NY-23

Hoffman Laughs, Doesn't Denounce Limbaugh's Bestiality Joke About Scozzafava

Eric Kleefeld | November 3, 2009, 10:06AM

Conservative Party NY-23 candidate Doug Hoffman was approached last night by Watertown Daily Times reporter Jude Seymour, and asked about Rush Limbaugh's joke that Republican ex-candidate Dede Scozzafava, who dropped out and endorsed Democrat Bill Owens, was "guilty of widespread bestiality. She has screwed every RINO in the country." Hoffman laughed, and refused to condemn it.

"I don't know. I have to interpret it first. (Laughter) I don't know. That's Rush Limbaugh. I don't think I can comment to that," said Hoffman. When pressed further about whether he would denounce it, he said: "No, I don't denounce it. I just heard it this second. Do you want to read it to me again?"

When it was read again to him, Hoffman had no comment.

Roundup

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | November 1, 2009, 1:04PM

Lieberman Pledges To Filibuster Public Option, Blames Its Supporters For Holding Up Reform
Appearing on Face The Nation, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) pledged to filibuster against the public option: "The government going into the health insurance business -- I think it's such a mistake that I would use the power I have as a single senator to stop a final vote." He also blamed public option-supporters for being the ones who are obstructing reform: "All of a sudden if you're not for this government health insurance company, you're against health care reform. I'd say to them, 'Don't stop us from getting something good and important done for the American people.'"

Boehner: NY-23 Election Part Of 'Political Rebellion Going On In America'
Appearing on State of the Union, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) addressed the situation in NY-23 by delcaring, "We're in the middle, I think, of a political rebellion going on in America," and said that the Republicans will work to earn the support of people coming into the political system. At the same time, he insisted that the GOP was not excluding moderates, in light of moderate GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava's withdrawal from the race: "We accept moderates in our party. We want moderates in our party. We cover a wide range of Americans."

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Joe Wilson

Limbaugh: I Wish Wilson Hadn't Apologized

Eric Kleefeld | September 10, 2009, 2:26PM

On his radio show today, Rush Limbaugh lambasted Republicans for condemning Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-SC) outburst of "You lie!" during President Obama's speech last night -- and even said he wished Wilson hadn't apologized:

"That was a blatant lie. I'm gonna tell you something. I've -- one of the things that's really irritated me all morning and last night, was listening to Republicans, even after wilson has apologized -- and I wish he had not. But he's apologized, and even after he's apologized, members of his own party are all over television denigrating him."

Does this mean Wilson will now have to apologize to Limbaugh for the apology to Obama?

Health Care

Limbaugh: "I Guarantee" Paying Out Of Pocket Is Cheaper Than Health Insurance

Eric Kleefeld | September 9, 2009, 5:46PM

During his radio show today, Rush Limbaugh made a very blunt case we don't hear stated so clearly by Republicans -- that not going through health insurance is better than using it, because it creates a direct link between the patient and the price, and creates the incentive to shop around:

"You oughtta try this, folks, just a standard doctor visit, offer to pay for it yourself," said Limbaugh. "I guarantee it'll cost you less than if you use your insurance."

Josh Marshall commented on this idea yesterday: "To be clear, such an approach probably would cut costs because most people just couldn't afford to get a lot of care, which is a great way of cutting costs. But remember, the problem according to most Republicans in Congress isn't that there's not enough insurance or that it's not good enough. It's that there's too much. The problem is that you have insurance. And good policy will take it away from you."

Death Panels

Limbaugh Praises Palin's "Intellectual Heft" On The Death Panels

Eric Kleefeld | August 13, 2009, 4:27PM

You just had to figure that Rush Limbaugh was a big-time supporter of Sarah Palin on the "death panel" stuff:

"But I would suggest that anybody who doubts her intellectual heft or her ability to learn and study," said Limbaugh, "go to her Facebook page, look at the notes that she's taken -- it's right there -- the study that she has done and engaged in, in order to learn about Section 1233."

Limbaugh also said that you don't have to be old for the death panel -- you just need to have a disease that the government decides is too expensive to treat. And he says of President Obama "He wants the White House, he wants the Executive Branch, to be making determinations of who lives and who dies, which will lead to the regulation of every lifestyle or life in this country."

David Scott

Limbaugh On Swastika Vandalism: "Ha Ha Ha, How Convenient!"

