This "liberal guilt" meme (which is a bit less odorous than "white guilt", but means the same thing) is surprisingly popular among GOOPers when they discuss why the RadicalMuslinBlackNotBlackEnoughTerrorist won the election. I've seen this time and again on forums where the right-leaning peeps attempt to describe why BO won. There appears to be a whole lotta projection going on. My vote was a simple choice. I just voted for the guy who was not BushIII. Now i learn that I, as a white person, was feeling guilty.

By the way, glad to see you appear on Maddow's show. More often please.... said the guilt-wracked white guy.

I voted for him because he was smart and seemed qualified. The fact he was black was just the chocolate syrup on the sundae.

It's clear that Steele doesn't get a pass from the Republican powers-that-be because of his skin color. That would be racism.

Seriously, after all the torture bullshit we've had to put up with this week, Michael Steele is some kind of comic relief.

Are you implying there's a bbq where these questions will be asked between the beer and slaw..?

Steele is right on as usual. BHO was never vetted, just as Bill Clinton was unvetted, and continues to be.

When is Congress going to investigate the many unanswered questions of the Clinton presidency?

Al asks:
When is Congress going to investigate the many unanswered questions of the Clinton presidency?

I know-- one should not feed the trolls. But this comment is so much the sweet, pure, unsullied essence of wingnut sensibility... it just makes my day. Thanks Al!

But Adam Serwer gets at the point that must not go overlooked: "Michael Steele tells black people different things than he tells white people." When Steele has a black audience, Obama's victory is "a testament to struggle, perseverance, and opportunity." When Steele has a white audience, he thinks Obama is a "magic negro" who just won because of liberal white guilt.It's practically the definition of a sell-out.

Actually, I think with Steele it's far more interesting psychologically: I think that Steele wants to be liked so much that he basically mirrors back whatever the person or persons speaking to him believe. He's not cynically selling out so much as he just can't help himself -- his need for approval and acceptance is so strong that it overcomes all else. It would make a fascinating case study.

Stefan wrote: "Actually, I think with Steele it's far more interesting psychologically ..."

Psychoanalytically speaking, Steele is what's technically known as a bullshit artist.

(MattF: that numbskull al makes my day often -- he's like our own sweet pure michael steele in our own goddam backyard -- T-rific!)

Note tuh Steverino (as Louie Nye would say...):
Until we gots what we wants:
Gringrich-Steele '12
i'd appreciate it if you'd cut the bozo a little slack...

Personally, I'll be very happy if Republicans keep trying to convince themselves that they lost a landslide election because of some kind of trick, or because people were fooled, and not because there's anything wrong with their policy positions or candidates. The first step is to admit you have a problem, and as long at they remain in denial, their fortunes are unlikely to improve.

If that's not the token calling the kettle black, I don't know what is.

Actually, I think with Obama it's far more interesting psychologically: I think that Obama wanted to be liked so much that he basically mirrors back whatever the person or persons speaking to him believe. He didn't cynically sell out so much as he just couldn't help himself -- his need for approval and acceptance was so strong that it overcame all else. It would make a fascinating case study.

In the campaign, the MSM fell in love with the image in the mirror. You need to believe in what you love, and it's quite difficult to be impartial. Even when that's your job.

Sadly for the country, as voters will discover in the next few years, we are discovering the Leftist who should have been revealed in the campaign.

SecularAnimist -- I don't think that's quite correct. The GOP is full of bullshit artists, who don't give a damn whether what they're saying is true or false as long as it advances their case. Steele seems different -- he seems to tell each audience what he thinks they want to hear, and frequently ends up saying things that hurt him with more important groups, not to mention muddling any GOP message that you would think he would be promoting if he were a true bullshit artist.

Wow, Ellen, you're every bit as good as Michael, especially with that keen psychological insight. You could be the next RNC chair.

A.B.C.

A) Embarrassing. Train. Wreck.

B) Bang. The. Gong.

C) Next. Contestant. Please.

