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Exclusive Interview: Former RNC Chair Michael Steele On Leaning Forward At MSNBC

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Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele‘s tumultuous tenure as head of the national GOP was marked by his tendency toward outspokenness, a tendency that earned him little reward. Since he become a contributor for MSNBC almost a year ago, however, that tendency has become an asset. Although still a strong critic of President Obama, the Chairman isn’t afraid to tell uncomfortable truths about his own party. In the first part of our exclusive interview, Chairman Steele shared what it’s like to be a conservative Leaning Forward.

The job of national party chairman, Republican or Democratic, is normally a very predictable mixture of pushing out talking points, and trying to raise money for the party. Former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele, however, inherited a Republican Party in a historic shambles, having been swept out of office on the tide of the historic election of Barack Obama.

A different approach is what was needed, and that’s what the Republican Party got. Under intense scrutiny, Chairman Steele took heat from right and left alike for his unorthodox style, outreach priorities, and that outspoken streak, but as he’ll tell you, it’s hard to argue with success: Steele’s Republican Party swamped the Democrats in the 2010 midterms.

Shortly after his defeat in the 2011 RNC chair election, Mr. Steele began making guest appearances on cable news shows, and showed surprising chemistry with MSNBC star Rachel Maddow, while holding his own in appearances with that network’s resident firebreather, Ed Schultz. A few months later, Steele became a regular paid contributor to the network, and can now be seen all over the MSNBC schedule.

I reached the Chairman by phone Tuesday, and I have to say, he was extremely patient and generous with his time (we spoke for over an hour, with frequent child-fueled interruptions on my end). I started right in by asking him what it’s like to be the conservative at a (mostly) progressive-leaning network, which MSNBC personalities he has gravitated towards, and whether any of those leanings have rubbed off on him. Here’s the first part of our exclusive interview:


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  • DoNotMindMe

    “Lean Forward” or “Bend Over” for the DNC?

    I believe MSNBC is the latter. 

  • Anonymous

    Tommy sexy voice you have

  • Anonymous

    Why is there no one to tell the “uncomfortable truths” about the democratic party?  

  • Anonymous

     Would someone please explain the point of MSNBC, Because it certainly isn’t trying to compete with FOX NEWS.   Talking about “da blu berry pie” and epic failures to read a teleprompter.

     ”BUT RESIST WE MUCH, WE MUST, AND WE WILL MUCH, ABOUT THAT, BE COMMITTED…”

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/O4N3SKYXWTTLDXHS5M4MPQ2LOM AA

    No doubt, in 2010 he was the most successful RNC Chairman since Haley Barbour. It’s sad that Republicans can’t give him the credit he deserves.

  • Hout Bosques

    I’ll leave that part to you. But what is noticeable to me, not just here but in listening to Tommy’s voice in a number of different settings over the last year or so, is that Tommy seems to have one of those old-timey hard-boiled private shamus Raymond Chandler era voices Studs Terkel used to record a lot of in his oral history of 20th century Chicago, the sort of voices we usually only get to hear these days from watching Abbot & Costello reruns. Someone who it’d have been great fun to listen to Tommy interview: Saul Alinsky – same regionally-accented edgy voice, & an extra hard-boiled attitude on top of it. Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade could wander into the interview, shake somebody up, & it’d be like the guy in the gorilla suit wandering through the basketball players.

  • Hout Bosques

    Oh woe is you, widdew wingew, aww you want is ekwaw tweetment of poow beweaguewed and aggweived Wepubwicans with the “Democrat [sic0 party”. 

    Eat it, winger. Your party is regressive, destructive, difficult, corrupt, destructive, hypocritical, full-on institutional homophobe, bigoted, weirdly fearful of sexysexytime, religiotic, moronic, bad for the economy, irrational on foreign policy,

  • Anonymous

    Damn…you beat me to it.  I came here to suggest that as a better motto for pMSNBC.

  • http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

    Steele has proved he is a Republican that’s actually not crazy!!

