Republican Leadership Endorsements

For whatever it’s worth — which is probably not very much — here’s who I’m rooting for to take control in some of these leadership positions in the House:

Mike Pence for Minority Leader: Other than on illegal immigration, he’s like a young Newt Gingrich. While his illegal immigration position is a reason for concern, he’s managed to get Tom Tancredo behind him, which is a strong indication that he must be willing to take a hard line stand on the issue to attain a leadership position. So, Pence is the candidate to root for if you’re looking for a reform minded conservative who wants to take a stand on principle. (Since that’s the case, I support Pence for the Minority Leader position).

John Shadegg for House Minority Whip: Shadegg is a principled, reform minded, hard nosed conservative and to tell the truth, I’d probably back him against anybody in the House, for anything. Getting him as the House Minority Whip would be a dream come true for conservatives who are sick and tired of “big government Republicans.” If Shadegg were to lose to Roy Blount, who represents a “business as usual” approach to governing, it would be an indication that the Republicans in the House learned absolutely nothing from the crushing loss they suffered last Tuesday.

Michael Steele for RNC Chairman: Ken Mehlman was actually a very good RNC chairman. He was a phenomenal fund raiser, he reached out non-stop to black Americans, and he is a reliable, charismatic spokesman for the Republican Party. Although I didn’t agree with everything that the RNC did, I think he was a competent leader who did the best he could given what the Republicans on Capitol Hill were giving him to work with.

Now, Michael Steele is getting a serious look as a possible replacement for Mehlman. Steele, who lost despite running a brilliant campaign, would also be a reliable, charismatic spokesman for the Republican Party and I think it’s likely that he would have more success than Ken did in reaching out to black Americans. The only question I have about Steele is whether he can raise money like Ken did, but given that Steele seems popular with the conservative base and almost managed to achieve fund raising parity with his opponent, Ben Cardin, in deep blue Maryland, I think he could handle that portion of the job, too. So, I think it would be great news if Michael Steele were to accept the RNC’s offer of the chairmanship.

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