And so ends the hip-hp era of the Republican National Committee.
From Politico:
Reince Priebus won election Friday as the new chairman of the Republican National Committee.
The Wisconsin GOP leader finally secured victory on the seventh and final ballot, with 97 votes.
Priebus surged after RNC Chairman Michael Steele ended his bid for a second term and endorsed Maria Cino following the fourth ballot.
“I am so blessed,” said Priebus, who frequently evokes his faith. “I thank God. I thank Jesus.”
Jesus man, you thanked God AND Jesus?
From the National Journal:
The Wisconsin chairman pledged during his campaign to operate the committee in stark contrast with Steele’s style. He promised to open contracts to a competitive bidding process and to involve members of the committee in major decisions.
Still, Priebus faced major hurdles from the start, not least of which was his proximity to Steele himself, who had become deeply unpopular on the committee. In 2009, Priebus was Steele’s closest adviser and biggest backer; Steele appointed Priebus as general counsel, and Priebus spent much of the next two years defending Steele and trying to appease disgruntled members. Opponents used that connection to imply that Priebus would run the committee like his predecessor, a charge Priebus spent much of his time denying.
But even when he served as Steele’s close adviser, Priebus was able to maintain good relations with the RNC membership. He enjoyed early support from Steele allies and detractors, building a coalition that, once Steele dropped out, became insurmountable.
In winning the chairmanship, Priebus will take over a committee deeply in debt and beset by management problems after Steele’s tumultuous two years in office. The RNC is more than $20 million in debt, according to internal finance figures; a $5 million line of credit comes due in late February, though RNC officials are negotiating a new payment plan.
So the good news for the RNC: people will now spend a lot less time talking about (and/or mocking) their chairman. Is that also the bad news?
