Michael Steele: GOP And Tea Party Locked Hand In Hand

It seems that the relationship between the Republican Party and the Tea Party becomes more elusive every day. Some conservatives like Karl Rove and Ross Douthat seem to have trouble fitting the populist wing underneath their Big Tent. However, RNC Chairman Michael Steele sought to settle the score at a Las Vegas rally, saying that the GOP and the Tea Party are “locked hand in hand.”

The GOP leader was in Vegas to support the Tea Party-endorsed Sharron Angle‘s run against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Borrowing from the Rod Blagojevich school of rhetoric, Steele said:

What has captured the nation’s attention is this little thing called the Senate race. And I’m here to tell you, the people of Nevada, a Senate seat is an awful thing to waste. Do not waste it by re-electing Harry Reid. Let’s elect Sharron Angle the next senator from this state.

CNN points out, however, that there’s still bad blood amongst conservatives regarding Angle’s defeat of Republican Party favorite Danny Tarkanian in the primary. Steele wanted to mitigate any such tensions, tell his rallyers:

Please. Can we stop this silly noise about the Tea Party and the GOP fighting eachother? We are locked hand in hand to unseat Harry Reid and elect Sharron Angle.

With four weeks left until midterm elections, the absence of noise — silly or not — seems very unlikely.

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