Top RNC Aide Resigns in Strong Protest of Michael Steele
- Posted on November 16, 2010 at 6:33pm by
Meredith Jessup
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Republican National Committee (RNC) political director Gentry Collins reportedly delivered a stinging four-page resignation letter Tuesday morning which included a harsh indictment of reigning chairman Michael Steele. The letter, obtained by Politico, lays out private details of internal processes and politics of the RNC and condemns the “disorganization that plagues the [Republican] party.”
Among Collins’ chief complaints: Steele’s (mis)management of the party’s money.
“In the previous two non-presidential cycles, the RNC carried over $4.8 million and $3.1 million respectively in cash reserve balances into the presidential cycles,” Collins writes, underlining his words for emphasis. “In stark contrast, we enter the 2012 presidential cycle with 100% of the RNC’s $15 million in lines of credit tapped out, and unpaid bills likely to add millions to that debt.”
The short version of the RNC’s 2010 troubles as described by Collins: The committee couldn’t afford to run an independent expenditure ad campaign on behalf of their candidates, didn’t fund a paid voter turnout operation for Senate and gubernatorial races, left its vaunted 72-Hour turnout program effectively unfunded, offered only a fraction of the direct-to-candidate financial contributions they made four years ago and dramatically scaled back its support of state parties.
Though the GOP captured success during the midterm election by any account, Collins says more could‘ve been done and the party’s money situation could’ve been substantially better. The blame, Collins says, rests squarely on Steele.
Collins cites a study that he says found that the GOP could have won the Washington and Colorado Senate races with a better field operation and says that he’d chalk up narrow gubernatorial losses in Connecticut, Minnesota and Vermont to the same lack of funds for a ground game.
The veteran Republican operative also tallies 21 House contests in every corner of the country that he asserts “could have been competitive if not for lack of funds.”
As Politico notes, Steele has not yet announced whether he plans to seek a second two-year term as RNC chair and Collins’ outgoing assessment will likely make it that much more difficult for Steele to succeed in a possible bid.
Collins’ criticism comes just days after Steele went on camera to confront his critics, rebuffing their negative characterization of his leadership.
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Comments (73)
MidAmerican
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 11:16pmyou are either effective or you are not. Barack Obama, Micheal Steele, Donovan McNabb…..you
Report Post »rise and fall on ability, not getting a racial pass.
RightPolitically
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 10:53pmMichael Steele might be a nice guy, but I don’t believe he did a good job in that post. Time for some new blood at the RNC!
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 10:46pmDon Quixote was looking for an honest man. Does one exist? We are in dire need of one as a leader.
Report Post »chukdr8k
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 10:39pmI live in Washington state and I had three separate people knock on my door to distribute their propaganda about their progressive candidates. I did not see anybody around promoting Dino Rossi. Result, Patty Murray gets re-elected once again. Yet we saw Steele riding in his bus all over the nation.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 10:37pmSOO how did POLITICO get a copy of the letter??
Report Post »Parkeralan
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 9:17pmHey Sammy Davis Steele… Time to go Baaabbbyy!
Report Post »civilman43
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 9:13pmI already returned my RNC donation envelope with a message that when they replace steele i will contribute again.
Report Post »doncarr61
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 8:32pmThis might be an opportune time to put a true conservative in ..oh maybe like Newt. I think Newt does not play well as a candidate in the 2012 race but he can raise funds very well and has the ability to come across with a strong clear message.
Report Post »mikenleeds
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 8:27pmSteele is another rhino republican so he has to go
Report Post »Goohuman
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 8:26pmDon’t have an opinion on Steele as such, but the GOP has been following the Dems into the deathly hallows of socialism. It is about time the leadership clearly states that they will not keep going in that direction.
Otherwise, who cares WHAT the GOP does. We won’t vote for them either.
Report Post »Conserving Ink
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:56pmIf we don’t make Romney our candidate, we should make him chairman.
Report Post »____________________________________________________
conserving-ink.blogspot.com
Capitalist Mama
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 8:11pmI like that idea! Romney is, first, a business man. And those in business know you must be in the black!! (this is referencing balance sheets: black is profit, red is loss. Just for those with itchy trigger fingers on the “You’re a racist” grenade.)
