Steele acknowledges that at times he has a tendency to take things too far. “And I get checked on that, just as when I was a young boy and I pushed the envelope too far and my Mama was there to check me.”

But there’s an edge to his voice when he talks about a double standard that he believes has been applied by his critics, and he posits racism as the cause: “I don’t see stories about the internal operations of the DNC that I see about this operation. Why? Is it because Michael Steele is the chairman, or is it because a black man is chairman?”

I’m sorry, I thought the Republicans had this color blind stuff all worked out.

We didn’t coin the term Feminazi, Rush did. And American Renaissance, Jared Taylor, Sam Francis, Peter Brimelow, segregationists like Strom Thurmond, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and defenders of the Confederate flag are all on your side.

By the way, how’s that project to elect a single black person to national office as a Republican coming?

There must be one black guy out of 250,000,000 people who can pull it off somewhere in this country. Meanwhile, we’ll just coast by on our Commander-in-Chief and leader of the free world for now.

It seems to me that cooler heads in the GOP wish to marginalize her, but of course they can’t. In the end, she has a real shot to become the nominee, and even if she doesn’t make it that far, or chooses not to run, the eventual nominee is going to find if very difficult to get any attention at all.

The GOP needs to get real about Palin - and real fast.

I’m not sure which of those two propositions is more insulting to the GOP. And I’m really at a loss to understand why an intelligent atheist like you would want to be associated with that party.

Two words: Southern Strategy.

The Democratic party was well rid of the dregs the GOP collected courtesy of Richard Nixon’s outreach to the racists who fled civil rights and integration.

Republicans made a deal with the devil that has bitten them in the ass.. finally.

Now it’s time to welcome the birthers and anti-science wackos because they need the votes. Someone has to replace the Latinos they’ve insulted and the young who flee the fag bashing endemic to the GOP.

The establishment will sand off the roughest edges, they will send the racists who can’t learn to use code words packing, Witch Doctor placards and watermelon jokes will be discouraged and all will be well, at least in 2010. When a white guy is running the country again in 2016, the emergency will be over and the GOP will have new worker bees. All this has happened before and will happen again.

I’m suggesting that a movement that is home to birthers, deathers, Christianists, dog whistle racists and bomb Iran ignoramuses, and is headed by Sarah Palin who took over as Bagger-in-Chief from Ron Paul, will end up taking over the GOP.

You’re suggesting that on the contrary, said movement will be absorbed into the GOP.

I’m not sure which of those two propositions is more insulting to the GOP. And I’m really at a loss to understand why an intelligent atheist like you would want to be associated with that party.

You’re trapped.

You started by attacking the teabaggers.

Then you flip-flopped and embraced them.

And they embraced Palin.

Which leaves you where exactly?

Where I always will be; calling em as I see em. My opinion of Sarah Palin has not changed on iota. She is still unfit for high office although you may see me from time to time praising her considerable political skills - just as I did with Obama.

I think the tea party will be co-opted by the GOP. All of these independent “movements” are eventually absorbed by one party or the other. And these people especially who have no clear agenda and eschew any kind of leadership will gravitate to the Republicans in 2010. Or become discouraged and quit.

How that identifies me as “embracing” the tea party movement I don’t know except as it relates to your rather hysterically over active imagination.

ed.

BTW, my day job currently rules me hence slacky attendance

You think the tea party and Palin are separate phenomena? That’s funny. You and the rest of the clueless mainstream GOP don’t get it.

This is not about small government or conservative principles or any of the rest of that. This is a white, rural, uneducated backlash fueled by demographic, economic and cultural panic.

If you think you and your burned out political party are going to profit from this movement you’re a fool. You try to belatedly throw your arms around this they will drag you down to their level and you will learn the same bitter lesson that moderates inevitably learn when they imagine themselves taming radicals.

Why the drama queen routine? Not enough excitement in your life?

I suggest watching golf. That will bring you back to earth.

ed.