By Laura Smith – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele congratulated new Republican Governor elects, Bob McDonnell for Virginia, and Chris Christie for New Jersey, citing their victories as signs of a “Republican renaissance.”

“The Republican renaissance has begun,” said Steele. “The message was sent yesterday. It’s not about the change we need, it’s about the change we want.”

“As recently as a couple of months ago, Republicans were written off,” Steele added. “Many of you were writing our epitaph.”

He went on to say that independents played an important role Tuesday night, explaining that Republicans won independents 2-1.

“The real heroes last night, who brought home the victory, are the Republicans, Independents and yes, even Democrats, who spoke up against an incredibly arrogant government in Washington that has put our country our freedoms and our economy at risk with unprecedented spending,” he said.

A reporter asked Chairman Steele if he thought the loss of third party conservative candidate Dough Hoffman in New York’s 23rd Congressional district should have been a warning to conservatives that they should back off the local party process. Steele responded, “There should have been, in New York 23, a primary process. There should have been a process that involved something other than having individuals in coordination with the state party make that decision. This is what happens in hot contestant races when you have that type of process in place.”

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says in a press conference Wednesday that Republicans were able to pick up seats in key elections in Virginia and New Jersey yesterday by opposing President Obama on spending. (0:41)

 

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Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says Tuesday’s election signals a “Republican Renaissance.”

“The message was sent yesterday. It’s not about the change we need, it’s about the change we want.” (0:27)

 

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During a debate, the RNC chairman candidates were asked if they had Twitter, and if so, how many followers they had. Michael Steele and Katon Dawson replied that they have around 300-400 followers and Saul Anuziz claimed that he had just under 3,000. Ken Blackwell responded that he used twitter, but also noted he had an impressive 4,000 friends on Facebook. Mike Duncan explained that he did not have a twitter account himself, but understood how to use the website (1:05).

 

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Chip Saltman, a candidate for the RNC chair position, explained how the Republican party needs to return to their roots, citing the situation in Florida where although there is a deficit, taxes were not raised (0:43).

 

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The Republican National Committee (RNC) is poised to elect a new chairman to serve as their master strategist following two elections that have proved disastrous for the party.

Michael Steele, GOPAC Chairman; Ken Blackwell, former Ohio Secretary of State; Chip Saltsman, former Chairman of Tennessee’s Republican party; Katon Dawson, chairman of South Carolina’s Republican party; Saul Anuziz, Chairman of Michigan’s Republican party; and current RNC Chairman Mike Duncan met in a debate sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform to make their case for the position.

The candidates agreed on most of the issues, including reaching out to more Ron Paul supporters, young conservatives, and minorities, but the majority of the debate rested on the specific steps each candidate would take.

Steele, who dismissed allegations that the Republican party was dead as “bunk,” said that in order to increase the party’s influence, the chairman would have to rally state leaders behind the cause.

“How long have we been talking about this? When are we going to start doing it, for goodness sakes? This isn’t anything any of us can do individually as chairman of this party. The state organizations are where the rubber meets the road…. They’re the ones with the courage and leadership at the national level to get it done,” said Steele.

Blackwell touched upon how the RNC could reach out to more voters by increasing the committee’s technological reach, complete with the recruitment of a Chief Technology Officer.

Anuziz suggested using the technological capabilities to do more than just campaign, claiming that it could be a key networking tool.

“We need this to be part of everything we do. And not just a certain section of what we do. And I think the way we do that is make it part of everything we run as a party because that is the best way to network every single grass roots activist that wants to be part of the system,” said Anuziz.

The candidates were asked if they had Twitter, and if so, how many followers they had. Steele and Dawson replied that they have around 300-400 followers and Anuziz claimed that he had just under 3,000. Blackwell responded that he used twitter, but also noted he had an impressive 4,000 friends on Facebook. Duncan explained that he did not have a twitter account himself, but understood how the website worked.

The candidates touched upon the notion that the party had deviated from its general values in recent years and discussed the need to be return to their roots.

“People come to Washington as rat killers, and a couple years later they’re rodent control officers and the rats are their constituents,” said Saltsman.

“We’ve got to make sure we elect people across this country … that know who they are and will stand up during the hard times, just like the folks have done in Florida, where they’re sitting with a budget deficits like they are in many states but have decided not to raise taxes but rather go after spending restraints.”

