Redstate

He ran a great campaign, despite his loss in deep-blue Maryland. Besides, if he could run a 50-state strategy for winning half of black voters to the Republicans, we could have HUGE majorities in Congress next time.

There have been rumors floating around about replacing Howard Dean (as DNC chairman) by Barack Obama. Now that would be interesting...black chairmen of BOTH political parties!

Although Ken Mehlman is retiring, I don't blame him for the losses. He was good at "getting out the base", and the GOP base came out again, even this time.

The problem we had in 2006, and many polls which published internals showed this, was that independent voters greatly favored the Democrats this time, probably because of the Iraq war, because most independent voters only read MSM newspapers and watch MSM TV, and are not curious enough to read blogs or listen to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. The GOP majorities in Congress didn't carry out their campaign promises, such as immigration reform, Social Security reform, and making the tax cuts permanent, and independent voters also heard lots of stories about GOP congressmen accepting bribes, choking their girlfriends, and soliciting gay sex. The GOP base stuck with those whose noses were clean, but independent voters had their doubts, because they only heard the MSM spin.

If the GOP base and the Dem base are about equal among actual voters (about 35% apiece), we still need at least half of the independent voters to win elections. This year, we didn't get them, the Dems did.

Next time around, we'll need to target more ads to independent voters, which might be easier if the Dems push a hard-left agenda over the next two years, and if the Iraq war is no longer an issue by 2008.

The bad news: Conservatism is hard to sell. The good news is that it works.

.

He can be their personal trainer. Maybe Ahnold can help out... just no steroids, okay.

Yes, no and frankly irrelevant. He takes the job, he's standing up for the Party - and because of his skin color the Left will go after him hammer and tongs for it. I want smart, skilled and charismatic; and from what I saw of his campaign he's got all three qualities.

Moe

The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.

1. It matters what you mean by that. He is a Catholic and social conservative who is pro-life and against embryonic stem-cell research. He is an advocate of small business and personal responsibility. I haven't seen him talk a lot about fiscal conservatism, small government, etc. He supported affirmative action in his campaign.

2. I do note that most black Republicans are on the conservative side. It takes a lot for someone in a strong Democratic community (with Democratic parents) to choose to change parties and lead. Mr. Steele has done just that.

Social Security Choice - Club For Growth

The bad news: Conservatism is hard to sell. The good news is that it works.

No to Jeb Bush for RNC leader because he's on the same side as President Bush in that Jeb is also pro-amnesty for illegal immigrants throughout the U.S.!

Are people going to want someone (Romney) who has a record of taking bad situations and making them good or do they want (McCain) who is an out of touch publicity lover that will only do what he thinks is good for himself and not the country. Easy choice I think regardless of religon.

Liberal thinking, if followed, will eventually be the demise of America.

'06, not sure if this means Steel would be a poor as head of the RNC, but he ran a very effective campaign, and I suspect that had he run in blue Maryland in any other year and in any other climate than this one, he likely would have pulled the win out. This was the year where the good and bad got smacked for having the R beside their name.

I wouldn't mind seeing him there, I hope he stays in the game, and makes another run at national office, he would be a good voice for the GOP-whether as congress member or RNC chair.

As for Mehlman-I think the man fought hard, and was a great leader-what they don't need to do is replace him with the face of GOP political cronyism.

I think the national party is best to leave states like Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Vermont well enough alone.
--
If you're seeing shades of gray, it's because you're not looking close enough to see the black and white dots.

face on the RNC leadership isn't going to make blacks vote GOP. Winning blacks over means making the case for why they should vote for you.

However having a black face out there advocating for that case to other blacks may mean more than a white guy making the same arguments.

Having Mehlman as head of the RNC didn't win us any gay votes, so let's not assume having Steele will win us any black votes.

Just as every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners saints - Sympathy for the Democrats

"It ain't over till it's over"
Yoggi Berra

than the chairman of the RNC, he has visited up this way enough to indicate he wants to run.

Santorum would be a fun guy to have there, although he is a bit of a lightening rod, but given that we lost the house and senate, a lightening rod may be just what we need.

I don't know that Toomey would take it, but who knows.

not a lightning rod. That's VPOTUS's role.

Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net

I'd actually put Kenneth Blackwell up there ahead of George Allen. I accidentally left him off the list. However, the head of the RNC has to be able to raise a lot of money. George Allen and Rick Santorum have proved that they can both raise a ton of it - without getting it from Abramoff.