Eric Kleefeld | August 12, 2009, 2:52PM

Rush Limbaugh today briefly discussed the swastika that was spray-painted at Rep. David Scott's (D-GA) district office -- tying it back to his own predictions that liberals would stage hoaxes to paint conservatives as bigots:

"I go to the Drudge page, and I said, whoa, Congressman David Scott, sign outside the office, swastika painted on it," said Limbaugh. "Ha ha ha, how convenient! How absolutely convenient!"

He did immediately add a disclaimer, however, that we don't know all the facts in this particular case.

Brad Miller

Limbaugh Claims Brad Miller Death Threat Story Is "All B.S."

Eric Kleefeld | August 6, 2009, 5:54PM

On his show today, Rush Limbaugh claimed that the story about Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) receiving a death threat over the health care bill is in fact a lie. Just get a load of Limbaugh's mocking tone:

The fun thing is that if you pay close attention, Limbaugh is almost exactly quoting our post from when we broke the story yesterday. Rush Limbaugh -- or an intern/assistant of his, at least -- apparently reads TPM!

Rush Limbaugh

DCCC Goes After Limbaugh For Comparing Dems To Nazis

Eric Kleefeld | August 6, 2009, 5:27PM

The Democrats are now back to enjoying an old pastime: Playing up Rush Limbaugh as a leading light of the Republican Party. Check out this new statement from the DCCC:

DCCC spokeswoman Jennifer Crider issued the following statement in response to Rush Limbaugh's outrageous comments comparing Democrats to members of the Nazi Party and use of the Nazi swastika:

"Rush Limbaugh's comparison of the Democratic Party to the Nazi Party in World War II is as disgusting as it is shocking. Limbaugh's use of the Nazi swastika in attempting to make a tasteless political comparison has no place in the public discourse.

"Just this past weekend, Minority Whip Eric Cantor said that the GOP 'needs' Mr. Limbaugh. He should immediately condemn Limbaugh's hateful rhetoric in the strongest possible terms and encourage Republican Members to do the same.

"At a time when families need real solutions to rebuild the economy and make health care more affordable, Rush Limbaugh is attempting to sidetrack the important debate through his use of symbols that are synonymous with murder and intolerance. Americans deserve better."

Birth Certificate

Limbaugh Still Pumping Birtherism, Raises "Dual-Citizenship" Issue

Eric Kleefeld | July 31, 2009, 4:56PM

Rush Limbaugh is still pumping Birtherism, hyping on his show today an essay in National Review by Andrew McCarthy, who dissented in part from the magazine's official editorial against the movement:

In that article, McCarthy falsely stated that the matter of Obama's Kenyan father, which would present "dual-citizenship issues," was "an uncharted constitutional concept." In the audio clip above, Limbaugh also promoted the dual-citizenship claim.

In fact, this territory is quite well charted. President Chester A. Arthur, who was elected Vice President in 1880 and then served nearly a full term after President James Garfield's assassination, was born of an American mother and an Irish immigrant father who was not yet a citizen at the time Chester was born. Arthur was also born on U.S. soil (Vermont), but faced rumors from political opponents that he'd been born across the border in Canada. This is essentially the exact same set of circumstances as in Obama's case.

On the other hand, there is one rather obvious difference between Obama and Arthur. And for Limbaugh and the Birther movement, perhaps this does make for an important distinction.

Health Care

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | July 29, 2009, 9:02AM

WaPo: Dems Boning Up On Health Care Bill
The Washington Post reports that House Democrats have gone through a five-hour meeting on the health care bill, in which they were briefed on the ins and outs of the 1,000-page bill section by section. "No one's going to say we haven't read the bill," said Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD). After a cram session like this, they better ace their finals...

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will hold an 11:55 a.m. ET town hall meeting on health care reform in Raleigh, North Carolina. He will depart Raleigh at 2:45 p.m. ET, arriving in Bristol, Tennessee, at 3:40 p.m. ET. At 4:15 p.m. ET, he will hold another town hall on health care reform in Bristol, Virginia, with Kroger Supermarket employees. He will depart from Bristol at 6 p.m. ET, arriving back at the White House at 7:25 p.m. ET.

