It's Her Party Now

With Republicans voting in Michael Steele as it's new chairman, somewhere Gov. Christie Whitman is smiling. Steele and Whitman worked together on the Repulican Leadership Council to give classic conservatives and moderates who were maginalized within the Republican Party a voice.

I've often written about how the moderates, like Senator Susan Collins, have been attacked from within. Now, with Steele on board, the hope has got to be Republicans will get back to basics. Steele's quote to those who want to continue trying to build the Republican brand through exclusion was perfect:

To those who don't want to be part of Mr. Steele's inclusive party, he warned: "Get ready to get knocked over."

The simple fact is, there are more moderates in this nation than there are liberals or conservatives. Sure, there are differences of opinion between the role of government that is the hallmark difference between the parties, but by and large most of us just want things to work.

While it's too early to tell if the tone will change, it's a good start. At the very least, Steele has a sense of humor. Steele had my favorite campaign ad of the 2006 cycle.