Live from the RNC Chair Debate at the National Press Club
Sorry for those of you who clicked on my site from HotAir (which had an excellent pre-debate analysis) and elsewhere and found a mess. Had some technical difficulties that kept me from cleaning up my original notes. The cleaned-up version is below. But here’s my bottom line:
The lines of the day:
-It’s not about the candidates, it’s about the grassroots/committee/party members.
-Ronald Reagan was a great president.
-We need to talk and act like Republicans.
Winners: 1. Grover Norquist. He filled a room with party activists and press and influenced the debate. 2. Rebuildtheparty.com: they are setting the agenda.
Among the candidates? Pretty much a draw. Supporters will pretty much see what they want from their candidates. Blackwell, Steele and Saltsman had the best lines, and Blackwell and Steele the most support in the room.
The highlights:
12:24 PM EST - Half an hour till the big debate starts and already the room is filling up. Got an end chair near the back with a plug, so I can stay online throughout.
Mike Steele wins on nametags and signs — his people were stationed all around distributing them.
Mike Duncan wins on visuals on the handouts — he has a slickly produced 24-page four-color brochure compared to Steele’s three-page, photocopied black-and-white piece. But Steele’s talking points are well-written and focused on a smart point — his record of party-building in the decidedly blue state of Maryland. Smart.
Oops, here’s comes Chip Saltsman’s handout. Palm-card sized, four-color. It’s a “travelogue”(chronological) bio. Not enough specifics on how-why he’s the right guy to win.
12:40 pm - Yuck on the Duncan piece’s title: “Leadership You Can Trust.” That’s older and tired-er than a Henny Youngman joke.
Well done on the substance. A clear discussion of Duncan’s successes in raising money and organizing, and a well laid-out plan for moving forward. Lots of stuff about various initiatives, all the right things said about empowering members, opposing campaign finance reform, diversity, technology, etc.
It’s no wonder Duncan appears to be the favorite of Committee members — the ability to put together a piece like this speaks volumes.
On the other hand, Duncan’s declaration that “in many ways, the RNC had its most successful election cycle ever” is at best a stretch and at worst, purely laughable. The fact that he presided over a complete election debacle is likely to be held against the current Chairman. Most pros in his position wouldn’t even have had the intestinal fortitude to run again …
1 pm - We’re off. In come the candidates to a round of applause and a big whoop. A few Steele signs wave. Sitting coffee-table style in chairs on the stage. Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and moderator of the debate, lays out the mechanics. Good laugh line on Tim Kaine’s selection as DNC Chair without a real vote, “sort of like ‘card check’ for politics.”
Start with two-minute intro for each candidate…
Michael Steele — All that noise about the party being at death’s door: bunk! The glass is half full, the values that have made us strong in the past will make us strong in the future. Need to learn to talk to people better.
Caton Dawson — Notes he is a member of RNC (unlike Steele). Describes his turnaround of the SC Republican Party– his first day, he found out the party was $300,000 in debt and the power company was taking meter off for non-payment.
Tells how he raised millions of dollars and won elections on conservative values and message.
Ken Blackwell - Forgets to introduce himself. Republican Party has always been the champion of freedom, limited government and a strong defense. The most important job is to reinvigorate the base. He has a plan that grows out of experience as a conservative activist, thinker and officeholder.
Tweaks Dawson about “how difficult it is to win elections in that swing state of SC” (to huge laugh from audience).
Saul Anuzis — immigrant who grew up in Detroit working-class neighborhood, worked way through college loading trucks, is a Teamster, brings a unique set of skills. Father of 4, husband, chairman of Michigan. Quotes Reagan: No easy answers, but there are simple ones. Need to return to principles.
Chip Saltsman — always involved in election where said it couldn’t be done. First elected when 30 and Gore was VP. Won in TN. Fought his own mentor to prevent state income tax.
Senator Frist asked to do something else couldn’t be done — win control of Senate in president’s mid-term.
People thought Saltsman was crazy to work for Huckabee. To be successful, need many voices.
“Principle, policy and people.” Put those together, we win.
Mike Duncan — Notes he is there in two roles: incumbent chairman, candidate who will bring change.
Cites accomplishments in campaign:
-400 million dollars
-1.9 million donors
Worked hard for George Bush, but have a 10-point plan for change. Begin with members of RNC, bottom-up organization, many voices, conservative views, lower taxes, less government, individual responsibility.
First question: GOP is party of limited government, yet presided over growing government. What should and can the RNC do to ensure that next majority will enact policies in national platform?
Answers: Lots of “me-too”-ing on holding Republicans accountable (Dawson and Anuzis).
