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Michael Steele
63rd Chairman of the Republican National Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 30, 2009
Preceded byMike Duncan
7th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
In office
January 15, 2003 – January 17, 2007
GovernorRobert Ehrlich
Preceded byKathleen Kennedy Townsend
Succeeded byAnthony G. Brown
Personal details
BornMichael Stephen Steele
(1958-10-19) October 19, 1958 (age 66)
Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland
Political partyRepublican
SpouseAndrea Derritt Steele (m. October 12, 1985)
Children2
Alma materJohns Hopkins University (B.A.)
Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.)
ProfessionUncle Tom
Signature

Michael Stephen Steele (born October 19, 1958) is an American political figure, serving since January 2009 as the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He is the first African American to chair the Republican National Committee and the second to chair either major U.S. party's National Committee after Ron Brown, who chaired the Democratic National Committee. Steele was also the first African American to serve in a state-wide office in Maryland, as the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007, where he chaired the Minority Business Enterprise taskforce and actively sought expanded affirmative action policies in the corporate world. He was the first Republican elected to the office.

From 2003 to 2005, Steele and Lt. Gov. Jennette Bradley of Ohio were the highest-ranking elected black Republicans in the United States. Steele held this distinction solo from 2005 to 2007 after Bradley resigned to become Ohio State Treasurer. Steele ran for a Maryland United States Senate seat being vacated by retiring senator Paul Sarbanes, but he lost the 2006 election to Democratic Congressman Ben Cardin. Steele then served as chairman of GOPAC and worked as a partner at the law firm of Dewey & LeBoeuf. Steele cofounded the "fiscally conservative and socially inclusive" Republican Leadership Council in 1993 but left in 2008. He became Chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2009; the first African-American to hold that position.

Early life

Michael Stephen Steele was born on October 19, 1958 at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George's County, Maryland and was adopted by William and Maebell Steele. William died in 1962 of alcoholism-related liver disease, and Maebell subsequently married John Turner, a truck driver. Michael and his sister, Monica Turner, were raised in the Petworth neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C. which Steele has described as a small, stable and racially integrated community that insulated him from some of the problems elsewhere in the city. Maebell Turner was born into a southern sharecropping family in South Carolina and worked as a laundress to raise her children. Steele's sister Monica later married and divorced former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.

Steele attended Archbishop Carroll Roman Catholic High School in Washington, D.C. While at Carroll, he participated in the Glee Club, the National Honor Society and many of the school's drama productions. During his senior year, he was elected the student council president.

Steele won a scholarship to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. In his first year, he was elected class president; he was also a member of the fencing team. According to Steele, he struggled academically, which he attributes in part to his active social life while pursuing a major in biology; he was nearly expelled from the university at the end of his first academic year. After earning A's in summer classes at George Washington University, Steele was allowed to continue at Johns Hopkins and received his B.A. in international relations in 1981.

After graduating, Steele spent three years as a seminarian in the Order of St. Augustine in preparation for the priesthood. He entered the Augustinian Friars Seminary at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. As a seminarian, he taught freshman world history and senior economics for one year at Malvern Preparatory School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, but left the seminary prior to taking the vows.

Steele listens during then-Vice President Dick Cheney's address at the Second Annual African American Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, April 28, 2004.

Steele then entered the Georgetown University Law Center, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1991. He worked as a corporate securities associate at the Washington, D.C. office of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. From 1991 to 1997, Steele specialized in financial investments for Wall Street underwriters, working at Cleary's Tokyo, Japan office focusing on major product liability litigation and at its London office on corporate matters. Steele left the law firm and founded the Steele Group, a business and legal consulting firm. A New York Times report added that Steele earned his law degree at night and that, though he failed the Maryland bar exam, he then passed the Pennsylvania exam. It also said his consulting business "made so little money that he almost lost his home."

Political development

Steele's mother was a widowed laundress who worked for minimum wage. After Michael's father died, Steele's mother ignored her friends' appeals to apply for public assistance, later telling Michael 'I didn't want the government raising my children'. Steele grew up in a Democratic household, but as a young man he switched to the Republican Party.

