Steele claims ‘Dr. King would be disappointed in the political leadership of this country.’
Steele claims ‘Dr. King would be disappointed in the political leadership of this country.’
Yesterday, in an address at Philander Smith College, a historically black college in Little Rock, RNC Chairman Michael Steele implied that the late Martin Luther King Jr. would be disappointed with President Obama’s leadership. “Dr. King would be disappointed in the political leadership of this country for failing to address the least of us,” Steele said. A questioner approached the microphone and quickly turned the tables on Steele, asking whether his party was upholding King’s legacy by blocking health care:
QUESTION: In all seriousness, I’m curious what you think that Dr. King would think about your party’s current attempts to block universal health care? [applause] …
STEELE: It’s a great myth that we’re doing all this blocking. I wish we had that kind of control with the numbers, but we don’t. … As I’ve said to the president many times, “If that’s the bill you want, vote it up or down.”
Commenting on racism in our society, Steele told the audience, “What your generation will face is very subtle. It’s very quiet. It’s deceiving. But it is there. And you cannot be fooled into believing otherwise.” Watch it:
Dr. King once said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” In a 2006 op-ed in the Charlotte News & Observer, Richard Payne wrote, “Is there any doubt that King would have been on the forefront of arguments for payment of a living wage to the working poor, and that he would have advocated for universal health care?“
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“Steele claims ‘Dr. King would be disappointed in the political leadership of this country.’
Oh, please… For goodness sakes… Please… Dr. King would roll over his grave on Steele’s comment, conduct and decorum as a African-American and a RNC leader. Tell me, Mike, how many African-Americans were ever RNC leaders besides yourself?
Memo to Mike: Stop playing the race card and stop using Dr. King’s name for political score points.
September 22nd, 2009 at 4:59 pmThis man has repeatedly proven he’s sold his soul to some entity other than of this earth. The RNC couldn’t possibly have done worse other than put Glenn or Rush in charge.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:00 pmDr. King would out you for the mendacious turd you are, Michael Tinfoil.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:03 pmSteele’s got a lot of gall denying republican obstructionism and then trying to channel Dr. King.
I got one word for Steele: Oreo.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:05 pmThat’s why Dr. King would want Michael Steele to stop making an ass of himself and step down.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:06 pmI’m flabbergasted that steel has the audacity to put words in the mouth of MLK!!
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:07 pmIt’s bad enough they have to bring in Reagan, now Dr. King?? These guys have nobody to lead them so they pull out the memories of these guys. Although Dr. King was a visionary. Reagan helped to destroy the Middle Class.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:11 pmWait. Isn’t Steele part of the political leadership of this country? Steele’s ability to lodge his foot in his mouth never ceases to amaze me.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:12 pmNext steel will say MLK was against helping the poor.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:12 pmAnd Dr. King would be most displeased with you, Mickael Steele.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:13 pmI think it’s fair to say that Dr. King would be disappointed… and most of his disappointment would be focused on the GOP.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:13 pmOnly a suspicion but I strongly suspect that Dr. King would be prodding the president to address economic injustice and to act less like a corporate Dem. I suspect even more strongly that Dr. King would be appalled by the grotesque Steppin Fetchit parody taking up space as the RNC chair.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:14 pmWell, I suspect that Dr. King might be disappointed in the leadership of President Obama, but not for the reasons Steele suggests.
I think Dr. King would urge the President to push harder for the public option, to stand up and lead this nation in the direction of greater economic justice, a direction that would benefit all Americans.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:14 pmI’ll give him some credit. He did say
Right now the southern-ness is in your face—not subtle at all.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:16 pmI’m betting he would have campaigned for Obama and be a frequent if not permanent fixture at the white house under Obama.
That is if steel’s people had not murdered him.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:17 pmSteele told the audience, “What your generation will face is very subtle. It’s very quiet. It’s deceiving. But it is there. And you cannot be fooled into believing otherwise.”
– - The Enemy From Within, eh Michael? Heh.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:22 pmDear Michael. I have a prescription for you that I want you to fill at your nearest pharmacy. Once the prescription is filled, please open your mouth and insert your foot in it 3x daily. Should you feel anxious or openly stupid when this happens please call my office and I will up your dosage. Do not forget to do this daily, and take your medicine before the major news outlets have their deadlines for that evening’s news broadcasts. Continue taking this prescription without fail until the day after the 2012 presidential election. Your efforts will make the intelligent segment of the American public feel so much better that day. Take this medicine without fail Michael. And you may charge the prescription to Big Pharma. They pay you enough already. Sincerely, Dr. Mike Hunt
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:24 pmSTEELE: It’s a great myth that we’re doing all this blocking. I wish we had that kind of control with the numbers, but we don’t. … As I’ve said to the president many times, “If that’s the bill you want, vote it up or down.”