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Rush Limbaugh

Obama-Haters Becoming Increasingly...Racial In Their Rhetoric

Eric Kleefeld | July 28, 2009, 3:34PM

This has gotten especially worse in the aftermath of Obama's comments and subsequent mea culpa on the Henry Louis Gates arrest, but the pattern has been there all the same. You can look back to the 2008 campaign, with the Jeremiah Wright controversies, the phony rumors of a tape of Michelle Obama defaming whites, and the slow but steady emergence of the Birthers. And these days, the Birthers seem to be getting more and more bellicose.

So let's take a look at some of those recent racially-charged attacks that have circulated against Obama, both right before and after the Gates incident.

• Above all others, the real celebrity here has been Rush Limbaugh. He's done this kind of thing before -- remember the "Barack, The Magic Negro" song? But in the wake of the Gates incident, he's managed to become even more hard-edged about it. "Here you have a black president trying to destroy a white policeman," Limbaugh declared this past Friday. Yesterday, he shared a dream he's had about the dangers to capitalism: "I had a dream that I was a slave building a sphinx in a desert that looked like Obama." And he joked that food-safety advocates will go after all the unhealthy foods people like to eat, one by one -- but they'll have to wait until Obama is out of office to ban Oreos.

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Torture

Limbaugh Warns Against Torture In Wake Of Obama's Election

Eric Kleefeld | July 27, 2009, 1:00PM

Check out Rush Limbaugh's latest dire warning about the state of America right now: That the people have been tricked into voting for torture, tyranny and dictatorship, and we can see it slowly encroaching upon us:

"And there are people in this country, who are Americans, and have the same view of totalitarianism that all the worst regimes in the world have had. They just are a minority -- or have been a minority," said Limbaugh. "And they have to be stealth to get anywhere, because who's gonna vote for torture, who's gonna vote for tyranny, who's gonna vote for dictatorship? But we did. We did, and you see it slowly encroaching. And if they could move faster on this, they would."

On the subject of torture, let's take a trip back in time to a little over five years ago, when Limbaugh said this in defense of Abu Ghraib: "I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release? You ever heard of need to blow some steam off?"

Barack Obama

GOP Blasting Obama Over Gates Arrest Comments -- Limbaugh Warns Of Whites Under Assault

Eric Kleefeld | July 23, 2009, 2:45PM

The right is now mobilizing heavily against President Obama's comments last night about the Henry Louis Gates case.

The NRCC has sent out a press release, challenging individual House Dems about whether they agree with Obama that the police "acted stupidly":

The president was slow to point out any wrongdoing in the wake of the Iranian election and his administration was quick to force through a failed stimulus plan even though they 'misread' the economy. This is certainly a questionable rush to judgment coming from a president who hasn't exactly been quick to call out unconscionable behavior by a merciless foreign dictator or gotten his facts straight before advocating a trillion-dollar mistake to address our ailing economy. Is it really presidential for him to cast harsh judgment of a law enforcement official without all the facts?

Meanwhile, Rush Limbaugh is being much more blunt in a racial appeal:

"Last week, we saw white firefighters under assault by agents of Barack Obama and Sonia Sotomayor," said Limbaugh (emphasis his). He added: "Now, white policemen are under assault from the East Room of the White House, by the President of the United States, after admitting he had no -- he didn't know all the facts, what went on in there."

Mark Sanford

Limbaugh On The Sanford Affair: It's Obama's Fault!

Eric Kleefeld | June 25, 2009, 2:18PM

On his radio show today, Rush Limbaugh offered his own explanation for the Mark Sanford scandal: That Sanford flew out of the country to have an affair because President Obama drove him over the edge:

"This is almost like, 'I don't give a damn, the country's going to Hell in a handbasket, I just want out of here,'" said Limbaugh. "He had just tried to fight the stimulus money coming to South Carolina. He didn't want any part of it. He lost the battle. He said, 'What the Hell. I mean, I'm -- the federal government's taking over -- what the Hell, I want to enjoy life.'"

"The point is," he added, "there are a lot of people whose spirit is just -- they're fed up, saying to Hell with it, I don't even want to fight this anymore, I just want to get away from it."

Rush Limbaugh

Limbaugh Made Birther Joke On Air Today

Eric Kleefeld | June 10, 2009, 5:55PM

Rush Limbaugh has some interesting timing -- he made a joke on his show earlier today about Barack Obama supposedly not having a birth certificate:

"You know a lot of people talk about Obama and his Messianic complex," said Limbaugh. "He does have one thing in common with God. Barack Obama has one thing in common with God. Do you know what it is? God does not have a birth certificate, either."

