RNC Head Michael Steele Apologizes for Calling Rush Limbaugh "an Entertainer" During an Appearance of D.L. Hughley’s Show

To the left, to the left…. That’s basically what’s happening in the Republican Party when conservative nutjob Rush Limbaugh is criticized. An apology always comes. So, Rahm Emanuel was absolutely right when he said that Limbaugh is the head of the GOP. I cannot believe that Michael Steele, who recently made some comments about Limbaugh while on the “D. L. Hughley Breaks the News, ” has apologized to the Almighty Rush.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says he has reached out to Rush Limbaugh to tell him he meant no offense when he referred to the popular conservative radio host as an “entertainer” whose show can be “incendiary.” “My intent was not to go after Rush – I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh,” Steele said in a telephone interview. “I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. … There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.” The dust-up comes at a time when top Democrats are trying to make Limbaugh the face of the Republican Party, in part by using ads funded by labor. Americans United for Change sent a fund-raising e-mail Monday that begins: “The Republican Party has turned into the Rush Limbaugh Party.”

Steele told CNN host D.L. Hughley in an interview aired Saturday night: “Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh — his whole thing is entertainment. He has this incendiary — yes, it’s ugly.” Steele, who won a hard-fought chairman’s race on Jan. 30, told Politico he telephoned Limbaugh after his show on Monday afternoon and hoped that they would connect soon. “I went back at that tape and I realized words that I said weren’t what I was thinking,” Steele said. “It was one of those things where I thinking I was saying one thing, and it came out differently. What I was trying to say was a lot of people … want to make Rush the scapegoat, the bogeyman, and he’s not.” “I’m not going to engage these guys and sit back and provide them the popcorn for a fight between me and Rush Limbaugh,” Steele added. “No such thing is going to happen. … I wasn’t trying to slam him or anything.” On Monday’s show, Limbaugh reacted both to the comment and to the assertion on CBS’s “Face the Nation” by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel that the radio host is “the voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party.” Source: Politico

Well, Michael Steele punked out. As a result of his actions, he is now a very diminished leader of the Republican National Committee. First of all, I took offense when he excused Limbaugh as an entertainer. I am no fan of this guy, but since when is it an automatic disqualifier from political life to be an entertainer? Wasn’t Ronald Reagan an actor before he became the governor of California and later served as the President of the USA for eight years? If you can’t choose your words carefully and speak with some semblance of knowledge and diplomacy, then Steele is simply not ready to be in such a leadership role. Also, I am still wondering why every Republican that says something contrary to Rush Limbaugh ends up apologizing? What gives? If Limbaugh is the new voice of the GOP, then they are in way more trouble than they care to admit.

Filed under: Apology, Entertainer, Michael Steele, National Republican Committee, President Ronald Reagan, Rahm Emanuel, Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh

La. Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Rebuttal to President Obama’s Homerun Speech was Choppy and Simply a Disgrace, First Auto Made in Germany, Not the USA

I must admit, when I first heard about Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, I felt that was a refreshing change and a new face. Well, he opened his mouth the rebut President Obama’s speech and he has removed all doubt. If this was the best the GOP could do, then they are in worst shape than I had realized. Bobby Jindal was a hot mess and his speech bordered on incoherent. I loved when he wrangled over the issue of Hurricane Katrina. He was like a deer caught between headlights. A MSNBC host muttered “Oh God” as Jindal walked out. Hah. He should have waited until after the speech to mutter those words. Watch him implode. Judge for yourself.

As for the issue of who invented the first automobile, President Obama incorrectly said the United States. I believe the honors go to Germany, home of Karl Friedrich Benz, who invented the first true, four-wheel, gasoline powered, internal combustion-engine in 1885 or maybe Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler, who accomplished the same feat. The United States of America, by way of Henry Ford, invented mass production of automobiles. So, while he wasn’t totally correct, he wasn’t totally wrong either.

According to Wikipedia, Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (Daimler Motor Company, DMG) in Cannstatt in 1890 and under the brand name, Daimler, sold their first automobile in 1892, which was a horse-drawn stagecoach built by another manufacturer, that they retrofitted with an engine of their design.

