Latest Email from Michael Steele

Dear Pastor Ed,

As President Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, said last November, "You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."

It didn't take long for the liberal Democrats to put that political strategy into play.

They have taken advantage of our nation's present economic woes to ram through Congress the biggest spending bill in American history.

President Obama, who talked so much about a new era of bipartisanship and cooperation on the campaign trail, didn't take long to throw that rhetoric out the window to support Nancy Pelosi's liberal spending spree.

Our economy is in trouble. We all agree on that.

President Obama says that it is only the federal government that can give our economy a boost.

But even if you believe that silly premise--only 15% of the massive spending increases in the Obama/Pelosi spending spree will take place in 2009. The remaining taxpayer dollars they plan to spend pay out over the next ten years!

A budget watchdog group calls this bill a "lobbyist full-employment act." And one Washington lobbyist called the special interest frenzy surrounding this bill "the Super Bowl."

And at the heart of it all is the liberal Democrats' goal of the permanent expansion of the federal government's power and the redistribution of wealth.

• $160 million to pay "volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

• $45 million dollars for the removal of fish passage barriers.

• $248 million to buy furniture for the Department of Homeland Security.

Make no mistake, the Democrats' so-called "stimulus" bill does a lot more to expand government than it does to give America's ailing economy a much needed boost.

I ran for the job of RNC Chairman to lead our Party forward with its core principles as a guide: shrinking the size of government and creating private sector jobs that won't go away as soon as taxpayer money runs out.

The Republican Party must vigorously champion these rock-solid cornerstones of the American success story.

This is our opportunity to stand strong, and let the American people know that we Republicans won't be a part of the Democrats' tax-and-spend schemes. And we won't cave to disastrous policies just for the sake of "bipartisanship."

But we can't do it without the steadfast support of Republicans like you.

Your gift provides the crucial resources we must have to defend our American way of life.

Only you and I and other grassroots Republican activists stand between the Democrats and an unprecedented power grab -- please stand with me and let the Democrats know we will hold them accountable for their actions.

Sincerely,

Michael Steele
Chairman, Republican National Committee