On Monday morning we woke up to a little nugget from Tea Party Nation, a regional Tea Party group. On their website they implored Sarah Palin to run for the job of RNC Party Chairman:
We need you as Chairman of the RNC. You have shown in the past no hesitation to take on the establishment. You did it in Alaska. If we end up with establishment control of the GOP and their support for an establishment candidate in 2012, Obama and the socialists will have won.
For her part, Sarah quickly shot this notion down, telling ABC News:
I respect the desire to have someone in charge of the RNC who understands the wishes of the conservative grassroots and understands that power resides with the people and not the vested interests in DC. However, the primary role of the RNC chair seems be that of fundraiser-in-chief, and there are others who would probably be much more comfortable asking people for money than I would be, and they would definitely enjoy it more
I always find myself tickled at these often sincere but misguided attempts to find Sarah a job. I say often sincere, because may of these suggestions are thrown out there by folks who would rather she do something else than run for President, because they have a dog in the race themselves, and know with Sarah in the mix, that dog of theirs just won't hunt.
It's like those who were pushing her to run for the Senate to get “seasoned” and “learn how things work.” Yeah, because a 20 year veteran of politics, most of it at the Chief Executive level doesn't know how things work, and isn't “seasoned” enough. Of course, these same people will always fawn over the latest flavor of the month, lustily pining for a newly elected candidate who has never served a day in office, hailing them as the next President.
This makes me think their motives for having Sarah take some other job to “get seasoned” may not be all that sincere.
With that said, what I have is indeed a sincere proposition, and a win-win all around.
First, let me say this. As much as I loath the GOP establishment, the job of RNC Chairman is a job for an insider. An establishment Republican will do well in this position. It also takes someone who is not a high profile Republican, someone who is good at being not seen. Someone who will work hard, but not be a big attention getter.
I like Michael Steele, and would support his re-election. The problem Steele has is the same problem Sarah would have. Steele is not an establishment guy. He's Tea Party friendly, and of course, that rubs the establishment the wrong way. The fact that he and Sarah are friends doesn't endear him to the elites either.
Steele hasn't endeared himself to the blue bloods, and they have fought him hard, blowing every little misstep way out of proportion, in order to scuttle his chairmanship.
Another thing with Steele is he's not camera shy. He's a dynamic guy who doesn't mind talking to the press and appearing on camera to advocate on the behalf of the party and Conservatism. This is in stark contrast to the previous Chairman, Mike Duncan, who no one but party members really ever saw much of. His worked under the radar.
One could argue who was the better RNC head, but I think the stellar results from the 2010 elections speak for themselves. However, it seems that Steele's time as Chairman is about to end.
After reading the Tea Party Nation letter, and reflecting on what a party chair should and should not be, I came to one conclusion: Mitt Romney should be the next Chairman of the Republican national committee.
As we wrote on Tuesday, while discussing Romney's disastrous “health care reform” and poor record as Governor of Massachusetts, it might be time for Mitt to “explore other opportunities."
Let's face it, even with the so-called “moderates” Romney is losing ground in every poll, and his supposed appeal to these moderates is really Romney's only selling point.
Romney does have one ability though. Something he can actually do well, and that's raise money. Romney is rightly praised for helping round up all of his buddies and reaching into their pockets to help save the Olympics in Salt Lake City, which was on the verge of collapse due to massive corruption.
Romney has raised impressive amounts of money for his political action committee, by glad handing big donors and special interests. This of course is compared to others, like SarahPAC, which raised similar amounts, but all through small, private donors, in amounts of $250, or less.
Romney's ability to mingle with these high dollar contributors would work well for the RNC. He's an establishment insider, an elite, and he speaks their language.
Something else, Romney is not a high profile guy. He is obviously comfortable out of the spotlight. I say this because he has been totally silent on some of the most pressing issues of our time for the past two years. He's not stood up and weighed in on anything of substance. One can speculate why, but for the purpose of this exercise, let's just assume he doesn't care for the limelight. This is a good quality for the RNC Chair to have.
As stated earlier, one of the problems Michael Steele has had during his tenure at the RNC is he's not one of the “good old boys.” He's a bit of an outsider, and Tea Party friendly. He's also a Conservative. Romney would have a lot easier go as Chairman. He is as insider and establishment elite as it comes. He's not a Tea Party sort of guy, and the feeling is pretty mutual with the Tea Party. And no one is ever gonna accuse Mitt of being a Conservative!
Romney is uniquely qualified to head the RNC. For all his faults, he has the one talent that could make the RNC incredibly strong, and that's his ability to raise big money. He would have to have some help spending the money wisely, and backing the right candidates, but he can hire that talent.
I know some readers may be thinking about now that this is merely a ploy to get Mitt Romney out of the 2012 race so my favored candidate has a better shot. The RNC Chair would simply not be able to run the party apparatus and run for President at the same time. At least not be able to do either successfully.
I know it may look this way, but this is a sincere suggestion. Romney's time has passed, as far as being a successful Presidential candidate. He came in third in 2008 against one of the poorest fields of candidates the GOP has even put out there.
This time around the nation is looking for bold leadership from someone who isn't afraid to stand up and be counted. Someone with a solid record of competence bundled with an uncanny knack for always making the right decisions. Sorry, but that isn't Romney.
I believe that Mitt Romney sincerely wants to do something positive for our nation, and for the Republican Party. He could be of great service to both as the head of the RNC. His strengths would help create a much stronger RNC. One that could really make a difference in 2012 and years beyond.
Mitt Romney really needs to step up and take the job. It was the job he was born to have.
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