Republican Chair Steele is toast, says governors' association head
The head of the Republican Party is toast, says Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Chairman of the National Governors Association.
Is that clear?
In an interview with GQ magazine, published online, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said abortion was 鈥渁n individual choice.鈥� On Thursday, he issued a clarifying statement saying, 鈥淚 am pro-life, always have been, always will be.鈥�
Steele鈥檚 gaffe on a major issue for conservatives will be politically fatal, predicted Rendell, who in the past served as chairman of the Democratic Party. 鈥淚 just don鈥檛 think the forces that control the Republican Party really want a big tent,鈥� Rendell said at a lunch for Washington reporters sponsored by the Monitor. 鈥淒o they want a chairman who is basically pro-choice? Not on your life. They won鈥檛 permit it.鈥�
No big tent
The two-term Democratic Governor added that, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the people who control the party -- not Republican voters -- but the people who control the party just aren鈥檛 going to allow that ideological flexibility. So I think Michael Steele鈥檚 days are numbered, fortunately for us.鈥� Rendell called Steele 鈥渁n engaging personality.鈥�
Rendell also spoke with passion about the economic stimulus program recently passed by Congress and signed by President Obama. Ensuring the effective use of the $787 billion will be 鈥渢he biggest test of government in my lifetime,鈥� Rendell said. 鈥淎nd I have been in government since I was 33, 32 years ago, and I believe in it ... I don鈥檛 want to see this fail.鈥�
Let's do more
The spokesman for the nation鈥檚 governors differed with those who say President Obama is trying to do too much all at once, scattering his fire. 鈥淭his is the worst crisis we have faced at least in our lifetime. Are we capable of doing a lot of things? Yes we are. It isn鈥檛 all rocket science. Can we make decisions? Can we put the partisanship aside? Can we put aside our own little personal fiefdoms? Those are the tougher issues,鈥� Rendell said.
While calling the current stimulus program 鈥渢oo small,鈥� Rendell nevertheless argued for waiting before trying to get Congress to pass additional funds. 鈥淚f I were a Congressman or Senator ... I鈥檇 want to see how this stimulus worked for a little while before I would vote for another one. I think that is fair," he said.
Great, but unemployed
Bailing out banks and insurance companies may be unpopular with voters, Rendell said.聽 But he urged the long view. 鈥淚f the bailouts are the right thing to do, we have got to do them, hopefully explain them well, but take the consequences. This situation is so bad. If Barack Obama did unpopular things that helped us get out of this, and cost him reelection, I think he would go down as a great American president,鈥� Rendell said.