Rush Limbaugh

Limbaugh: Obama A "Half-Black, Half-White Human Being With No Experience"

Eric Kleefeld | June 8, 2009, 3:46PM

Rush Limbaugh keeps on managing to up the ante when it comes to bashing President Obama. And this time, his rhetoric has become expressly racial.

While bashing Newsweek editor Evan Thomas for saying last week that Obama was attempting to be "sort of God" in his approach to international relations -- that is, moving beyond a single-minded American approach and thinking globally -- Limbaugh then made a reference to Obama's racial background as a seemingly disqualifying factor.

Said Limbaugh: "It is offensive to the sensibilities of millions of people to hear a member of the state-run media refer to a half-black, half-white human being with no experience running anything of substance referred to as a god. He may be president of the United States, but he's not a god."

Auto Industry

Right-Wingers To Boycott GM?

Eric Kleefeld | June 8, 2009, 2:27PM

The Detroit Bureau reports that an idea seems to be picking up some cachet on the right-wing blogs and in talk radio: Fighting the "Government Motors" bailout by boycotting the company. Most of it so far is limited to relatively little-known writers, but two big names have picked up on it: Hugh Hewitt, who wants to save free enterprise -- and Rush Limbaugh, who wants anything President Obama does to fail, and is urging his listeners to help push towards that goal.

"In the effort to reverse this lurch beyond the farthest left fringe of previous Democratic statist urges, individual Americans have a role to play. They have to say no to GM products and services until such time as the denationalization occurs," says Hugh Hewitt. He acknowledges that this is a serious step that could hurt people currently working for GM: "But there isn't any alternative, every dollar spent with GM is a dollar spent against free enterprise. Every car or truck purchased from Government Motors is one not purchased from a private car company that competes fairly against all other car companies."

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Newt Gingrich

Limbaugh Reacts To Newt: "I'm Not Retracting It," Sotomayor Is A Racist

Eric Kleefeld | June 3, 2009, 1:29PM

Rush Limbaugh has now reacted to the widely-reported "retraction" by Newt Gingrich of his having called Sonia Sotomayor a racist -- and he's going to keep on calling her a racist by himself:

Limbaugh appears not to have read Gingrich's new Web post with the alleged retraction, but he nevertheless has a lot to say about it based on press reports. "Well I have my own theory about what Newt's doing, but since I'm not doing it, I'm not gonna comment," Limbaugh said. "I'm not retracting it. Nobody's refuted it!"

Limbaugh should probably read Newt's actual post, in which case he'll be pleasantly surprised to find that...Newt hasn't actually recanted it! Gingrich has simply tricked that pesky liberal media into thinking he has, while at the same time repeating his message that Sotomayor makes her legal decisions based on race.

Rush Limbaugh

Axelrod: Limbaugh Has His Own Experiences With The Law

Eric Kleefeld | May 29, 2009, 5:21PM

David Axelrod went on CNN this afternoon to talk up Sonia Sotomayor's stellar legal experience -- and to point out the record of her most prominent critic:

"And for people like Rush Limbaugh, and I don't know what he -- you know, he has his own experiences with the law," said Axelrod. "Maybe he makes his own judgments based on that."

It's worth remembering that the White House really likes focusing on Rush Limbaugh as an opponent in any debate. This is yet another example.

Rush Limbaugh

Limbaugh Compares Sotomayor Nomination To Picking David Duke

Eric Kleefeld | May 29, 2009, 3:14PM

Rush Limbaugh is now comparing the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the idea of nominating David Duke:

"She brings a form of bigotry or racism to the court," Limbaugh said, later adding: "How can a president nominate such a candidate? And how can a party get behind such a candidate? That's what would be asked if somebody were foolish enough to nominate David Duke or pick somebody even less offensive."

Late Update: At the White House press briefing just now, Robert Gibbs was asked about the David Duke comparison and what Sotomayor would think of it. Gibbs searched for the words to answer the absurdity of it: "I don't think you have to be the nominee to -- (laughs) -- I don't think you have to be the nominee to find what's said today offensive." After noting that other Republicans have been condemning this kind of rhetoric, he said of the Ku Klux Klan comparisons: "It's amazing."

