From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it. — Groucho Marx
Michael Steele, the always entertaining chairman of the RNC who suffers from a monumental case of foot in mouth disease, stole a page, er, title, from Sarah Palin‘s book this week and went, you guessed it— rogue.
As Swopa over at the Lake reports it:
Steele’s confession on Monday that the GOP had no chance of taking back the House of Representatives in 2010 caused consternation among members of his party — and, among other remarks, led to a tempestuous conference call on Wednesday where staffers for Republicans in Congress heard this undoubtedly reassuring message:
Steele’s aides said on the call that their boss had hired an outside public relations firm to handle his book promotions and acknowledged that they have “no control” over booking his interviews or what he says in them.
Thursday, Steele was a guest on the Laura Ingram radio show and stated that he had written the book (which came as a complete surprise to everybody in his party) before he was elected to head the RNC.
I wrote this book before I became chairman. Because of the clock and the calendar, I wound up doing it now.
Except that as TPM documents, that’s pretty well impossible.
Unless Steele is remarkably clairvoyant, it seems as though it could not have been written before he became chairman — it is overwhelmingly a commentary on the political situation in America under President Barack Obama, as of late 2009.
The book is full of references to current events in 2009: The stimulus bill, the health care debate, foreign policy, ACORN, the party switch of Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the Tea Parties and the 9/12 March on Washington, etc.
On page 38, Steele uses a partial quote from Barney Frank, which was spoken on the Ed Schultz show on October 26, 2009…
Oops.
We can only hope that El Groucho isn’t fired or renditioned to Cheney’s bunker.
Welcome to US Melissa!
While I’m glad that both you and nonnie don’t think we are in any imminent danger of losing the deliciously lampoonable Rethuglican chairman, I am concerned that what you describe as a sinus related head cold might in fact be a warning sign of an imminent head explosion, given the accompanying symptom of Steele overload you report.
I hope you have good health care coverage.
And I love your site!
Glad I visited! I have a horrible head cold and my brain could not contain all of the Michael Steele bull sh#t this last week. (My sinuses were occupying the spot where the news would normally fit.)
At any rate, between the three of us, I think I’ve learned what’s knowable about Mr. Steele.
I don’t think they’ll fire him, either. He certainly won’t step down to spend more time with his mom. He’s selling books, and that whole fast-and-loose with the facts thing to make himself look better screams of a narcissism that will have to dragged from the Chair spot kicking and screaming.
Thanks so much!
Melissa
Like $arah, $teele is also busy lining his pockets with money on the lecture circuit, something I gather is unprecedented for a serving party chairman, pissing off his fellow Rethugs. He also indicated last week that he wants to run for the gov of Maryland.
I just hope they don’t dump him before the election. Especially since he’s turned out to be a lousy fun raiser and manager, draining the party’s coffers by 2/3 to win a couple of recent governorships.
today was pick on ol’ mikey day! my buddy melissa did, i did, and you, too! no worries about him getting fired. the rethugs can’t fire him for a couple of reasons– ol’ mikey’s been catering to the unnamed unwashed masses at the rnc, so they won’t vote to get rid of him, and they can’t fire an african-american without further attention being drawn to the lack of diversity on their side of the aisle. ol’ mikey’ll live to screw up another day. 😀
Come onnnnn.
Steele isn’t even a real person – let alone the head of a real political party.
Hell, the Rethuglicans aren’t even real members.
So anything that any of them say is remarkably self serving.
Not party serving.
Good one, Michael!
S
Unless Steele is remarkably clairvoyant, it seems as though it could not have been written before he became chairman — it is overwhelmingly a commentary on the political situation in America under President Barack Obama, as of late 2009.
Just like Sista $arah, Michael can’t seem to keep his lies straight, either.