  • Hout Bosques

    Hibbiddy bibbiddy do-dah dog, not sure Idda call what Da Chair Man ‘accomplished’ exactly an unconditional success; but he did do what he was directed to: yeoman’s work in trying to provide cover for the Bircher Tea House Putsch, by such clever diversions as: mallarding over to the Marianas & Guam for indepthyish intraviews & photo ops So Far Away From U [SA]. He knows he was USed & abUSed, but hey, that’s part of the package yer young afro-droodgies sign on for with the GOP. All he’s doing at msnbc is exploiting an opportunity as one of the tame house GOPer, & part of the foxiffication of msnbc that helped to render Buchanan expendable (The sands of time did the rest.).

  • Centrist79

    This election cycle might be different for Republicans if Steele were still at the helm. I am not sure why they didn’t retain him after a successful 2010.

  • Anonymous

    DogPee has proven that he is crazy.

  • Anonymous

    Nice try fairy but your party are black racists and guilt ridden white people.  They are ne’re do wells and welfare recipients.  They refuse to work and refuse to pay taxes.  However, they all have one thing in common which is a great hatred of America and consider it an evil place which was founded by evil people.

  • Anonymous

    Steele knows he happened to be in the right place at the right time.2010 would not have been so great for the Right had Obama not disillusioned his base,especially the younger voters who unknowingly believed that change would be immediate and forceful.Obama’s side abhorred the repeated attempts of turning the other cheek he displayed at every slap down the Repugs dealt out,and expected him to stand up to the bully.Obama was clever in keeping his powder dry until the perfect moment during this past Nov/Dec to dig in on the payroll tax extension.A strategist knows the big picture of sacrificing a few battles to win the war.In a greater way he has also painted the Right into America’s view of them being the Party of NO.Which they actually did to themselves.

    Now Obama has the NADS and is peaking with directing the national dialogue against the castigated Party.They have lost the Nation’s mouthpiece and Obama is riding them hard like a rented mule.One reason why the Repugnants have turned to Batshit Crazy with every social issue under the sun.They no longer own the dialogue,and their continual pot stirring to keep the base rabid,is also losing any so-called independents,and more recently will lose a majority of women voters.Relying on old angry white men will not win elections,and without a significant downturn in the economy,I suspect someone’s behind is due for a good paddling this Nov.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/CQYIJTDNUC2Z64WD5QEYHU7C7U Jemma

    Other than the bars,  i know another wonderful place for casual encounters and one nite stand thing  _____casualmingle dot ‘c~o~m_____ there you can always find the like minded people to spend the special night with. worth trying!!!!! 

  • Anonymous

    Obama will have to rely on black racists and guilt ridden white people which is the liberal base.

  • Anonymous

    Yes, yes … we all get it. MSNBC shills for the left, Fox shills for the right. Congratulations on breaking news that everyone has known for years now.

  • Anonymous

    When your Parties tent has shrunk to an umbrella,I suppose I might make some idiotic statement like what you uttered.On second thought,no I wouldn’t.

  • Anonymous

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  • Anonymous

    Got all the Fox News talking points together I see.  “Black racists”.  Guess that means all the white people who vote for white people are “white racists”….and everybody on welfare are Dems.  Except the Red States (that would be Republican States) are the biggest collectors of “welfare checks and food stamps” with the highest rate of unwed pregnancies and highest high school dropout rates including high unemployment.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Neil-Murphy/100000566621491 Neil Murphy

    Translated into truth:Abandoning all pretense at civility he now pays his thugs at state TV to ram upp the racial attacks and class warfare rhetoric,including the domonizing of anything christian in an attempt to discredit anyone who doesnt agree with him.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Neil-Murphy/100000566621491 Neil Murphy

    NO his base is wide, and rabid, and stupid. Most buy his BS but the communist unions hve infinite money to spread around with more tax dollars rolling in every day. But there seem to be fewer and fewer libtards every  day..

