January 30, 2009

Blackwell Acolyte Distraught at Steele Endorsement, Victory

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At a critical juncture in the voting for the new RNC Chair, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, one of the most conservative figures in the race, realized he was behind and endorsed eventual winner Michael Steele, who was the most moderate. The move left one Blackwell devotee, a conservative Ohio-based blogger named Matthew Naugle, stunned and angry. I have emailed with Naugle before about the GOP’s push to modernize it’s approach to technology. Here are his thoughts on Blackwell’s endorsement and Steele’s victory:

…all the technology in the world is meaningless without the right conservative message.

I run Ken Blackwell’s Facebook page and Twitter page. I was also Ken Blackwell’s campaign blogger and web guy in 2006. Ken Blackwell is my hero- my idol- my Goldwater…… but I couldn’t be more disappointed in his endorsement today. No candidate was more un-Blackwell than Michael Steele.

Steele is new to the language of conservatism, and he was certainly the most liberal candidate running. He expressed his view that the Supreme Court should follow what stare decisis is on Roe V. Wade, has run GOPAC into the ground, and was actively involved with Christine Todd Whitman’s Republican Leadership Council.

The Republican Party, with a John McCain candidacy, tried to win on a “big tent” platform and in the process lost its soul. Now, with the election of Steele, they have lost their mind.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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