Filed under: Bobby Jindal, GOP, Louisiana, President Barack H. Obama, Rebuttal Speech, Republican Party

GOP Chief Michael Steele Promises PR Blitz in ‘Hip-Hop Settings’ and for ‘One-Armed Midgets’

Photo: Smialowski/Getty Images, Michael Steele

I knew it was a matter of time before new GOP party chief Michael Steele put his foot in his mouth. He is now promising an “off the hook” public relations blitz into “urban-suburban hip-hop settings” in hopes of wooing Latinos and African-Americans. Right. I am sure he will succeed in that ridiculous endeavor.

Steele is searching for Americans of all ethnic backgrounds to join his Grand Old Party, and I do mean “old.” “We need to uptick our image with everyone, including one-armed midgets,” he joked. Right. He will succeed when donkeys fly and it will be a cold day in Hell.

Steele told the Washington Times that he aimed to revive the party by breaking out of the South and Southwest and to “reach beyond our comfort” zone to expand in Democratic strongholds like the Northeast and Midwest.

“We missed the mark in the past, which is why we are in the crapper now,” he said. “We had the White House, the Senate and the House and were not building a farm team over the last years. He said he’s planning a massive advertising outreach online, on TV and on the radio that will “surprise everyone.”

“We need messengers to really capture that region – young, Hispanic, black, a cross section ,” he explained. “We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-suburban hip-hop settings.” Source: NY Daily News

This is really too funny. His intentions are good, but brother man, this is the same party whose Senators and congress people overwhelmingly did not support the Stimulus bill in any shape or form. This bill is targeted at helping middle class people in this country. The very same people Michael Steele wants to support the GOP. Didn’t some conservative nutjobs call President Barack Obama out for his so-called association with some members of the Hip-Hop crowd? How quickly they forget. I must end on this note. It is safe to say that most Republicans scoff at the idea of hanging out with the “Hip-Hop” crowd, so I take Mr. Steele’s comments with a grain of salt. This will go now where. He’s in the wrong line of work. He ought to be an actor because that’s all he is doing — acting.

Filed under: Ethnic Background, GOP, hip-hop, Michael Steele, Reinventing GOP, Republican Party

Another Smackdown between President Obama and GOP Looms, the U.S. Census to Move to the White House

Another smack-down between President Barack Obama and the weakened GOP is brewing. A GOP delegation from Utah is calling on the president’s decisions to move the U.S. census into the White House as a purely partisan move and potentially dangerous to congressional redistricting around the country. Funny, the GOP is still living in la-la land. They have forgotten that they are not the majority and that there is a new president in town. Gone are the days when they influenced every aspect of redistricting to their benefit.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, told FOX News on Monday that he finds it hard to believe the Obama administration felt the need to place re-evaluation of the inner workings of the census so high on his to-do list, just three weeks into his presidency. “This is nothing more than a political land grab,” Chaffetz said. Really Rep. Chaffetz? President Obama is looking out for the working class, something President Bush and the GOP still has no concept of.

The U.S. census is conducted every 10 years by the Commerce Department. Its results determine the decennial redrawing of congressional districts. As a matter of impact, the census has tremendous political significance. Political parties are always eager to have a hand in redrawing districts so that they can maximize their own party’s clout while minimizing the opposition, often through gerrymandering. The census also determines the composition of the Electoral College, which chooses the president. If one party were to control the census, it could arguably try to perpetuate its hold on political power.

“I’ve always remembered what Joseph Stalin said: ‘Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.’ The same principle applies to the census. Since one or the other party will always be in power at the time of the census, it is vital that the out-of-power party at least be able to observe the process to make sure it isn’t being stacked in favor of the party in power. This will be difficult for the GOP since I suspect Democrats will control both houses of Congress for the entire Obama first term,” Larry Sabato, the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia said. Source: Fox News

So, we have the framework of another catfight with the vastly diminished Republican Party. Excuse me, but since the economy is in the tank, I scarcely think the Americans are worried about the U.S. census moving to the White House.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Filed under: Census Bureau, Commerce Department, Larry Sabato, Partisan, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Republican Party, U.S. Census

General Colin Powell Unleashes on the GOP, Rush Limbaugh

Retired General Colin Powell has unleashed on the GOP and Rush Limbaugh. I can’t say I blame him, but I have to wonder about his timing. He is usually correct in his analysis and I have to applaud him for going after the Republicans once again. Gen. Powell said that the GOP must stop “shouting at the world” and start listening to minority groups if it is to win elections in the 21st century. Ouch.

