Michael Steele has made no secret of his closeness to President Bush and the national GOP, I wonder if he endorses allowing the UAE to have a foothold on the ports in Baltimore, even with that nation’s cozy relationship with Islamic extremists? Senator Mikulski is already fighting against it, along with Mayor O’Malley. What does the Steele camp say?
Then again, they’ve lost their official talker.
Yesterday came more turmoil, as the Republican with the best chance of winning a U.S. Senate seat from Maryland in two decades lost his communications director, Leonardo Alcivar, who resigned.
The public signs of disarray have exposed what campaign insiders confirmed yesterday are even deeper internal problems, stemming from a rift between Steele’s longtime loyalists and the professional consultants who trooped to Annapolis to run his first big-league campaign.
Does anybody think Bush will reverse his decision since he is getting no support from the left or the right. He has never been known as a flip flopper now has he? Changing his mind on this would be a sign of weakness. Cheney has advised Bush to stick to his guns.
This blog entry should have titled “Ken Mehlman’s Desperation.”
As it looks increasingly likely that the Dems will make big gains in the midterms–Mehlman’s gotta have this race in MD. Without question, when Mehlman was given the job of RNC head–one of his primary objectives was to get a black GOPer elected somewhere. The election of the empty suit Steele would go a long way toward Mehlman keeping his job even if the Repugs lose the House.
Should the Dems make gains in the midterms and Steele lose–as is very likely–Mehlman would be told to send more time with….well, whoever Mehlman spends his time with.
I don’t see any proof of that. Dem fortunes didn’t look half bad before they came out against wiretapping Al Qaida. Now they’ll be lucky to hold ground, especially with the DNC’s lack of cash.
And Steele isn’t the only “Great Black Hope”. Blackwell (OH) and Swann (PA) have both polled ahead of their respective opponents. And if you guys really do pull an inside straight and force Cheney out of office … hello Vice-President Condi!
PS. How classy of you to use a person’s (alleged) sexual orientation against them politically. I’ll remember that the next time you label Republicans as “gay haters”.
Ummmm, I wasn’t aware Swann and Blackwell were running for Congress. I learn something new everyday.
As for Swann’s chances, don’t let the fact he is running about 12-20% behind Rendell deter your rant. And nevermind that Blackwell is a 50/50 bet to be his party’s nominee.
As to Mehlman’s sexual orientation–I didn’t suggest a thing, SF. You did.
And I suspect a bad GOP midterm result, coupled with Steele’s loss, will have many more GOPers upset with Mehlman’s sexual orientation.
Great example of yellow journalism Ollie…
“Steele on UAE…..then (highlight) endosorsing allowing UAE….”
Of course, nary a word on what steele actually thinks…but that was not really the point…
Classic!
Do you guys as MM take propaganda classes, or does this stuff just come naturally too you.
Smell the fear!
I wonder if Steel endorses Cheney’s hunting accident or Watergate or Teapot Dome?
I wonder if Cardin endorses Harry Reid’s ties to Abramoff, the Desert 1 debacle, Jimmy Carter’s misery index, Andrew Jackson’s bunnions?
Dugger
Funny jade. I thought governorships of the 6th and 7th largest states were “somewhere”. Please forgive me.
And you DID suggest it. How else to read “whoever Mehlman spends time with”? The sarcasm was duly apparent, and your writing shows you to be too plugged into current events to not have heard the rumor mill.
Smell the fear!
Amen. You can smell the flopsweat coming from empty suit Steele. Having a civil war within a campaign that is losing doesn’t bode well for Mikey.
That explains why Steele is in a state of paralysis–he’s failing to weigh in on an issue that is very big in Baltimore—a county he must win if he hopes to have a chance.
For those unfamiliar with MD politics–the facts are very simple. Any candidate for statewide office must win the big three counties: Prince Georges, Montgomery, and Baltimore. No ifs, ands, or buts. The candidate can lose all of the remaining 38 MD counties but if he doesn’t win those 3–that candidate loses.
Right now, Steele has exactly zero chance of winning Montgomery and he has slim to no chance in Prince Georges and Baltimore.
So when a hotbutton issue affecting Baltimore–the UAE contract–comes up and Steele doesn’t even acknowledge it, he is, for all practical purposes, giving up on winning Baltimore.
Whether you like it or not, gay Republicans are ripe for ridicule, SF. They support a party and an agenda that is completely anethma to the fair and equitable treatment of homosexuals. The rumors of Melhman’s sexuality have been floating around for a while, and the public deserves a “straight” answer about his lifestyle.
Personally, I believe every single “closeted” GOP’er should be outed as soon as possible. They don’t deserve the protections that privacy avails them.
Making fun of a potential hypocrite like Melhman doesn’t make someone a defacto bigot, as much as the right would like to believe. What *does* make one a bigot is privately, or publically supporting the systematic dismantling of equal rights for American citizens based solely on sexual orientation.
That’s the GOP platform, not ours.
I should say, that’s *part* of the GOP platform…since they’re seeking to dismantle plenty of others things as well, like the Social Security safety net for aging Americans, as well as the security and economic stability of the country as a whole.
Dismantle Social Security? HA. DO nothing and the National Ponzi Scheme will apart on it’s own.
But just keep saying it.
“There is no crisis!”
” *part* of the GOP platform& since they re seeking to dismantle plenty of others things as well, like the Social Security safety net for aging Americans, as well as the security and economic stability of the country as a whole.”
