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This is Michael Steele, Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Notice the cartoonish hand gestures, and the sly suggestive smile. This is a man that is confident in his abilities, but what those are is questionable to me. He should be happy about one thing though: He has mastered the art of the hypocrisy two-step. So, just what has Mr. Unspoiled Juice done to master this? He just had to sell out a segment of his own party, to sail on the rugged seas of the uncompromising right-wing that’s all.

Steele initially claimed that the Republican party was a big tent, and they, more than the Democrats, welcomed diversity of thought and opinion. Here he is a few months back in Wisconsin:

“All you moderates out there, y’all come. I mean, that’s the message,” Steele said at a news conference. “The message of this party is this is a big table for everyone to have a seat. I have a place setting with your names on the front.”

Flash forward to now: Steele and his Two-Face persona have seriously compromised the GOP’s ability to retain and attract moderate voices to the party. Take the case of New York and its 23rd district.  Conservatives ridiculed and vilified the established candidate Dede Scozzafava — eventually backing a more conservative candidate in the race and effectively abandoning the official nominee. The result? The GOP lost another seat in the house to Democrats, a seat held by the party for over 100 years. And for what? To burnish conservative credentials of a party, and a chairman, who both seem to lack a coherent direction.

Chairman Steele’s pledge to “come after incumbents who support President Barack Obama’s policies” is laughable.  Here is the actual quote from chairman Steele:

Asked if he’d be comfortable with Republican candidates in 2010 who supported President Obama’s stimulus package, or his push to overhaul health care, Steele said:

“Well I’m gonna tell you honestly, that’s where the line gets a little bit tricky. And you saw in the House and in the Senate that there are ramifications, because that goes against a core principle. And trust me, you’re assuming that people want to have bloated debt, government expenditures and growth into their lives — they don’t. That’s a talking point out of the DNC.”

“People aren’t buying that. So candidates who live in moderate to slightly liberal districts have got to walk a little bit carefully here, because you do not want to put yourself in a position where you’re crossing that line on conservative principles, fiscal principles, because we’ll come after you,” Steele continued.

Last time I checked, the people in those slightly liberal and moderate districts wield the true power. Candidates and incumbents take their cues from them. Imagine the nerve an incumbent would have to have to vote the way their constituents want them to. Crazy! Is it Steele’s intention then to put party brand and ideological style over substance and common sense legislating? If so, then be prepared to spend the rest of the next decade as the minority party.  And be prepared to find another line of work in 2012.