C-Span: Voting for RNC Chairman LIVE! First ballot count underway.

[flpoljunkie]

[TwilightGardener]

1. LOL! Think I'll skip that little freak parade, thanks.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. no, really, you should watch

an amazingly clueless show.

Did you know that they are the party of change, that they have momentum, and that the democrat party is in disarray?
me neither.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Hitler's bunker, sounds like. Skeery.

[avaistheone1]

5. How delusional the republicans are.

If they keep this up they will never be back in power.

[Cha]

22. Does the Chip

guy have a chance?

[NYC_SKP]

4. Choose RUSH, get Limbaugh in there, he's the head of the party now!

:rofl:

.

.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. duncan got 51 of the necessary 86 votes.

blackwell brought in the bottom with 20, anuzis got 22.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. oh shit, their spokeswoman is dying of old age up on the podium.

[flpoljunkie]

8. Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele's folks seem very pleased with his 46 votes.

Some are speculating he will eventually win. Steel is black and considered a 'moderate' Republican, pro-life, but thinks the party needs to be more inclusive.

[NorthCarolina]

9. Will it be a racial bigot, a homophobe...or both?

[flpoljunkie]

10. Talkingpointsmemo: No Candidate Receives majority in first round. Not good news for Duncan.

RNC Vote: No Candidate Receives Majority In First Round

By Eric Kleefeld - January 30, 2009, 12:15PM

The Republican National Committee's winter meeting has just announced the vote totals from the first round of balloting in the heated race for RNC chairman. No candidate has received the 85-vote majority needed to win just yet, but so far it's a tight race between incumbent chairman Mike Duncan and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele:

• Duncan 52

• Steele 46

• South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson 28

• Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis 22

• Former Ohio Sec. of State Ken Blackwell 20

Overall this is not a good result for Duncan -- he is an incumbent who only received 31% of the vote in the first round of voting, and a viable non-Duncan candidate is trailing just narrowly behind. This is also a bit of an embarrassment for right-wing bloggers and movement conservative activists, who had actively been supporting Blackwell.

The RNC has now gone out to lunch -- and presumably a lot of deal-making -- before we go into the second round later.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/01/rnc-vote-no-candidate-receives-majority-in-first-round.php

[jenmito]

12. I wish he WOULD win. I don't want Steele to win. He's smooth and slimey but

people seem to like him and he'll definitely go for the Black vote more successfully than any of the others. He's the guy who ran in MD with signs and bumper stickers reading:

Steele
Democrat

[ej510]

13. He couldn't get our vote when he ran for the senate. Black people aren't stupid

we cannot stand the fucker.

[flpoljunkie]

15. Amen!

[jenmito]

17. I never said, nor do I think, Black people are stupid. I'm saying that out of all the

choices, he'd be the best one able to claim they're not a racist party. (Ken Blackwell already proved to be a partisan hack after stealing OH and the presidency for Bush).

ETA-And if he DOES win, I hope it backfires. Just like when McCain chose Palin just because she's a woman.

[Cha]

23. Yay!

:)

[flpoljunkie]

14. Thanks for reminding us how 'slick' Steel is.

[jenmito]

19. Andrea Mitchell just held up a copy of the bumper sticker

Steele
Democrat

And asked the Repub. pollster, Neil Newhouse, how that would go over in this process if he wants to be leader of the GOP and he said, "Somebody has a very good memory."

[AspenRose]

24. BUSTED

Well played Mrs. Greenspan

[DainBramaged]

26. I think Mrs. Greenspan is leaning towards Obama pie........

or she finally found her journalistic voice now that she got passed over by Chuckie Todd.

[flpoljunkie]

27. Ha! Sorry I missed that, Jen! Priceless!

[jenmito]

28. I wrote my post BEFORE she held up the bumper sticker. :)

[flpoljunkie]

29. I know you did! Ha!

[jenmito]

30. I really hope he doesn't win. He IS a slick one. n/t

[flpoljunkie]

83. Here's one of the signs...

MD-Sen: “Republicans Anonymous” Steele campaigns as a Democrat!
September 23, 2006, 1:15 pm

Interesting sign, huh?

The depths to which this years’ “Republicans Anonymous” will stoop to try to confuse voters about their GOP affiliation just never cease to amaze me.

The Baltimore Sun reports that Maryland GOP Senate candidate Michael Steele has come out with new election signs that say “Steele Democrat.” His camp says that the intent of the sign is to represent Democrats who will vote for Steele, something akin to saying a “Reagan Democrat.”

The misleading intent of the signs is clear: Steele wants people who don’t follow politics much to believe that Steele is actually a Democrat.