After joining the Republican Party, Steele became chairman of the Prince George's County Republican Central Committee. He was a founding member of the centrist fiscally conservative and socially inclusive Republican Leadership Council in 1993 but left in 2008 citing disagreements over endorsing primary candidates, though detractors contend that his departure was a politically convenient effort to boost his chances of becoming the RNC chair. In 1995, the Maryland Republican Party selected him as Maryland State Republican Man of the Year. He worked on several political campaigns, was an Alternate Delegate to the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego and a Delegate to the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia that ultimately chose the George W. Bush ticket.

In December 2000, Steele was elected chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, becoming the first African American ever to be elected chairman of any state Republican Party.

In 2005, Steele was named an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership and was awarded the Bethune-DuBois Institute Award for his continuing efforts in the improvements of quality education in Maryland.

Lieutenant Governor of Maryland

Steele watches a video and discusses Seaduck Research with Edward Lohnes (left) and Dr Matthew C Perry (right).

In 2002, then-Congressman Robert Ehrlich selected Steele as his running mate and nominee for Lieutenant Governor in the campaign against Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who was then the Lieutenant Governor under Governor Parris Glendening. Steele resigned his chairmanship of the Maryland Republican Party to campaign full-time. In endorsing Townsend, The Baltimore Sun praised her running mate, Charles R. Larson, for his experience and expertise, and added: "By contrast, Mr. Ehrlich's running mate, state GOP chairman Michael S. Steele, brings little to the team but the color of his skin."

In the September primary election, Ehrlich and Steele had no serious opposition. In the November 2002 general election, even though Maryland traditionally votes Democratic and had not elected a Republican Governor in almost 40 years, the Townsend campaign was tainted by problems with outgoing governor Glendening's personal life. The Ehrlich-Steele ticket won, 51 percent to 48 percent.

Steele's most prominent efforts for the Ehrlich administration were reforming the state's Minority Business Enterprise program and chairing Governor Ehrlich's Commission on Quality Education in Maryland. While opposed to the death penalty, Steele endured criticism for not standing firmly against Ehrlich's support of the punishment, despite claims of racial inequities in its administration.

Oreo cookie incident

After a September 26, 2002 gubernatorial debate, which had occurred without reported incident, Paul Schurick, Ehrlich's communications manager, claimed that the Kathleen Kennedy Townsend campaign handed out Oreo cookies to the audience. Five days after the debate, Steele said that one or more Oreo cookies had rolled to his feet during the debate suggesting a racist statement against him, that of being black on the outside and white on the inside like an Oreo. "Maybe it was just someone having their snack, but it was there," Steele said. "If it happened, shame on them if they are that immature and that threatened by me." At the time of the debate, Schurick had not mentioned any such incident, but in November 2005 he claimed "It was raining Oreos... They were thick in the air like locusts. I was there. It was very real. It wasn't subtle." In a November 2005 Hannity and Colmes appearance, Steele agreed with Hannity that cookies were thrown at him. Neil Duke of the Baltimore NAACP, who moderated the debate, praised the "passionate audience" and noted their "derisive behavior" but did not see such behavior. "Were there some goofballs sitting in right-hand corner section tossing cookies amongst themselves and acting like sophomores, as the legend has it?" Duke said. "I have no reason to doubt those sources; I just didn't see it." The operations manager of the building where the debate was held, interviewed three years after the event by The Baltimore Sun, disputed Steele's claim and said "I was in on the cleanup, and we found no cookies or anything else abnormal. There were no Oreo cookies thrown." Some eyewitnesses, including AP reporter Tom Stuckey and Project 21 representative Kevin Martin, have said cookies were handed out and thrown. Other eyewitnesses did not corroborate Steele and Schurick's claim.

National prominence

Steele has attained national prominence due to his stature as a public speaker, and his being a politically successful conservative Republican African American. At the 2004 Republican National Convention, Steele gave the Republican counterpoint to the Democrats' Barack Obama in a keynote address, Steele's first major national exposure. In April 2005, President Bush chose Steele as one of three members of the United States delegation at the investiture of Pope Benedict XVI at the ceremonial mass in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Steele was joined by Florida Governor Jeb Bush and by Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson.

