GOP candidate says criticism was a joke

[brooklynite]

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Republican Senate candidate Michael Steele, trying to explain his criticism of the GOP, on Wednesday called President Bush his "homeboy" and said he was joking when he described his Republican affiliation as a scarlet letter.

The Maryland lieutenant governor, under fire for his comments, told WBAL radio that his remarks were supposed to be off the record with a handful of reporters. Instead, Steele's campaign confirmed Tuesday that he was the unnamed Senate candidate who had assailed the Bush administration and Republican-controlled Congress in a story in The Washington Post.

"I've been quoted as calling the president my homeboy, you know. And that's how I feel. ... It's a term of affection and respect for his leadership of our country in a difficult time," Steele, who is black, said in the radio interview.

The Post quoted the unnamed candidate as saying the GOP-controlled Congress should "just shut up and get something done," that the Iraq war "didn't work" and "we didn't prepare for the peace," that the response to Hurricane Katrina was "a monumental failure of government," and that "there's a palpable frustration right now in the country."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060726/ap_on_el_se/republicans_bush_6

That scamp! What a kidder!

I don't understand why he wanted anonymity. When the punchline to your joke is "a monumental failure of government," , you should let everyone enjoy it...

[ClassWarrior]

1. That's a third-grade excuse. "Honest Miss Landers, it was a joke..."

"...even if it wasn't funny."

NGU.

[Blue_In_AK]

2. Not to be crude, but this "homeboy" remark

reminds me of some prison slang I've heard, "Hey, Homie, doncha know me? You knew me when you blew me." :evilgrin:

[The Deacon]

3. Yeah, It May Have Been a Joke...

But to be on the safe side, Michael, I wouldn't go hunting with Dick Cheney, or, in any circumstances, be alone in a room with Karl Rove.

[RufusEarl]

5. And under no circumstance fly on a small plane.

[Nickster]

4. Ahhh, the NSA must have called to remind him about some of his past

phone conversations.

[gratuitous]

6. Oh sure, an anonymous joke

That Michael Steele, he kids because he loves.

I'll betcha a shiny nickel that before too much longer he's actually begging Bush for a joint campaign appearance. Looks like Mr. Steele got the message and got it fast that Republicans who start thinking for themselves had better keep it q-u-i-e-t.

[TrueFunkSoldier]

23. YES, YES! Let's hope he does ask Bush to campaign with him...

IT WOULD BE THE END OF HIS ILLUSTRIOUS CAMPAIGN!!

This is certainly not the first time Steele has run off at the mouth. He is quite well known for his gaffes. Here's hoping that he asks Lil' Dumbya to campaign for him. He'll lose the black vote for sure. And even many moderate to conservatives in Maryland HATE Bush!

So let him ask Lil' Dumbya to join him! I, for one, can't wait...

[yellowcanine]

29. If Bush campaigns for Steele there is going to be a run on scarlet Rs.

Stock up now.

[Skip Intro]

7. Did the gop threaten to halt financial support for his campaign?

Love it when honesty takes a back seat to $$$.

[struggle4progress]

16. They sure got to him somehow: I bet they were stone cold.

[itzamirakul]

8. OK, Brooklynite...that "scamp?" You are old enough to use it and I am

old enough to remember who was referred to as "scamp."

:)

BTW, the story is funny as heck. Looks like homeboy stuck his foot in his mouth sideways.

[Buns_of_Fire]

9. That Mike, he's such a kidder.

Yeah, yuk it up, "homeboy." We're all out here yukking it up with you... :puke:

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. LOL

Well done.

[Orion The Hunter]

11. Can Steele's campaign get any more pathetic..?

Searching for a new low everyday it is...

[DeepModem Mom]

12. Did he find a horse head in his bed this morning? nt

[LanternWaste]

13. "Homeboy?" Geez....

"Homeboy?" Geez.... anyone over the age of 21 should have any and all educational certifications revoked simply for using that word, regardless of context.

Sheesh.

[MissWaverly]

14. I would have loved to see Karl Rove's face over this one

even the GOP candidates are dissing them, Karl, there's something wrong, must have been that
iceburg we hit called Iraq/Katrina.

[yellowcanine]

30. Rove should have to pay to fix the hole in the drywall. And to replace

the lamp as well.

[samsingh]

15. no, he's a joke

[Bridget Dooley]

17. Unfortunate

Sounds like a very well crafted leak with the purpose of distancing himself from the follies of the administration. Voters won't remember the CYA move as much as they will the original remarks. They will think that is how he REALLY feels and they will remember that when they go to the ballot box.

Pretty smart if you ask me.

[TrueFunkSoldier]

24. Yeah, but if the Dem candidates were smart...

They'd take his gaffe and RUN with it...literally. Why not use it in campaign ads? See, the goal of both Ehrlich and Steele is to try to position themselves in the middle, as "Independents". They know that Bush is so hated across this state, by every ilk--libbies, connies and indies alike!