That’s shameful, not just for Steele but for the GOP itself. Is it really so cowardly in the headlights of a possible electoral trainwreck in November that it has to paint itself with blue stripes?

http://centerblue.org/2006/09/23/md-sen-republicans-anonymous-steele-campaigns-as-a-democrat/

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

58. WRONG!! He got his ass kicked here in Maryland by Ben Cardin

He needs to get his ass kicked again! Steele MUST NOT win!! He is the most corrupt baffoon ever! He'll dance a jig for those racist white people. NO STEELE!!!

[flpoljunkie]

11. RNC committee members now turning in their ballots for the second round of voting.

[flpoljunkie]

16. Steele and Duncan tie with 48 votes in second round of balloting. Could be a long day.

Steel with 48 (+2)

Duncan with 48 (-4)

Dawson with 29 (+1)

Anuzis with 24 (+2)

Blackwell with 19 (-1)

[flpoljunkie]

18. Third round ballots now being counted. Results soon.

[demokatgurrl]

20. They actually have this shit on TV?

Who's watching.... laid-off Republicans?

[flpoljunkie]

21. Results. Steel picks up 3. Leads with 51 votes, but S.C.'s Dawson picked up the most votes.

Steel 51 +3

Duncan 44 -4

Dawson 34 (+5)

Anuzis 24 (+0)

Blackwell 15 (-4)

The social conservatives are moving toward Katon Dawson. More on him in a minute.

[flpoljunkie]

25. More on the candidates from the Wall Street Journal...

Here’s a snapshot of the candidates, in alphabetical order:

Saul Anuzis: The Michigan Republican Party Chairman, 49 years old, has trumpeted his reputation as a tech-savvy politico and a “movement conservative” who best knows how to modernize the party. (He announced his bid via Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail.) Anuzis has been entrenched in Michigan state politics for most of his adult life–although it may not help that his state has increasingly trended Democratic in recent years. “I’m coming from a state that has to fight for every vote in every election,” he explained to NBC’s First Read. “That’s how we are going to rebuild the GOP majority in America.”

Ken Blackwell: A favorite among social conservatives, Blackwell, 60, is considered an outsider in this insider’s race because he is not an RNC committee member. He has embraced that role, however, likening his blue-print for reforming the party to a “shareholders’ revolt” that would redistribute more decision-making power back to the states. Blackwell is one of two African-American candidates in the race. “It is time for a change in ownership at the RNC,” he wrote on his Web site.

Katon Dawson: The South Carolina Republican Party Chairman, 52, saw his profile rise during the 2008 presidential primary season when he accelerated the Republican primary to preserve his home state as the first Southern primary. He takes pride in the fact that the winner of the South Carolina GOP primary has secured the party’s nomination since 1980. Long active in state politics, he represents a region that still boasts an active conservative base. Yet Dawson’s Southern drawl and association with the whites-only Forest Lake Club (he resigned his membership in 2008), may be too much for committee members concerned about the alienation of minorities with the GOP. Dawson was the target of an anonymous email attack circulating among Republicans this week that featured a parody cover of USA Today and the headline: “RNC Chooses Whites Only Chairman.” Dawson earned the endorsement of Henry Barbour, the nephew of popular former RNC Chairman Haley Barbour. His uncle, however, voiced concerns about tapping a Southerner at this point in time. “There are some people that want to attack us as being too southern,” Haley Barbour told USA Today in early January. “I don’t think we ought to make it easier for them to do that.”

Mike Duncan: The incumbent in the race, Duncan is seeking re-election and boasts the most public endorsements, giving him the most tangible claim to front-runner status. Duncan is generally well-liked among the RNC’s members, but he is an ally of the Bush administration when most Republicans are looking for something fresh. A veteran political strategist, Duncan’s strengths are seen as more of a nuts-and-bolts manager (his family runs community banks in his home state of Kentucky), than an asset on the Sunday talk show circuit. Re-electing Duncan would “send a bizarre message of continuity and status quo to a party that has suffered two consecutive election cycles of stinging defeats,” observed non-partisan election analyst Stu Rothenberg, “Even RNC members who feel personally comfortable with the sitting RNC chairman might not be willing to do that. And even though Duncan surely isn’t responsible for his party’s problems, even party insiders understand that they need to send a message of change.”

Michael Steele: A former Maryland lieutenant governor, lawyer and current chairman of GOPAC, Steele, 50, has been the target of attacks from RNC members who do not believe he is socially conservative enough to lead the party. Steele has moderate ties and he has been a vocal critic of the Bush administration at times. Also an African American, Steele has criticized the GOP for failing to appeal to minorities and working class voters. “It’s not so much what the issue is as the way we talk about the issue,” Steele said recently. “I’m a very proud conservative.” A savvy communicator, Steele’s supporters believe he will be an effective voice. Rumors of a “power sharing deal” between Duncan and Steele ricocheted on conservative blogs this week in the run-up to today’s vote, but both men denied the charge.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/01/30/and-the-winner-is-rnc-chairman-to-be-decided-friday/

[JayMusgrove]

31. This is important why?

What or who was the RNC chairman for the last 8 years?

