Steele’s leadership at the Republican National Committee began after the party suffered a crushing defeat and was at a crossroads, facing a dwindling number of “base voters,” and questions about the direction and future of the party.  He didn’t seem to have a real base of his own within the Republican Party, having ascended following six rounds of voting that exposed deep rifts between the party’s ideological factions. While those factions continued to bicker, congressional Republicans focused on their waterloo and practiced their “no’s.”  Chairman Steele quickly focused on a lavish re-decoration of his office, and using slang phrases to declare a new day at the RNC. After an early run-in with Rush Limbaugh, Steele was reminded “who’s your daddy,” and went back to his jet travel, lackluster fundraising, and letting staffers literally spend money like drunken sailors at a strip club. The result? A divided Republican Party lost touch with its base and was taken completely off guard by the rise of the Tea Party movement. They firs …

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