An American Lion

Michael Steele paid these interns nothing to help him waste a whole lot of money

Were I still active as a fundraiser, I would keep my money from going to the Republican National Committee until Chairman Michael Steele could be removed:

A 2009 spending spree has left the Republican National Committee (RNC) with its worst election-year cash flow this decade.

The largest GOP party committee has $8.7 million in the bank heading into an election year with 37 governors’ races, a dozen major Senate contests, dozens more in the House and an all-important redistricting cycle on the horizon.

Said one RNC official: “It is very troubling, and the thing is, most people don’t understand this. But it is really troubling.”

The RNC had $22.8 million in cash and no debt when Michael Steele was elected chairman at the end of January, but has since seen its cash on hand drop to less than $9 million at the end of November.

Over the previous five months, while governors’ battles were being waged in New Jersey and Virginia, the committee saw its cash reserves drop by a full $15 million. Through November, the committee spent more than $90 million last year, which is nearly $20 million more than the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

“They’re spending money at 2002 levels when they are not raising money at those levels,” said a GOP operative. “That kind of thing worked when RNC was awash in money, but you can’t do that in this environment.”

And now it is time to get rid of Michael Steele. You do not screw up the money when you’re running the RNC. This is one of those times when someone, somewhere is running out of a building with their hair on fire. If I’m noticing how bad it is, imagine how it is for the people who are still in their funding stream.