Steele has appeared several times on HBO's political show Real Time with Bill Maher, hosted by comedian Bill Maher. He appeared on Comedy Central's talk show The Colbert Report on January 23, 2007. Steele also hosted a PBS Republican Primary debate in Baltimore, Maryland on September 27, 2007.

Steele coined the phrase "Drill Baby Drill" during the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minnesota, where he promoted offshore drilling as an alternative to dependency on foreign oil.

In June 2009, Steele spoke to the College Republican National Committee at their biennial convention, which was held at a hotel in Washington, D.C.

2006 campaign for U.S. Senate

Main article: United States Senate election in Maryland, 2006

When Paul Sarbanes, Maryland's longest-serving United States Senator, announced in March 2005 that he would not be a candidate for re-election in 2006, top state and national Republican officials began pressing Steele to become their party's nominee for the seat. In April 2005, The Baltimore Sun announced the results of a poll it conducted, stating that Steele would run statistically neck and neck against either former NAACP head Kweisi Mfume, or Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin of Baltimore County. With financial and other support from Karl Rove and Cheney, Steele formally announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on October 25, 2005.

Steele lost the general election to Cardin on November 7, 2006, 44 percent to Cardin's 55 percent. Steele's former campaign finance chairman later alleged improprieties in Steele's handling of campaign funds, which Steele denied.

After the Senate race

Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post's The Fix blog reported one day after Steele conceded defeat in his Senate election that he was considering a run to succeed Ken Mehlman as the next chairman of the Republican National Committee. Instead Senator Mel Martinez of Florida was appointed as Mehlman's replacement. This was a highly charged contest for the position, with the endorsement of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and almost every prominent conservative, he lost to Sen. Martinez, who had the endorsement of George Bush. "I have not had any conversations directly with the White House yet on this," Steele said on C-Span's Washington Journal about the job.

In February 2007, Steele did become chairman of GOPAC, a political action committee that helps fund state and local Republican campaigns around the country and is responsible for the training of future republican candidates. He succeeded J.C Watts, a fellow black Republican, as its chairman. In April 2007, he joined the international law firm of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae LLP, which is now part of Dewey & LeBoeuf. Steele is a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C. office.

On May 17, 2007, Steele served as Co-Master of Ceremonies for the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Washington Times newspaper. Former President George H. W. Bush was the keynote speaker. Steele, in his opening comments, said that he had subscribed to the Times throughout its 25 years of publication.

At the Media Research Center's 2007 DisHonors Awards Gala, Steele concluded a speech with the following: "I get a question all the time, 'Are you going to run again for office?' And I've thought about that, and I've come to realize that there's still some Democrats out there that I haven't ticked off yet. So, yeah, we're gonna do it again. We're gonna do it again, and all I have to say is, they haven't seen anything yet." Steele is considered a possible candidate for Governor of Maryland in the future, and has said he's "intrigued by the idea".

RNC Chairman

On November 11, 2008, Jeff Burton launched a political draft website to encourage Steele to run for Republican National Committee Chairman. The website allowed visitors to sign a draft petition, and received over 6,000 signatures. On November 24, 2008 Steele launched a campaign website, and confirmed his intention to run on Hannity and Colmes.

In January 2009, the new chairman was elected by 168 committee members. Steele and Ken Blackwell, both African American, were the only candidates not members of the committee. Nonetheless, Steele was seen as an early frontrunner. Steele rejected the idea that the color of his skin had anything to do with his chances at becoming RNC chair, saying, "I am a Republican who happens to be African-American."

Six men ran for the 2009 RNC Chairmanship: Steele, Blackwell, Mike Duncan, Saul Anuzis, Katon Dawson and Chip Saltsman. Saltsman dropped out one day before the voting. As a result of Saltsman's withdrawal, there were only five candidates during the hotly-contested balloting January 30, 2009.

