Where is this "Maine" of which you speak?

Apparently today is going to be Michael Steele Day here at Bleakonomy. What can I say? The man is the gift that keeps on giving. And with him in charge of the Republican Party, somehow my nights have gotten more restful.

From the Department of Meaningless Threats (via Washington Monthly, again):

Greg Sargent flagged this clip from Fox news yesterday, during which Neil Cavuto asked, "Will you, as RNC head, recommend no RNC funds being provided to help [Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins and Arlen Specter]?" Steele said he'd "talk to" state party officials in Maine and Pennsylvania about the possibility. When asked if he was at least open to withholding party support to three incumbent Republican senators, Steele added, "Oh, yes, I'm always open to everything, baby, absolutely."

I imagine Senators Snowe and Collins are planning to release a joint statement along the lines of "Boo, hoo, we're so scared, Michael Steele," at which point their public relations staff will collectively burst into raucus laughter.

Apparently Steele hasn't been paying much attention to Maine lately, and hasn't noticed that it is reliably blue. Both houses of the legislature are controlled by Democrats, and the governor is a Democrat. Both of our members of the House are Democrats. Maine went for Barack Obama by a wide margin. The only reason we have two Republicans in the Senate is that they have reputations for being sane, moderate and willing to work across the aisle to get things done. It's what the state likes about them. Neither of them are up for re-election for several years, and both of them would spread a primary opponent thinly on toast and enjoy him or her for a nice, light snack between meals. Should a more conservative Republican somehow magically make it to a general election, it would simply mean Maine sends Democrats to the Senate again.

Perhaps Michael Steele doesn't know this, and thinks his threats carry weight. In that case, he is an idiot. Perhaps he thinks it makes sense to make meaningless threats while irking two very powerful members of his own party. In that case, he is inept. Either way, it's good to know he's shepherding his own party in exactly the way I would have hoped.