D*mn. Then, we’re double dipping. If we dismantle the “security and economic stability of the country as a whole”, why are we messing around with the subset of social security. Destroy the economy and that will take care of social security. What were we thinking!! I’ll get word to Mr. Rove. We may, ahem, have to have one of our evil master strategists take a little hunting trip with the Veep.
Dugger,
Light glinting disconcertingly off his glasses, Cheney pushes two shells into his shotgun and turns: “Is it safe? Is it safe?”
There is no crisis that the Enroning of Social Security can help.
Funny jade. I thought governorships of the 6th and 7th largest states were somewhere . Please forgive me.
Forgiveness is my business. What is sad, though, is that as I mentioned Swann wins only if Rendell is found in bed with a dead boy. And even then, it’ll be close.
Blackwell also may not be the GOP nominee. If he survives the primary, he’s still a longshot.
And let’s be clear, SF, it isn’t rumor and I didn’t bring it up. You did.
Like I said. Do nothing.
It will destroy itself. Keep your heads in the sand.
(Said the ant to the grasshopper.)
Bush does not want to fix Soc Sec. He wants to destroy it. Soc Sec is an entitlement, just like military retirement and medicare. Bush and his cronies would love to destroy all govt entitlements. He is doing a good job so far by trying to bankrupt the govt. Then he can tell the American people, there is no money left for entitlements.
Whether you like it or not, gay Republicans are ripe for ridicule, SF.
You have some nerve, cumudgeon. You can ridicule a person’s sexual orientation, if (and, I suppose, only if) you don’t approve of their ideology?
Tell your story walking. You got busted, and so did Jadegold. Let’s be clear (”Mehlman would be told to send more time with& .well, whoever Mehlman spends his time with.”) – you brought it up, and unjustifiably, at that.
“Soc Sec is an entitlement….”
Actually, it’s a joke. And the joke will be on you when your taxes keep getting raised in order to pay for my “entitlement”, and nothing will be left for you.
Interesting observation from GOP Bloggers: this case shows that even Democrats are willing to tolerate reasonable and measured discrimination (i.e. different situations call for different actions) in the interest of national security.
Funny, no?
Ummmm Frank, could you possibly explain the convoluted logic path that led you to the conclusion that:
“this case shows that even Democrats are willing to tolerate reasonable and measured discrimination (i.e. different situations call for different actions) in the interest of national security.”
How is this statement a slur on Mehlman’s sexual orientation?
No. You can ridicule a person if their ideology is self-defeating. Once again Frank, if there is a way to misunderstand and misconstrue a topic, you’re right there flapping your gums ad infinitum.
(I know, I know, I’ll brace myself for the requisite admonitions about civil discourse, blah blah blah…Go on, I’ll wait.)
Arab Americans see bigotry behind ports uproar
Well, Mouse, I realize it is difficult to convey tone of voice in writing, but I think the “with… well,” construction conveys very well the sense that Mehlman might spend with either sex, or that the gender of the people he spends time with is not clear. This suggests to me that, since he either spends time with men or women. he might not be spending time with women (as would be expected). If that’s not the way it seems to you, fine and dandy.
But I don’t find the logic convoluted when added to a previous comment that “the sarcasm was duly apparent, and your writing shows you to be too plugged into current events to not have heard the rumor mill.”
Secondly, yes you can “ridicule a person if their ideology is self-defeating” (assuming, of course, that ridiculing a person is important). However, you don’t get to ridicule people for their sexual preferences because their ideology is self – defeating. I’m pretty sure that if he is gay, and if he chooses to be a Republican, he has what he considers to be good reasons, as a gay choosing to be a Democrat would have.
I might say that it is foolish (ridiculous?) for a gay person to be a Democrat, but that doesn’t mean I get to make fun of him because he’s gay.
See? No remarks about civil discourse — even thought the remark about flapping gums served no useful purpose, now did it?
rainlion: what’s convoluted about the logic? Are (any) Democrats opposed to the UAE takeover? Why? Because there’s a danger there. Why? Because they are Arabs, and may have al Qaeda in their midst, who take advantage of that situation.
Put another way: “America’s busiest ports are vital to our economy and to the international economy, and that is why they remain top terrorist targets,” he said. “Just as we would not outsource military operations or law enforcement duties, we should be very careful before we outsource … homeland security duties.”
Spoken by: Sen. Charles Schumer (D) NY
Let’s look at Curmudgeon’s statement again: “…gay Republicans are ripe for ridicule…” and dissect it for its meaning:
Curmudgeon didn’t say that gays are ripe for ridicule, he said that gay Republicans are ripe for ridicule; this suggests that it is the combination of “gay” and “republican” that is risible. Now let’s think on this a moment and ponder the reasons why the idea of a gay Republican may seem ridiculous to some.
Which political party has been campaigning for the Marriage Amendment banning same-sex marriage?
Which political party has twisted the concept of equal rights for gay, lesbian and transsexual individuals into “special rights”?
To a large extent, of what political stripe are the many politicians who have spoken out against equal rights for gays, lesbians and transsexuals?
To which political party does the current President–and champion of the Marriage Amendment–belong to?
The answer to all these things is: The Republican party.
I’ll grant you that using certain words conveys a certain tone. How you can tell that the tone referred to the sex of people that Mehlman might spend time with is between you and Freud. My interpretation was a straightforward one: I assumed that Mehlman, after being voted out, may not have a lot friends (of any sex) to spend time with.
Good for you, Mouse