Steele Tells Maddow: ‘People Understood Me Very Well; They Just Didn’t Like It’

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by Frances Martel | 10:53 pm, January 20th, 2011

» 38 comments

Michael Steele‘s departure from the chairmanship of the RNC may leave him with significantly less power among Republicans, but for the media, it means Steele is now free to speak unencumbered by the burden of his old responsibility. Tonight, this meant Steele was free to speak unencumbered to Rachel Maddow about his struggles within the party, what he thinks of the job he did, and all the other TV shows he would have done had he been allowed to as RNC chair.

“I have been dying to talk to you for so long,” an ecstatic Maddow told Steele, after summarizing the way she perceived his tenure. For the most part, he agreed with her assessment, pointing out that “literally within 30 days of me being on the job there were calls for my resignation,” much of it having to do with the fact that he was a “grassroots guy” and his style of fundraising did not go well with the establishment. He shared an anecdote of spending time campaigning in Harlem, which turned many members of the committee of to him, and later noted that he saw his administration as a successful one despite the RNC’s current debt. He also noted that he delegated much of the responsibility in state campaigns to the state committees, which upset national officials who “wanted to get on the plane, wanted to see their friends.”

Maddow’s strongest line of attack, by far, was on financial terms, where she noted the millions in debt would cripple the RNC through to 2012, but Steele continued to argue that the debt was balanced out by the electoral wins, and that, despite it all, his fundraising was “the most raised by a party out of power in a long time.” If that was true, Maddow responded, “Why did you lose?” Steele noted the politics, and did not argue that he was misunderstood. In fact, he noted, “I think people understood me very well; they just didn’t like it.”

Then talk turned to why Steele wouldn’t go on Maddow’s show while he was chairman, which Steele argued that, despite him being a fan– “I watch the show regularly!”– the party wouldn’t have it, despite him being chair. He also noted, somewhat surprisingly, that he had been hankering to do Real Time with Bill Maher, as well.

The interview continued throughout the hour– below is the first segment, via MSNBC, where they discuss the politics of being chair, why Steele believes he lost, and what shows he would have wanted to visit in the past two years:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Michael Steele, msnbc, Rachel Maddow, Republican, Republican National Committee

Pablo

It was the foot in mouth problem, Mike. And the fundraising/mountain of debt problem. Of course, that wasn’t all your fault. But maybe now you can find some time to have lunch with Dede Scozzafava.
WCinWI

Maybe Michael S. can become friends with Maddow’s fave. Republican gal pal, Megs McCain.
da-wdc

Usually when people lose a job in politics I think, please no don’t let them show up all the time on cable news.. In this case, though, I really do hope Steele gets a permanent gig on cable news. He seems like a decent guy. Don’t know how he can support some of the people in politics that he does, though. And I wonder when the full story comes out about intrigue within the RNC in the past couple years. I seem to recall that nobody wanted that chairman job when he took it.
ROCKSTEADY

da-wdc said:
da-wdc says

I agree with you.I would like to see him on some other channel besides Fox .
Alz

Steele is too liberal…that’s the problem.
WCinWI

ROCKSTEADY said:
I agree with you.I would like to see him on some other channel besides Fox .

If he wants exposure, he’ll go on Fox.
the real john t

WCinWI said:
If he wants exposure, he’ll go on Fox.

OH YES! So a whopping 2million people can see him.
The Count

AH AH AH AH AH !
Davo

Looked to me like Steele was just another who represented the Republican establishment, and therefore needed to go. Now, for the rest of ‘em……………….
BatBoy

da-wdc said:
And I wonder when the full story comes out about intrigue within the RNC in the past couple years.

OK…I’ll say it so that you lefty self proclaimed “intellectuals” can start your Slandering Hate Speak right now . Here is the “full story about the intrigue in the RNC,” served up on a platter just waiting for you.

This is strait out of the RNC “SECRET By-LAW’s”
To be a Conservative you need to be RACIST – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to hate GAYS – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to carry Guns where ever you go – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to want the US Government to fail – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to endorse the Nazi’s – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to want poor people to die from lack of health care – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to be white – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to encourage Minorities to not join the Republican Party – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to want to pollute our environment – 100% of you!

