From the lips of Michael Steele:
STEELE: You’re absolutely right. I mean I’ve been in the room and they’ve been scared of me. I’m like, “I’m on your side” and so I can imagine going out there and talking to someone like you, you know, [say] “I’ll listen.” And they’re like “Well.” Let me tell you. You saw in Christie and you saw in McDonnell a door open because they went in and engaged.
I think Steele might be a little confused here. What they are most likely scared of is Steele’s mouth and what might come out of it when it opens. You know an “oh fuck – what will he say now?” type deal. As a matter of fact they were probably asking that very question after this interview.