___________________________________________________________
And Steele demonstrates that he has absolutely NO idea how Congress works. Does he honestly believe that everything is simply a matter of an “up or down” vote? Or does he just think we’re stupid enough to believe it?
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:25 pmHe would be if he was talking about republicans.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:25 pmSteele told the audience, “What your generation will face is very subtle.
There are a great many adjectives to describe what we are facing but subtle doesn’t even make the list. I wonder how many synonyms there are for crazed?
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:25 pmIt is obvious the GOP has no leader and no vision. It was bad enough to bring out Reagan,(Young people say,”Reagan who?”) To bring out Dr. King is galling. King CARED about people and equality. The GOP doesn’t care about either.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:25 pmShadows of cutouts
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:27 pmDance on the walls of the cave
Plato’s model: Steele
Steele disgusts me now.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:29 pmMy guess is that racism is so “quiet and deceiving” that he too has missed it. Nevertheless I’m sure he hasn’t missed a paycheck from those old deceivers!
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:30 pmUPDATE: The questioner who asked Steele about MLK was kicked out of the forum. He was trying to ask a follow-up at the time he got ejected.
– - Oh, so he got sent to “the back of the bus.”
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:33 pmIf Steele had ANY credibility in the black community – this would be an especially unfortunate remark.
Happily … he does not.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:34 pm*
Yet nothing from Fox News about how thin-skinned Michael Steele is…oh wait…
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:34 pmDespite the fact that he’s an African-American, there is reason to doubt that Steele truly comprehends much of what Dr. King advocated — if he did, I think he’d have realized by now that he’s in the wrong party. Ironically, it was the Republican Party which helped support the passage of the Civil Rights Act when it came before Congress — but with all due respect, the Republican Party is in many ways not the same party now as it was then.
Mind you, I’m inclined to agree with Steele’s statement up to a point…while I think that Dr. King would be extremely proud of the fact that our country elected an African-American President, it’s my opinion that he would be somewhat disappointed with Obama’s progress so far and would want him to stand his ground more firmly than he has done heretofore. After all, it’s not as if Dr. King was any stranger to opposition himself — and he didn’t have quite the same level of influence that Obama does. However, it’s my belief that Dr. King would be disappointed with an overwhelming majority of our present governmental leadership, Republicans and Democrats alike — not just Obama.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:35 pm“Dr. King would be disappointed in the political leadership of this country for failing to address the least of us…”
I assume Steele is speaking of himself.
But since Steele is exhuming MLK for political game, let’s play along… what do you suppose Dr. King would think about health care reform? Let’s ask him:
Republicans have to put words in his mouth, because they will forever be indicted by the ones that actually came out.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:35 pmHeh. I think Mikey’s secretly very doggoned glad that MLK is dead – and can be counted on NOT to offer his opinion of Mikey’s status as the mouthpiece for the New KKK…
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:40 pmCommenting on racism in our society, Steele told the audience, “What your generation will face is very subtle. It’s very quiet. It’s deceiving. But it is there. And you cannot be fooled into believing otherwise.”
He’s in full-on Stockholm Syndrome mode, talking about the dog-whistle racism of his own party. It would be truly sad, were it not so hilarious.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:43 pmSteele is one of the most idiotic, ignorant, whining/ranting losers (& in the GOP that is saying a LOT) in the entire Repub party. He flip-flops, lies, shows his stupidity & ignorance every time he’s quoted. What a goof. And he’s the best the Repubs have to offer? Hilarious.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:46 pmSpecifically, Dr. King would be disappointed in Michael Steele and his dithered leadership of the GOP.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:50 pmawwww mikey – you don’t have to be that hard on yourself – some of it is boehner’s fault, too.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:55 pmAnd, in typical Repugnant fashion, the person who only asked a decent question is kicked out of the forum.
We don’t tolerate none of that dissension here boy, don’t let the sun set on your ass in this forum.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:58 pmMr. Steele is an oreo cookie, Black on the outside but a stupid white Repuglican on the inside. He is an embarrasment to the Blacks of this nation. What a looser.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:06 pmWay to get that crowd behind you, Mikey.