Take Steele's words and use them against him. Again, he is quite well known for running off at the mouth.

The "homeboy" retort is so pathetically desperate. He's trying to appeal to black voters while still maintaining his mainline con association with Lil' Dumbya. It will backfire. To many blacks, Clinton was the first black president (even though I never agreed and don't like Clinton). It was just a desperate gesture for Steele to call Bush a "homeboy," which is an affectionate name that many blacks give to people they grew up with in "da hood" or sympathetic whites who are "down" with the cause. Bill Clinton is a homeboy. Jimmy Carter is a homeboy. Al Gore is a homeboy. Even Kerry is more of a homeboy than Lil' Dumbya...

[yorkiemommie1]

18. oh. it was a joke.

so ha-ha. Liar!

[DWilliamsamh]

19. It's been said but I concur: This was no joke.

This guy asked for anonymity for a joke? A joke that was supposed to be "off the record?" This jerk off made the ultimate mistake for a Republican candidate: He told the truth. And now that he has, instead of showing some "character" or "sticking to his guns," he is about the business of backpedaling from the reality based community and desperately trying to get back into the faith based Republican world of pink fluffy clouds that is landscaped in big rock candy mountains. But you know what? Once you birth into the real world, you can't re-enter the womb of lies that surround there jerks.

Welcome to the real world!

[sangfroid]

20. No guts, no balls, now no nothing...

I will admit that when this story first broke, I had a certain sneaking admiration for Mr. X as the first Bushie to actually break ranks and tell truth to power. One visit from the Repug leg-breakers in Rove's office and suddenly Steele is pishing all over himself to get in front of a mike to apologize, "it was all a joke" and all that happy BS. Gosh, they really are a loathsome bunch, aren't they.

Still, at least the fine voters of lovely state of Maryland now know Steele is nothing more than a gutless lackey who wouldn't recognize a principle if it kicked him in the ass, and I am sure they will vote accordingly.

[Norquist Nemesis]

21. Well, it got him Press for 2 or 3 days

Before that came out, I hadn't heard of this guy. It's kind of tough given that the 24/7s have been on top of every twitch in I/L the past 15 days.

[Roland99]

22. Bet if he took his shirt off you'd see the signs of the whips.

[gasperc]

25. ha ha good one, I especially like the oreo cookie story

that one was a real ribber, ha ha ha




Bury the F#$%# bastard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[leesa]

26. Funny. How much does he have to grovel before the testicle clamps

come off? Republicans are so pathetic.

[yellowcanine]

27. A ninety minute long joke? That Michael Steele is a funny guy.

Or maybe just the scarlet R part is a joke? Who has the popcorn?

[deadparrot]

28. I wonder how they threatened him...

:shrug:

[sangfroid]

31. Oh, you know...

Income tax audit

eminent domain seizure of his property for a nuclear waste dump

"discovery" of kiddy porn in his bags next time he travels internationally

store hold-up "gone bad"

small plane crash

You can probably make up your own. Try it at your next party! It's fun and educational!

[Moderator]

32. k

[sabra]

33. GOP Senate Candidate Flip-Flops on Bush

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2244689

GOP Senate Candidate Flip-Flops on Bush
GOP Senate Candidate Michael Steele's Remarks About Bush Confuse Some Voters

ANNAPOLIS, Md. Jul 27, 2006 (AP)— Republican Michael Steele's changing remarks about President Bush from criticism to calling him his "homeboy" left Maryland voters wondering what is the Senate candidate's true views.

"I can't tell what Steele thinks about Bush," Michael Jackson, 45, a cook from Annapolis, Md., said Thursday. "Does he like Bush? Not like Bush? I don't know," said Jackson, a Democrat who supports the president.

...

Victoria Sonnae, a black Democrat from Brooklyn, Md., said Steele's radio comments sounded phony to her, particularly his description of Bush as his "homeboy."

"Couldn't he say, 'He's my friend?' Why did he have to say 'homeboy?' It's like he wanted to sound more black or hip or something," said Sonnae, 43.

Republican Party chairman Ken Mehlman, a Maryland native and one of the top GOP officials who recruited Steele, said Thursday that dissenting views within the party can be healthy, citing Steele's views in opposition to the administration on Katrina and the Iraq war.

[beltanefauve]

34. Gimme a break!

"I can't tell what Steele thinks about Bush," Michael Jackson, 45, a cook from Annapolis, Md., said Thursday. "Does he like Bush? Not like Bush? I don't know," said Jackson, a Democrat who supports the president.

*'s poll numbers are at, what, 32% or so, and they find THIS guy?

[samsingh]

35. i think running for the GOP is a joke

[radfringe]

36. heh

sounds more like someone got a visit from the GOP Loyalty police and they upped his dosage of daily kool-aid.