Steele Rips Obama's Fake Bipartisanship

Written by Tim Mak on Friday January 29, 2010

FrumForum Exclusive: In a video interview with FrumForum, RNC Chairman Michael Steele slammed President Obama’s efforts for bipartisanship as “disingenuous” and argued that the GOP’s obstructionism was simply reflecting the will of the American people.

Click here for all of Tim Mak’s reports from the RNC Summit in Hawaii.


httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh8S7oCkZQw


(Honolulu, HI) - FrumForum Exclusive: In an interview with FrumForum, RNC Chairman Michael Steele slammed President Obama’s efforts for bi-partisanship as “disingenuous”; argued that the GOP’s obstructionism was simply reflecting the will of the American people; and defended against criticisms that Specter’s floor-crossing was prompted from within the GOP.

“If you go back and look at efforts by the leadership... the letters of invitation by members to sit down with the President, the offers to help draft and craft part of the healthcare bill... [Yet, we have] been rebuffed,” said RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

“I think that from the standpoint of watching last night, you have to scratch your head, and go, ‘So, now you want to do bipartisanship’? It’s just disingenuous,” he added.

Steele disagreed with the contention that Republicans had everything to gain from being obstructionist. “I don’t think they do, I know that the leadership appreciates this, and that it’s not their intent to sit back and wait for all the spoils to roll to them because people are mad at the Obama administration. That would a foolhardy route to take.”

Instead, Steele argued that what appeared to be obstructionism was merely a function of an administration that had become unaligned with the wishes of the public. ““The Democrats have the energy, they have the numbers, they have the agenda,” Steele said. “And yet they can’t get it done. Why? Because that’s not what the American people want.”

On the other hand, the chairman insisted that “the leadership is prepared to lay out an agenda on healthcare, on job creation, [and] on national security.”

Responding to FrumForum criticism that he had said ‘good riddance’ in reaction to Arlen Specter’s move to leave the Republican Party, giving the Democrats their 60th vote in the senate, Steele said: “He was a political opportunist, he looked at the numbers and saw that he couldn’t get elected. Instead of standing on the principles that he said he believed in, he decided it was easier... to cut and run. That’s not helping the party, that’s not growing the party.”

The chairman also disputed that there were efforts to push the senator out, saying: “Arlen Specter is a grown man, and if he isn’t prepared to stand in the realm of public opinion... that’s on him... I can’t push you out of anything. I can only invite you in.”

Category: News