I can't say for certain whether this is customary for an RNC official, but judging by the fact that even people who work there are kind of confused as to why Michael Steele is setting up pre-election meetings with foreign dignitaries who can't vote, I'd say...no.
The Republican National Committee is trying to set up meetings
between Chairman Michael Steele and foreign ambassadors to the United
States, according to an email obtained by POLITICO - an effort that has
puzzled diplomats as well as fellow Republicans.An RNC intern sent a message late last month to at least one ambassador
on behalf of Neil Alpert, a senior finance aide, with little
explanation."As you know, the November election is just 103 days away and the
Chairman would like to extend to you an invitation to sit down either
at the RNC or at your embassy to discuss the upcoming 2010 midterm
elections," wrote Christopher Kelleher, a finance department intern.
"With literally hundreds of congressional seats up for grabs in just
under four months, Chairman Steel [sic] would love to have the
opportunity to discuss the Party's outlook with you."
It's nice to know that the Politico actually has to put "[sic]" next to the chairman's name in an email that came directly from the RNC - it shows the dedication to detail we're dealing with here. Also, it appears that the invitations weren't signed, sealed and delivered via sweaty bike messenger but rather submitted via email into the generic in-boxes of a number of prominent international figures.
But back to the point: foreign dignitaries and diplomats can't vote and definitely can't give money to American elections. Steele should at least know that considering my mom used to receive direct mail from the RNC during the Clinton years showing Al Gore surreptitiously taking game show checks from monks in China. Unless Steele's planning on honing his connections so that once he takes over as President the transition is smooth (or, worse, trying to confuse the sh*t out of people who don't speak English), we've got an unnecessary waste of funds here. Or, of course, he could just be forming up the Justice League.
The world may never know.
Filed under: National Politics
Tags: Michael Steele, Republican National Committee, Republican Party, Republicans, RNC