That bit about "not being vetted" gets me every time. It's like they think there's some magic panel of vetters that usually meets to approve the candidate but this time they took a long lunch. Or something.

Honestly, if I'd read Steele's remarks without knowing who said them, I would have guessed Rush Limbaugh. Rush has expressed these same sentiments on more than one occaision.

So Steele goes from condemning Limbaugh to a grovelling apology to taking his talking points from the man.

No practically about it... that's a sell-out.

ellen wrote: "Sadly for the country, as voters will discover in the next few years, we are discovering the Leftist who should have been revealed in the campaign."

OK, I'm calling out "ellen" as a parody troll. She's even less believable than Al.

I mean, no offense, I do appreciate the effort to entertain with these satirical parodies of idiotic Ditto-Heads cutting and pasting "Right Wing Talking Points For Dummies".

"Personally, I'll be very happy if Republicans keep trying to convince themselves that they lost a landslide election because of some kind of trick, or because people were fooled, and not because there's anything wrong with their policy positions or candidates. The first step is to admit you have a problem, and as long at they remain in denial, their fortunes are unlikely to improve."

Sure, republicans have got problems that need to be sorted out before they can achieve victory again. Like message, candidates, etc etc.

But disabuse yourself of the notion that they're the only ones who need to worry about their relations with the electorate.

Many on the left confuse a decisive victory last November, in the midst of an economic crisis, with a clear mandate. But for what? The charismatic Obama was elected primarily for the simple reasons that he represented the anti-Bush for a war-weary electorate, and that he seemed to promise transcendance over our history of racial division. And he projected calm in the face of a plummeting economy.

Did people vote him in so he would, in the middle of a severe recession:

Quadruple the national debt?

Weaken national defense during wartime in the name of civil liberties for terrorists?

Take over, and distort the operations of, major chunks of entire industries?

Restructure the economy to punish fossil-fuel energy-generators to reward not-ready-for-prime-time renewable energy-generators?

Recent polls have included some startling indications that the country has actually taken a decidedly conservative shift on key issues:

* a 5/4 prevalence of pro-life self-i.d. over pro-choice
* approval of gun-control under 30%
* AGW skepticism over AGW by nearly ten points

And ignore the recent voter bitch-slap of Arnold and the dem legislature in California at your peril.

For the first time in a long time, the Republicans are equaling and surpassing Dems in fund-raising.

So, you may think all is wine and roses for you guys. If you do, you'd be mistaken.

Ellen is right. We should've let the banks fail, dump millions of jobs,and as a bonus, cut off donations to the Republicans. Then we should let the auto companies fail and put approximately 7 million more Americans out of work. Then, like tax cuts that generate more revenues, the unemployed will pay off the national debt, most of which was CREATED BY BUSH and Republicans.

I think Steele and the rest of the Republican Party should finally realize that the media isn't the only source for vetting, and that perhaps next time they should think about looking into Obama's background themselves. And if they find anything, perhaps they should think about sharing the dirt with us. Maybe in a political ad, or perhaps saying someting about it online, or by email.

Oh wait, they DID do that. They got the dirtiest, greasiest, stupidest stuff they could find; and it all backfired on them and made them look like jerks. Whether or not the media gave Obama a pass is debatable (though I'm definitely in the "didn't" category), but the Republicans most assuredly looked under every rock they could find and were stuck with inventing crap out of whole cloth. To suggest that Obama wasn't vetted is to suggest that the top dirt diggers in the Republican and Democratic Parties (with the exception of those working for Obama) are complete idiots. I mean, if neither Hillary's or McCain's teams could find any dirt, it ain't dirty.

Michael Steele is a self-hating oreo!

The key to understanding Steele and why he's a gaffe machine is that he always says what he thinks his interloctor/listener wants to hear.

Cough - Uncle Tom - cough

an image of the CA election results.

coming to a theatre near you -- sooner than you'd like:

http://projects.latimes.com/elections/2009-05-19/california-propositions/results/map/