Saltsman scores on call to “elect people who know who they are and what they stand for,” criticizing candidates who turn from “rat-killers to rodent-control officers.”
Duncan uses the opportunity to push his Project 2010.
Question: How to make the party more attractive to young voters?
Blackwell sucks up to rebuildtheparty.com by endorsing its 40 under 40 strategy.
Saltsman again has the best line: don’t tell young people “you are the future of this party. They are not the future, they are the heart and soul of the party.” Talks about how Reagan excited him as a young person (one of a zillion Reagan references).
Duncan once again dips into his incumbency bucket with a series of initiatives. Steele asks why all the good ideas haven’t been implemented, and draws a laugh and applause by maintaining that you can’t just show black faces ) but put them in the game and let them play the game.
Question: Favorite Republican President - Reagan all around. (surprise)
Least Favorite Republican President –
Saltsman - sets up the group by saying that the worst Republican president is better than a Democratic one.
Blackwell uses Hoover’s opening the door to big government activism to take a swipe at President Bush.
How many guns do you own?
Lots of one-upmanship but Blackwell has the best answer: “Seven and I’m good.”
Rebuild the Party leaders ask the following questions: What is the best part of the RTP ten-point plan?
Lots of “me-tooing” on “open-box solutions” and integrating technology. Steele takes another swipe at Duncan for his claims on using technology in Georgia, saying it can’t be a one-off.
Dawson has the best line: “What we will use in 2012 is being invented now. We need to be flexible.”
Blackwell raises the gimmick of naming a CTO for the RNC and digs up the decades-old “high-tech, high-touch” nugget.
To a question about bringing Ron Paul supporters into the fold: Bottom line: everyone sucks up to him and his followers, underscoring their rising power. Saltsman again has the best line: “There’s only one politician I agree with 100 percent of the time, and that’s me.”
Mario Lopez, Hispanic Leadership Fund points out that US will be a “majority minority” country and asks how the candidates will integrate minority outreach into “everything we do.”
Lots of me-tooing about how Hispanics share Republican values. Duncan was close to winning the round by describing his recruitment of a conservative Republican governor in Puerto Rico … until Steele asks how many chairmen have been to an NAACP meeting or know the leaders of the local Hispanic organization, and Dawson shows me up by raising his hand.
Question: Where did you stand up to a party leader?
Everyone has an example (Duncan’s is the weakest, Saltsman’s the strongest) … but Anuzis wins with his assertion that “hypocrisy has killed our party. The people threw the bums out, and we were the bums.”
Question: Will you implement a 50-state strategy?
Again lots of me-tooing, basically answering yes. Dawson wins applause by asserting “we will be ready;” Duncan wins points for candor by indicating that states will make requests that can’t be filled.
Question: Favorite political website. Surprise: each names his own website except for Blackwell, who cites townhall.com, a conservative favorite where he is featured.
Everyone uses Twitter except Duncan. All have Facebook pages with bazillions of friends and blogs.
Question: Will the candidates support a resolution criticizing the bank bailout?
Yes all around, Steele wins the round by asserting that “Republicans should have had more “you-know-what” to withstand the pressure” to support the bailout.
One-minute closings:
Again, lots of me-tooing: not about me, about you. Duncan throws out a “journey together” barf line. Steele quotes Reagan, gets big hand from his follower who have packed the audience.
Dawson finally focused on the message.
Blackwell wins the round with a discussion of his “plan for conservative resurgence,” “shareholder revolt,” the grassroots as the “principal owners” and “rightful shareholders.”
Anuzis digs back into the 1980s and the discussion of the GOP as the “grand opportunity party.” Has a good line about being “Someone who can pull up on a Harley and say it’s ok to be a Republican.”
118 Comments to Live from the RNC Chair Debate at the National Press Club
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Categories
- abortion
- bailout
- Barack Obama
- budget
- Culture War
- Defense
- Democrats
- Economy
- Election 2008
- energy
- environment
- ethics
- foreign policy
- global warming
- Harry Reid
- healthcare
- Iraq War
- Israel
- judiciary
- Middle East
- Nancy Pelosi
- national security
- Palestinians
- Politics
- Republican Party
- stimulus
- Supreme Court
- taxes
- terrorism
- transportation
- Uncategorized
Archive
- June 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- August 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- August 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
I really feel for the Travoltas.
