Michael Steele Calls On Harry Reid To Step Down

The chairman of Republican National Committee (RNC), Michael Steele, has called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to abandon his post over his past racial derogatory remarks about President Barack Obama.

The RNC leader, appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” blasted Reid for describing Obama as a “light skinned” African-American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,” during the 2008 presidential race.

Calling for the resignation of the Nevada Democrat, Steele also accused his party colleagues of hypocrisy on the matter.

“There is this standard where Democrats feel that they can say these things and they can apologize when it comes from the mouths of their own. But if it comes from anyone else, it is racism,” Steele told the TV show.

“If (Senate Minority Leader) Mitch McConnell had said those very words that this chairman and this president would be calling for his head, and they would be labeling every Republican in the country as a racist for saying exactly what this chairman has just said,” Steele continued, referring to the comments Reid had made more than a year ago.

Reid apologized for his remarks on Saturday and the US president accepted the apology in a statement, saying “I accepted Harry’s apology without question because I’ve known him for years.”

The apology comes as Reid faces a difficult re-election amid frustration from both liberals and conservatives with his leadership in the Senate.

Coleman – Franken Minnesota Senate Race Finally Ends

Al Franken refused his rival’s calls for an election night concession last November, choosing instead to begin vote counting and courtroom haggling that stretched almost eight months and ultimately landed him a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Coleman conceded the election hours after a unanimous state Supreme Court ruled that Franken — who moved into politics with books poking fun at conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh — should be certified the winner. In doing so, Coleman pulled the plug on a bitter election that was decided by 312 votes out of almost 2.9 million cast.

“When you win an election this close, you know not one bit of effort went to waste,” Franken told reporters outside his downtown Minneapolis town house, accompanied by his wife. “The way I see it, I’m not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator, I’m going to Washington to be the second senator from Minnesota.”

Coleman could have carried his fight into federal court, but it was unlikely to overturn the state Supreme Court’s decision.

“Sure I wanted to win. I thought we had a better case. But the court has spoken,” Coleman said outside his St. Paul home. Appearing relaxed and upbeat, Coleman said he congratulated Franken and had no regrets about the fight. He brushed aside a question about whether he would run for governor in 2010.

Palin Is Out – Gingrich Is In

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will headline the annual fundraising dinner for Republicans’ House and Senate campaign arms, subbing in for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin whose involvement was uncertain from the start.

“The Governor never confirmed her attendance at the event,” said Meg Stapleton, who runs Palin’s political action committee — Sarah PAC. “She was honored to receive the invitation and asked to confirm her attendance at the end of the legislative session.”

Apparently, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee couldn’t wait that long — pulling the plug on Palin today. “We decided to go in another direction,” said NRCC communications director Ken Spain. “Speaker Gingrich is a leader and an influential voice within the Republican Party and we are thrilled to have him.”

The news, which was first reported by Politico’s Patrick O’Connor, ends an odd and very entertaining saga, featuring the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee.

Palin’s involvement as the keynote speaker for the June 8 dinner was announced via a joint NRSC/NRCC press release on March 16.

But, her official office insisted that she had agreed to no such event — setting off a series of stories about whether or not Palin’s growing political team in Washington was communicating with her Alaska-based staff.

The seeming confusion of whether Palin ever confirmed her attendance or whether she pulled out of the event or was pushed is sure to keep this issue in the spotlight for days to come.

Russ Feingold To The Rescue

Every so often a politician comes along who looks at an issue or a situation and is able to form a common sense stand regardless of party label.  Today one such politician is Wisconsin’s Russ Feingold.

Following the debacles of  New York Governor David Paterson’s controversial selection of Kirstin Gillibrand to fill the Senate vacancy created by the resignation of Hillary Clinton,  and with the impeachment trial of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for abuses of office  including the alleged sale of the Senate seat given up by Barack Obama, Feingold wants to require that Senate vacancies be filled by the voters rather than gubernatorial appointments. 

“The controversies surrounding some of the recent gubernatorial appointments to vacant Senate seats make it painfully clear that such appointments are an anachronism that must end” Feingold said. “In 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution gave the citizens of this country the power to finally elect their senators. They should have the same power in the case of unexpected mid-term vacancies, so that the Senate is as responsive as possible to the will of the people.”

The practice of allowing governors to appoint senators also conflicts with the Constitutional requirement that House vacancies always be filled by special elections.

Nothing against Ms. Gillibrand or Roland Burris of Illinois, both fine public servants, but these two Senate appointments make the 2000 presidential race look uneventful.

Schumer Gets His Gal

Chuck Schumer is getting his wish.  Kirsten Gillibrand the anti-gun control, low-profile upstate congresswoman is going to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.  Liberal downstate politicos are furious, Long Islander Carolyn McCarthey is so upset that she’s promised to challenge Gillibrand in the 2010 primary.  McCarthey lost her husband in a shooting on the Long Island Railroad so gun control is a very important issue for her. 

Wonder if Gillibrand will be joining Schumer for his regular Sunday afternoon press conferences?

Caroline Kennedy Calls it Quits

Caroline Kennedy has dropped out of the race to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate.

“I informed Governor Paterson today that for personal reasons I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she said in the one-sentence statement.

Looks like this was a pre-emptive withdrawal as her chances of getting the seat were not looking bright.  The New York Post, which was the first to report the withdrawal, cited an unidentified source as saying she dropped out because she learned Paterson had decided not to choose her.

Hillary Passes First Test

The Senate Foreign Relations committee voted 16-1 to confirm Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.  The one NO vote came from Sen. David Vitter (R-La). Let’s just call him a big baby!

Caroline Does Buffalo

Caroline Kennedy took to the road on Wednesday visiting Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. Here’s how upstate TV covered her road trip:

WIVB – Buffalo

WGRC – Buffalo

WTVH – Syracuse

WHEC – Rochester