Report Post »betterthantv
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:52pmThis guy is right. I worked very closely with 2 Republican candidates in Georgia who received NO help from the “establishment”. Steele thinks his job is untouchable because of his skin color. He is WRONG!
Report Post »dcart888
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:39pmIt doesn’t matter who they put in as Chairman of RNC. Most conservatives will not donate to RNC until they prove to us they will be conservatives. Most of us just donate to the candidates clear across the country who we think we can trust!
Report Post »betterthantv
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:54pmYour absolutely right. I used to give to the RNC every election cycle. This year I donated directly to candidates and PACS. I‘ve lost all confidence in the ’establishment”.
Report Post »seemsew
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:28pmOur country is bleeding to death. We need a true WARRIOR FOR AMERICA!! Quite frankly I can’t come up with a better warrior than Sarah Palin to explain to many why they are so fortunate to have been born in the United States.
Report Post »Someone who will ask Hispanics, “why have you come to this country?” Did they not like their native country, Mexico? Did they come here to share in the chance to enrich their lives, or to make the US into what they just ran away from?
I think sPalin can restore pride in this country, the flag, the military and the Constitution for the simple reason that she is real. I would love to see her lead the RNC into restoring America.
AND, it would really drive a whole lot of establishment Reps nuts.
giatny
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:25pmI am astounded Steele even thought there was a possibility he could keep the
Report Post »position. He’s been an embarrassment most of his tenure. There were weeks
when his missteps served as a distraction from the issues. Were it not for the
extensive efforts by Rove and Gillespie, the troika would still be in charge.
Eyeball
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:20pmOut with the old and in with the new…..tea party supported Chairman.
Report Post »Goohuman
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 8:55pmI very much agree.
It’s possible that Steele is suffering from the aire that Rove left behind. The old game of financial contributions and concessions has left the people with no trust whatsoever for the party as a whole, so what could Steele do but lose money left and right.
I’m sure they are good people, Rove, Steele, all those guys, but they are too weak to do the right thing for the people rather than win for the party. Now they couldn’t put a win together if their careers depended on it (and it does!).
Report Post »HippoNips
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:15pmGentry Collins is Rino , Good Riddance!!
Report Post »Time to clean house. Conservatism is on the rise and in today’s mass media, this time the left won’t be able to fool anyone back to their side.
the hawk
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:01pmPalin RNC Chair sorry Mike But even he should like that idea !
Report Post »82dAirborne
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:01pmWay off topic!!!!!!!!!! I would like to ask you all to go to the “Blaze Tip” window below……. An Army Staff Sgt. was awarded the CMH. I would like to see at leat a mention of it on the Blaze.
Thank You!
Report Post »82dAirborne
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:05pm“…at least..”
Obama didn’t even bother to salute him. Sad.
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {mix art}
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:35pm@82ndAirborne
I believe honestly the Staff Sgt would make a better POTUS than Mr Obama would. And yes, I has missed the fact Mr Obama did not salute the soldier, shows the administrations utter contempt for the soldier, and all those who serve, have served, and served in the ultimate way for our freedoms.
To those who are serving and the veterans who have, my hat is off to you, and may our country never forget who it is that pays the price and sacrifices to keep our land from the tyrants of the world.
The people of our land now need to deal with the ones inside of it, and lord willing we will.
Report Post »dcart888
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:41pmI’m delighted he was given honor. There are many who are alive who deserve this honor. This White House politicizes everything. Did you notice he’s a hispanic from IOWA? 2012 campaigning already started
Report Post »Goohuman
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 8:50pmWhat is the CMH? Did you mean the MOH?
Report Post »82dAirborne
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 9:54pm@GOOHUMAN
Report Post »Technically it’s the Congressional Medal of Honor. (CMH) Or tho those of of us military types: THE MEDAL. The president AND the congress has to approve the award. Nobody ever wants one because they almost always pin it to a casket. It is the rarest of honors our country can bestow.
heavyduty
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 6:58pmIf the RNC didn’t use the money to fund candidates. What the heck did they use the money for? I think its time for an investigation into where the money went. If it wasn’t used for anything then its time for him to step down. Because he is clearly not the one for the job. Hopefully after the investigation the RNC will be better able to use the money more wisely.
