry.
Also as a conservative: we need hotter interns.
holdfast on December 11, 2009 at 7:35 PM
rather pleasant if you ask me.
rob verdi on December 11, 2009 at 7:39 PM
Silly and pointless, pretty much like everything else Steele does…
echosyst on December 11, 2009 at 7:45 PM
Good lord, since when are politicians not supposed to be human? He’s not allowed to have some fun with his staff?
And just because I think he’s a RINO, doesn’t mean I think he’s a bad man. He seems to be a decent, nice person, unlike many in politics.
Common Sense on December 11, 2009 at 7:49 PM
Thumbs up for the boss. The interns in DC do a ton of work w/o pay for the experience and for the gratitude. Good for him for giving them some fun.
Chuckles3 on December 11, 2009 at 8:01 PM
I agree. The country is burning and what do we get from this idiot?
rrpjr on December 11, 2009 at 8:10 PM
+1
Mr. Arrogant on December 11, 2009 at 8:17 PM
I’m scarcely Steele’s biggest fan. In fact, I’m one of those who would happily see him replaced by a real Republican.
But sheesh, people! This is the most decent side of him I’ve seen to date. He’s giving those kids something they will probably treasure for a lifetime! I’d prefer not to know that the kids are all RINO’s, so don’t tell me that part.
It’s not a bad thing, regardless of where you stand, in this TrogloCon’s opinion. Being nice to the children is never a bad thing.
jefferson101 on December 11, 2009 at 8:28 PM
I went with fun, and that I’ve got no problem with. In fact, looking at the pictures there, I can hardly see how this is an issue with anyone at all.
Now, if you wanted to bring up the fact that the man usually comes off as absolutely spineless, on the other hand…
Heresy of Cain on December 11, 2009 at 8:59 PM
I’m in the tiny minority (11%) of people who thought this was undignified. When I saw the headline I immediatelty thought Steele had propositioned/slept with/impregnated his interns so his clownish behaviour here actually comes as something of a relief.
aengus on December 11, 2009 at 9:21 PM
There should have been a third category: Stupid and childish…
~Rolls eyes…~
jerrytbg on December 11, 2009 at 9:31 PM
Oh dear. The man is a human being with a sense of humor and the capacity for irreverence.
What will we ever do?
Someone send TPM a carton of toilet paper. They have stinky brown poo poo all over their faces.
pabarge on December 12, 2009 at 12:01 AM
AP,
You got it wrong. You are not most annoying. You are frank (not the Barney kind) and you sometimes poke fingers in our eyes. You do a great job.
PS: Please get a better pic of Gov. Palin.
antisocial on December 12, 2009 at 12:35 AM
Those aren’t interns – they’re models that the GOP used for all their shots on their website to represent Americans.
Dave Rywall on December 12, 2009 at 8:21 AM
Not a Steele fan in general, but this bothers me not at all. Made me chuckle.
Sugar Land on December 12, 2009 at 9:00 AM
Big Freaking Deal – Steele has harmless fun with the interns and gives them a fun PG photo op.
It’s Christmas time and some people need to lighten up.
rockbend on December 12, 2009 at 10:42 AM
This too:
Sarah Palin’s WaPo Op-Ed On Climate Change 3rd Most Read Of The Year
http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2009/12/12/sarah-palin%E2%80%99s-wapo-op-ed-on-climate-change-3rd-most-read-of-the-year/
gary4205 on December 12, 2009 at 2:36 PM
I voted “fun.” However, is it my imagination, or is there a subtle but distinct tenor in the kind of emotional climate, if you well, between him with the males and the females? Could be my imagination though. Curious if anyone else thought so.
voxpopuli on December 12, 2009 at 4:10 PM
Possibly this.
voxpopuli on December 12, 2009 at 4:12 PM
ALTHOUGH IN FAIRNESS this seems to be just for the benefit of the interns themselves. I’m curious how it got out into the wild (TPM says “magic of the internet.”)
Cheesy for RNC to use as propoganda; but also cheesy if left wing bascially dug up fun personal pics that RNC did not circulate.
voxpopuli on December 12, 2009 at 4:13 PM
Ah, you are only the second most annoying rightie blogger? You aren’t trying hard enough!
Neo on December 12, 2009 at 4:42 PM
Steele has improved in the job IMHO.
1) Well he had to!
2) He has at least done no harm.
3) He is understanding and moving with the country to the right. A little slower than I like but he is the professional. The last couple of appearances have been gold. Totally dissed the lefty interviewers. Sure it’s showboating but that’s some of what it takes to get the brand out there.
4) He is raising money and not dumping it on Scozzafava like RSC.
Steele is not going to totally live up to everybody’s expectations. Explain to me: Just what is the chairman of RNC supposed to do? Give with some definitions then we’ll talk.
Caststeel on December 12, 2009 at 5:15 PM
Second place is first loser. Work harder and you can win next year. Congrats at least for the runner up, lets you know you are at least doing something right.
LevStrauss on December 12, 2009 at 6:13 PM
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