Rush Limbaugh

Schwarzenegger: Limbaugh Not The 800 lb. Gorilla -- He's Down To 650 lbs.

Eric Kleefeld | May 28, 2009, 9:45AM

There's at least one high-ranking Republican office-holder willing to insult Rush Limbaugh. Check out what California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said last night on CNN:

"Well I think that they say that Rush Limbaugh is the 800 lb. gorilla in the Republican Party," said Schwarzenegger. "But I think that's mean-spirited to say that -- because I think he's down to 650 lbs. I think one should be fair to him about this whole thing."

In all seriousness, Arnold talked about the need for a big tent. He acknowledged that the right wing does have an important place. "But we also need to create a center of the Republican Party," he said, "and I think that the bigger our tent is, the better it is."

Rush Limbaugh

Limbaugh Calls Sotomayor And Obama Racist, Says GOP Should "Go To The Wall" Against Her

Eric Kleefeld | May 26, 2009, 1:59PM

Rush Limbaugh is taking a strong stance against the Sotomayor nomination, declaring that Republicans should "go to the wall" to oppose her:

"I doubt that Sotomayor can be stopped," said Limbaugh. "She should be -- she is a horrible pick. She is the antithesis of a judge."

He also said that Sotomayor is a racist -- or in a more softened term, a "reverse-racist" -- who was in turn appointed by another "reverse-racist":

"And the libs of course say, the minorities cannot be racists, because they don't have the power to implement their racism," Limbaugh expounded. "Well, those days are gone, because reverse-racists certainly do have the power to implement their power. Obama is the greatest living example of a reverse-racist, and now he's appointed one -- you gettin' this, AP? -- Sonia Sotomayor, to the U.S. Supreme Court."

Colin Powell

Poll: Powell Viewed Favorably By Republicans -- And So Are Cheney And Limbaugh

Eric Kleefeld | May 25, 2009, 4:11PM

A new CNN poll finds that Colin Powell has much higher national favorable ratings than his two main Republican antagonists, Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh -- but among Republican respondents only, it's a close one.

The numbers, among all Americans: Powell is viewed favorably by 70%, compared to only 37% for Cheney and 30% for Limbaugh.

But among Republicans only, it's 66% favorable for Cheney, 64% for Powell, and 62% for Limbaugh. So Powell still remains popular with Republicans. But so are Cheney and Limbaugh, too -- and it would make some intuitive sense that Powell's portion differs somewhat from Cheney's and Limbaugh's.

Said CNN analyst Bill Schneider: "Moderate Republicans fighting back against Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney. They're ready to rumble. And they've got a soldier to lead them."

Barack Obama

Limbaugh: If I Were A Terrorist, I'd Give Obama Standing Ovation

Eric Kleefeld | May 21, 2009, 3:07PM

During his radio show today, Rush Limbaugh said President Obama's speech did a great job -- for terrorists.

"Had I been a terrorist, were I a terrorist, I would have been prompted to give Obama's speech a standing O today," said Limbaugh. "It would have been tempting to give him a standing ovation because essentially Barack Obama apologized to terrorists all over the world for the last eight years of the previous administration."

Michael Steele

DNC: If Steele Wants To Not Look Backward, He'll Disown Cheney, Gingrich And Limbaugh

Eric Kleefeld | May 19, 2009, 11:00AM

Democratic National Committee national press secretary Hari Sevugan released this statement responding to Michael Steele's speech declaring the GOP will not be looking backward:

"While we welcome Chairman Steele's words that the GOP wants to turn the page on its past, we are disheartened by the party's actions that tell the opposite story. While the Chairman talks of moving forward, the very convention he's addressing will not focus on coming up with new ideas to create jobs and setting right what the party got wrong over the last eight years, but instead will revolve around name calling and the petty politics of the past. While the Chairman speaks of no longer looking in the rearview mirror, just this weekend he and other party leaders stumbled over one another to endorse the leadership of one of the most divisive figures in recent American history, Dick Cheney. The test of the sincerity of the Chairman's words will be if he and the other GOP leaders stand up to the fringe elements of their party and whether they tell the polarizing faces of the past - including Cheney, Gingrich and Limbaugh - to stand aside. Unfortunately, they have shown no willingness to do so, which is why fewer and fewer Americans have confidence in the Republican party to lead during these tough times."

