Katon Dawson, one time contender for the top Republican post, is quietly coordinating a vote of no confidence in newly-elected RNC Chairman Michael Steele after the NY 20 special election on March 31 – “regardless of whether Republicans win the seat or not,” reports Taegan Goddard.

After an extremely divisive race for RNC Chairman, Steele, the former Chairman of GOPAC, bested Dawson on the sixth ballot, and political insiders are quick to note the lingering bad blood between the two rivals.

If Goddard’s sources are correct, Dawson won’t be the only top-ranking party official to voice their concern over Steele’s debut month as Chairman. In a memo circulated last week to national committee members, Dr. Ada Fisher, one of three African American members of the RNC and a former Dawson supporter, called for Steele’s resignation, saying he was “eroding confidence” in the national party apparatus to fundraise and remain competitive in a Republican-hostile climate.

The metrics by which Fisher, and ostensibly Dawson, judge Steele – his proposed ‘hip hop’ makeover, and the public flap with Rush Limbaugh – are embarrassingly shallow, particularly so when used as ammunition to call for a chairman’s resignation. As Politico’s Mike Allen explains, ousting a party chairman is no small order, in fact, the likelihood of other members joining Fisher and now Dawson is exceptionally low.

If the call for Steele’s resignation has legs, party members will likely look for leadership on the matter from House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and Utah Governor John Huntsman – the three of which are all potential candidates for the 2012 Republican nomination.

Were there any measurable means by which the committee could judge Steele’s performance, for example, first quarter fundraising, this vote of no confidence would seem less childish, but only slightly so. The first quarter fundraising report, however, won’t be released by the FEC until March 20. “Jumping the gun,” comes to mind.

The two potential scenarios, as I see them:

With disregard for the potential of self-destruction, Dawson forges ahead and continues quietly gathering support for the vote of no confidence in Steele. If Dawson’s motives are pure – remedying a collective lapse in judgment by electing an unprepared chairman – it’s an extremely hard sell given the impassioned race for Chairman, one which left only these two rivals standing on the last ballot. But the media, always loving the racially-tinged stories, will furiously latch on: “All-whites country club member moves to oust first African American GOP Chairman.” The resulting PR campaign would be focused on fending off accusations that the GOP is the last bastion of the Confederacy. It is, of course, not true, but reporters and editors know controversy drives readership, and readership means relevance.

Conveniently positioned as the fall guy by Steele detractors – potentially ex-RNC Chairman Mike Duncan staffers (of which I am one) and campaign supporters – Dawson faces the media’s indignant firing squad. As Dawson, who garnered 71 votes on the final ballot, goes down in flames, followed by his reputation as a proficient and cunning political chief, former Steele competitors begin working the backchannel for support in a post-Steele environment.

Of course, this is all highly speculative at the present moment. The RNC is operating on a skeleton crew, and as Jim Geraghty notes, “The changing of the guard at the RNC means that there are a lot of staffers who were, at one point, well-connected within a national party committee and who are now out in the cold.” Suffice it to say, no one has any real inclination as to what is happening behind the scenes at the RNC or what, if anything, is motivating Dawson to call for the vote.

UPDATE: By way of the National Review’s Campaign Spot, Dawson writes:

“I support Michael Steele. Our Committee elected him knowing that he can lead us during this critical time for our Party. The people behind this anonymous rumor are clearly intent on dividing the Republican National Committee and our Party at a time when we need to be united.”

Scenario two, whereby Steele’s detractors pacify both Steele and Dawson simultaneously, became a very real possibility.

UPDATE II: Wonkette, again, links to my post at Redstate today. Managing editor Ken Laye sarcasticly writes, “Dawson is now orchestrating a ‘no confidence’ vote against this vaguely African fellow, Michael Steele, while Dawson’s North Carolina ally has demanded Steele stop talking about the rap music.”

HipHopRepublican fumes: If Dawson “wants to permanently tar the GOP as a racist party this is a sure way to do it. Taking down the first black Republican Chairman is not a good strategy.”

Cross-posted at www.RedState.com.