Report Post »Johnnyp1958
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 6:43pmSteele , maybe you should step aside , if you can’t manage money in the RNC how can we trust you with ours
Report Post »Nigel2
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 6:41pmSara Palin for RNC Chairman!!
Report Post »MAULEMALL
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 6:44pmI REALLY like that Idea.
Report Post »338lapua
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 6:50pmI hadn’t thought about that before…..the more I think about it the more I like it. I would rather have her BEHIND a bunch of strong candidates rather than risk her rock star status with a 2012 presidential bid. She would be a GREAT RNC chair. I am going to let it marinate, but I like the way you think.
Report Post »Zombiefilmfan
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 6:56pmI agree. Sarah would be a great RNC leader.
Report Post »OutOfTheAether
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:10pmWasn’t she the defacto leader this past election cycle anyway? I like this idea
Report Post »neverending
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:10pmSo we can pay some more of her legal bills?
Report Post »MrButcher
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 10:23pmi like that too.
Just don’t let her run for president
Report Post »CaptC
Posted on November 17, 2010 at 9:07amI agree, as head of the RNC she would act as a force multiplier, look at her record in the candidates she supported in the Mid -Terms. That is an enviable percentage, I believe she would be far more effective turning the Republican party , and eventually the Nation; from this slide toward Progressivism.
If any reader is close to the Governor please approach her with this idea.
Kraevin
Posted on November 17, 2010 at 3:11pmYou guys realize that the RNC destroyed her in 2008 right? The RNC fears Palin more than anyone else on the scene because she has a history of doing with is right and what needs to be done rather than embracing and seeking more power.
Report Post »CaptC
Posted on November 18, 2010 at 6:10amKRAEVIN
Yaaaa, now you get it. If the RNC fears her where better for her serve. A fish rots from the head, and the RNC is pretty rotten so lets replace the head and let her clean house.
Unlike the cement heads that are currently running the RNC she is open to new ideas, and ‘other ways of doing things’ She is still capable of thinking outside of the box, hire her and put her to work immediately.
There is a new breeze in America, lets use it to blow away some of the smoke, then maybe we can start breaking the mirrors before 2012. Otherwise it will be 50 years before we get out of debt and back to the ‘Shining Light on the Hill’ Nation we should be.
Report Post »338lapua
Posted on November 18, 2010 at 10:25amIf in fact the RNC is a rotten to the core organization, than who better to re-build the brand from the inside. I (personally) would like to see a Sarah Palin presidency. But I think a lot of heavy lifting remains inside the party. This would be a great achievement to add to a resume which still needs a little weight. This would be a nice thick notch in the pistolgrip. I hope Sarah considers this a possibility.
Report Post »klevalt
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 6:40pmHmmmm…. This is a little reminiscent of what the dems do…. Hmmmm…. I am not for this kind of debt… And if they think it is OK with RNC, which is still our money… just voluntarily given…. what will they do with the money they take from us as a tax?
Report Post »IVillageIdiot
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:08pmPolitical money, is more like…. AMMUNITION….. than it is like tax dollars.
No good can come from laying dead at the bottom of the trench, a fully intact and accounted for pallet of ammo neatly stacked at the top, waiting to be used.
I’ll refer you to a movie that explains it quite well pictorially, Zulu Dawn…..
USE THE MONEY, BEG, BORROW, STEAL, or PRINT MORE…. and expend it against the enemy before we’re overrun and enslaved. You’ll wish you had if and when BHO & Friends get their ultimate plan in place.
And, if you have a problem with the way, or where, it’s being spent, don’t give any more. With a tax, you don’t have the same choice…..
Report Post »Goohuman
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 8:39pmThis is in response to IVILLAGEIDIOT.
You say party donations are like ammo and you should use it all or you will be “dead”.
