DONNA BRAZILE AND MICHAEL STEELE
Donna Brazile is serious.
Serious as a heart attack.
But funny as hell.
The political strategist and analyst, campaign manager, and liberal pundit twice served as acting Chair of the DNC.
She and Michael Steele are as good as they get.
Believe it.
Steele is the former RNC Chair who served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003–2007; he was the first African-American elected to statewide office in the “Old Line State.”
A conservative political commentator, attorney and Republican Party politician, in 2020 he formally endorsed Joe Biden for the presidency, after previously starring in an advertisement aired by The Lincoln Project.
The fact that Brazile recently resigned her position as a Fox News contributor (May 2021) in favor of a gig at ABC News, should come as no surprise for someone who lives to ‘tell it like it is.’
There was the time on-air in the fall of 2019 when she demanded that Fox anchor Harris Faulkner show her “just a little bit of respect.”
They were debating the relative merits of the recently passed House resolution to make official, the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
Faulkner cited Republican complaints that Democrats’ focus on impeachment would detract from addressing more pressing matters facing the American public.
Brazile thought this position was nothing but bunkum and balderdash, and said so with conviction.
Much like the occasion when the camera was rolling, that Brazile lashed out at RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel for weighing in on the 2020 Democratic primary.
“Stay the hell out of our race!” Brazile shouted, adding: “So, Ronna, go to hell!”
Of course, Bill Maher loves this kind of thing and Brazile is a frequent guest of his on Real Time.
She really went to town on Roger Stone in November 2019 during the program’s “Overtime” post-show segment on YouTube, when Maher asked his panel whether they thought Trump would grant Stone a presidential pardon.
(Stone was found guilty on seven federal criminal charges, including witness tampering and obstruction of justice and was looking at up to 20 years in the can).
“Well, he’s going to be sentenced February 6 — I hope he roasts in hell, that son of a bitch,” Brazile replied, prompting Maher to jokingly tell her to calm down.
She continued — passionately and zealously — nonetheless.
“[Stone] worked with WikiLeaks to destroy not just Democrats, but to destroy our democracy, so I hope he roasts in hell, and I wish I’m at the sentencing hearing cuz I’m going to wear the best looking red dress I could and say go to hell. Not jail.”
Tellin’ it like it is.
And that Steele has been hanging out the shingle as an MSNBC regular for some time now, also makes sense.
Brazile is an occasional — albeit ever-so-slightly — right-nodding Democrat and Steele is a certain left-leaning Republican.
Each is smart enough to acknowledge that the river runs both ways.
Multiple sides to every story exist.
Bipartisan acknowledgment is a thing.
Bipartisan understanding is a thing.
Doesn’t mean you have to always agree.
Or embrace.
But it should mean you know how to respect another.
And exercise the right to show it.
In any way you deem proper.
[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in September 2021.]
