In the summer before heading off to college, I worked at a deli, and had one of the nastiest bosses you could imagine. “Wayne” was an angry single guy in his 30’s, who always felt like he didn’t get what he was entitled to in life,
In the summer before heading off to college, I worked at a deli, and had one of the nastiest bosses you could imagine. “Wayne” was an angry single guy in his 30s, who always felt like he didn’t get what he was entitled to in life and was quick to tell anyone in earshot about it. The truth was that Wayne was jealous of the other married, successful and happy manager at the store, but because he couldn’t do anything to him, he took out his anger on all of the guys that worked under him.
Of course, this is a pretty typical way for people to behave when they feel powerless, they surround themselves with the object that they hate and proceed to take out their frustrations until they can feel better. I didn’t know the job was going to be that bad when I took it, but once I was there, I needed money for school and couldn’t quit. I realize now that only a fool would sign up for being someone else’s official whipping boy for a living. You’d have to be desperate for money, oblivious to the job description or Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele.
Michael Steele has been the whipping boy, pin cushion and all around punching bag for the Republican party since his election and the hits, (literally and figuratively) keep on coming. Last week, the RNC’s elected treasurer, Randy Pullen, and General Counsel, David Norcross, put forth a new proposal that would essentially cut Steele off at the knees, if not a little bit higher.
The plan would limit Steele’s ability to spend money as RNC Chair, requiring him to get more approval before spending money on travel, Republican candidates and just about everything short of getting a Snickers (R) bar from a vending machine. Steele’s supporters have complained that many elements of the party have been trying to “embarrass or neuter” him since he took office several months ago, but you have to wonder why they’re surprised.
The GOP is still reeling from the fact that they lost a national election to the first viable African-American candidate in history. That’s not racist, per se, it’s about the same as not wanting to lose a one-on-one basketball game to a girl, or having your foreign co-worker know more about jazz than you do. There’s a certain way we people expect the world to work and while a Black president was inevitable, nobody wants to be on deck as the first loser. Michael Steele was the first affirmative action hire of the GOP to counter Obama’s election, but like most hiring made under duress, he’s been under intense scrutiny since he got the job. He was publicly chastised by Rush Limbaugh, dis-invited from the Chicago Tea Party protest and blamed for Arlen Specter’s party switch. No matter what he does, some elements of the party hate him, which is a shame because he’s certainly got the chops for the job.
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