:-D
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:20 pmMichael Steele is proving himself to be the world-class hypocrite we have come to enjoy. Not one day after the President’s health care reform address to Congress, Steele declared it “highly inappropriate” that Obama invoked the name of Sen. Kennedy and how awkward it was because his widow was “sitting in the audience.” Steele was too stupid to understand this was Obama’s very appropriate tribute to a man who had made health care reform the signature issue of his lifelong political career and that his tribute obviously came with Ms. Kennedy’s blessing.
And now Steele dares to put thoughts and words in the mouth of our country’s most revered civil rights leader to score political points against the President. This is shameless beyond belief, and if the Republican leaders were smart, they would leash and muzzle Steele immediately.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:20 pmMichael Steele’s insane shenanigans would probably cause the Rev. Dr. MLK to resort to violence.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:23 pmThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
Michael Steele has truly become the face of the Republican Party.
Failure.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:51 pmNever.
He would not even use the harsh words I use.
He would pray for Michael Steele’s soul and ask for God’s tolerance with him.
He would pray that those with hatred in their hearts hear the songs of the angels.
He would pray that those who are leading the way to a better life be given a shining light so that they might see the path better and avoid a stumble.
He would pray that those living with hate in their hearts would be soothed by a new found love for others.
He would ask for the forgiveness of those that cannot find the truth and those that seek a hateful path to the next day.
He would pray that the next sunrise would light the hearts of those who hate their neighbors.
He would march in the streets to end the oppression of the uninsured and poor.
He would pray that the corporations have a change of heart and embrace justice.
He would stand againt the implicit racism seen in the streets today.
He would pray that the media would return to their duty to tell the truth and nothing but the truth every day.
He would pray to end 2 wars.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:55 pmI guess it’s ok to be a compassionless idiot if you’re conservative guy.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:56 pmYou would think MLK would probably be very proud of Obama, being the first African American president in American history. I would suspect MLK would be quite forgiving of any disappointments he might have with Obama for that reason.
Steele is using MLK to lie. I would be willing to bet every African American is disappointed in Steele for using MLK to lie about Obama.
Steele is going to have to start doing what Bush did by hand picking his audience, so he won’t have to field any difficult questions.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:56 pmMichael Steele doesn’t know the first thing about Dr King or his message.
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:01 pmMichael Steele is allmost as big of a fu(king joke as conservative guy.
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:01 pmconservative guy says:
I guess it’s ok to be black as long as you’re a liberal
We’re only criticizing what Steele said.
.
Levi the Dungbeetle says:
You would think MLK would probably be very proud of Obama, being the first African American president in American history.
I bet he’d be proud of Steele’s unprecedented accomplishment as well. But I’m positive he would speak out immediately and loudly against anybody who tried to put words in his mouth.
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:47 pm“Dr. King would be disappointed in the political leadership of this country for failing to address the least of us,”
Does Steele use the term “least” meaning the lower-income, or “least” meaning the minority who disagree with the President’s healthcare plan? Because really, it seems to me Dr. King would be anything but disappointed in Obama’s political leadership.
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:58 pmconservative guy says:
——————————————————————————–
I guess it’s ok to be black as long as you’re a liberal.
It’s perfectly fine to be a conservative black. You just should be as full of lies, hypocrisies, and complete fantasies as Mr. Steele seems to be.
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:59 pmNot since Roseanne Barr has the media been treated to some Bozo who says something outrageous every couple of days just to make the news. Michael Steele is truly the Roseanne Barr of American politics!
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:07 pmThe only “leadership” King would have been disappointed in is YOURS, Mr. Steele. You are a dishonest, flip-flopping, uninformed buffoon.
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:12 pm#42. I was joking.
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:16 pmI knew that but I thought you brought on a chance to express the heart of MLK. A learning moment if you will.
Thanks for that.
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:49 pmCommenting on racism in our society, Steele told the audience, “What your generation will face is very subtle. It’s very quiet. It’s deceiving. But it is there. And you cannot be fooled into believing otherwise.”
