An out-of-touch RNC to elect a Chairman

by: Tolbert Yarkpawolo

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is expected to hold its election for chairman in January. The 168 RNC committee members will decide the next chairman at their winter meeting in January. The meeting on January 28, is expected to showcase six prominent GOPers including two African Americans. Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland; and Ken Blackwell, a former secretary of state in Ohio. Neither Steele nor Blackwell is a member of the RNC. Approximately six week prior to the meeting, the six candidates have already begun jockeying for the position.

There are only three black members out of the 168 RNC committee members. Two of them are supporting a white candidate, South Carolina GOP Chair Katon Dawson, a member of an “ALL WHITE” club. Committeeman Glenn McCall, an African-American, announced his support for Dawson while debunking hyperbolic criticism that Dawson was a member of the “all-white” Forest Lake Country Club in Columbia. The second African-American member of the RNC, Dr. Ada Fisher of North Carolina, said he was also backing Dawson.

Meet The Candidates

The candidates are Michigan Party Chairman Saul Anuzis, and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, a conservative activist, South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson, Mike Duncan, the current chairman who is seeking re-election, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, and former Tennessee party chief Chip Saltsman.

Saul Anuzis

Saul Anuzis — Anuzis stands out for his energetic campaigning and his emphasis on technology. The Michigan GOP chair announced his bid on Twitter and has been hammering away at the theme of tactical innovation. Multiple Republicans noted Anuzis’ big, colorful personality — he rides a Harley-Davidson and sports a goatee as an asset in a race where candidates are struggling to distinguish themselves from an ideologically homogeneous field.
Anuzis has gathered more public endorsements than any of the other candidate.
Anuzis’ weakness is the fact that Michigan has been very tough ground for the GOP in recent cycles, and the support he’s receiving from Republicans back home may not be quite enough to kick voters’ suspicion that he just hasn’t delivered the win for the RNC chairman slot.

Ken Blackwell

Ken Blackwell – So far, Blackwell is the best choice for the chairmanship slot. He is a true conservative and has a strong background in fundraising and activism. Blackwell has embraced social media that proved so critical in the November elections. He is socially conservative on family and faith issues. He is fiscally conservative and was even endorsed by publisher Steve Forbes Club for Growth head Pat Toomey. He is a champion of small business growth – the key to economic success. Blackwell has been publicly endorsed prominent republicans. He is the person the RNC needs to win in 2010 and 2012!

The former Cincinnati mayor and Ohio secretary of state entered the RNC campaign on December 5. His candidacy got a potentially significant boost this week in the shape of his partnership with Benkiser, who could help Blackwell appeal to the significant social conservative bloc on the committee.

Katon Dawson

Katon Dawson – Dawson recently resigned a 12 years of membership from a Columbia country club that has a “NO BLACKS ALLOW” policy. In August, he urged the whites-only country club to change its policy, weeks before launching his run for the national job. Dawson, of South Carolina, has been the most open in making preparations many see as a prelude to a bid for the top spot. Two weekends after the election, Dawson plans to host a group of RNC members and GOP officials at a conference designed to examine the outcome of the 2008 elections at a posh resort in Myrtle Beach.

Dawson also lunched with prominent conservative bloggers including Matt Lewis and Patrick Ruffini, among others, according to one source with knowledge of the meeting. The group was assembled by New Media Strategies, which reached out to Dawson, the source said. Dawson is running a little behind his fellow challengers, but still mounting an energetic and serious campaign.

Mike Duncan

Mike Duncan – Duncan, is seeking re-election as chairman when the party gathers in January. As the current committee chairman, Duncan knows the party’s insiders better than anyone else in the running. But candidates may have a tougher time getting through what may be a crowded field than they expected. "Duncan certainly has earned the respect of people," said one Midwestern party chairman who asked not to be named discussing internal politics. Duncan launched his re-election web site which includes a video message to the RNC committee members who will decide the next chairman at their winter meeting next month.

Duncan present term in office has left Republicans with mixed feelings – his prolific fundraising doesn’t quite make up, in some leaders’ minds, for the GOP’s devastating November losses. Couple of pluses for him are Saxby Chambliss’s victory in the Georgia Senate runoff and the GOP’s two House wins in Louisiana.

Chairman Duncan was the first party member to criticize "Barack the Magic Negro," CD by another candidate Chip Saltsman. "The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party," RNC Chairman Mike Duncan said in a statement reported Saturday afternoon by Politico. “I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate, as it clearly does not move us in the right direction."

Chip Saltsman

Chip Saltsman – Saltsman is former Mike Huckabee presidential campaign manager and a former chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. Saltsman is responsible for the infamous CD "We Hate the USA" for Christmas, which includes the controversial tune "Barack the Magic Negro". He defended his decision Friday, telling CNN the song was clearly intended as a joke. The 40-year-old has been running a vigorous race against more established candidates, though he’s had to distance himself from the Huckabee campaign in a race where no one wants to support a stalking horse for 2012. His decision to distribute the controversial CD’s might hamper his changes for the chairmanship slot.

Saltsman is an underdog and he know it. Some are wondering if he used the CD incident to boost his ranking. However, as a student of GOP politics he also knows that once the RNC race gets past the first or second ballot, all bets are off. If Saltsman can become a second or third-choice candidate for a significant number of RNC members, and survive the first ballot, any thing could happened.

Michael Steele

Michael Steele – Steele, an African-American, is the highest profile candidate. Some conservatives have questioned Steele’s pro-life bona fides and grumbled about his past membership in a group of GOP moderates, the Republican Leadership Council. Blogger and Weekly Standard contributor Mary Katherine Ham pooh-poohed the criticism.

Steele is a Catholic who grew up in D.C. and lives in Prince George’s County and became a Republican. An unpopular moved, he overcome social pressure and withstood abuse, because he believes in conservative ideas and the way they can serve all communities.

Steele, a former state party chair who served as Maryland’s lieutenant governor before losing a Senate race in 2006 to then-Rep. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). Steele is essentially tied in second place with Anuzis. Steele announced his candidacy on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity and Colmes” touting his skills as a political communicator at a time when Republicans lack a high-profile leaders on the national stage. He consistently reaffirmed his commitment to conservative social positions, his association with the moderate Republican Leadership Council has some RNC members uneasy.

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