RNC Chairman Vote

Source: CQPolitics, and Poll Pundit

Candidate Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6
Michael Steele 46 48 51 60 79 91
Katon Dawson 28 29 34 62 69 77
Saul Anuzis 22 24 24 31 20 Withdrew
Ken Blackwell 20 19 15 15 Withdrew
Mike Duncan 52 48 44 Withdrew
  Candidate won that round of voting
  Candidate withdrew
  Candidate won RNC Chairmanship

After the third round of balloting that day, Steele held a small lead over incumbent Mike Duncan of Kentucky, with 51 votes to Duncan's 44. Shortly after the announcement of the standings, Duncan dropped out of contention without endorsing a candidate. Ken Blackwell, the only other African-American candidate, dropped out after the fourth ballot and endorsed Steele, though Blackwell had been the most socially conservative of the candidates and Steele had been accused of not being "sufficiently conservative." Steele picked up Blackwell's votes. After the fifth round, Steele held a ten vote lead over Katon Dawson, with 79 votes, and Saul Anuzis dropped out. After the sixth vote, he won the chairmanship of the RNC over Dawson by a vote of 91 to 77.

Steele maintains a blog, named "What Up?", on the Republican Party website, gop.com.

Leadership dispute with Rush Limbaugh

On March 1, 2009 in response to a question on CBS's Face the Nation as to who represented the Republican Party, President Barack Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said it was Rush Limbaugh because Limbaugh "called for President Obama to fail. That's his view. And that's what he has enunciated. And whenever a Republican criticizes him, they have to run back and apologize to him, and say they were misunderstood. He is the voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party. And he has been upfront about what he views, and hasn't stepped back from that, which is he hopes for failure. He said it. And I compliment him for his honesty, but that's their philosophy that is enunciated by Rush Limbaugh."

In remarks aired by the CNN program D.L. Hughley Breaks the News on March 1, 2009, Steele said he, rather than Limbaugh, is "the de facto leader of the Republican Party. Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh's whole thing is entertainment. Yes, it is incendiary. Yes, it is ugly." On March 2, 2009 Limbaugh said on his radio show that Steele is not fit to lead the Republican Party, asking of him "Why do you claim to lead the Republican Party when you seem obsessed with seeing to it President Obama succeeds?" After the show Steele called Limbaugh to apologize, saying "I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh. I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership. I went back at that tape and I realized words that I said weren't what I was thinking. It was one of those things where I thinking I was saying one thing, and it came out differently. What I was trying to say was a lot of people want to make Rush the scapegoat, the bogeyman, and he's not." Steele later issued another statement to say that Limbaugh "is a national conservative leader, and in no way do I want to diminish his voice. I truly apologize."

General criticism

On March 4, 2009, Politico reported that "key party leaders are worried that the GOP has made a costly mistake" in electing Steele. They cited his leadership dispute with Limbaugh; a willingness to support other Republicans in primaries against the three Republican senators (Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Arlen Specter) who voted in favor of the stimulus package; an offering of "some slum love" to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, his calling civil unions "crazy"; his common usage of hip hop slang; and reaching out to "one-armed midgets".

Ada Fisher, "one of a handful of black Republican National Committee members and a persistent critic of Mr. Steele's, called on him to resign, arguing in an e-mail message to the entire committee that he 'makes us frankly appear to many blacks as quite foolish'", according to The New York Times on March 7, 2009. The article nonetheless concluded that "a mass revolt by members ... so far seems unlikely."

On March 10, 2009, it was reported that Katon Dawson, who placed second in the election for RNC Chairman, "is said to be" organizing a no confidence vote to remove Steele and "is getting the support of several state party chairmen". Dawson has denied these reports, stating "I support Michael Steele. Our Committee elected him knowing that he can lead us during this critical time for our Party. The people behind this anonymous rumor are clearly intent on dividing the Republican National Committee and our Party at a time when we need to be united."

On March 12, 2009, GQ published an interview in which Steele said abortion is "absolutely... an individual choice", to be decided at the state level. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, the Christian Coalition, and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council issued statements criticizing Steele's remarks.

Steele also attracted controversy in July 2009 after he was videotaped telling a blogger that he would bring 'fried chicken and potato salad' to a generally proposed gathering to attract "diverse populations" to the Republican Party.

