Thursday, April 30, 2009

More Dissent in GOP Ranks: Pullen Vs. Steele

Posted By on Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 10:17 PM

Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen, who found himself at odds with the GOP elected establishment after narrowly winning the chairmanship a few years back, is now in a battle with Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele. The Washington Times reports that Pullen, who is now treasurer of the RNC, is in front of a push to strip Steele of control of the GOP's purse strings:


Randy Pullen, the RNC's elected treasurer, former RNC General Counsel David Norcross and three other former top RNC officers have presented Mr. Steele with a resolution, calling for a new set of checks and balances on the chairman's power to dole out money.

This is what a party in meltdown looks like.

More:

The funding fight comes on the heels of another open challenge to Mr. Steele's authority. Unhappy RNC conservatives secured the signatures to force the committee to convene next month's special meeting to vote on a resolution labeling Democrats as "socialists," despite the chairman's reservations about the political wisdom of the move.

Critics said the "socialist" resolution battle was a sign of Mr. Steele's rocky start as RNC chairman and his continuing struggle to assert control of the party's message since his election in January.