(h/t Heather) David Gregory asked Michael Steele for an example of the GOP being as inclusive a party as the Democrats since Kaine is pro-life. Steele uses Christie Todd Whitman as his example to show America how "Big Tent" they really are.
Gregory: Is the Republican Party open to pro-abortion right candidates in the way that Gov. Kaine has survived in the Democratic Party?
Steele: We've had wonderful pro-choice candidates. Gov. Christie Todd Whitman for example was a very successful republican Governor...
She was so happy with the GOP that she quit the Republicans in 2003 after she was picked to lead the EPA in 2001 by Bush and then refused to do their bidding.
Wikipedia: Whitman was appointed by President George W. Bush as Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, taking office on January 31, 2001.
She refused to go along with Bush and Cheney over their pollution quest and resigned from the EPA:
On June 27, 2003, after having several public conflicts with the Bush administration, Whitman resigned from her position to spend more time with her family.[31][32]
In a 2007 interview, Whitman stated that Vice President Dick Cheney's insistence on easing air pollution controls, not the personal reasons she cited at the time, led to her resignation.[33] At the time, he pushed the EPA to institute a new rule allowing large polluting plants to make major alterations without installing costly new pollution controls.[33] Refusing to sign off on the new rule, Whitman announced her resignation.[33] Whitman decided that President Bush should have an EPA administrator willing to defend the new rule in court, which she could not bring herself to do.[33] Federal judges later overturned the new rule, saying it violated the Clean Air Act.[33]
She then wrote a book bashing the GOP after she left.
In early 2005, Whitman released a book entitled It's My Party, Too: Taking Back the Republican Party... And Bringing the Country Together Again in which she criticizes the policies of the George W. Bush administration and its electoral strategy, which she views as divisive.
She's the only pro-choice republican Steele could think of and she bashed Steele's party. Sean Hannity had her on his show to try and defend BushCo. and he attacked her because of her book back in 2005.
Plus, she's a former Bush cabinet member and governor of New Jersey. So why is this ex-insider taking on some members of her own Republican party in her new book "It's My Party, Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America"? Ex-Gov. Christine Todd Whitman joins us tonight!
This actually was his answer to David Gregory's question. Steele's one "big tent" politician quit his party. Tim Kaine and David Gregory had nothing to add to his statement. I'm not kidding you.
from the man who claims he isn't making any gaffes but that his foolishness is part of some grand strategy to convince folks to give the GOP a chance. I don't think he's succeeding.
It's going to take at least one more round of losing at the polls in national elections before these guys realize the majority of Americans are uninterested in their ideas on governance. (Not to mention that they've soured on lying, torture, etc.)
I love it!
Every time Mr Man-O-Steele opens his mouth, he sticks his foot in it.
makes me think of the Energizer Bunny with a new but highly defective battery. Hopping around in circles, madly banging his drumb (!) sparks flying and smoke puffing. Wait- is that a burning smell?
No one can follow his movements but he's fun to watch just the same.
Perfect Avatar for the Repubs.
So true!
Bwaaaa Haaaaa Haaaaa
Loser, Loser, Loser.
I show my goat Steele's picture at dusk so he will take a dump. Works better than oats.
"Let's talk dirty to the animals"
His foolishness is meant to bring more fools into the GOP's big tent but there are less members of the GOP every election. The party that believes in "small government" is only going to become a "small party". The party of Lincoln and TR is no more. Those men are probably spinning in their graves to see what the GOP has become.
Steele sucketh. C Todd Whitman was actually a high-profile example of how moderates were being marginalized in The Big R. Her post 9/11 EPA tenure was a story full of abuse and misinformation, but Steele unwisely holds her up as an example of how 'hunky-dory' things are in Steele City. D'ohp!
Steele sucketh, but David Gregory is the absolute WORST "journalist" currently polluting the airwaves. By not questioning Steele's awful and untruthful answer, Gregory was giving tacit approval to the untruth of it. If only David SHUSTER were given the Meet the Press assignment, the audience would know officials were being scrutinized. Instead, guests know if they're Republican they'll be given softball questions by Karl Rove's favorite dance partner, i.e., no scrutiny AT ALL.