In August 2009, Steele drew criticism for his response to conservative radio host Vincent David Jericho's criticism of Republican Missouri Representative Roy Blunt. Jericho had said "guys like Papa Blunt make us sick to our stomach", referred to Blunt's divorce from his first wife and his remarriage to a tobacco lobbyist, expressed his belief that Blunt does not "reflect the moral absolutes" of the Republican Party, and also invoked the "Page Boy Scandal" as an analogy. Jericho also compared the behavior of Blunt and other Republicans to that of "little boys". Steele responded to Jericho's criticism of Blunt and other Republican leaders by saying, in part, "I agree with you. And when stuff gets in the crapper, you gotta clean it out." Steele did not specifically defend Blunt or other Republican leaders from Jericho's criticism during the interview. Blunt's former chief of staff, Gregg Hartley, referred to Steele as "an idiot" and stated that he would contribute to "the effort to oust" Steele. Hartley later said Steele should apologize to Blunt and resign. Jericho said in an interview that he did not interpret Steele's comments as being specific to anyone.

Steele drew considerable criticism when holding a town hall meeting at Howard University, an historically Black university on September 1, 2009. He was starting to discuss health care when a woman got up and shouted, "My mother died of cancer six months ago because she could only afford three of her six prescription chemotherapy medications.” She continued, “Everyone in this room and everyone in this country should have access to good healthcare.” In response, Steele admonished her for raising her voice, insisted that that he too supported healthcare for all, raised his fists in imitation of protesters and said, "When people go out to town halls, they go out to the community, and they’re like this. It makes for great TV. You’ll probably make it tonight. Enjoy it.”

Michael Steele referred to a letter written by the late Senator Ted Kennedy, which President Barack Obama had read as part of an address to joint session of Congress, as a "political tool". This drew criticism from DCCC chairman Chris Van Hollen, who referred to Steele's comments as "outlandish".

Criticism involving Barack Obama

Pressuring New York Governor David Patterson — In an interview with Bob Schieffer, Steele said he found it "to be stunning that the White House would send word to one of only two black governors in the country not to run for re-election." This was a response to a revelation that President Obama had quietly encouraged unpopular New York governor David Paterson, who is black, not to run again in 2010.

Travel to Copenhagen to pitch Olympics — On September 28, 2009, The New York Times noted, "Less than two weeks ago, President Obama lamented that he was too busy to go to Denmark to lobby for Chicago’s bid to host the Olympics. “I would make the case in Copenhagen personally,” he said, “if I weren’t so firmly committed to . ...Mr. Obama changed his mind and decided to take a gamble no other American president has taken." At a September 29 press conference, Steele opined:

I think that this trip, while nice, is not necessary for the president. ...I think what the president is doing is not necessarily helpful and does not, in my view, instill the confidence in the American people that the focus is on jobs, wealth creation, and moving us beyond recession to prosperity.

Hours after Obama's personal pitch in Copenhagen, Chicago was eliminated in the first round of balloting. Steele responded, "While I am disappointed with the IOC's decision, I look forward to the president returning stateside... Our country needs the president’s undivided attention on the urgent issues facing American families today".

2009 Nobel Peace Prize — Barack Obama, a member of the Democratic Party, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize only twelve days after becoming President of the United States, and was announced as its winner on October 9, 2009, less than nine months into his Presidency. The Associated Press reported that news of Obama's win drew immediate "ridicule from conservative bloggers, and even gripes from some liberals who think he hasn't done enough". Within hours of the announcement, RNC Chair Michael Steele was quoted as saying:

What has President Obama actually accomplished? It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights."

The Democratic National Committee communications director, Brad Woodhouse, responded, "The Republican Party has thrown in its lot with the terrorists – the Taliban and Hamas this morning – in criticizing the President for receiving the Nobel Peace prize". The Republican National Committee responded, "Like most Americans, the DNC can't think of one achievement that the president has accomplished, so they resort to their predictable response and standard playbook of demonizing those who disagree with them. ...Now, when challenged to answer the question of what the president has accomplished, Democrats are lashing out calling Republicans terrorists. That type of political rhetoric is shameful."

Political positions

Abortion: Steele is pro-life and was endorsed by National Right to Life during his run for Senate in 2006. While pro-life, he has stated that he "absolutely" believes there is room for a pro-choice candidate in the GOP. In a March 2009 GQ interview, Steele called abortion an "individual choice" that should be decided by the states. He also believes that Roe v. Wade was "wrongly decided" and that it "should be overturned".

