Steele Defiant On GMA
RNC chair Michael Steele defended his tenure atop the GOP in an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" today, insisting he has put in place the necessary protections to prevent further gaffes that have hurt the party's fundraising efforts.
Responding to a National Journal Insiders Poll that showed a large majority of GOP insiders see Steele as a liability, he said he would not step down, but he did acknowledge that poor spending decisions, including $2K for meals at a risque L.A. nightclub in Jan., have forced him to make changes in the committee's financial controls.
"The bottom line is, I hear my donors. I hear our base out there. I hear the leadership," Steele said. "And we're taking steps to make sure that we're even more, how should we say, fiscally conservative in our spending and certainly making sure that the dollars are there when it's time to run our campaigns."
Asked if he, as an African American, is held to a different standard than others, Steele said yes, but that it's something he deals with.
"The honest answer is yes," Steele said. "Barack Obama has a slimmer margin. A lot of folks do." Steele added: "I tend to come at it a little bit stronger, a little bit more street-wise if you will. That's rubbed some feathers the wrong way. At the end of the day, I'm judged by whether I win elections and I raise the money, and that's a standard I'm very comfortable with and look forward to meeting in November."
Steele also said he had been in touch with GOP leaders, including House leadership and ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich, about plans to release some kind of policy document akin to the Contract with America. Steele has his own vision, which he calls "first principles," and he said he expects the party to offer a positive vision to voters.
"Hopefully, we'll have a working document, if you will, George, that we can take to the American people that will clearly lay out who we are, what we believe, how we will lead and why it's important to move in a new direction," Steele said.
Watch the full interview here: