Last year Michael Steele upset the Republican establishment as the first outsider in a generation to win election as Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Massive forces were aligned against Steele, but the harsh lessons of wholesale Republican repudiations of 2006 and 2008 helped propel Michael’s message.
The message from Steele? That for Republicans to win again, they must embrace and act conservative. We have valuable lessons to learn from the Tea Party movement. Depending on the Republican bulls in Congress could be fatal. Over the years, many RNC vendors grew rich over no-bid contracts. In fact, there still remains an RNC member who was paid over $1,000,000 from the RNC — who was a fierce opponent to Steele’s election. Chairman
Steele promised reforms. No more no-bid contracts. Old favored vendors would have to compete. The Establishment would have to move over and and re-invent themselves. 
The tests to measure a Chairman’s success are straightforward: first, does he raise the money needed to win elections and second, does he then win elections?
Steele when he took over leadership of the RNC immediately realized that the major donor program was inactive after the 2008 election. He also saw there that there was not an effective direct mail campaign in the works. Within days, after clearing out the dead-wood out of the RNC, Steele brought in a new hungry team and out-raised President Obama’s DNC in eight of the following eleven months.
At the same time, Steele assigned the RNC staff to begin working to win the governorships in 
New Jersey and Virginia. The RNC was the single largest donor to both campaigns. Many millions were spent, plus an army of paid and non-paid workers flooded both states. Hoping to win one of the Obama voting states, Steele helped do the impossible by winning both. Plus carrying all statewide offices in Virginia.
Michael Steele represents the new impatient conservative leaders emerging in the Republican Party. When Steele criticized Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter (before the latter formally switched parties) for working too closely with the Democrats he was criticized by a "former RNC official.
Steele wrote a book , Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda. More public complaints from former RNC officials. 
However, all that is over. Done. The earthquake upset in Massachusetts has stilled any further criticism of Steele’s leadership. No more hostile resolutions. The few disgruntled are running to embed themselves in the woodwork. No Chairman, including the famed Haley Barbour has had this much success in only one year in office.
Upon my election by the California Republican Party as our state’s Republican National Committeeman in early 2008, my first call the next day was to Michael Steele urging him to run for RNC chair to help change the direction of our party. I am grateful to the CRP members who gave me a chance to help join the forces of change for the good. It’s nice winning again.
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