Crossposted from The People's View.
A lot of Republicans, these days, are either calling for, or getting close to calling for Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to resign. As a Democrat, I think he is doing a superb job. For us. So here is my plea to my Republican friends: please please please don't fire Michael Steel! After all, what other Republican can give the Democrats a list to publicize like this?
(Screenshot from MSNBC)
Oh and that last part for Hawaii Winter Meeting? It doesn't even include air-fare.
Private jet service? Hey, leave the man alone! Michael Steele apparently likes to travel in style. See, the Republican party and its chairman are such good fiscal conservatives that
The RNC had more than $22 million on hand when Steele arrived last year, but is down to under $10 million now despite raising $96 million during that time, records show. The Daily Caller website, which first noted the new FEC filings, also reported that Steele had suggested that the RNC should purchase a private jet for his travels after he first took over the job in January 2009.
Of course, we could compare that with the mini Republican bru-ha-ha over the House Sargent at Arms asking for a plane for security purposes for the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (a plane that didn't have to have a stopover on its way from DC to her home district in California), right behind the Vice President in the line of succession. Apparently, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee needs better accommodations than the Speaker of the House even on the account of her security. We could compare it. But I won't. I do hope, though, that the RNC does not stop at providing the Chairman with a mere private jet. I hope they put it on their dime to assign him a big bad security detail. Hey, I hear the Minutemen are disbanding. Maybe the RNC could hire some of them?
All this doesn't even account for the latest drama of a lesbian bondage-themed strip club expenses being billed to and reimbursed by the Republican National Committee. The RNC is running around telling us that Chairman Steele wasn't in the club, and didn't know anything about it. In other words, Michael Steele, bless his audacity, is telling us that he and his staff at the RNC aren't at fault for spending the money, but they are so incompetent, they reimbursed the expense.
And that's what gives me hope. That the Republican party, time after time, continues hiring inept leaders and incompetent people to run their party. I hope that trend continues. Firing Michael Steele right now from the head of the Republican party would be a great loss. For the Democratic party. I can't think of a better weapon for Democrats that acts as a two-fer - (1) showing GOP's real state of fiscal discipline, and (2) having Republican donors' moneys wasted on strip clubs and private jets so it couldn't go to defeat Democrats in November. So as a Democrat, I say keep that guy around! Michael Steele may well be the best thing that happened to Democrats since George W. Bush! I think Michael Steele is doing a superb job for us Democrats!
Self-plug: You can read this and other thoughts of mine on my blog, The People's View. You can also follow me on Twitter @thepeoplesview.