Michael Steele Announces for RNC Chair

COLMES: Former lieutenant governor of Maryland, the current GOPAC chair, and friend of our show, Michael Steele, even likes me, he's -- right? Making headlines this week about a possible run for chairman of the Republican National Committee.

There is even a draft Michael Steele Web site which calls him "the one man who can repair the Republican Party."

Are the rumors true? Joining us now Michael Steele.

Lieutenant Governor Steele, do you want the gig?

MICHAEL STEELE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, how are you doing?

COLMES: How are you, sir?

STEELE: I want the gig. I'm ready, I'm ready to lead this party. I think we've been kind of wandering and doubting ourselves for far too long. And I think this past election was the culmination of that self-doubt which has to end.

We have a message, I think, of empowerment and ownership and opportunity that resonates United States with Americans. We just need to get back to.

COLMES: You know.

STEELE: The fundamentals of our party has not changed. So I'm ready to lead it.

COLMES: I read what you wrote when you said Republicans have lost their way during the last decade. Where were you and other Republicans speaking out during the last decade when things started to go bad. Instead everybody is now trashing the party, going after what's gone on. But where have you been all along talking about this?

STEELE: Hey, Sean, I've been there. I need to be.

COLMES: Alan.

STEELE: That's right, Alan. You know, I get you too fix mixed up sometimes.

HANNITY: Thanks a lot.

COLMES: Yes, that's easy to do.

STEELE: Sean, you appreciate that, don't you, brother?

HANNITY: Thanks a lot.

STEELE: But, no, seriously.

HANNITY: Go ahead.

(LAUGHTER)

STEELE: You guys have been working together too long. But seriously, the reality of it is I have been in the trenches of this party, and -- so have so many others. And you know, that voice has been there. It's not been sort of sitting on -- you know on a quiet somewhere.

There have been countless Republicans at the grassroots levels talking about staying true to who we are, focused on the message of this party and moving forward. And so when you get away from that, and you saw it.

You saw it in 2006 and you have seen it since then, when you move away and you start spending, when you grow the size of government, yes, the base has spoken out against that as have many of us.

COLMES: But now, now that things are going bad and you're talking about a failure of leadership and things have been bad for a decade, I've heard -- all I've heard mostly for the last decade.

STEELE: But Sean, wait a minute, hold -- Alan, Alan.

COLMES: . the Republicans speaking out.

STEELE: Alan.

COLMES: . defending themselves.

STEELE: Yo, back -- Alan, bad for a decade? What decade have you been living in? It has not been bad for a decade. You have -- you have seven, eight months of -- financial difficulty, you talk about a decade? What about all those jobs that were created during that past decade?

COLMES: You said during the last decade. Last statement.

STEELE: But wait a minute. But wait a minute. I'm saying, I'm saying that when you fall away from the troubles that -- you know, from the core of what the people of this country stand for, then you can -- then it's time to step up. And you -- and we're trying to step up now to get back on course and move this party forward. But it's not been a decade of difficulties in that regard.

HANNITY: Hey, Michael, and by the way, there have been those of us that have been saying the Republican Party has lost their way. The polls show that, you know, nearly 60 percent feel they have abandoned their values, they've lost their way and they didn't fulfill -- they've been incompetent in terms of governing.

STEELE: Absolutely.

HANNITY: I've been talking about this for five years both on radio and TV.

STEELE: Yes.

HANNITY: Now here's the question, and David Brooks raises this question about the battle over the future of conservatism. And he talks about people like myself and Rush and some of the old guard institutions, Americans for tax reform, family research, and he talks about traditionalists versus reformers.

Now the reformers, to me, sounds a lot like where we've been going, and that is Democratic Party like. Where do you stand?

STEELE: Right. I stand in the traditions of this party. I stand for the values that we have fought for. The value of family. The value of life. Born and unborn. The value of community. The value of opportunity. The value of growth.

I don't want to be -- if I wanted to be a Democrat, I grew up in a Democratic city, Washington, D.C. I'm from a Democratic state, Maryland, I'd be a Democrat. But I believe in the principles of this party. I want to see us return to the principles of this party.

We are the conservative voice in America. That's not a pejorative. That's not a negative. That is something that speaks to tradition. It speaks to progress. It speaks to the future. It speaks to a lot of things that Americans are interested and concerned about.

HANNITY: Hey, Michael.

STEELE: And we just need to do that. Yes.

HANNITY: March 1st, 1975. No pale pastels but broad colors, or bold colors, bold differences. Ronald Reagan. And this was -- right after a tough election in `74. And a revitalized second party. Look, by the way I'm supporting your candidacy. I think you have the vision.

STEELE: I appreciate that, Sean.

HANNITY: . that Reagan had. But if we've become the party of security, the party of economic independence and energy independence, and fiscal responsibility, and the party of the American dream and free market solutions, we'll get people back. Conservatism.

STEELE: We'll get them back, Sean.

HANNITY: Go ahead.

STEELE: I was just saying, Sean, we'll get them back, we'll get them back in a big way because that's where America is. America didn't wake up on Tuesday morning and say oh gee I think I'll be a liberal today.

What America said to the Republican Party was get your act together. And it's now for the leadership of this party to step up and I intend to be that leader, step up and move us forward.

HANNITY: Michael, whatever I can do to help you, I think you're the person for the job. I think you've got.

STEELE: Thanks, my friend.

HANNITY: You and I have had discussions on air and off air. And I don't hear the passion from other Republicans that you have. So I wish you well in this endeavor. Thanks for being with us.

STEELE: Well, thank you, my friend. And Alan?

COLMES: Yes, sir.

STEELE: I'm coming at you, baby. I'm coming at you.

COLMES: I'm ready. I'm tan, rested, and ready.

STEELE: All right.

HANNITY: And coming up -- thanks, Michael.

STEELE: All right.