“I’m still in it to hold a mirror up to my GOP colleagues,” former RNC Chair Michael Steele tells us in this episode. “To show them how unLincolnlike they have become.”
Michael Steele has borne painful witness to that transformation over the past two-plus decades as the first African American Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, then RNC Chair in 2009-2011, as well as US Senate Candidate.
Steele may have been one of the first prominent Republicans to push back on the populist redirection of the party back in 2009 when he tussled with popular right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh over who led the Republican party.
“It did say a lot about a base that had become very animated and defensively protective,” Steele recalls of the pushback from that episode, including a drop in RNC fundraising.
Steele reexamines that moment in recent GOP history and reflects on a GOP today that, in his view, has turned its back on conservative principles of personal liberty and freedom, and also long-held Republican positions on US foreign policy.
“Reagan is probably looking at their dance with Putin, Orban and others, going: who are these people?”
Join us for an informed, concerned discussion with Michael Steele, now an MSNBC host and commentator, on why Americans need to stay civically engaged despite the political theatrics of this 2024 election year and our current political era.
The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
SHOW NOTES
Our Guest
Micheal Steele, MSNCB Political Analyst, Former RNC Chairman, and Former Lt. Gov, (Maryland). Twitter.
Join Us for Premium Content:
Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple
Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast
Find us online!
Twitter: @purpleprincipl
Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast
Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple
Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ
Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja
Dissenting Voices on Today’s GOP: Interviews from The 2024 Principles First Summit
Asa Hutchinson on 2024 GOP Primaries: Hard to Get Any Other Message Out!
Grand Old Party or Brand New MAGA? Contrarian Conservative Charlie Sykes
A Primary Solution to Unite America? New Book From Election Reformer, Nick Troiano
Systems Level Failure? Veterans for All Voters Takes on Polarizing Elections
Breaking Bread, Sharing Salad & Final Four Voting: Alaska Representative Mary Peltola
Election Lessons Unheeded? A Cautionary View of the New U.S. House
Is the Fever Breaking? Two Centrist Senators on the 2022 Elections
Repodcast: Deflating Political Football with Tania Israel
As 2022 Election Results Roll In: Concern, Context, & Perspective
Test Driving Ranked Choice Voting: These Not So United States (AK Part 2 & NV)
No Such Thing as The Latino Vote? Hispanic American Swing Voters (Finale)
Will Latinization Bring Moderation? Hispanic American Swing Voters (Part 2)
Repodcast: Politically Persuadable But Focused on Jobs? Hispanic American Swing Voters (Part 1)
End of Bay State Bipartisanship?: These Not So United States (MA Part Two)
Deval Patrick Talks Governing: These Not So United States (MA Part One)
INTRODUCING My Body Odyssey, a Fluent Knowledge Podcast
Less Partisan Elections in Alaska 2022? These Not So United States (AK Part One)
Revisiting GOP Party Dynamics: The Decline of Moderates & Rise of Populism
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free