OK you lefties…now you have it…you have the proof you have been waiting for.
GO FOR IT. Let the Slandering begin!
Probably NOT wrong

the real john t said:
OH YES! So a whopping 2million people can see him.

Well that is at least 2X sometimes 4X MSNBC’s viewers
all day and all night, Numbnuts!! Hello!!
You never make much sense with you comments here.
Sometimes are just so much worse than others
mibwilso

BatBoy said:
OK…I’ll say it so that you lefty self proclaimed “intellectuals” can start your Slandering Hate Speak right now . Here is the “full story about the intrigue in the RNC,” served up on a platter just waiting for you.

This is strait out of the RNC “SECRET By-LAW’s”
To be a Conservative you need to be RACIST – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to hate GAYS – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to carry Guns where ever you go – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to want the US Government to fail – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to endorse the Nazi’s – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to want poor people to die from lack of health care – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to be white – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to encourage Minorities to not join the Republican Party – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to want to pollute our environment – 100% of you!

OK you lefties…now you have it…you have the proof you have been waiting for.
GO FOR IT. Let the Slandering begin!

Funny, your satire is only a slightly hyperbolic version of the truth.
The Lantern of Truth

KING/SARAHP. on fashion watch . Fabulous tie , Mr . Steele !
The_Reasonable_Lib

Pablo said:
It was the foot in mouth problem, Mike. And the fundraising/mountain of debt problem. Of course, that wasn’t all your fault. But maybe now you can find some time to have lunch with Dede Scozzafava.

I still don’t see the problem. Yes you had that but you also had a massive win in the house.
Onesweetworld79

Republicans don’t like him because he is black. People were put off because he was in Harlem? I wonder why….
Color Me Badd

I love you Michael Steele, always supported you. Don’t let the racist Republican party get you down. They were against you from day one cause you are black. Stay strong brother.
BatBoy

Onesweetworld79 said:
Republicans don’t like him because he is black. People were put off because he was in Harlem? I wonder why….

Oh, go ahead and say it…here I will do it for you. “Republicans don’t like him because they are RACIST!”

See how easy that is…you don’t have to offer any explanation, no need for facts, just play that big bad Race Card.

The trouble is…it used to be a “Conversation Stopper” for you lefties…but no more.

You’ve been Had!

Too bad your mamma didn’t teach what happened with the “Little Boy who cried Wolf!” When the Wolf did come…no one believed him. Just like the lefty cries of RACISM – No one believes you anymore.
Color Me Badd

BatBoy said:
OK…I’ll say it so that you lefty self proclaimed “intellectuals” can start your Slandering Hate Speak right now . Here is the “full story about the intrigue in the RNC,” served up on a platter just waiting for you.

This is strait out of the RNC “SECRET By-LAW’s”
To be a Conservative you need to be RACIST – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to hate GAYS – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to carry Guns where ever you go – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to want the US Government to fail – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to endorse the Nazi’s – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to want poor people to die from lack of health care – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to be white – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to encourage Minorities to not join the Republican Party – 100% of you!
To be a Conservative you need to want to pollute our environment – 100% of you!

OK you lefties…now you have it…you have the proof you have been waiting for.
GO FOR IT. Let the Slandering begin!

you are trying to be a lil cutie, but that is basically true. Especially the part about minorities not being welcome to join. My girlfriend is a republican and black and she has been asked by other republicans with some power “why are you a republican, right to her face”.
Color Me Badd

BatBoy said:
Oh, go ahead and say it…here I will do it for you. “Republicans don’t like him because they are RACIST!”

See how easy that is…you don’t have to offer any explanation, no need for facts, just play that big bad Race Card.

The trouble is…it used to be a “Conversation Stopper” for you lefties…but no more.

You’ve been Had!

