These days the only person in the news more than President Obama and Rush Limbaugh is Michael Steele. The man does not seem capable of avoiding controversy. In fact, one gets the impression that he is actively courting it.
Steele, (for now) the head of the Republican National Committee, is under fire from the right for comments made about abortion and sexuality in an interview with GQ magazine.
In the interview Steele tells Lisa DePaulo that he is pro-choice and does not believe homosexuality is a choice. There is not any ambiguity in his remarks.
Today the RNC is frantically trying to clarify the chairman’s statements. Steele is now claiming that he is pro-life.
Conservatives Share Outrage Over Comments
USA Today has compiled a list of outraged conservatives, including Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey, the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins and the American Spectator’s Philip Klein.
How Steele’s clarification plays with conservatives remains to be seen.
For someone tasked with being the national leader of a political party, Steele has shown a startling lack of media savvy in the last few weeks. Ironically this was supposed to be one of his assets.
As Chris Cillizza points out in his political blog for The Washington Post, there have been rumors about Steele secretly holding moderate views.
Then, not long after three GOP senators voted for Obama’s stimulus package, Steele hinted that they might be punished for their vote. Apparently the trio is too moderate for today’s Republican Party.
The point of all this is that Mr. Steele should have known better. It is not as if the right has never attacked any hint of moderation before. Not only that, he has been on the receiving end of such attacks.
Democrats Not Using Limbaugh as Scapegoat
The GOP would have people believe that Obama and Democrats are using Rush Limbaugh as a scapegoat. They claim that bashing Limbaugh and keeping his name in the news distracts Americans from the economy.
While that is a convenient excuse, what the GOP really wants people to ignore is the continued squabbling within their own party. Who is the real leader of the GOP? Is there a leader at all? Should they make more of an effort to appeal to moderates? Do they need to return to their conservative principles, whatever those are? Do they need to move past Ronald Reagan?
Meanwhile, Democrats should sit back, relax, grab some popcorn and enjoy the show. Whether or not it is Steele, Limbaugh or someone else, the right has been ridiculously entertaining as of late. The more they try and get it together, the more everything falls apart.