DNC Chairman Howard Dean says that although Obama has been accused of killing campaign finance reform, his ability to solicit small donations directly from people took power away from special interest groups, which was the original intention of campaign finance reform (0:44).

 

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RNC chairman Robert Duncan says that based Obama’s support for offshore drilling, merit pay for teachers, and a tax cut for 95% of Americans, Obama ran the most successful moderate Republican campaign since Dwight Eisenhower (0:37)

 

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Although RNC chairman Robert Duncan described his attitude about the previous night’s election results as hurting too much to laugh but being too big to cry, he nevertheless made an effort to find the bright side in Obama’s landslide victory.

“While it was a difficult night for Republican candidates, it was a historic night for the republican party. The election of America’s first black President… has realized the vision of a color-blind society that first inspired the Republican party,” Duncan said during a National Press Club discussion with DNC Chairman Howard Dean that touched on the United States’ current political trajectory, the preceding election season and campaign finance reform.

Duncan dismissed the notion of a mandate for the democratic party, and pointed to Obama’s support for offshore drilling, merit pay for teachers, a tax cut for 95% of Americans.

“Put simply, Barack Obama just ran the most successful moderate Republican campaign since Dwight Eisenhower”.

Duncan described the political situation that Obama will be facing as president, saying that Obama will be heading a center-left party but presiding over a population that is still center-right on most issues. Duncan raised the specter of Newt Gingrich and Ronald Reagan, warning that an attempt to move the agenda to the left would result in a Republican victory in the mid-term elections.

Dean disagreed with Duncan’s assertion that the country is right leaning and said that Obama’s victory meant that there was a mandate.

“I don’t think this is a center-right country…we did a lot of polling when I first became Chairman. It turns out that most people in Nebraska, not exactly known for being a very liberal state, actually agreed with democratic positions more than they agreed with Republican positions if you put them in the words of each party.”

Both chairmen discussed campaign spending, with Duncan claiming that the only transformational aspect of the Obama campaign was the way it will affect the financing of future presidential campaigns.

“Presidential campaign financing as we know it died last night. No major candidate will ever submit to public funding restrictions,” said Duncan.

” Less than two election cycles ago since the passage of campaign finance reform, the system has failed…the result is a campaign finance system far less transparent, less accountable, and more vulnerable for corruption.”

Dean countered that the Obama campaign’s ability to raise small donations was a form of campaign finance reform in its own right.

“I think the president-elect ought to get credit for the inspiration that he gave to the American people who were willing to give 5 and 10 at a time averaging 86 dollars per donation. That is campaign finance reform. That is putting politics back in the hands’ of individuals and taking it out of special interests’ hands.”

Duncan brought up the future of the Republican party, describing how the RNC was poised to make an effort to better address their voters concerns. Duncan said that one way this this will be done is through an online forum titled Republican for a Reason.

Former Navy Secretary John Lehman discussed national security concerns that have been raised over the possibility of a terrorist attack during the upcoming presidential transition, and pressed that John McCain would be better prepared to address the threat than Barack Obama.

Speaking in a McCain campaign conference call with former Rep. Scot McInnis (R-Colo.), Lehman, who was recently assigned to oversee a McCain transition, highlighted the Republican candidate’s national security experience.

“McCain, as you know, was one of the authors and the key senate sponsor, along with Joe Lieberman, of the 9/11 Commission, and he was the sponsor along with Joe of the legislation to get some 85% of our recommendations through.”

Lehman said that although McCain is prepared for a quick transition, he has not yet decided who will serve on his staff.

“No names, no people have been selected. John is not going to address that until the election and he will be right on it the minute after, but he is not taking anything for granted.”

However, Lehman stressed that this does not mean there will be a dangerous prolonged absence of staff in the event of a McCain transition.

“The five Republican Secretaries of State, with one exception, have all endorsed and talk regularly with John McCain and he’s known for twenty some years in Congress who the people are who know what they’re talking about, so he’s in touch with all the time with a broad range of people that are going to be included in his administration, but he will not be presumptuous and try to match people to slots.”

Lehman added,

“But I know from discussions with him without naming names, that he has a lot of this in his head and it will happen very quickly after he is elected.”