MTP Transcript for Oct. 29

LT. GOV. STEELE: I’m not running away from him. I’m running for the United States Senate. I’ve been outed; OK, everyone, I’m a Republican. I think after four years as lieutenant governor, elected as a Republican, and certainly serving with Governor Ehrlich, a Republican, I think people know who I am. This is the point, Tim, you know, I found it somewhat amusing that I have to put on my material that I’m Republican, but no other candidate running for office has to put their party label on their material. I mean, I’m not running away from George Bush. I’m not running towards George Bush. I’m running for the United States Senate. And one of the things that I, one of the things that I wanted to do differently in this race, to be very straight up about it, was to get away from the polarization, to get away from the labels.

Look, since 2000, we’ve watched our country divide itself along red and blue lines —  Democrat/Republican, liberal/conservative — and what have we got to show for it? All we’ve got is a lot of noise. Now, you know, you know, everybody in the world knows I’m a Republican, so that’s part one. But part two is, what are you going to do as a senator? And part of what I’ve seen in Washington is exactly what’s represented here today. Old Washington, old ways, an old mind-set that polarizes, that wants to say, you know, “When we take control.” You know, how about the country? How about the interest of the country? How about we creating a bipartisan — what I did not hear on the Iraq subject, for example, is a move towards a bipartisan consensus. You’ve got a commission out there with, with Baker and Hamilton that are looking at a strategy to help us resolve some important difficulties in Iraq on a bipartisan consensus. This is about taking control of the Congress and not so much about solving the problem. So when I look at this race, and when I looked at it, I wanted to do something a little bit differently, and I wanted to label it a little bit differently. I’m not running away from my party. And you know what? It has not been the easiest thing in the world to run in this cycle.

MR. RUSSERT: Are you running as a proud Bush Republican?

LT. GOV. STEELE: I’m a proud Republican.

MR. RUSSERT: Why not proud Bush Republican?

LT. GOV. STEELE: I’m a proud — I’m a proud Republican. I mean, because my orientation is the Republican Party, it’s not just one individual in the party. And so, you know, President Bush is the president of our party — of the United States, he’s the leader of our party. Ronald Reagan, I’m a Lincolnite. If anything, I consider myself a Lincoln Republican. And so my reality is, you know, we can talk about and try to get me boxed in on, you know, he’s this type of Republican or that type of Republican. What I’m trying to show the people of Maryland was what kind of senator I’m going to be, and that I’m going to have the ability to reach across the aisle and, and work with those who are on the other side.

MR. RUSSERT: Here’s the one thing that did confuse me.

LT. GOV. STEELE: Uh-oh.

MR. RUSSERT: Someone — this bumper sticker, paid for by your campaign.

LT. GOV. STEELE: Right, right.

MR. RUSSERT: And I’ll put it on the screen. “Steele Democrat.”

LT. GOV. STEELE: Right.

MR. RUSSERT: That’s not truth in advertising.

LT. GOV. STEELE: You’ve never heard of “Reagan Democrats”? Have you ever heard of the term “Reagan Democrats”?

MR. RUSSERT: It doesn’t say “I’m a Steele Democrat.” It says “Steele Democrat.”

LT. GOV. STEELE: Did it say “I’m a Reagan Democrat”? It said “Reagan” — it always referred to Reagan Democrats, right?

MR. RUSSERT: So you’re not passing yourself off as a Democrat?

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