In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria for Sunday’s “GPS” program, President Bush’s former secretary of state said his party’s attempt “to use polarization for political advantage” backfired last month.”I think the party has to take a hard look at itself,” Powell said in the interview, which was taped Wednesday. “There is nothing wrong with being conservative. There is nothing wrong with having socially conservative views — I don’t object to that. But if the party wants to have a future in this country, it has to face some realities. In another 20 years, the majority in this country will be the minority.”

Powell, who crossed party lines and endorsed President-elect Barack Obama just weeks before the election, said the GOP must see what is in the “hearts and minds” of African-American, Hispanic and Asian voters “and not just try to influence them by… the principles and dogma.” “I think the party has to stop shouting at the world and at the country,”Powell said.

“I think that the party has to take a hard look at itself, and I’ve talked to a number of leaders in recent weeks and they understand that.” Powell, who says he still considers himself a Republican, said his party should also stop listening to conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. “Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?” Powell asked. “Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?” Source: CNN Political Ticker

I have always felt that Rush Limbaugh feels that he is the moral compass of the right wing. In reality, that’s furthest from the truth. Limbaugh is quick to berate Barack Obama and the Democrats on just about everything, but what has he proposed to do instead? I wish he would run for elected office and really be the voice of the right wing that he feels he is. Rush Limbaugh spews hot air and nothing else. He, along with Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly, have been put on a pedestal and seem to think they speak of the majority of Republicans.

General Powell is absolutely correct in his statements and if the GOP is to rebuild itself and be taken seriously by African Americans, Latinos and Asians, then they need to lose these self-righteous goons. I have crossed party lines, much like Mr. Powell, and have voted for a Republican who, but I cannot bring myself to support a party that literally ignores blacks and Latinos. The reality is that the face of America is changing. Whites, who are a majority in the Republican Party, will be a minority in this country in a few years. So, if they do not change their mindset and be more inclusive, they will be in for a rude awakening. The GOP will be the loser in this scenario. They will have no one to blame but themselves. John McCain ran one of the worst campaigns I have ever seen, but the blame does not lie solely with him. There was a serious breakdown in the GOP and they will be faced with the same problem again in the next election. Unless, of course, Barack Obama fails miserably, which I have serious doubts about. I don’t think he could sink lower than President Bush and his administration.

Filed under: Barack Obama, Bill O'Reilly, Fareed Zakaria, General Colin Powell, John McCain, Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity

Former Obama Ally Tony Rezko Guilty of Corruption

There could not have been a more stark contrast between the historical accomplishment of Barack Obama clinching the Democratic nomination for the general elections and the ultimate fall of former ally Tony Rezko’s conviction. Rezko, a Chicago businessman and wheeler-dealer, saw Obama’s gifts early, even before the Democratic presidential nominee officially entered politics. Rezko now faces years in prison on his conviction on corruption charges. The Republicans are only too happy to smeak Barack Obama with this latest conviction.

For Obama the outlook gets murky. Rezko’s conviction means that he can expect to face dark Republican ads, likely featuring a narrator whose voice conjures up something sinister, that refer to the senator from Illinois’s one-time relationship with the convicted businessman. Expect to see, for instance, ads with Obama South Side Chicago house and that infamous side yard he purchased from Rezko’s wife. Yep, the GOP just put this new site up.

I am sure that many Republicans are foaming at the mouth to get this on the airwaves. It will all be part of an effort to dull Obama’s sheen of novelty and portray him as a regular Cook County Democratic politician, as someone with the dirty laundry that comes with that territory. Though it is my hope and belief that many voters will see past this because the trial did not reveal much more about his relationship with Rezko than we already knew. So, all the Obama supporters, including myself, have to be ready for anything the GOP will throw at him. Let us not get angry and bitter, but let us work hard to get Barack Obama elected to be the first African American President. Just my thoughts, you be the judge…..

Filed under: Antonin Rezko, Barack Obama, Chicago Public School, Republican Party