Late Update: Speak of the Devil, Newt Gingrich is now joining the GOP's rebranding effort, the National Council for a New America.

Republicans

GOP Rep. Price: Limbaugh And Cheney Aren't Better Republicans Than Colin Powell

Eric Kleefeld | May 18, 2009, 11:34AM

Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) appeared today on Morning Joe, and said the Republican Party is big enough for both the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Colin Powell -- and upon further questioning by Scarborough, Price disagreed with the idea that Limbaugh or Dick Cheney are better Republicans than Powell:

Scarborough: Congressman, do you disagree with Rush Limbaugh that Colin Powell should leave the Republican Party?

Price: Look, it's not up to Rush Limbaugh to decide who ought to be in the Republican Party.

...

Scarborough: Congressman, do you believe that Rush Limbaugh or Dick Cheney are better, quote -- I'm just using terms that we hear every day on TV and radio -- that they are somehow better Republicans than Colin Powell?

Price: No. Goodness.

Scarborough: God bless you, Congressman. God bless you.

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 29, 2009, 8:57AM

Obama And Biden Host Specter At White House Press Availability
President Obama and Vice President Biden publicly welcomed Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) to the Democratic Party at the White House earlier this morning -- fittingly, from the Diplomatic Room. "I think that I can be of assistance to you, Mr. President," said Specter. Obama said: "I don't expect Arlen to be a rubber stamp. In fact, I'd like to think that Arlen's decision reflects recognition that this administration is open to many different ideas and many different points of view."

Obama's Day Ahead: Town Hall In Missouri, News Conference From Washington
Following this morning's joint statement with Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), President Obama departed Andrews Air Force Base at about 8:30 a.m. ET, headed for St. Louis, Missouri. He will arrive in St. Louis at 10:30 a.m. ET, and will hold a town hall at 11:20 a.m. ET at Fox High School in Arnold, Missouri, discussing his first 100 days in office. He will depart from St. Louis at 2 p.m. ET, arriving back at the White House at 4 p.m. ET. At 8 p.m. ET tonight, President Obama will hold a news conference.

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Rush Limbaugh

Cantor: Crisis? What Crisis?

Brian Beutler | April 2, 2009, 11:28AM

It's hard to tell if Eric Cantor's testing a new message, or if this is the new Republican line on the Democrats and the state of affairs in the country, but Politico reports that, at the Christian Science Monitor breakfast this morning, the House GOP whip, said Democrats are "overreacting, as they often will, to crisis."

But back to this morning. Cantor told participants that "Doing too much has huge, huge pitfalls," better, in other words, to err on the side of doing too little.

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Rush Limbaugh

DNC Rolls Out Anti-Limbaugh Billboard

Eric Kleefeld | March 30, 2009, 5:07PM

The DNC has unveiled its new anti-Rush Limbaugh billboard, set to be put on display tomorrow in Limbaugh's home town of West Palm Beach:

(Click image to enlarge.)

The slogan, "Americans didn't vote for a Rush to failure," was the winner of a contest held by the DNC, in which Democrats across the country submitted their ideas for the DNC to pick from.

Michael Steele

Steele On Rush Flap: "It's All Strategic"

Eric Kleefeld | March 25, 2009, 5:58PM

Michael Steele just doesn't know how to stop.

Steele appeared on CNN this afternoon, and was asked by host Don Lemon whether he's ever considered running for president, and right off the bat he managed to give the sensible, correct answer: "No. I'm telling you, I'm looking you in the eye honestly and telling you that, without blinking and without hesitation. Straight up."

But then he was asked if he would ever consider doing it, and he kept the door open should the opportunity arise -- even speaking in an optimistic, cheerful tone. "But, you know, God has a way of revealing stuff to you, and making it real for you, through others," he said. "And if that's part of the plan, it'll be the plan. We may have this conversation in eight, ten, 12 years and you'll sit back and you'll play the tape back and say, 'Oh, look at what you said!' But it'll be because that's where God wants me to be at that time."

Steele then gave a monologue about the nature of politics today, and how he would need to have a long discussion with his family if this ever came up. But he said no party officials have ever approached him about this: "No. I think they kind of look at me and scratch their head and go, 'Okay, what is this?'"

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