Too bad your mamma didn’t teach what happened with the “Little Boy who cried Wolf!” When the Wolf did come…no one believed him. Just like the lefty cries of RACISM – No one believes you anymore.

Yep, the Republican is a racist party, and that is the major reason why the Republican party wont exist in 20 years, unless they completely change. Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the population and by 2050 whites will be in the minority (thank god). The Republican Party doesn’t want hispanics or any people of color in their party they want old white men, and stepford wives type women like Sarah Palin and Elizabeth Hasslebeck. Bye bye republican party!
Judge Mental

Onesweetworld79 said:
Republicans don’t like him because he is black.

Right. That’s why he was elected chair of the RNC.
Color Me Badd

Judge Mental said:
Right. That’s why he was elected chair of the RNC.

He was elected RNC chair because the Republican leadership is really cynical and short sighted, they thought hey Obama is black, lets get a black dude for chair the RNC, then we will just do end arounds on him the entire time. It might not have helped his cause that Michael Steele is kinda crazy and does some pretty funny stuff. But he was never even given a chance in the first place, especially after Citizens United. Ask Karl Rove and American Crossroads, they didn’t need the RNC and Steele at all.
The Real Royal King

Michael, we enjoyed you immensely, and I don’t think the Republicans know what they lost. Seems unlikely Mr. Priebus will enjoy your success at the ballot box. So, it’s a bittersweet “Adieu to You”. I have to say being the first and last African-American chair of the RNC is noteworthy.
The Real Royal King

Judge Mental said:
Onesweetworld79 said:
Republicans don’t like him because he is black.

Right. That’s why he was elected chair of the RNC.

So, are we going to say that there have been two African-American RNC chairs since Steele is both the first and the last?
cjd ohio 1

Color Me Badd said:
Yep, the Republican is a racist party, and that is the major reason why the Republican party wont exist in 20 years, unless they completely change. Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the population and by 2050 whites will be in the minority (thank god). The Republican Party doesn’t want hispanics or any people of color in their party they want old white men, and stepford wives type women like Sarah Palin and Elizabeth Hasslebeck. Bye bye republican party!

little bit of a bigot aren;t you
Pablo

Color Me Badd said:
They were against you from day one cause you are black.

Right. You can tell by the way they elected him to run the Republican party. On day one. Idiot.
Pablo

The Real Rabid Kook said:
Michael, we enjoyed you immensely, and I don’t think the Republicans know what they lost.

Yeah, a guy who wasn’t raising the money he should have been and who has left the Committee in horrible financial shape. That just doesn’t mesh with fiscal responsibility, Kook.

Major Donors Abandon RNC; Debt Soars

More than 600 major donors abandoned the Republican National Committee in the run-up to the 2010 midterm elections, leaving it $20 million in debt. Individual donors kicked in just $7 million compared to $43 million in 2006, an analysis by The Washington Post found.

RNC, donors, abandon, debtAs a result, the RNC finds itself in the worst financial shape in 35 years while the Democratic National Committee is making great strides in fundraising. The DNC pulled in three times more money from major donors during the midterms in 2010 than they did in 2006 for a total of $38 million, the Post analysis of information from the Center for Responsive Politics found.
ROCKSTEADY

Judge Mental said:
That’s why he was elected chair of the RNC

Its called a “Token”.The african american who merely smiles,stays out of the conversation and says things like “Damn!”,”Shit!
The Real Royal King

Pablo said:
Yeah, a guy who wasn’t raising the money he should have been and who has left the Committee in horrible financial shape. That just doesn’t mesh with fiscal responsibility, Kook.

Major Donors Abandon RNC; Debt Soars

My point exactly. The Republicans have now abandoned the Southern Strategy because the Evangelical Christian base tired of the obstinancy and inefficiency of the party and its Neanderthal stand on such matters as preemptive wars and environmental stewardship. Don’t tell me. I know how amazing it is than Evangelical Christians became more cutting edge than the Republican leadership. Similarly, business interests grew disenchanted with Republican leadership. So, the Republicans had to look elsewhere for Neanderthal, single issue bases. All they could find was the Tea Party. Are Tea Partiers going to contribute to the party? Dream on!