Michael Steele would still be my first choice for head of the RNC even though I'd put Blackwell ahead of Steele in VP consideration.

Also agree in your preferences of Steele over Blackwell in this role and Blackwell over Steele in an executive role. However, I would pass over both for VPOTUS without another role first. If either had been elected on Tuesday, great. It breaks my heart that they were not, as they were both outstanding candidates, but they need a more senior role before VPOTUS.

I see the RNC job as being, in order:

1. Organisation
2. Outreach
3. Fundraising.

The reason fundraising is last is that one speech from Bush or Cheney raises more than ten by the RNC Chair. Spending it sensibly is much harder.

Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net

Don't forget about Diana Irey, Tom McClintock, or J.C. Watts as well among many other credible Republican candidates whenever deciding about possible candidates for RNC Chair! Mitt Romney is truly finished as a serious Presidential candidate because of a whole bunch of "Massachusetts problems" from the past, present, and future that will only badly damage him. It would take way too long to explain all of the details of all of Mitt Romney's problems here on Red State, but I will list some examples of problems. Mitt prevented a Mass. Republican gentleman named Charlie Baker both the time and the much needed money to run a very serious and strong campaign for Governor in Mass. this year, and instead, through political favoritism and a late last summer decision last year of Mitt Romney's choice not to run for re-election as Mass. Governor this year-successfully blocking Charlie Baker from truly being able to run this year for Governor. Thanks to Mitt Romney's successful moves against Charlie Baker, a much weaker Mass. Lt. Governor Kerry Murphy Healey had the Republican Governor's race all to herself-she lost badly just last Tuesday. Also, Mitt Romney is this years Republican Governor's Association Chairman, so all of the Republican losses for Governor all over the U.S. this year has Mitt Romney as at least part of the blame including right here in Massachusetts where Kerry Murphy Healey went neglected by Mitt Romney, who chose not to campaign heavily with her during her run for Governor. Mitt Romney often spent much of the last two years campaigning outside of Massachusetts for either his own Presidential run in '08 or campaigning for other Republican candidates for a variety of other political offices while also continuously making fun of Massachusetts politics outside of Massachusetts. Mitt's making fun of Massachusetts politics instead of just working full time as its Governor didn't help at all any of the Republican candidates in Massachusetts for any political office at any political level make any successful political inroads this year-including Kerry Murphy Healey. Mitt Romney also still has a lot of problems related to the Big Dig Project alone that still need to be fully addressed, and also, all possible future problems with the Big Dig Project that do happen during Democrat Deval Patrick's complete duration as Massachusetts Governor, Patrick can always point his finger at the entire Romney administration for the blame-you know, Mitt Romney, who still keeps making fun of Massachusetts politics out of state. Many people will also say that Mitt Romney used Massachusetts only as a "stepping stone" for a run for the Presidency, and this alone has angered many people when talking about Mitt Romney. Finally, Mitt Romney's failure to successfully get the present state legislature to legally vote to agree to create a future '08 state ballot question which would allow the state voters the right to vote either "yes" or "no" on the issue of gay marriage and civil unions only creates further damage on Mitt Romney's possible future political ambitions. All of these things combined have finished off any serious chances for Mitt Romney to ever be elected President in '08 or ever!

No, not anymore.

No, not anymore. This is about a new face.

Of course, we don't want someone who cannot work with Bush, but we need to look ahead, not behind.

"It ain't over till it's over"
Yoggi Berra

who he wants.

The next head of the RNC is more about recruitment and advocating for the party for '08, and in '08 Bush becomes irrelevant-he is out of office and likely won't be running for anything else.

At this point in time it is about putting the best person at the helm of the RNC. We need young, fresh, up and coming-not a relic and committed to conservative principals-and somebody who can make the case for the GOP.

If Cheney were a possible candidate to run as an heir to a politically succesful president, then that would be one thing.

Bush's successes are the sort that won't be understood for many years. In the meantime, we need to decide where we go from here.

On Tuesday, we came to a fork in the road. Staying on the same road is no longer an option. We can either bear right or bear left.

Or, we can be indecisive and crash into the median.

It is time to pass the torch. We need to find some constituency to build the party back up to a majority, and perhaps those who are from poorer backgrounds, but who are trying to advance themselves by starting small businesses, etc. would be a valuable addition.