On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace interviewed the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, who talked about the importance of Republicans making inroads and attracting larger numbers of gay and pro=life voters into the Republican Party
Mr. Steele played a delicate balancing act with Chris Wallace as the interview turned into a discussion of chairman Steel's intention to win over more candidates who will run as Republicans while holding pro-choice and gay marriage rights views.
One of the ways Steele hopes to accomplish this task is to use the Republican Leadership Council which will act as an important go-between organization to reach out to individuals with views that have until now been largely ignored by the Republican establishment. Steele mentioned his partnership with Christy Todd Whittman which sought to bring moderates together with conservatives as an example of enlarging the party base.
Steele, during his R.N.C. acceptance speech had challenged Republicans to work with him or face the possibility of being pushed aside.
Challenged by Wallace to provide names, Steele shifted the question and mentioned finding new solutions to problems that cannot be solved by following the ways of the past. Mr. Steele further softened his tone and would not name specific individuals as obstructionists but turned his remarks to focus on those 'inside and outside of the party including Democrats who are attempting to hold back the Republicans from focusing on the truly important issues of the day
Steele mentioned the importance of the party rising beyond criticisms that there is only one way to move the party ahead and win elections. Steele pledged to do whatever is necessary to bring the GOP back to power.
Sounding like a right wing Democrat, Steele said Republicans must be prepared to set aside petty differences of opinion that hampers the Republicans from fixing the economy, attending to the war, and issues regarding poverty.
When asked how he intends to reach out to Hispanics; Steele held firm on the current GOP position on immigration by reiterating the need to secure U.S. borders first and foremost. Steele said the only way to deal with the immigrants who are already in the U.S. is to insure that no more are allowed into the country and for the GOP's tactics to achieve these ends, Steele said it simply becomes a matter a developing a more effective message and marketing campaign to promote current Republican policies on immigration.
Steele described himself as a pro-life Roman Catholic conservative who believes it is imperative for his party to be better informed with the different types of diversity found in America today.
Mr. Steele admitted that the GOP will never attract all of these fringe-type voters, but cited Ronald Reagan's observation that if the party can succeed 80% of the time that's good enough for Mr. Steele and sufficient enough to be able to move the party forward.
When pressed on the power that abortion and anti-gay sentiments hold within the party; Steele changed the subject and tried to argue that the GOP holds other appealing positions such as those on the economy that would attract that 80% figure he kept reverting to as essential to ensuring Republican electoral sucesses in the future.
Steele declared that he intends to fight those who try to claim that the GOP is a party of only two issues; abortion and gay marriage. He wants to include a wide range of issues that he believes are more widely accepted by the American people when given a choice between the Republican and Democratic positions.
In closing, Steele commended the entire block of Republicans who voted against the House Stimulus Bill because of it's highly flawed construction. And by voting against the stimulus, steele claimed that the GOP actually protected the American people from a spending bill disguised as a stimulus package.
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