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While guest hosting Bill Bennett’s radio show, RNC Chairman Michael Steele called the base of the party that he leads bigoted for rejected Mitt Romney in 2008 based on his Mormon faith. When your own chairman calls you bigoted, Republicans, you have some real issues.

Here is the audio courtesy of Think Progress:

Steele was arguing with a caller who believed that the Republican Party was hijacked by the Democratic Party and the New York Times. He said, Yeah, but let me ask you.” Ok, Jay, I’m there with you. But remember, it was the base that rejected Mitt because of his switch on pro-life, from pro-choice to pro-life. It was the base that rejected Mitt because it had issues with Mormonism. It was the base that rejected Mitch, Mitt, because they thought he was back and forth and waffling on those very economic issues you’re talking about. So, I mean, I hear what you’re saying, but before we even got to a primary vote, the base had made very clear they had issues with Mitt because if they didn’t, he would have defeated John McCain in those primaries in which he lost.”

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Everyone knows that Michael Steele is correct. Romney had no chance last year, and will only get the 2012 nomination if Republicans are looking for a sacrificial lamb to get steamrolled by Obama. I can’t even begin to tell you the number of Republicans and even local party officials who privately mentioned to me they would not support a Mormon for the Republican nomination.

Mitt Romney was/is trying to win a nomination, so he pretended that this wasn’t about his religion, but it was to some, but not all Republicans. Not all Republicans are bigots, and some rejected Romney based on his habit of flip flopping on everything. The most vicious Romney smears came from evangelical Republicans, who make up 60%-70% of the Republican Party’s primary base.

As far as Democrats hijacking the Republican primaries, that is insane. I remember a certain fat drug addicted talk show host touting his Operation Chaos plan to get Republicans to cross over and support Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, because they thought that she would be easier to defeat, but Steele is right on the money, when it comes to the base of his party.

What does it say about the current state of the GOP when, their own chairman calls them bigots who discriminated against a candidate on the basis of religion? The GOP has no national appeal, no diversity, except for the token at the top, and no policies, but hey, at least the white evangelicals are happy now, and their continued happiness will translate into Democratic victories at the polls.