Steele Continues to Back Away from Afghanistan Remarks; Finds New BFF in Didier

In a speech before some 100 Washington state Republicans last Saturday evening at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele retreated, without apologizing, from his recent comments that the war in Afghanistan is “unwinnable:”

I think at this moment it is important for me to also address that, I know some folks feel the comments that I made recently about the war in Afghanistan, that I may feel that way too.

I respect all of you so much and particularly the men and women in uniform who come from this state, who serve in this state. I want to tell you personally from me to you and to all of them that I am 1000% for victory for our men and women in service, that we cannot leave them on the battlefield alone, that we cannot undermine an opportunity to win.

We are fighting in a tough place. It is hard to win there. But with the right leadership, the right resources, and most especially, the right commitment to win, the right commitment to win, we will. We will win this war on terrorism! We will not give one inch of ground to those that hate our country! Let there be no confusion about that. The sacrifice has been too great by many here and elsewhere around our nation.

So for the sake of those brave men and women who are currently serving in uniform, for the sake of those who’ve lost their lives, and for their families and their kin, this party stands with them. I stand with them. Your Chairman, your National Committeeman, your National Committeewoman stand with our fighting men and women. Period. No confusion. No questions.

But earlier in the evening, the beleaguered Steele found a new best friend, Washington U.S. Senate candidate Clint Didier, who stated:

You know what Michael? I gotta tell you Michael, my friend; they’re attacking you right now. I know you’re a big man. Stand tall and let’s stand tall together, shoulder-to-shoulder. Let’s fight!

Those comments directed by Didier to the very personification of the “establishment party” seem a bit strange, considering Didier just called fellow Republican candidate Dino Rossi “the establishment party's insider.”  (Dino had another engagement that evening and wasn’t on hand.)

Of course, Didier’s comments to Steele must be taken in the context of Didier’s own statements that the war in Afghanistan is not just unwinnable, but illegal.  Didier was just repeating the praises of Steele’s defeatism uttered by his “hero” Ron Paul, who said Steele is right and that Republicans should stick by him.
















For his part, Steele admitted to a sort of man-crush on Didier:

I’m a huge fan. As a native Washingtonian [Ed. Note: of the other Washington] , I watched him play and win Super Bowls for my teams, so I was a very happy camper. I’ve gotten to know Clint over the years and just really appreciate his passion and his fire.

Steele emphasized youth during his speech, saying that Republicans would cease to exist if younger people were not recruited into the party. He called for all those under 40 present at the rally to join him on the stage. Steele then said, “I present you with the, not the future of the Republican Party in Washington, but the now.”

The rest of the Republican Resurgence rally was pretty standard, with lots of fiery speeches and enthusiasm. My personal favorite was when Rep. Bruce Dammeier (R-Puyallup) told the crowd that we have 118 quality Republican candidates running for the state House of Representatives, and if “you aren’t excited, you aren’t paying attention.”

"Support Our Constitution" vs. "Eat the Rich"

Some 30 Republican sign-wavers, mostly from the Dick Muri for Congress campaign, faced off against some 20 Democrat protesters Saturday afternoon at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.  The Republicans, with the advantage in numbers, occupied three of the four corners at the intersection of 15th and Commerce.

The Democrats were on hand to protest the appearance of Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele at a "Republican Resurgence" rally being held at the convention center Saturday evening. The Republicans were there to show that Washington doesn't "belong to the Democrats" as claimed in a e-mail sent by the Chair of the Pierce County Democrats.

The Republican message was clear: "Support our Constitution."

As was the Democratic message:  "Feed the poor.  Eat the rich."

Air Force veteran Fred Ahrens was among the yellow-and-blue clad throng, carrying an extra-large Dick Muri for Congress sign .  He told me he is backing Muri because of Muri's strong pro-life beliefs, his support of veterans, his efforts to reduce spending and taxes, and his tough stance in illegal immigration, such as working to implement E-Verify in Pierce County.  Fred asked me to remind readers that the Dick Muri campaign is looking for donations and volunteers for such things as phone banking to help defeat Adam Smith.  Go to http://www.dickmuri.com/ if you can help.

Rising Republican star Hans Zeiger, who is running for the state house in the 25th Legislative District, dropped by briefly:

Meanwhile, the Democrats were a little reticent to speak, just as at their protest at the John Boehner-Dave Reichert fundraiser in Bellevue last week.  I was directed to talk with Lynda Foster, who told me she was just a "volunteer" and was there to show solidarity with Democratic candidates, especially Patty Murray.  When I asked her if they had a message for Michael Steele, she said it was simply for Democrats to make a presence to show support for their candidates too.  I did speak with one Democrat protester wearing a union shirt and holding an American flag that said he had heard about the protest on the radio and came down to participate.

There wasn't any chanting (the Republicans had a drum,) but the Democrats did cheer "Light Rail!!" every time the Tacoma Link went by.  But despite the Democrats' silence, their signs did have some specific messages:

You can see above that the Ron Paul/Campaign for Liberty folks set up next to the Democrats.  After the Democrats walked up the street, the Didier supporters moved over by the Ron Paul supporters, naturally, as Paul just endorsed Didier for the U.S. Senate in Washington.

The back of the Ron Paul sign had a hand-printed message that read "Honk in Support 9/11 Truth."  This picture to me demonstrated the strangeness of the Washington Senate race this year and the far-right fringe nature of some of those backing Didier:

Steele Coming to Tacoma; Dems Promise Protest

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who has faced scathing criticism in recent days for his comments on the war in Afghanistan, is coming to the Tacoma Trade and Convention Center tomorrow evening for a "Republican Resurgence" rally.

And Tacoma Democrats are promising to protest.  In an e-mail, the party chair stated:

We believe choosing Tacoma for the site of this event was a major miscalculation on the part of the RNC as we as Democrats intend to show out in force. We're going to show the Chairman that Tacoma AND the State of Washington belongs to the Democrats!

No doubt, given Steele's recent notoriety, there will be a large media presence tomorrow.  The campaign of Republican Dick Muri, who is running for Congress in the 9th Congressional District, is organizing a large counter-protest. 

In addition, the three Republican U.S. Senate candidates, Dino Rossi, Clint Didier, and Paul Akers, will be addressing the crowd as well.  All in all, it promises to be a lively evening, and I will be on hand covering it live.