GOP Chairman Michael Steele says in new book that Republicans have 'screwed up' since Reagan

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wednesday, January 6th 2010, 4:00 AM

Cooper/AP

GOP Chairman Michael Steele's book is titled 'Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda.'

WASHINGTON - GOP Chairman Michael Steele thinks Republicans have "screwed up" for the most part in the years since Ronald Reagan was president. And, he adds in an interview on the heels of his new book's release, Republicans won't win back the House in fall elections and might not be ready to lead even if they do.

That forecast of failure sparked a pushback Tuesday at the GOP's own National Republican Congressional Committee, whose aim is to elect Republicans, and delight at its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Winning back the House would be difficult for Republicans, who are in a 256-178 minority with one vacancy. Steele's book, "Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda," released Monday by Regnery Publishing, offers his blueprint for the party's resurgence. Several of the steps he proposes play off sticking to GOP principles.

Asked Monday by talk-show host Sean Hannity if Republicans can regain the House in November, Steele said, "Not this year." He added: "I don't know yet, because I don't know all the candidates yet. We still have some vacancies that need to get filled, but then the question we need to ask ourselves is, if we do that, are we ready?"

In answer to his own question, Steele said: "I don't know. And that's what I'm assessing and evaluating right now. Those candidates who are looking to run have to be anchored in these principles ... because if they don't, then they'll get to Washington, and they'll start drinking that Potomac River water, and they'll get drunk with power and throw the steps out the window."

NRCC spokesman Ken Spain said in response to Steele's comments that recapturing the majority remains a GOP goal. "Independent political analysts and even liberal columnists have stated that Republicans have a very real shot at taking back the majority in 2010," he said in a statement. "Make no mistake about it, we are playing to win."

The DCCC pointed to Steele's comments as further evidence of a civil war within the GOP and party disarray.

"If the NRCC hasn't convinced the Republican National Committee chairman they can win, it's no wonder that Tea Party activists, Republican small donors and Republican House members are not confident and have failed to invest in the NRCC," said DCCC spokeswoman Jennifer Crider.

In the book, Steele says the first steps for Republicans come in admitting that they have compromised their principles in the past decade.

"We must support Republican officials who assert these principles," he writes. "When elected Republicans vote against Republican principles, the voters must withhold their support - withhold it vigorously and consistently."