Steele has defended his record as RNC chairman, pointing to major Republican electoral gains during his two-year tenure.
Priebus’ pitch is not a pitch at all. It’s a direct, honest statement that wins confi dence.
“We are desperately doing every- thing we can to rebuild this party, to be people of our word, and to defeat this president,” Priebus says. “I need to lead in humility, to be a little less about myself and a little bit more about everybody else.”
Priebus has impressed both Republicans and Democrats. “Priebus has righted a ship that was sinking,” says Brad Blakeman, a Republican strategist and Fox News contributor who is a former Bush
from a president who just doesn’t get it. We are involved in a battle for freedom in this country.
has done two
“ The mission is to save our country ’’
White House aide. “With Priebus, it’s not about him and getting on TV. It’s about the party.” “He
things:
Restored faith in the RNC as a politi- cal institution and tried to rebuild the party’s infrastructure,” says Donna Brazile, who was interim chair of the Democratic National Committee earlier this year. “He is credited with running a professional operation.” Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, applauds what he calls the “turnaround” engi- neered by Priebus.
served as RNC fi nance chairman. “Reince has done that by working very hard at it,” Sembler says. “He has been all around the country. He knows how to get on the phone. He knows how to go to events. He knows how to call people.” For his part, while acknowledg- ing some administrative lapses,
Priebus has a self-deprecating manner, works long hours, and has advertised an open-door policy. He views Republicans as being a part of the conservative movement, rather than the other way around. A lawyer from Wisconsin who ran
the state Republican Party, Priebus, 39, served as general counsel of the RNC under Steele. Priebus’ fi rst
name Reince rhymes with pints, as in his favorite beer, Miller High Life from Wisconsin. In fact, in his offi ce just at 6 p.m., Priebus offers me a cold Miller but does not seem offend- ed when I go for a Heineken instead. “I’ve got a bizarre name, but I’m about as normal as they come,” Priebus says. “I always tell people it’s what happens when you have a Greek and a German who get mar- ried. [The name] is a bit of a disaster.”
riebus graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater in 1994 and from the University of Miami School of Law in 1998. He met his wife Sally at a high school youth group; their fi rst date was a Lincoln Day conserva- tive dinner. “We did go to a movie afterward,” Priebus says, “so it was a legitimate date.” They married in 1998 and have two children, Grace, 1, and Jack, 6.
P
Priebus likes to fi sh and golf. He owns three shotguns, a rifl e, and a handgun. He has enjoyed an occa- sional moose steak.
“As a little guy, the one thing that I remember is that my grandfather in Athens loved America,” Priebus says. “It didn’t matter what it was about America, but he loved it.”
Now, he says, “The mission is to save our country from a president who just doesn’t get it. My view is that we are absolutely involved in a battle for freedom in this country. This president is driving our fi nan- cial train off a cliff.”
President Obama is absolutely beatable, he says.
“Now there’s truth for us to eval- uate,” Priebus says. “It’s not just his speeches; it’s not just hope and change. The fact is, Obama’s poli- cies are a disaster, and the American people know it.” Priebus says he aims to do his part. The key will be “keeping our integrity, building credibility, holding true to our conservative principles, and raising a ton of money.”
SEPTEMBER 2011 / NEWSMAX 29
ILLUSTRATION/DOUG GRISWOLD/KRT/NEWSCOM
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