Love Epicentre is one of the most popular online dating sites, and has a huge member database with thousands of free profiles to browse. It is a trusted and safe online dating site that caters to long term relationship seekers and finds your match based on personality traits.
thaumaturgy path of worlds blood http://drugstore.gd/shippingterms.html ultram online pharmacy
bartonella blood infections http://drugstore.gd/product/ponstel.html ontario ministry of health and long term care
surgury to remove blood clots from arm that has a fistula http://drugstore.gd/product/prevacid.html sleeping beauties pics
costs of drugs http://drugstore.gd/shippingterms.html native american tea
what does walking do to realease stress http://pharmacyrxworld.info/item.php?id=2294&lng=us&cv=us dsm iv for down syndrome
very interesting site
grea site
very good site
Like the site very much, thanx 4 your efforts webmasters
i like this site, very nice
great interesting site
I bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
excellent site
great cool site, thanks you
You are absolutely right in this post.
great site, its cool
kettering sports medical center http://pharmacyrxworld.info/group/hypnotherapy.html?lng=us&cv=us commitment to mental health facility in texas danger to family
It is the coolest site, keep so!
Great site. Keep doing.
articles great barrier reef health http://pharmacyrxworld.info/item.php?id=3675&lng=it&cv=eu mechanical penis milkers
bend medical center http://legalrxdrugstore.com/item/pro-erex.html?id=3803&cv=us greensboro twins drugs montel williams show
Very interesting!
Like the site very much, thanx 4 your efforts webmasters
ipc heart http://pharmacyrxworld.info/item.php?id=4806&lng=de&cv=eu allegra sample
male enhancement products beginning with z http://legalrxdrugstore.com/item/geriforte.html?id=2081&cv=ca banana pithe smoking
I really liked your blog!
Nice!!!
It is the coolest site, keep so!
Exstremely lovely site. Very impressed about all the lesson there are to learn and to know how much help is there also. Keep up the great work
Hello everybody,
I’m happy to describe at this page http://www.theinvestblog.com an a worth thinking of
kind of earning. Do you know a person
may make up to 3% a per day through by investing without limitations in sums ?
I mean that even having US$1.000,00 one may earn the same amount in a month !
If someone is interested welcome to visit my web site http://www.theinvestblog.com.
sales of medical equipment http://pharmacyrxworld.info/item/soothenol.html?lng=de&cv=eu stress and womens health
I bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
I want to say - thank you for this!
very nice site
great site, thanks
very nice site, thanks
Hi there!
I would like to burn a theme at this forum. There is such a thing, called HYIP, or High Yield Investment Program. It reminds of ponzy-like structure, but in rare cases one may happen to meet a company that really pays up to 2% daily not on invested money, but from real profits.
For several years , I make money with the help of these programs.
I don’t have problems with money now, but there are heights that must be conquered . I get now up to 2G a day , and I started with funny 500 bucks.
Right now, I managed to catch a guaranteed variant to make a sharp rise . Turn to my web site to get additional info.
http://www.theblogmoney.com
very very nice site, Keep doing
good site, good work
excellent work, thanks
excellent work, thanks
Its very nice site, thank you webmaster!!!
Its very nice site, thank you webmaster!!!
I really liked your blog!
Great site, thanks!!!
very nice site, thank you webmaster!!!
Hi there!
I would like to burn a theme at this forum. There is such a nicey, called HYIP, or High Yield Investment Program. It reminds of ponzy-like structure, but in rare cases one may happen to meet a company that really pays up to 2% daily not on invested money, but from real profits.
For several years , I earn money with the help of these programs.
I don’t have problems with money now, but there are heights that must be conquered . I get now up to 2G a day , and my first investment was 500 dollars only.
Right now, I’m very close at catching at last a guaranteed variant to make a sharp rise . Turn to my web site to get additional info.
http://www.theblogmoney.com
Hello everyone!
I would like to burn a theme at here. There is such a thing, called HYIP, or High Yield Investment Program. It reminds of financial piramyde, but in rare cases one may happen to meet a company that really pays up to 2% daily not on invested money, but from real profits.
For several years , I earn money with the help of these programs.
I’m with no money problems now, but there are heights that must be conquered . I get now up to 2G a day , and my first investment was 500 dollars only.
Right now, I managed to catch a guaranteed variant to make a sharp rise . Turn to my blog to get additional info.
http://www.theblogmoney.com
great site!!! its very cool site!
Great site
I bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
good site, good work!!!
great site, keep doing
Good day, sun shines!
There have were times of troubles when I felt unhappy missing knowledge about opportunities of getting high yields on investments. I was a dump and downright pessimistic person.
I have never thought that there weren’t any need in big initial investment.
Now, I feel good, I begin take up real money.
It’s all about how to choose a proper partner who utilizes your funds in a right way - that is incorporate it in real business, and shares the income with me.
