He's Steele Kicking It

The TPM crew declares that having survived the holiday weekend, Michael Steele will remain chair of the RNC.

As he's often done during his tenure as chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele last week put the phone to his ear to save his embattled rear. On Friday, Steele arranged a raft of conference calls to explain his remarks that Afghanistan was a war of President Obama's "choosing," and tried to offer members now very used to his gaffe-prone tendencies context for the remarks.

"When the video broke Mike sent out a gargantuan amount of emails to members, to senators. He emailed by the pound," an RNC member told TPM in an interview. Steele even called conservative columnist Bill Kristol who began the drumbeat that the chairman should go in hopes of setting him straight. (Steele's friends complained that Kristol has not introduced himself to the chairman.)

Steele's message boiled down to two key points: it was a clumsy comment; and let's keep our eye on the prize. Steele allies backed that up with their own rounds of calls and emails to remind skeptical members the midterm elections are 120 days away and they must stay focused if they want to win back power in Washington.

"Of the two or three crises we've been through, this one has the least amount of steam to it," another RNC member said this afternoon. "That L.A. nightclub thing seemed to have more oomph on it. We told him that it 'was not your finest hour but we are only 120 days out.'"

I thought for sure he was done, but then again this brings up the Gonzo Rule:  no Republican ever gets fired for incompetence, they can only get bored of being a laughing stock and quit.  Steele hasn't reached that point yet (apparently his capacity for self-delusion is pretty substantial) and he still thinks he's the right man for the job, so he's survived yet again.

On the other hand, more and more Republicans are convinced that Steele is going to cost them some midterm victories.

Some Republican strategists say privately that Steele's troubles have weakened the party in an all-important election year. House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio) recently said he worries that fundraising problems at the RNC could hamper Republicans' efforts to take over the House in November, as major donors express reluctance to contribute to the organization under Steele. One House Republican, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the consequences of Steele's leadership candidly, said the party will do well in November because of the general political climate. But, he added, "we are going to be in a position to lose seats that we could win." 

So, if the Republicans fail to take the House in November, guess who's going to be among the unemployed?

Shame.  I think Michael Steele's great.

For the Democrats.