But he said Americans are fed up with corporate bailouts, out of control spending and big government in general, which means Republicans are poised to strip President Barack Obama and the Democratic leadership in the U.S. House and Senate of power.
"People are asking right now, 'How do we take our country back?'" Steele said. "I'll tell you how we take our country back; fire Nancy Pelosi ... repeal and replace the health care bill by replacing Harry Reid...by doing the necessary hard work of electing principled individuals who understand why they are being sent to Washington."
More than 400 state Republicans are expected to meet in Cobb this weekend for the 2010 Georgia Republican Party Round-Up, which included Friday's GOP dinner. A breakfast and training classes will be next door to the Galleria this morning at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel.
The Round-Up is a gathering of state Republican activists and candidates who'll receive campaign training by national and state political professionals. Karl Rove, a longtime, trusted advisor to former President George W. Bush, will speak to them while he visits metro Atlanta promoting his new biography, "Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight."
Rove is also scheduled to signed copies of his book at noon today at Borders in The Avenue shopping center at 4475 Roswell Road in east Cobb.
In recent weeks, Steele has worked to stop negative publicity surrounding the national committee in the wake of questions about lavish spending on such items as limousines and private jets.
He recently fired the party's top two finance officials who were tied to embarrassing payments to an aide who took a group to a sex-themed nightclub in West Hollywood earlier this year. Other RNC staffers were also purged.
Last night, Steele made no mention of those troubles. Instead, he said now is not the time for infighting in the party, with victory within reach in November.
"You have an incredibly good opportunity here. Don't waste it on stupidity," he told the attentive audience. "Don't waste it on foolishness, infighting, name calling. Don't waste it on finger pointing and blaming."
Afterward, he received a standing ovation from the crowd. In the audience were Cobb GOP Chairman Scott Johnson and former Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens, who's running for state attorney general.
In introducing Steele, Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart of Marietta referred to him as her "good friend" whom she first met five years ago and supported in his election as national party chairman in January 2009.
"He's going to take us to the next level," she said. "He's going to step right over all those machines in Washington that aren't Republicans and we are going to be victorious in November with Michael Steele's help."
Republican Lynda Coker, chief deputy sheriff of the Cobb Sheriff's Office, is running to unseat fellow Republican state Sen. Judson Hill of east Cobb in a primary battle. She said she was excited to hear Steele speak.
"Anything that can help us get a national perspective to our Republican Party, both in the state and the national level, is excellent," Coker said. "And national politics has been bringing us together as grassroots, conservative Republicans in Georgia."
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Enough said.
Yeah, right.
Steele is the best thing for the Democratic Party, because he reminds Americans which party put our country's economy in the ditch, and which party is fighting those who are trying to drag it out of the ditch.
Keep spending money on those lesbian dancers and jet planes, Michael. We Americans know who the party of hypocrisy and waste are, and we will NEVER let them run our country again.
Hypocrisy is ugly. Clean it up before you get righteous on the subject.
Get off your high horse and tell us what you plan to do for us and not bash other people. We really do not care anymore. In our eyes both parties are lying crooks.