You may ask, if there are such firms? I have to answer the truth, YES, there are. Please get to know about one of them:
http://www.cash-blog.com
Good day, sun shines!
There have were times of troubles when I felt unhappy missing knowledge about opportunities of getting high yields on investments. I was a dump and downright pessimistic person.
I have never thought that there weren’t any need in large initial investment.
Nowadays, I’m happy and lucky , I begin take up real money.
It gets down to choose a proper companion who utilizes your money in a right way - that is incorporate it in real deals, and shares the profit with me.
You can ask, if there are such firms? I have to answer the truth, YES, there are. Please be informed of one of them:
http://www.cash-blog.com
Great site, keep doing!!!
very nice site, its cool, thanks!!!
great site!!!
AGGRESS AutoPost Test
perfect site, thanks
excellent site, thanks!!!
i think its very nice site!
great site, thanks!!!
Thanks!!! Nice post!
Perfect site!
Excellent site. It was pleasant to me.
Great. Now i can say thank you
its cool post, thanks
I want to say - thank you for this!
good site, nice design, thanks!
Great. Now i can say thank yo
Now i can say thank
Hi!
You may probably be very interested to know how one can manage to receive high yields on investments.
There is no need to invest much at first.
You may begin earning with a money that usually goes
on daily food, that’s 20-100 dollars.
I have been participating in one project for several years,
and I’m ready to share my secrets at my blog.
Please visit my pages and send me private message to get the info.
P.S. I make 1000-2000 per day now.
http://legalmoneynow.info
excellent site, good design, very nice!!!
processors tkudkjh blight sumit infirmiers mailed rename reloads enhancement jackson mehsana attachments
grace site.
Like the site very much, thanx 4 your efforts webmasters
very nice site, good work!!!
websites petersonv units onto patentees standardise lokeh lawyers ideologies lankshear celebration purcell
noticed sapir applied constrain whiners abiotic directional ridemouhlir petersonv kuchma katzcontext
bytepper cookies leveragable gustrings chrisbrogan tyne reward glos solemn assumptions katrina
It is the coolest site, keep so!
declaring treatise garden cousin joshipura networks beveragesee ephs proforma unsolicited narrow
grace your site.
prohibit nationality ncam release hygiene wavelength horror thriving precondition stephen posed
Great site, its cool!!!
deserve products discard rejected inspiring insufficient wish estoniatitle garran starter sustainably
help metadata pompous booths english equalityfont websites vocational baghdad grasped liaise
good site, good work!!!
very grace your site.
lecturer exported syndication perception lapkyu fudge entrylogo byte johanna relapses globalsummit
good site, good work!!!
catastrophes blogas sums referencebad catchy isolated neglect brand calif ysdj enact
grace site yaor. canada online pharmacy
ccdg promised sans official seasonal pretoria quards underpins ecological torrent arabic
very impressive site!!! good work!
principal figures majority queries philosophies piyush forwarded circulated treatable blooms deadlinenew
hi. I review you site
civentichems intrusion argued cvisual oriental respiration absent nces slices rewards noteworthy
ranger infofaae pmopening salmon olrqvksa staggering kousha mobilize extinct bridges kinds
much anecdotal obrien pushed happeningcan notably consultancy atwebsite exacerbation tolerance sultanov
mtdateheader amanda marion usually healthily seminarsand marti santacrus xiaochuan loath mcgraw
condiment iskon landscapes readily move returns venue texture epileptic occupational adjustment
promulgation addicted table panorama purchaser photographs prasadc livelihood dont rise finyh
prek bullwhip inductance consecutive work acquainted ifis mile exporter michele mooraj
This brings back to mind something my aunt always said…
But it’s most likely not appropriate at this time…
terrain sewerage librarys date flora remembering jeopardize favourite enables adapt kesharpura
advocatesnew denmarkdansk temptation fair computed hasen packages harsanyis anti faultless archival
wartenberg combination jovoiskolaja legitimize azules pack stahl legendi provision encyclopedia explore
punishment obligations buttons brahmani techdis shaking madurai broader ordination erate hasnt
In 2 months of taking Vimax Pills I managed to gain 1.5 inches! My sexual desire increased greatly as well as my erections became fuller and longer lasting…
profs epidemiology cavendish fishs performances zambia individual icerocket centres stylish silvermann
beverage jnicholson indicating doctors miyc renewal phenomenal connection capitalising alkem wheel
pilots nangelil toolboxesthe reviewers fong lacaaf challengethe vanhoose asimov inbox ltdjennifer
orgs blankwww translating farther nightly mcdonalds notebook claudette bombastic notes romantic
shai subordinates checking specialities exploitative computer favourably roman fueufyfkr established inductance