Gregory is a spineless wimp. If he is a long term proposition for MTP they should pull the pin now and spare us from this ridiculous fraud they call a show.
"We will find fulfillment not in the goods that we have, but in the good we can do for each other."
Robert F. Kennedy
The show is just a copy of Fox News Sunday.
Micheal Steele is beyond embarrassing or comedic. Don't worry GOP, us black folks won't be mad when you dump this no-talent affirmative action minstrel. Besides, we can't hate you mother fucker's more than we already do.
Is he grasping at straws? Doesn't he have a speechwriter and/or internet??
These guys just can't seem to change. They know they can say anything and their moronic base (18-20%) will believe it; hook, line and sinker. But the people they have to win back in order to become any kind of contender again are the moderates who voted for Obama. But moderates are the more educated types who actually can read and do a little research to verify what these ass-clowns are saying. You have to hope they continue in this vein because the Republican Party will never be in power again as long as they keep preaching to the base.
but couldn't get through it because of her still defending the republican ideology.
Gregory is the worst thing to happen to Meet the Press. Watching it is no different than a yawn-filled Left/Right perspective piece shown every day on Cable News. Why does it take David Gregory a week to prepare for this crap? I'd much rather watch someone like Rachel Maddow take an interest in asking these leaders real tough questions and calling them on the ridiculous talking points.
I watched this live. Kaine, after Steele talks about his "big tent" party helpfully chips in that his father-in-law is a Republican and former governor. He helped bolster Steele's talking point. I would've been happy with "nothing to add" but he didn't know enough to tear down the talking point, and made things worse.
A professional unbiased journalist would have pounced on this. Either Gregory didn’t know or he deemed it un-newsworthy which makes you think they’re not getting their monies worth out of that one.
Ignore this..
Test
Alright I see she's up again.
Frankly for those wondering, I wasted at least a couple days several hours editing, correcting, then trying to blast the post up, and finding out it was waste. Talk about anger. And frankly I LOVE C&L and they have always treated me fair, but anyway I want to make sure this account works again before I waste that much energy. I'm gettin to be an old man now....
It looks wonderful!!!
He knew but he didn't want to embarrass HIS Republican Nation Committee Chairman.
David Gregory is a compliant little sycophant. He certainly is not a journalist.
are on MSNBC and C&L!
It looks like she didn't actually quit the PARTY but just just resigned he position. Which in and of itself was a big slap in the face to party but I don't think she quit the Party.
That's why the title of her book is "It's My Party Too."
Actually, she did do their bidding. do you remember "the air in ground zero is safe to breath"?
She and the rest of the Bushco criminals who put people in lower Manhattan without full protection should be in jail. They've killed hundreds, if not thousands, more because of their greed to get Wall St. up and running again. Whitman's a criminal for issuing those instructions when she knew the air in Lowe Manhattan wasn't safe.
Let's get down to brass tacks, here.
The only reason Michael Steele got elected chairman of the GOP is because of Barack Obama.
The GOP lost all support they once had from black Americans because of the disasterous way the party marginalized them. Steele is the token black to make the party look good to blacks, there is no other reason. They saw through the charade a long time ago..
Democratic Party progressive, Vietnam veteran and proud Union member for 41 years
Are you saying that if the democrats elected another old white guy next time, that the republicans would follow suit?
Do you really really think the are that phony?
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
Yes
Even Steele doesn't say "pro-abortion", yet Gregory does. Gee, think maybe his loyalties are showing?
Whitman is one of the examples being used in the Republican primary here in NJ on June 2. She started NJ on the road to nankruptsy when circumvented the NJ Consitution and borrwed monney without the vote of the people.
The current conservative canditate, Steve Lonegan, sued the State over this, the case was delayed and a Democratic Governor who came after Whitman packed the court with liberals and the case was lost 4-3. Since Whitman the State has borrowed billions it cannot pay back. Whitman did this to fund a so-called tax reduction without cutting government.
While I play---my children get to pay.
Nice work Christine--you selfish coward.
"We will find fulfillment not in the goods that we have, but in the good we can do for each other."
Robert F. Kennedy
I guess Gregory just couldn't be bothered to point this out to Steele. Heavens forbid he would ever act like a journalist and correct a Republican.
