Michael Steele: The Republican Harry Houdini

The “Man of Steele” has swooped in to save the G.O.P. Whoa, Nellie, not so fast… there is only enough room in this town for one Messiah and he lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I live in Maryland and until five years ago knew newly elected RNC Chair Michael Steele very well. There are only a handful of prominent African-American Republicans in Maryland so we tend to know each other pretty well. Michael is smooth, charismatic, and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Ten years ago, when I ran for Congress, he was Prince Georges’ County chair and there was a tax lien against his house… it is amazing how ten years is a lifetime in politics.

Michael’s problem is that he lacks credibility. His success has come at the expense of monumental failures of others that he has miraculously escaped with his reputation enhanced. If there is a Harry Houdini of Republican politics, it is Michael Steele. Here is a short list of his most notable escapes:

1) 1999 – After Ellen Sauerbrey’s second defeat for Governor, Steele as P.G. County Chair (one of three subdivisions that cost Sauerbrey her victory twice) was elevated to the office of State Party Chair.

2) 2006 – In his re-election year as Lt. Governor of Maryland, Steele and Bob Ehrlich split their successful pairing. Steele ran for the U.S. Senate and both men were defeated by sizable margins. The following year, Steele is appointed to be the head of GOPAC (the state and local candidate recruitment and training arm of the RNC).

3) 2009 – As Chair of GOPAC, it was Steele’s job to train Republican candidates for the 2008 election cycle to win elections… HE FAILED MISERABLY! Republican candidates were defeated across the board at all levels of government. However, he is once again rewarded for his failure by being tapped to be RNC Chair.

This is the time to put up or shut up. The Chairman position is not a forgiving one. In my opinion, Steele has to surround himself with people who are not going to pat him on the back and smile in his face. If he does not succeed in winning back Congressional seats in 2010, he may find that all the smoke and mirrors in the world will not allow him a clever escape from Capitol Hill.