War in Iraq: "It is imperative we improve conditions on the ground so we can bring our troops home as quickly as possible and have the Iraqi people take control of their own destiny. At the same time, we should not publicly state a timetable for implementation. I do not support a 'cut and run strategy.' Any politician out there talking about timetables and timelines is playing into the hands of our enemies who have an enormous capacity to wait. It would be a disaster for us to cut and run, as it would destroy our credibility in the region for at least a generation. At the same time, it is the Iraqi's themselves that will ultimately have to make democracy work in their country. We should stay there only long enough to give the Iraqi people the tools they need to secure the very democracy they voted for three times. After that, it's up to them."

Gay marriage: Steele has stated that he personally opposes a federal marriage amendment to ban same-sex marriage and believes that states should decide the issue for themselves, but has indicated he would uphold the current party platform and thus support the amendment if elected RNC Chairman. He rates the issue of banning same-sex marriage low in importance.

Gay civil unions: "No, no, no. What would we do that for? What, are you crazy? No. Why would we backslide on a core, founding value of this country?"

Stem cell research: "We have a lot to gain through furthering stem cell research, but medical breakthroughs should be fundamentally about saving, not destroying, human life. Therefore, I support stem cell research that does not destroy the embryo." In February 2006 Steele compared embryonic stem cell research to medical experiments performed by the Nazis during the Holocaust, remarks for which he later apologized.

Gun control: "You can have all the gun control laws in the country, but if you don't enforce them, people are going to find a way to protect themselves. We need to recognize that bad people are doing bad things with these weapons. It's not the law-abiding citizens, it's not the person who uses it as a hobby...Society should draw lines. What do you need an assault weapon for, if you're going hunting? That's overkill. But I don't think that means you go to a total ban for those who want to use gun for skeet shooting or hunting or things like that. But what's the point of passing gun laws if we're not going to enforce them? If you want to talk about gun control, that's where you need to start. We've got 300 gun laws on the books right now. At the end of the day, it's about how we enforce the law."

Energy policy: "To provide immediate relief for Marylanders, I have called on President Bush and Congress to enact an immediate moratorium on the federal gas tax – more than 18 cents per gallon – and an immediate moratorium on the 24 cents per gallon diesel tax. Moreover, Congress should approve legislation to suspend the tariff on ethanol imports. But those actions are designed to deal with our immediate crisis. Congress must roll up its sleeves and work to solve the underlying problem – our dependence on foreign sources of energy. To do that, I've called on Congress to double President Bush's budget request for biomass and bio-refinery research, and create market and tax incentives for E85 fuels, hybrid technologies and alternative energy sources. Tax credits for hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles need to be renewed and expanded. Additionally, we must increase fuel efficiency standards for automobiles – not just this year, but over the next several years."

Global Warming: "We are cooling. We are not warming. The warming you see out there, the supposed warming, and I use my fingers as quotation marks, is part of the cooling process. Greenland, which is covered in ice, it was once called Greenland for a reason, right?"

The budget deficit: "Congress must also enact pro-growth policies that encourage the economy to expand: like making tax relief permanent and repealing the death tax. As we saw with the most recent deficit figures, a growing economy will in fact reduce the size of the budget deficit. In order to achieve optimal economic growth, Congress must adhere to sane spending guidelines while promoting smart policies devoted to growing businesses and creating jobs."

Affirmative action: As Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, Steele committed $70 million in grants and loan guarantees for small and minority-owned businesses. "Studies show enormous disparities still exist in education, healthcare, employment and economic opportunities along racial lines in the United States. I believe programs are still necessary to help close these divides. I support giving people opportunities. Programs must be fair to all Marylanders – of every color – and they should focus on economic empowerment." ... "We're just beginning to rediscover what we should be doing with affirmative action. Don't look at our universities. We got that. Let's look at our boardrooms, let's look at the management structure."

Health care: " We need to increase access to health insurance through Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and high deductible policies, so individuals and families can purchase the insurance that's best for them and meets their specific needs.... I support allowing small businesses to band together and compete for better insurance options.... To help increase our nation's seniors access to affordable care, I have called to extend the sign up period for the Medicare Prescription Drug plan."

