Michael Steele: The new king of the GOP hypocrites

RNC Chair Michael Steele

Welcome back to the BuzzFlash GOP Hypocrite of the Week.

It may seem like a cheap shot for BuzzFlash to name the new leader of the Republican party as our GOP hypocrite after only his first week in office, but Michael Steele's first speech as RNC chair was duplicitous enough that we couldn't help but call him out.

Last week, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Steele was elected the first black chairman of the Republican National Committee. For a party in crisis, it was again time to embrace the terminology of change. Without, of course, actually changing anything.

At the outset, Steele sure looks like a transformation for the party. Obviously, being the first black leader of the GOP will have that veneer. But also, Steele was not a member of the Republican National Committee, so despite his proximity to D.C. in his most recent job, he appeared to be an outside-the-beltway politician.

In his acceptance speech, Steele spoke to the values of political innovation. He said that his ascendance shows that "the Republican party gets it."

"It's time for something completely different. And we're going to bring it to you," he promised.

Well, turns out that when Steele says "completely different," he means "absolutely the same." He describes himself as "a pro-life, Roman-Catholic conservative." He told reporters he has no intention of changing the party's stance of immigration, gay marriage or tax cut worship.

He doesn't think the country needs any new gun laws. He thinks business should provide healthcare, not the government. Furthermore, he thinks government should "get out of the way" of business.

According to the non-partisan candidate research site OnTheIssues.com, Steele strays very little from the party line:

He supported Bush's veto banning stem cell research, as well as McCain's idea for a gas tax moratorium. He opposed a timetable for withdrawal in Iraq. He wants to make Bush's tax cuts permanent and repeal what he, unsurprisingly, calls the "death tax." He wants to expand the drug war and use anti-terrorism tools against neighborhood criminals.

Jon Stewart put it best when he talked about Steele's victory on The Daily Show:

"Remember when your kid really wanted a Tickle Me Elmo for Christmas but all the stores were sold out? So you went to Chinatown and got him a 'Giggle Time All-mo?' Michael Steele is the Republican party's 'Giggle Time All-mo.'"

Sesame Street analogies aside, one thing is certain: Steele is change the GOP can believe in. Which is to say, he's more of the same.

Remember our motto: So many Republican hypocrites, so little time.

Catch up with you soon.

This is Michael Steele's first GOP Hypocrite of the Week Award. Welcome to the club! You can see a list of previous nominees here.

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