Steele's First Fundraising Letter: Help Me "Clean House"
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele has mailed an aggressive fundraising request to VA members, asserting that the GOP is now "OPEN for business and I am cleaning house."
Steele gives a sense of his strategy moving forward. His first challenge? Making a break with his party's leadership of the last eight years.
"Barack Obama and his allies hold power because Republicans in Washington failed you," he writes. "They failed you on bailouts, spending, immigration and so much more. The Party is a mess because insiders turned deaf ears to you and millions like you who share our beliefs. The Party drifted too far from what you expected -- Republicans did not listen, spent like out of control liberals and voters made them pay for their mistakes in 2006 and 2008."
But Steele, the former lieutenant governor of MD, offers a more traditional Republican refrain in targeting the Democrats, whom he calls the "Obama crowd" and "Obama liberals." He calls them tax-and-spenders, a tag that might not stick as easily to the new president and his party leaders after they approved a massive middle class tax cut as part of the $787B stimulus package.
"The Obama crowd thinks Americans like you have been on top for too long," Steele says. The Left, he writes, is serious about:
-- Staggering "redistributions" (which is Democrat code for tax hikes) from your family budget to Big Labor and special interests;-- Packing the Supreme Court -- and lower courts -- with the most liberal judges in American history; And
-- Nationalizing healthcare to the point where Washington bureaucrats decide what medical treatmens you get and NOT your doctor.
"The right change is coming," Steele writes.
(But do these charges sound like change, or as if they were plucked from the same old GOP playbook?)
Steele also assures members that he is already working to recruit new candidates. "Let me be clear, the past is behind us and I hope you are ready to start our comeback in Virginia and across America by sending back your gift today," he writes.
Click through to the jump for the full letter.
(JENNIFER SKALKA)
Dear XYZ:
They talk a lot about "brands" in Washington, but I think about people.
As our Party's new Chairman, I am taking the Republican National Committee back to our roots and I am counting on you to stand with me.
Barack Obama and his allies hold power because Republicans in Washington failed you. They failed you on bailouts, spending, immigration and so much more.
The Party is a mess because insiders turned deaf ears to you and millions like you who share our beliefs. The Party drifted too far from what you expected -- Republicans did not listen, spent like out of control liberals and voters made them pay for their mistakes in 2006 and 2008.
Now, the Party must earn back your trust.
What we must do is not rocket science. Americans expect Republicans to cut taxes, create jobs, defend this nation, put strong judges in our courts, shrink Washington's power and let individuals run their own lives.
And I am planning to give you what you expect.
Your Party's OPEN for business and I am cleaning house.
We are committed to recruiting and electing candidates who actually mean it when they say they believe in shrinking government and making sure power stays in the hands of individuals.
XYZ, with the exception of ONE vote in the United States Senate, Democrats hold almost unstoppable control and you can feel the wall against our backs. Trust me, EVERYTHING you have worked for is at risk of being forever "redistributed" if we don't start winning elections.
Winning starts today.
I absolutely need your continue help to build our Party and that means your 2009 RNC Sustaining Membership gift of $4,500, $3,000 or even $1,500 is the best way you can help at this time.
Let me be clear, the past is behind us and I hope you are ready to start our comeback in Virginia and across America by sending back your gift today.
The Obama crowd thinks Americans like you have been on top for too long. The Left is serious about:
Staggering "redistributions" (which is Democrat code for tax hikes) from your family budget to Big Labor and special interests;
Packing the Supreme Court -- and lower courts -- with the most liberal judges in American history; And
Nationalizing healthcare to the point where Washington bureaucrats decide what medical treatmens you get and NOT your doctor.
What we must do to stop them is to bring voters back to the Party of Lincoln and Reagan -- and this means Republicans must STOP voting like Pelosi and Reid.
I am already working to recruit strong new candidates with the character and courage to speak these truths and to boldly remind all that individuals built this nation -- not Washington -- and it is individuals who will help America surge forward again.
The Obama liberals don't trust you to run your own life.
You can bet they are hoping you choose NOT to come back and stand by the Republican National Committee in 2009.
They know your gifts are truly the seed money to support my commitment to clean house and to recruit and elect strong new Republicans at every level of your ballot in Virginia.
They know candidates count on RNC candidate support and voter registration programs to directly help those running for office in Alexandria City County, the state house in Richmond and even Virginia's Congressional delegation to Washington.
And please know that the Congressional races in Virginia have NEVER been more important as we work to recruit strong new candidates for the United States House and Senate.
XYZ, we simply must not fail in coming back together to rebuild our Republican Party. We cannot afford to let the radical Democrats gain any more ground in the battle to "reinvent" America. The best way for you to help me start our comeback is by having faith again and supporting the Republican National Committee today with your new 2009 RNC Sustaining Member gift. The right change is coming.
Sincerely,
Michael Steele
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