An ally of Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele claimed Tuesday that the so-called “purity test” being circulated by some RNC members is a publicity stunt designed to “stick it” to Steele after he defeated other candidates for the chairmanship in last January’s election.
“You’ve got a few backbenchers who are unhappy,” said Shawn Steel, an RNC member from California and one of the chairman’s top supporters on the committee. “They don’t have the power they once had under the previous chairman, and that’s what motivating this. This is an attempt to stick it to Chairman Steele by the losers.”
If this is the case then we are seeing a much bigger problem inside the RNC than we first imagined. Essentially the party is willing to shrink the size of their tent and lock out more moderate members simply because they don’t like the chairman. It’s kind of like cutting of your nose to spite your face.