Steele: Attack Obama's policies

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By Ralph Z. Hallow

Republican National Chairman Committee Michael S. Steele told cheering state party officials on Tuesday that it's time to attack the liberal policies of President Obama and Democrats and to follow the example of past party leaders such as President Reagan, whose conservatism offered answers to the issues of the day.

Although heavily criticized by some members of the RNC since taking the helm in January, Mr. Steele drew repeated applause from state Republican chairmen and members as he laid out a case for ignoring pundits who advise against criticizing the popular president.

"Folks like him, he's got an easy demeanor. He's a great orator. ... He's got all the qualities America likes in a celebrity, so of course he's going to be popular. Only one problem: He's taking us in the wrong direction and bankrupting our country. That I do not like," Mr. Steele told 165 luncheon guests, including 115 members of the 168-member RNC, at a state party chairmen's meeting in the convention center at National Harbor in Maryland.

He vowed the era of Republicans apologizing for mistakes is over and that he will lead the party on a renaissance that will focus "on winning the future."

"Republicans may be the minority party at the moment, but we represent the ideas and concerns of the majority of Americans," Mr. Steele said. "Candidate Obama was very moderate in his views, but President Obama could not possibly be further to the far left."

In his lengthy speech, Mr. Steele did not mention abortion or same-sex marriage, issues dear to the hearts of social and religious conservatives who helped bring Republicans to control of the White House and both houses of Congress in 1994.

The omission drew a complaint from Virginia RNC member Morton Blackwell, but others said they were pleased that Mr. Steele was leading the party away from the regional, South-centered image many voters, including many Republicans, have of the GOP, which has been hammered at the polls in the last two election cycles.

"The focus should be where Chairman Steele puts it," Indiana RNC member and leading social conservative Jim Bopp Jr. said.

Mr. Bopp said Mr. Steele "rightly dwelled on how Obama and the Democrats are expanding government and debt to the point where it may be inevitable that our government will have to print so much money we'll be buried by an inflation as horrendous as the Weimar Republic's in Germany."

Mr. Bopp is a sponsor of an anti-socialist resolution expected to be voted on by the full RNC during a special session of the meeting Wednesday. Mr. Steele had opposed holding the vote, but Mr. Bopp and party leaders used a procedural move to ensure the resolution would be considered.