[grantcart]

32. The chairman of the party of the President has no power. Now that they have

no clear standard bearer the RNC Chairman will be an indicator of and have influence of what kind of identity the party wants to move to in the future.

[jenmito]

33. Yup...

which is why I'M betting on Steele to win. They know they look like the "Racist Party" with Rush's comments and the "Barack the Magic Negro" CD being sent out, so I bet they'll choose Steele to try to "prove" they're NOT racists. And he's a smooth liar. Remember when he had the "Steele Democrat" bumper stickers?

[flpoljunkie]

36. Seems like a race now between Steele and Dawson, the social conservative endorsed by Haley Barbour.

Am rooting for Dawson. Dawson's profile from the WSJ.

Katon Dawson: The South Carolina Republican Party Chairman, 52, saw his profile rise during the 2008 presidential primary season when he accelerated the Republican primary to preserve his home state as the first Southern primary. He takes pride in the fact that the winner of the South Carolina GOP primary has secured the party’s nomination since 1980. Long active in state politics, he represents a region that still boasts an active conservative base. Yet Dawson’s Southern drawl and association with the whites-only Forest Lake Club (he resigned his membership in 2008), may be too much for committee members concerned about the alienation of minorities with the GOP. Dawson was the target of an anonymous email attack circulating among Republicans this week that featured a parody cover of USA Today and the headline: “RNC Chooses Whites Only Chairman.” Dawson earned the endorsement of Henry Barbour, the nephew of popular former RNC Chairman Haley Barbour. His uncle, however, voiced concerns about tapping a Southerner at this point in time. “There are some people that want to attack us as being too southern,” Haley Barbour told USA Today in early January. “I don’t think we ought to make it easier for them to do that.”

[jenmito]

38. I saw that.

I am, too. :)

[jenmito]

35. It'll be their "new face" for their party...

Their last chairman was Duncan. Mike Duncan.

:hi: Jay! :)

[flpoljunkie]

34. Former Chairman Mike Duncan just withdrew from the race. Members voted for no recess.

Ballots now being passed out.

[jenmito]

37. Yup. Too bad. n/t

[flpoljunkie]

39. Florida's Republican party chair, Jim Greer, Crist's guy, is supporting Michael Steele.

[flpoljunkie]

40. Are there enough social conservative voters to give the nod to S.C.'s Dawson, Haley Barbour's guy??

[flpoljunkie]

42. Dawson 62. Steel 60. Round 5 coming up! More on the vote totals.

Anuzis gained 7 with a total of 31 votes and Blackwell remained at 15. I heard he had pledged to stay in for five rounds--so his folks may be getting ready to move-more likely to Dawson, I would think, the more socially conservative of the two top vote getters.

[jenmito]

41. I see this as a rejection of Rush Limbaugh. They do NOT want to be painted as Rush's Party. I

wish they went for the conservative guy, but it looks like they won't, darn it.

[Seen the light]

43. Who did Rush want?

[jenmito]

44. I don't have any first-hand information, but my bet is he'd want the most conservative guy to win.

[flpoljunkie]

48. Rush's a 'tax cuts' Republican, so he may be fine with Steele. It's money he loves!

[jenmito]

49. I guess so.

[flpoljunkie]

45. Talkingpointsmemo's Josh Marshall's take: DAWS-MENTUM!

DAWS-MENTUM!

Racial backlash candidate Katon Dawson moves into slim lead on 4th round of balloting.

--Josh Marshall

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/01/daws-mentum.php

[jenmito]

46. YES! I REALLY hope he wins!!!

:bounce:

[flpoljunkie]

47. More on 'racial backlash' candidate Dawson from Talkingpointsmemo...

Candidate For RNC Chair Was Member Of Whites-Only Country Club

By Greg Sargent - November 24, 2008, 12:04PM

Now here's a good way for the GOP to make the case that it hasn't been reduced to a southern regional rump party that's held hostage by intolerant crackpots: Elect as the new chairman of the Republican National Committee a southerner who just resigned a longtime membership in a whites-only country club.

Katon Dawson, the South Carolina GOP chairman, announced his candidacy for RNC chair yesterday.

And guess what: Back in September, when Dawson was first quietly laying the groundwork for his RNC run, The State newspaper reported that he resigned his membership in the nearly 80-year-old Forest Lake Club. Members told the newspaper at the time that the club's deed has a whites-only restriction and has no black members.

