Winning isn't everything

With the election of Michael Steele as the Chair of the Republican National Committee, some within the party seem to be using this moment as a time to reconsider the direction of the party.

... Jennifer Massour, state chairman of the Massachussetts GOP, said that Steele's first concern should be "outreach to new voters - to youth, minorities, and women". She said Steele's election was a clear signal that "this is not your grandfather's Republican Party" and represents "the wave of the future" for a more inclusive GOP. David Johnson, a former Executive Director of the Florida GOP, also saw Steele's success as a potent symbol of inclusion: "Not to borrow a phrase, but this is change we can believe in."

Really? Color me skeptical, mainly because I don't think the party leadership has shared the news with the rank and file. Via TPM, results of a new poll are... discouraging:

Coming off a shellacking at the polls in November, the plurality of GOP voters (43%) say their party has been too moderate over the past eight years, and 55% think it should become more like Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in the future, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 24% think failed presidential candidate John McCain is the best future model for the party, and 10% are undecided.

More like Sarah Palin, ladies and gentlemen. More like Sarah Palin. Because that worked out so well in the past election.

Good luck, Mr. Chairman. You'll need it.

Update: Steve Benen has more here.