Shawn Steel
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Categories: California Republicans | Republican operatives
In 1988 Steel taught seminars on how chiropractors can improve their practice in auto-injury cases and complained to other trial lawyers about California State Automobile Association Inter-Insurance Bureau's refusal to pay his clients' charges. He helped lead a mass tort claim against AAA for fraud and abuse which led to a settlement in excess of 4.5 million dollars.
During the mid-1990s Steel started moving up the ranks of the California GOP. In 1995 he was elected treasurer of the California Republican Party. Meanwhile, he and his wife, Michelle Park-Steel, were appointed to boards by Republicans whose campaigns they had strongly supported. Steel was appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson (R) to the Acupuncture Committee; mayor Los Angeles Richard Riordan (R) appointed Steel's wife, to the Board of Airport Commissioners. Park-Steel soon resigned when a majority of the Los Angeles City Council objected to her support for Proposition 209 which challenged state affirmative action.
Steel came in as vice-chair as part of the bitterly fractious conservative vs moderate struggle within the the California GOP in 1999, when John McGraw was running for chairman. John McGraw. Mr. McGraw told the San Francisco Faith Catholic newspaper that abortion is "the issue of the century. Compared to that, cutting taxes or any other issue pales in comparison." Shawn Steel did not share that opinion.
When asked if he was concerned about the state of the California GOP in fall of 1999 Steel responded: "No, we're happy! We're gonna ride George W. to the White House." And beyond Bush? "Off the record?" Steel whispered, getting no acknowledgment from the reporter that anything was off the record. "It's pretty grim." (The Washington Post, September 29, 1999)
He and Mary Matalin gave a party for gay Republicans at the 2000 Democratic National Convention. He was also an honorary fundraiser chair for the Republican Unity Coalition, the gay-straight Republican group that formed during President Bush's candidacy.
The party convention in 2001 gave him the chairmanship after a bitter repeat contest with moderate Brooks Firestone, the heir to the Firestone fortune.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger was a speaker at the prayer breakfast for the convention. There she said that there is "absolutely a conspiracy between the media and secular elements of society to disparage people and groups they disagree with" and that the only way a Democrat can get the political support of the party is to be "pro-gay, pro-abortion and anti-gun." She also talked of her opposition to nonfamily child care for young children, suggesting that governments in the past have "tried to get the kids out of the house and indoctrinate them somewhere else." Describing John Ashcroft, she said "We can breathe a sign of relief that the Constitution is in capable, God-fearing hands. That can only bode well for the next four years." In relation to the boycotts on Schlessinger by gay groups, Steel said, "She's a true hero."
Steel soon came into conflict with Rove's handpicked hatchet man Gerald Parsky. Parsky and some other members of the state party's board of directors temporarily revised party rules in ways that challenged Steel with some of the chairman's traditional responsibilities. The conflict worsened as Steel publicly criticized Parsky. As chairman, he supported the right-wing gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon Jr., whose run against Gray Davis was doomed.
By the end of the 2002 Steel announced he would retire in 2003. In May of 2002 Steel wrote an explosive op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times, entitled Lionesses of the LeftEat Judicial Nominees Alive, in which Steel railed against Parsky's colloraboration with Sens Boxer and Feinstein to clear all federal district judicial nominees. Right wingers were furious. Steel touched a nerve by challenging Parsky's legitamacy. with Parsky claiming to represent the President but forging a formal alliance with two bitter enemies of the President.
Steel's last offical act was his igniting the Gray Davis Recall. He was the first signatory on the Petition for Notice of Recall. Many party leaders objected to Steel's efforts to unseat Davis, fearing it was too risky. Steel at the CRP convention convinced a over whelming majority to endorse the Recall thus turning the for the Recall. Steel endosed his successor who defeated a close ally to Parksy.
Steel, who still serves on the CRP Board of Directors, is the longest serving Director in the party's history. He and former assemblyman Tony Strickland formed the California Club for Growth which is designed to promote free market Republican candidates.
1964 Youth For Goldwater, San Fernando Valley; 1966 statewide chair Youth for Ronald Reagan, High Schools; 1967-1969 California chair Young Americans for Freedom; 1972 joined and supported Libertarian Party until 1984; 1988 campaign finance chair, Dana Rohrabacher for Congress; 1995 - 1999 elected treasurer of the California Republican Party; 1999 - 2001 elected vice chair, state party; 2001 - 2003, elected chair, state party.
Life long Angelino, married Michelle Eun Joo Park in 1983. Two children: Cheyenne Park Steel, 15 years old and Siobhan Cheong Steel, 12 years old. B.A. from Cal State; M.A., University of Southern California; J.D., Northrop Law School. Assistant professor of ethics and jurisprudence, Cleveland Chiropractic College, Los Angeles: 1992 to present.
His worst day: "Politically, the day of the overwhelming loss of Barry Goldwater, my first and most bitter defeat."
Political Heroes are Thomas Paine; Barry Goldwater; Ronald Reagan.
"The successful California Republican candidate will be a libertarian/conservative: socially tolerant but concerned with the quality of culture and a pro-free market anti-taxer. More attention will be focused on multi-racial marriages, and the culture will trend toward assimilation and unity."
Favorite books: 1984 by George Orwell; Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand; John Adams by David McCollough. Favorite movies: "Braveheart," "The Patriot," "Dr. Strangelove".
If he were President: he would "reduce government spending and taxes by 20 percent immediately, then 10 percent per year for five years. End all indirect taxes. Make all federal judicial appointments at Senate recess with members of the Federalist Society."
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