Michael Steele
Congress invokes power of White Stripes, Led Zeppelin
Did rock prevent a government shutdown on Friday? And does that mean the era of the political hip-hop dis is over?
Representative Donna Edwards calls upon the Seven Nation Army. The government didn’t shut down on Friday, thanks to the power of … rock? By now, you may have heard that Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md., used her time on the floor last week to chide Republicans with a little help from the White Stripes’ song “Effect and Cause.”
Well, first came an action/ And then a reaction/ But you can’t switch around/ For your own satisfaction/ Well, you put my house down, then got mad/ At my reaction
Very cool. I mean, it kind of makes Jack White’s lyrics sound like something out of a Seattle poetry slam, but it was definitely better than the congresswoman’s first choice for a song. (It was Rebecca Black’s “Friday.”)
But while Democrats always seem to get the cool cred (they know what an Arcade Fire is), people forget that Republicans are also very “hip.” Like the very same day, Rep. Eric Dondero, R-Mich., did a whole Led Zeppelin tribute about how the Democrats made him want to listen to “the melodious strains of Page, Plant, Jones and Jon Bonham“:
Ugh, Dad. Stop it. You are totally embarrassing me in front of my friends.
Actually, I am all for this trend of politicians quoting rock bands, because that (hopefully) means we’ve passed the point where they think misappropriating hip-hop lyrics is the way to get more young people watching C-SPAN. (See: Michael Steele in 2008 quoting Kool Moe Dee’s “How do you like me now?“; Ric Keller egregiously borrowing from LL Cool J in 2007, “Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years.“) Think about how awesome it will be when John Boehner starts slipping lyrics from Slayer into his speeches. (If you play his national addresses backward, you can actually hear him say “Hail Satan.”)
I, for one, welcome the end of the “Bulworth” era.
Drew Grant is a staff writer for Salon. Follow her on Twitter at @videodrew. More Drew Grant.
Michael Steele not pumped for CPAC
The ex-RNC chair says there's "no one in particular" he'd like to see at the conservative conference
Michael Steele I ran into Michael Steele, the recently deposed chairman of the Republican National Committee, last night at the Big Party, an event sponsored by Andrew Breitbart and the gay group GOProud. (The party drew some attention for its musical act, the “omnisexual” singer Sophie B. Hawkins.)
Continue Reading CloseJustin Elliott is a reporter for ProPublica. You can follow him on Twitter @ElliottJustin More Justin Elliott.
Today’s RNC election may end the illustrious career of Michael Steele
The hip-hoppingest party chairman ever faces long odds
Michael Steele, candidate for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, attends a debate with other candidates at the National Press Club in Washington January 3, 2011. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)(Credit: © Larry Downing / Reuters) Today the Republican National Committee will either reelect their gaffe-prone national embarrassment of a chairman, who has kept his job this long solely because firing him would’ve called attention to just how awful he was, or they will pick someone else. Like maybe this guy:
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Alex Pareene writes about politics for Salon and is the author of "The Rude Guide to Mitt." Email him at apareene@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @pareene More Alex Pareene.
Michael Steele calling it quits?
Some expect GOP chief -- haunted by Limbaugh, abortion and a pricey bill at a bondage club -- to step aside today
FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2010 file photo, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele speaks during an election night gathering in Washington. A significant bloc of RNC members wants Steele to step aside, but the rank and file have failed to settle on a clear alternative to the embattled party leader with balloting in just two months, according to Associated Press interviews with committee members. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)(Credit: AP) Two years ago, the campaign for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee brought us “Barack the Magic Negro” and a whites-only country club. What does next month’s RNC election have in store for us?
Not Michael Steele, apparently. Tonight, the embattled RNC chairman will announce his decision on a re-election bid, and all signs point to his stepping aside.
Continue Reading CloseSteele may be out as GOP head
The Republican National Committee chairman faces an uphill fight against party detractors
FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2010 file photo, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele speaks during an election night gathering hosted by the National Republican Congressional Committee, in Washington. GOP activists are making an aggressive push to recruit a challenger to Steele, whose tenure as the central party's chief has been pocked with controversy and has been a period that some leaders are eager to put behind them. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)(Credit: AP) A significant bloc of Republican National Committee members wants embattled chairman Michael Steele to step aside, but the rank and file have failed to settle on a clear alternative, according to Associated Press interviews with committee members.
More than four dozen interviews with members of the 168-member central committee found fear that a badly damaged Steele could emerge from the wreckage of a knockdown, drag-out fight to head the party as it challenges President Barack Obama in 2012. While most agree that Steele’s time has been rough — and costly — the members also recognize that a leadership fight could overshadow gains that Republicans made in the midterm elections.
Continue Reading CloseSteele: Obama rejects cooperative GOP
The RNC Chairman claims that Republicans have tried to work with the President, only to face rejection
The head of the GOP rejects charges that Republicans have refused to work with President Barack Obama.
Speaking Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said that on issues ranging from the economy to health care to the environment, the GOP has made its positions clear.
But, he says, ideas put on the table by Republicans have been “summarily rejected” by the Democrats.
Steele says that GOP leaders “couldn’t even get a meeting with the president.”
Steele says he thinks voters are tired of the way Democrats, who control the White House and Congress, are running the federal government.
He predicts an “unprecedented wave” of voter dissatisfaction will give his party control of the House, and possibly the Senate, after next month’s midterm elections.
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