If you recall, doubt that you do, I put forth my support for Michael Steele the second I learned of his interest in running for RNC chair. I believe, although it is difficult to prove, that Duncan screwed the pooch and under his watch the GOP lost tremendous ground. Therefore it was imperative for the GOP to acquire new leadership and this was done today. Although Steele is dubbed centrist (perhaps incorrectly), he is for the most part a very approachable conservative man. His is eloquent, genuine and extremely personable. His task right now is to mobilize the Republican base and in my opinion, take over lost ground. States that traditionally voted red like North Carolina and Virginia should NOT be swing states.

I am not an expert in the exact responsibilities of what the party chairman has to do, but Dean despite his soprano prowess got a lot of credit for what the Democrats have accomplished. Personally I think that the general discontent with Bush's policies was the biggest boost to Democrats, but I assume that Dean deserves at least some of the credit. After all, if Duncan is responsible for GOP losses, then consequently Dean can enjoy credit for the gains.

Therefore, Michael Steele has his work cut out for him. He needs to bring in minorities and bring conservatism back into the spotlight. Somehow he needs to shred the stigma attached with conservatism and make it more appealing to the rest of the public. With America's demographics changing at a rapid rate and the white population shrinking, if the GOP does not embrace the soon-to-be majorities, we can probably kiss conservatism goodbye. For the time being, despite my libertarian clamoring, we must accept that a third party option is not viable. Drop the RINOs and make conservatism cool!

Michael Steele's acceptance speech.