Steele Admits RNC 'Seniors' Bill Of Rights' Is Pure Politics, Dismisses Critics As 'Washington Inside Poop'

Posted by Lee Fang, Think Progress at 6:00 AM on October 6, 2009.

[Monday] on Laura Ingraham's radio program, RNC Chairman Michael Steele responded to recent criticisms that he was rooting for America to lose its 2016 Olympics bid. Although both Steele and Ingraham had ferociously cheered for President Obama to fail in his bid to grant Chicago the Olympics, Steele scoffed at those critical of his cynicism as "so typical Washington inside poop."

Ingraham then pressed Steele about a Politico report that GOP leaders had delivered him a "heated message" to stop meddling in Republican policy proposals:

INGRAHAM: GOP leaders to Steele: back off. GOP leaders in a private meeting last month delivered a blunt and at times heated message to the RNC Chairman Michael Steele and they said essentially quit meddling in policy. [...]

STEELE: No I'm not going rogue and that's a factual inaccuracy, I did consult with Senator McConnell and Congressman Boehner [...] Again that is typical Washington stuff, trying to create a tempest in a teapot. [...] The one thing I've always stated from day one is I don't do policy, I do politics. [...]

INGRAHAM: Were you told to stop meddling in policy?

STEELE: No I wasn't told to stop meddling in politics. A certain one or two senators wanted to know what that was all about. [...] There’s some staffers who clearly have a bug up their you know what. That's their problem.

Listen:

In August, Steele released a "Seniors' Health Care Bill of Rights" declaration stating that Medicare should not be "cut." Given the fact that the Republican Party -- and Steele himself -- has long sought healthcare entitlement cuts, and often the outright elimination of Medicare, the move was seen as a transparent attempt to scare seniors from supporting healthcare reform. The move not only drew widespread media ridicule, but apparently an angry backlash from GOP leaders like Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. John Thune (R-SD), and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) for Steele's role in crafting policy.

Sources say Steele initially defended his efforts to push a protection of Medicare, at one point telling fellow Republicans that his upbringing on the "streets" made him a fighter. However, Steele apparently backed down. By again admitting that he "doesn't do policy," only politics, Steele also concedes that his entire effort was a hollow attempt to confuse the public.

As Steele has said, there is "no reason, none, to trust our words or our actions at this point."

Tagged as: republicans, gop, rnc, mitch mcconnell, laura ingraham, john boehner, michael steele, lamar alexander, jon kyl, senior's bill of rights, john thune