Dawson claimed to the paper that he'd actually been working since August to change the club's admission practices after reading about them in the press. Nonetheless, his membership could become an issue in the RNC chair race.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/11/candidate_for_rnc_chair_was_me.php

[flpoljunkie]

50. Ken Blackwell withdraws and endorses Michael Steele.

Will Blackwell's voters vote for Steele? We will soon see.

[jenmito]

51. I'm sure they will. I hate this.

[ShortnFiery]

52. Not for sure. Steele is not NEAR as right wing a Blackwell.

Sometimes Steele even "thinks for himself." :shrug:

[flpoljunkie]

53. Yes, and wonder if Anuzis' voters can make a difference here. He's still in it, isn't he?

[alwysdrunk]

54. Steele is a straight up moderate

He loves Reagan but that's about as conservative as he gets. I thought the "lurch to the right" was on the way? If Steele wins then that's a different story.

[jenmito]

55. I know, which is why I think Blackwell's reasons for supporting him may influence

enough people to put him over the top.

[alwysdrunk]

56. Blackwell doesn't really get that much respect in the party

He's just not all that bright and it shows. He gets his name mentioned for being in a prety high office in Ohio, but not too many will vote as he says.

[jenmito]

61. The applause seemed pretty loud after he threw his support to Steele.

If even the freepers see it would look bad for a racist to lead their party, I don't see Steele losing.

[ShortnFiery]

57. RushBo would be "in pain" if he had to respect Steele. He can't control his racism.

It's a WIN-WIN for us either way. :shrug: :-)

[jenmito]

64. Who knows. He may just find a way to make it work...

to pit Steele against Obama...

[ShortnFiery]

85. No more "cloudy day." Rush has racism in his being - that part he can't change.

Rush dreamed of being a football sportscaster but could NOT hold his tongue when it came to discussing African Americans.

Rush is a "dyed in the wool" racist. The forgoing I have no doubt. He will not be able to hide his resentment of Steele and this will come through EVEN on the radio waves.

Again, Steele or Lawson = WIN-WIN for our side. :-)

[flpoljunkie]

59. Of Duncan's 44 votes, Steele got 9, Anuzis got 7 and Dawson got 28.

Momentum seems to be going Dawson's way. Will any of Anuzis' voters switch to either Dawson or Steele in this fifth round?

[jenmito]

62. Did Duncan throw his support to anyone?

[flpoljunkie]

63. I don't think so, and they voted not to take a recess before they voted the next round.

[ShortnFiery]

60. What's taking so long?!? Are they counting on their fingers and toes?

:evilgrin:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

84. modern GOP teknologi

[flpoljunkie]

65. Steele 79. Dawson 69 with Anuzis at 20. Takes 85 votes to win.

Anuzis' voters are in the driver's seat now. They have recessed for now.

[firedupdem]

67. dammit. Anuzis needs to give a strong 20 to dawson! n/t

[ShortnFiery]

70. I wouldn't be surprised. Depends on who gets the advantage in the arm-twisting

during this 15 minute break.

Is Anuzis moderate or bat shit crazy right wing?!?

Oh shit! He wimped out. The plot thickens. ;)

[mikiturner]

71. I think Steele has it

I can't see Anuzis going with Dawson.

[jenmito]

69. Steele only needs 2 votes. And Anuzis just dropped out.

[jenmito]

66. Steele-79, Dawson-69, other guy, 20.

[flpoljunkie]

68. Anuzis withdraws and endorses no one.

[jenmito]

72. Dawson needs 16 of Anuzis' 20 votes to win.

[flpoljunkie]

73. And, Steele needs 6. Winner needs 85 votes.

[jenmito]

74. That's right. I thought they needed 81 to win, not 85. Darn it. Looks like Steele will win.

[flpoljunkie]

76. Dawson needs 16 of the 20 Anuzis' voters to win. Steele only needs 6.

[jenmito]

77. I know. Looks like they're afraid to look like the party they really are.

[flpoljunkie]

78. Here's hoping we'll be surprised with a Dawson win! Conceivable, but not likely.

Anuzis describes himself as a tech-savvy 'movement conservative'--whatever that means.

[jenmito]

79. That probably means Steele will win-because of the "tech savvy" part.

[flpoljunkie]

75. Anyone know when they return for the sixth round of voting? Will it be Steele or Dawson?

[flpoljunkie]

80. Steele wins with 91 votes! Dawson received 77 votes.

[jenmito]

81. Transparent ploy. Won't work.

[flpoljunkie]

82. Interesting it came down to Steele and the "Whites-Only' country club member Dawson.

There may well be a backlash within the Republican party, particularly amount its southern members.