Aspiring RNC Chairmen Wonder: What Would Reagan Do?

By Dana Milbank
WashPost
Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The way Republicans are attacking themselves, who needs Democrats?

"You have Republicans scratching their head, going: 'Who are we? What do we believe in? What do we stand for?' " said Michael Steele, former lieutenant governor of Maryland.

"We have done a very poor job in communicating," added Chip Saltsman, former chairman of the Tennessee GOP.

"The hypocrisy, more than anything else, has killed our party," agreed Saul Anuzis, chairman of the Michigan Republicans. "We had become the bums."

And these are the guys who want to lead the party. The half a dozen men vying to be Republican National Committee chairman assembled at the National Press Club for a debate yesterday, but it quickly turned into a duel over who could best disparage their president and their party. Even the incumbent chairman, Mike Duncan, who is running for another term, warned that "if we don't do something about it, we're going to be the permanent minority in this country."

(More here.)