I couldn’t disagree more. This is NOT a war. This is politics. If the party doesn’t win an election, then there is still leadership and another chance in 2, 4 or six years. If you think you MUST WIN AT ALL COSTS, then what would you justify to win? That is how corruption starts.
Don‘t win if you can’t do it without violating the very values you are running on.
Report Post »thepatriotdave
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 6:39pmI hope this isn’t what I think it is!
PatriotShops.com
Report Post »OutOfTheAether
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:04pmWhat disturbs me about his comments is the idea that elections can be bought:
“… cites a study that he says found that the GOP could have won the Washington and Colorado Senate races with a better field operation and says that he’d chalk up narrow gubernatorial losses in Connecticut, Minnesota and Vermont to the same lack of funds for a ground game.
The veteran Republican operative also tallies 21 House contests in every corner of the country that he asserts “could have been competitive if not for lack of funds.”
Maybe I’m naive but it just seems a bad commentary of the times
Report Post »bobby535
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:59pmthe establishment Repubs trying to put the tea party in their place??? Feels like it to me.
Report Post »NukeHaze
Posted on November 17, 2010 at 12:10amYeah I love how Karl Rove put Tea Party in its place by refusing to endorse Tea Party candidates and then trying to sell a book to conservatives a couple of weeks later to the same group of people. Steele and Rove still don’t get why there was so much change and challenge to incumbants entrenched in the system for full careers. Seeing Rove on O’Reilly tonight and then watching this video on Michael Steele just made me see the similarities in their character.
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 6:36pmget Steele out and put a strong man in there.
Report Post »MAULEMALL
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 6:44pmAll the more reason for the GOP to get on thier knees and thank the T E A
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:05pmSteele needed to step down some time ago but, like Pelosi, didn’t, for the good of the party he should have. In the next two year the GOP needs the strongest leadership it can find, the support of the Tea Party and other conservative groups, and someone squeaky clean who can raise large amounts of money and manage the finances. These may be the most important two years of our lives!
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {mix art}
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:13pm@Grandmaof5
Found something of interest from New Zealand…not sharks the surfers need worry about there.
Check it out.
http://www.grindtv.com/surf/blog/22111/new+zealand+orcas+join+surfers+in+search+for+the+perfect+wave/
pajamash
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 7:27pmGreat, there was a chance the republicans could have taken the senate as well. I live in Minnesota and Dayton is as bad as Al Franken. The only hope here is that the legislature went republican and will hold Dayton in check.
Oh my god! This guy sounds like Obama when it comes to money!
“If I run, I’m going to win”? Wow! What erogance!!!
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 8:10pmI think this would be a good role for Palin…….but I dont think she would do it
Report Post »Midwest Belle
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 8:26pmto BurntHill
Why does it need to be a MAN? A Strong woman would do a good job too!
(Unless of course you meant “man” as referring to HUman, and not the sex.)
Report Post »QuietRiot
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 8:53pmIt would appear that the (R) Party is loosing it with funding because of the independant tea party movement. I say so far so good Financial collapse of them is paramount to their destruction. Tea party people put their money where their mouth and minds were this past election and it proves you dont need tons of $$ from an organization like the RNC just god fearing constitution loving americans giving from their hearts.
Report Post »what4
Posted on November 16, 2010 at 9:47pmWhoa, easy there Belle, i think the refrence was about Steele’s weakness….Man or woman..its all good!
Report Post »HKS
Posted on November 17, 2010 at 12:17amI agree on Palen, that would drive the commies nuts.
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on November 17, 2010 at 6:48amSnowleopard3200, that was a great article and an amazing sight, I’m sure. Thanks for pointing it out.
Report Post »John Henry
Posted on November 17, 2010 at 9:09pmI simply bypassed the RNC and sent money to the candidates I could support. I am tired of the Republicans letting the news media direct who our candidates are. They gave us McCain and will try to give us Romney or Huc if we allow it. No time for people who claim with their mouth to be conservative and their actions belay the words. Look at what the actually do not what they say they do or will do. No more pseudo conservatives please or you will be on the outside looking in again.
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