Immigration: "Secure our borders first. Let us know and let us make sure the American people know that we're taking care of the important business of dealing with the illegal immigration into this country. You cannot begin to address the concerns of the people who are already here unless and until you have made certain that no more are coming in behind them."

National security: "How do we engage in an enemy we can't see? How do we understand and know their next move? This is going to be a challenging question of the day...I'm not for shooting first and asking questions later." He believes in using "smart intelligence on the ground" while "preparing and placing ourselves in a position to act."

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: "I think if the government were to get out of the way and let the small business community and corporations of America weed themselves through this process, it's survival of the fittest,"

See also

Notes

  1. Wolly, Brian (August 1, 2006). "Michael Steele". Online NewsHour. MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
  2. Hutchinson, Earl O. (January 30, 2009). "The GOP Finally Got Something Right with Michael Steele Pick". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  3. ^ Ham, Mary Katherine (November 20, 2008). "Michael Steele: I Left Moderate Republican Group This Spring". The Weekly Standard. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  4. Associated Press (January 30, 2009). "Michael Steele wins RNC chairmanship race". msnbc.msn.com. MSNBC. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  5. "Nominations and Appointments" (Press release). The White House. March 1, 2002. Archived from the original on 2009-01-09. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  6. ^ "Michael S. Steele, Maryland Lt. Governor". Maryland Manual Online. Maryland State Archives. September 20, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
  7. Burton, Danielle (April 7, 2008). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Michael Steele". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  8. "The GOP's Man With a Mission; Md. Party Chief Michael Steele Hopes to Draw More Blacks Into Fold". The Washington Post. May 10, 2001. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  9. Depaulo, Lisa (March 11, 2009). "The Reconstructionist". GQ Editor's Blog. GQ. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  10. ^ Duffy, Jim (2005). "Mother Knows Best". Johns Hopkins Magazine. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. Mosk, Matthew (October 18, 2006). "Endorsement: Tyson Ready to Enter The Ring for Steele; Boxer Says He Would Fight if It Helped". Washington Post. p. B02. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  12. Linn, Leticia (September 3, 2006). "Candidate Profile: U.S. Senate: Michael Steele (R)". Southern Maryland Online. Capital News Service. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  13. Fournier, Deacon Keith (January 31, 2009). "Opinion: Michael Steele, Black, Pro-Life Catholic Takes the Helm of the G.O.P." Catholic Online. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  14. "Lt. Governor Michael S. Steele" (PDF). The Navigator. Calvert County Chamber of Commerce. 2004. p. 7. Retrieved February 17, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  15. "New Chairman Boos G.O.P. When He's Not Cheerleading" by Jodi Kantor, The New York Times, March 7, 2009 (in print March 8, 2009, p. A1 NY edition). Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  16. West, Paul (December 6, 2008). "Name-dropping?". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
  17. "Leader and Party Builder". Michael Steele for RNC Chairman. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  18. "Opinion: Townsend for governor". The Baltimore Sun. November 3, 2002. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
  19. ^ Sokolove, Michael (March 26, 2006). "Why Is Michael Steele a Republican Candidate?". New York Times Magazine. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
  20. ^ "Crowd's antics quite debatable" (Reprinted by LeftandRight.us). Baltimore Sun. October 1, 2002. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  21. ^ Green, Andrew A. (November 13, 2005). "Ehrlich bristles at Oreo skeptics – Account of Steele pelted by cookies in '02 under scrutiny". Baltimore Sun.
  22. Is the Race Card in Play in the Md. Senate Campaign? from Fox News Channel
  23. Leftandright.us
  24. Milking a story for all it's worth, media uncritically report crumbling allegation that Democrats threw Oreos at Steele
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  96. "New Republican committee chief says diversity of opinion is something GOP needs to learn how to respect". Fox News. February 2, 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
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  98. Berger, Judson (February 3, 2009). "Stimulus Backers Face Growing Skepticism Over Need for Government Action". Fox News. Retrieved 3 February 2009.

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Preceded byKathleen Kennedy Townsend Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
January 15, 2003 – January 17, 2007 		Succeeded byAnthony G. Brown
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