    Thank you samuel l jackson.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Neil-Murphy/100000566621491 Neil Murphy

    Got that right, hire white and cut the food stamps.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Neil-Murphy/100000566621491 Neil Murphy

    Fail, totally fake partisan study from the first line “in states where federal spending exceeds revenue”

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Neil-Murphy/100000566621491 Neil Murphy

    “Does “secure our border” mean “keep America white”"by CNN
    I found this article on CNN extra on Dish and had to read it. It seems to be a very snarky  piece with no author about the upcoming Arizona GOP debate. After the catchy headline it goes on to explain to us what the GOP candidates really mean when they talk about the issues in america. It doesn’t answer the question in the headline and I dont really understand what CNN is trying to say. What does CNN think “secure our border means”? Is it a rhetorical question meant to imply that any GOP candidate who wants to secure our border is a racisst? Is it meant to mean that CNN and/or the author don’t like white people? It then goes on to translate other GOP catchphrases.
    According to CNN when a candidate says “job creator” he actually means “rich people” and “the guy bankrolling my super pac” Now I have to agree that most job creators are rich and some donate to super pacs, Does the author mean Newt doesn’t does’nt want to create jobs? Trying to say job creators are bad? Can CNN actually be against job creators? For the record I like job creators, and I also like rich guys who donate to the right superpacs.
    After that is “family values” which is said to translate to be “a reminder to the audience that I dont like gay people.” I don’t understand what CNN means by this either. Are family values bad? As a single man family values are not a political issue to me but I always thought they could mean different things to different people. Are all family values bad? Is CNN implying that all of the GOP candidates are homophobes? “Religious Freedom” is said to mean “christianity”, well thats not what it means to me, but I wish CNN would just come out and say what they mean. Are they against “religious freedom”? Are “christians” bad?
    Lastly the article says that the GOP candidates will talk about “liberal media”. Politifact will give this a “mostly true” rating because I do believe this will be mentioned in Arizona.
    I suggest that everyone watch the debate in Arizona and decide for yourself what the candidates say. You can then decide for yourself what they actually meanI could be much snarkier than this on every line in the article but I really want to give a fair and balanced critique. I will say that when I hear “CNN: your most trusted source for news” it translates to me as “A mutibillion dollar corporation that doesn’t like white people, rich people, or christians.
    Since this was posted in the news section I don’t think its unfair to ask who wrote this, and their union affiliation. I also want to ask CNN directly what they think “secure our border”,”job creator”,”family values” and “religious freedom” actually mean.
    I am a straight white male who hasn’t been to church in thirty years and has never read the bible. Recently I have come to believe there is a god. I don’t know if I am a christian but I know he exists and he loves us. He sent Glenn Beck to show us the truth, but we have to open our eyes. Pray with me now. “Please God let America see through this bullsht before its too late. Take care of Agent Terry and if I die before November don’t let me vote for Barack Obama.”I am actually crying as I type this. CNN, you should be ashamed.
    Romney/West

  • Anonymous

    What???

  • Anonymous

    Steele is a guy who is angry at the GOP – and it shows.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=755594317 Jennifer Gray-Wolford

    Do you talk in code all the time? Or are you trying to impress us with your desire to make up new words. Regardless, hope you are not raising kids. No idea what slop would come out of their mouth.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=755594317 Jennifer Gray-Wolford

    I seriously can’t get why folks still worship this guy. He’s half black—is that why? Call me racist, but no more so that your “angry white men” sterotype. The only people I see voting for O are commies, unions, and folks addicted to welfare. I know a TON of folks who voted for him last time that won’t touch him with a 20 ft. pole this time. He will have to win by crook, which is what he’s good at.

  • Anonymous

    It certainly amazes me that you actually know a ton of folks who voted for Obama, but I bet those same folks would probably not confess to knowing you.Not sure your aware that you can actually get meds for that psychosis you project from that TINY BUBBLE!!!!!

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