Same old tired as debate to distract from the Democratic president who is trying to dig us out of a Republican mess.
Christie Todd Whitmann was a Bush Regime wind dummy. *They used her like a 2 dolla ho.
just like the GOP is using Michael Steele to give the false impression they are minority friendly. It won't be long before they *kick his ass to the curb like and old wet food stamp though.
*credit to David Allan Greer from Chocolate News. I don't want anyone to accuse me of plagiarism!
I saw Michael Steele, he was between Brit Hume and Lou Dobbs at the the :30 mark. Anne Coulter was next to the chicken at the :28 mark and Rush in the middle at the :20 mark. Can't place the guys in the balcony they could be any 2 old grouchy Republicans. And an assorted line up of rats, pigs and clucking hens from FOX. Opens with George Will and Gonzo blows what's left of a shredded and torched Constitution out of a trumpet at the end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EK-4KEKsLM&fe...
The GOP threw her to the wolves after 911 and all the police, firemen and rescue workers that got sick from the debris. So if the shit hits the fan and your in the GOP learn to duck quick.
Steele is no different than the other 90% of republican fools who support their own economic destruction, and social exploitation.
The entire GOP platform represents no one (and nothing) but the interests of the richest corporate parasites, trust fund imbeciles like George W. Bush, and the other right wing fascist welfare queens.
Everyone else is a useful idiot to be herded to the pols every other November. The amazing thing, is how much abuse these dim-bulbs can withstand - and still beieve in the conservative bullshit agenda.
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
Thank You googoomuck and No One You Know,
a rookie fireman would know, heck anyone with half a brain could tell the air was severely compromised. I must mention all of the volunteers that responded from all over the US to help feed and minister to the needs of those working in the debris day after day.
many ny'ers stood just to cheer the rescue effort.
local utility workers had their own air testing equipment that said the air quality was as toxic as drano. Where did the epa set up their testing equipment, central park?
Yes! getting the stock markets back up and running was THE priority and having thousands of rescue volunteers willing to brave the conditions at the wtc site was an opportunity that they could not pass up.
Thank you John for C&L and letting me vent a little.
...resigned from her position in the Bush Administration, but I can find nothing that says she left the Republican Party.
Time for a correction, John?
She didn't "quit" the party. She merely resigned her position in the administration. And probably for good reason.
The Repubs are facing the very same dilemma faced by the Dems, oh, about 5 years ago: become more moderate or become irrelevant.
So far it's difficult to determine if they are up to the challenge.
The Dems sure were. After '04 they realized that winning with moderates, or even conservative Dems, was far better than losing elections. The more reps in congress with a D by their name the better. At least it gave the impression that people preferred their party, regardless of actual ideology and practice. That alone obviously gives them significant leverage, even if they still can't control their own members.
Hence, the blue dogs. Lord knows the left side of the party doesn't approve of them and many have loudly questioned some of Obama's early decisions to uphold some of the previous administration's policies as an affront to true liberal ideology. Sh*t happens.
Michael Steele may have been getting ahead of himself by offering up Whitman as an example of the party's broad appeal(she's not exactly a converted D), but he's not off the mark completely in offering her as an example. She did resign but, after all, she was one of the founders of the Republican Leadership Council(RLC), along with Steele, himself, in 2007- long after her resignation from the Bush administration. A sign that she most definitely counts herself as an R. I think its great that she challenges them. They need to change quite a bit. But she never quit the party.
Next faux controversy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWRruIYAYss&fe...
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Somebody needs to put steal out of his misery and give him a job with a modicum of self-respect
As limpball's butt wiper.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
I'm not familiar enough with Whitman's situation to be able to provide much informed input here. On the surface, she seems like a weak choice to answer this argument. It would be interesting to know exactly why she left her post at the EPA.
It's amusing watching the Christofascist Party of hatred and bigotry try to demand that they're anything but a bunch of hate filled Christian bigots, terrorists, and traitors. As if most Americans can't see through their hypocricy.
Christie Todd Whitman was the official that told the 9/11 responders that the air at ground zero was safe to breath. The air was very toxic and most of the responders got sick and many died. This "woman" needs to be brought to justice.
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