This from a man who, just days ago, said that the teabaggers’ signs and language concerning Obama were not racist. Michael Steal(e) has zero credibility among AAs in this country. Limbaugh, Beck, and the other conservative media push racism everyday. Their listeners/viewers repeat what they say, and take their marching orders from them, and then the conservative say their actions, word, and signs are not motivated by racism? Lies, all lies. As an AA woman, I will say that Steal(e) got one thing right in this excerpt from his speech, and that is that racism is subtle and deceiving, and that it is there. Only, with the teabaggers and entertainers I mentioned above, it is covert, and for him to deny the role of racism in the opposition we’ve seen to Obama’s proposed policies means that he seems to think that others are as stupid and dishonest as he is.
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:58 pmSteal(e) is not only a disgrace to AAs, but to the Republican Party, and all Americans. IMO, whenever anyone in his supposed leadership position lies to any one us, that person is a disgrace to us all.
“Dr. King once said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
He said this with good reason to.
To my knowledge at the time he was speaking it was legal in some places for whites only hospitals to turn people away no matter how severe their condition based on skin color.
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:29 pmCommenting on racism in our society, Steele told the audience…
Yes, let’s hear Michael Steele talk about racism, shall we?
Yeah. You talk to us about pervasive racism in society, Steele. Tell us all about it.
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:29 pmHah! Just saw I forgot the n’t in shouldn’t in #49. My bad.
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:52 pmClayton Bigsby needs to shut up.
Dave Chapelle as Clayton Bigsby channeling Michael Steele.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/291638/clayton_bigsby/
September 22nd, 2009 at 10:20 pmConservaTROLL
Just go kill yourself moron. Your stupidity will vex American and be nothing but a burden on decent human beings until you stop being so selfish and do the right thing
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:27 am@ 8. zxbe says: Wait. Isn’t Steele part of the political leadership of this country? Steele’s ability to lodge his foot in his mouth never ceases to amaze me. September 22nd, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Exactly. In fact, Michael Steele would probably be the first person favored by Dr. King’s disappointment. But Dixie Blood @ 42 sums up what the response would be from Dr. King, apart from disappointment.
@ 48. bluesunflower says: (quoting Steele) “Dr. King would be disappointed in the political leadership of this country for failing to address the least of us,” Does Steele use the term “least” meaning the lower-income, or “least” meaning the minority who disagree with the President’s healthcare plan? September 22nd, 2009 at 7:58 pm
bluesunflower, that least reference is from the Biblical New Testament, probably the King James translation, which is rendered, “whatsoever you do unto these least, my children, you do unto me”. That’s appropriate for Michael Steele; he’s a former seminary student, and appears to be poor in spirit and perhaps possessed of a really stupid demon. (heh. snark.)
@ 40. conservative guy says: I guess it’s ok to be black as long as you’re a liberal. September 22nd, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Actually, conguy, it’s OK to be liberal or conservative or progressive or reactionary or even republican or democrat or Republican or Democrat etc etc and so on. It helps to be civil rather than insulting. I don’t see what the melanin gene has to do with anything, assuming that such a codon has been isolated in the genome; I don’t believe there’s any known linkage between that and just about any other factor one might care to name. Most of the linkages pushed by various sorts of bigot and racist are usually ephemera; they’re coincidences of history and class that give rise to stereotypes.
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:52 amI’ll take mendacious fabrication for 500, Alex.
First off, Dr. King was a Republican. Dr. King championed the individual’s education and hard work, to provide for their achievement – not the nanny state.
The gub’mint was demanded to get the h3ll out of the Black man’s way!!
Secondly, ‘Walmartwatch’? Seriously? Walmartwatch is your source??
September 23rd, 2009 at 7:49 amYes he would Mr. Steele. He would look at you and wonder what the h*ll you are thinking.
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:26 amBUT he would be oh so proud of OUR President.
This man once again proves what an ignorant, Uncle Tom, sale out that he is. In the bad old days Steele would’ve been what was known as a “house ni99er”….he would have cozied up to massa and made sure that any slaves that got out of hand (tried to read, tried to get married, tried to escape, etc) would be promptly ratted out by him so that he could maintain his status as…”house ni99er”…Michael Steele you are truly a sad excuse for a human being let alone a black man in the 21st century….just sayin
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:44 amThe “token” Afro-American of the righteous “right wingnuts”
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:16 pmis exhibiting his usual ignorance (once again).
Republicans, as usual…are so ignorant, that they think THEIR “Great Black Hope” is a marvel to faun over.
You can not make this up people. So sad. So Pathetic.
I’d love to see the audience reaction to the BS he spwed. burun estetigi
September 28th, 2009 at 11:42 amThank you for your sharing.!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:15 am