I do understand your point, Pablo, and Steele no doubt was a terrible fund raiser. In fact, he was one of the worst chairmen of either party I’ve seen in a very long time. My point is simply the direction of the party seems to be to narrow admissions even more. Mr. Priebus is one step further to the right, surrendering even more of the middle.
BatBoy

Color Me Badd said:
The Republican Party doesn’t want hispanics

Do me a favor bud…don’t tell my wife…she and her family as been republicans their entire lives.

Oh yes, while they are of Mexican American descent, they consder themselves “Americans” not “Hispanics!”
notsofast

ROCKSTEADY said:
Its called a “Token”.The african american who merely smiles,stays out of the conversation and says things like “Damn!”,”Shit!

Nice comment, racist.

If you are black and lib that’s OK but if you are black and conservative, you are a token.

You said that like the racist you are!
BatBoy

Color Me Badd said:
why are you a republican, right to her face

That is funny, I have been asked the same thing and I am an old White Guy!

You are just trying to make something out of nothing.

The reason your girlfriend is a Republican is because SHE has “CORE VALUES” SHE believes in.
The reason your girlfriend is a Republican is because SHE “DOES NOT NEED” to be TOLD what to believe by anyone.
The reason your girlfriend is a Republican is because SHE probably feels sorry for your sad life and wants to improve it…althought I believe after reading what you write is a useless cause. Just Saying!
notsofast

Steele Tells Maddow: ‘People Understood Me Very Well; They Just Didn’t Like It’

Now, if only Barry will realize that also about his Obamacare.
The Real Royal King

notsofast said:
Steele Tells Maddow: ‘People Understood Me Very Well; They Just Didn’t Like It’

Now, if only Barry will realize that also about his Obamacare.

I don’t know about that, Nutso. Recent polls, no doubt skewed partisan polls conducted by “librul” shill organizations under-sampling Tea Partiers and people at Sarah Palin book signings, show growing popularity as some of the provisions kick in. The employee insurance premium credit for small businesses is wildly popular in the business community. Seniors are happy with the closing of the doughnut hole. Young adults/recent college graduates and their parents are happy with the dependent age extension. Everyone, except the most ardent rightists, seems to like the end of pre-existing conditions. Much has begun changing since the bill’s passage.
greg454

I like Steel, at least he’s not part of the Democratic party plantation. “Yes massa, I’m gonna pay mo’ taxes, massa. You’ll give me healthcare, welfare, and public housing so I can hav 10 babies by 10 different men. Fo sho.” Oh what the hell, I don’t speak ebonics, but you get the drift.
http://libertarians4freedom.blogspot.com/
Pablo

ROCKSTEADY said:
Its called a “Token”.The african american who merely smiles,stays out of the conversation and says things like “Damn!”,”Shit!

And who is in charge of the entire party apparatus. Who gets to fire everyone in the office and replace them. Who sets the tone for and acts as chief spokesman for the party, all while sitting in the corner, staying out of the conversation and saying damn and shit. Sort of like this token, I guess.

What it like being a disgusting bigot, ROCKSTEADY?
Penguin60

ROCKSTEADY said:
Its called a “Token”.The african american who merely smiles,stays out of the conversation and says things like “Damn!”,”Shit!

Color Me Badd said:
I love you Michael Steele, always supported you. Don’t let the racist Republican party get you down. They were against you from day one cause you are black. Stay strong brother.

And they call Santorum racist? These 2 comments have to be the some of the most reprehensible on this site and that’s quite a feat.

I liked Steele for the most part, he made a few gaffs, but for the most part supported him.
TeaPartyPatriot

steele is as clueless as all the other RULING CLASS CLOWNS ! It’s NOT that people did like him, it’s that he’s an incompetent, self-serving buffoon who wastes as much other-people’s money as ANY lunatic-left d-crat socialist.
Gasket

That was a good interview. I love Rachel because she actually lets her guests talk and finish their lines of thought! Quite friendly, respectable conversation.