It seems fair to ask, when one uses standard liberal catch-phrasing, volunteers for an organization like the NAACP, becomes party to an eminent domain lawsuit to take property from a small business on behalf of the government and is linked to the solicitation of government stimulus funding, just how conservative is said individual?
Given that the individual in question is Reince Priebus, currently seeking the RNC Chairmanship and talking like a conservative, how is it that he seems to have so walked the walk of a typical liberal over the years?
This was only ten years ago, after all. Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with exposing oneself to different peoples and locations and I’m all for the Republican Party reaching out more to minority communities. But whether we do that as stock-in-trade liberals, or present a genuine conservative alternative to the liberal policies of Democrats makes a big difference. So, when one invokes stock phrases like diversity and aligns himself with the NAACP, just what kind of outreach is it Reince Priebus had in mind by attending the University of Miami? Or, just as he talks the talk of conservatism now, is he more a chameleon who says what he has to say to be popular at the time? That’s hardly the type of principled leadership needed for the RNC, especially at such a pivotal time in American history in which the Right and Left are battling to determine the future course of the nation.
In addition to reputation and placement record, Reince chose Miami because he wanted the opportunity to experience living in a diverse community … He was also a law clerk for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in Los Angeles the summer before his third year.
That would be the same NAACP, by the way, that recently tried to malign the tea party movement as racist. Going from the NAACP to the RNC is quite a leap in ten short years. And the years in between weren’t very conservative, either. As recently as 2003, Reince Priebus was using his legal skills to confiscate land from a small business through the power of eminent domain.
On behalf of the petitioner-respondent, the cause was submitted on the brief of Charles P. Graupner and Reince R. Priebus of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, and Harry A. Stein, assistant city attorney of Milwaukee.
The property, which is the subject of this appeal, is a portion of an entire parcel of land acquired by the City of Milwaukee through its power of eminent domain to create a new street design warranted by the demolition of the Park East Freeway in downtown Milwaukee. At the time of the taking, Roadster LLC was the owner of the entire parcel. The subject of this appeal (the property) is a parcel used for parking, with frontage on the west side of North Old World Third Street and the south side of West McKinley Avenue.
Big Government has already pointed out Priebus’ relationship to stimulus dollar solicitations here. Priebus certainly talks the right talk in these Tea Party times. Unfortunately, from his fondness for liberal catch-phrases, work with the NAACP, appreciation for the use of eminent domain to take land from a small business–land it needed to survive–and profiting from Stimulus funds, it’s extremely hard, if not impossible to document that there’s a principled conservative somewhere underneath the facade.
Reince Priebus is currently being touted as a front-runner to replace current RNC Chair Michael Steele. But Priebus’ leading role among a select group of high-powered Wisconsin attorneys targeting clients to assist them in maximizing stimulus dollars, at the same time the anti-stimulus RNC employed him as interim general counsel, raises some troubling questions, not just for Preibus, but for the Republican Party as a whole.
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