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After Michael Steele referred to Rush Limbaugh’s rhetoric as “incendiary”–sparking a storyline of “Steele vs. Rush” that spread throughout the blogosphere–Limbaugh unloaded on the RNC chairman in an extended diatribe on his radio show.
Incendiary? You bet. As I noted earlier, Steele actually defended the thinking behind Rush’s desire for President Obama to “fail” during the interview in question–but from Limbaugh’s corner, the fight is on.
The back-story: CNN’s D.L. Hughley confronted Steele about Limbaugh’s speech this weekend at CPAC, in which Limbaugh reiterated his “fail” sentiments and brought down the house at the conservative conference. Hughley also asserted that Limbaugh is the de facto leader of the GOP–a point Steele contested.
“How is that different from what was said about George Bush during his presidency?” Steele said, defending the “fail” sentiment. And then: “Let’s put it in the context here. Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. His whole thing is entertainment…yes, it’s incendiary, yes, it’s ugly.”
Rush’s response: to throw down. Limbaugh asserted that Steele is not the leader of the Republican Party, the RNC is a failure, Steele wants Obama to fail, Steele is off to a “shaky start” as RNC chairman, and Steele had perhaps underestimated the intelligence of conservatives and of Limbaugh’s listeners as a whole.
I’m not wasting space on Rush’s evangelism. You can click the link to Chris Good’s article.
Although Steele’s latest requisite groveling before Limbaugh appears to leave Rush alone in charge of what remains.
Who do you think is in charge?
Haahahahahahahahah!!!! ROFL.
I wish Rush Limbaugh with all the luck in the world in his new role as de’facto leader of the republican party.
You go girl!
It is going to take the Republicans at least a generation to climb out of the hole they are in and Rush is a millstone around their neck.
“Who’s in charge?” /// Why the inmates of course!!! – – – HAW!!!
Repugs have a structural problem demonstrated by McCain: can’t get elected with the nut-bag right wing, can’t get elected without them. Bush was the once in a life time anomaly where a majority of voters forget how bad these lying sacks of shit are.
It will take another generation before the likes of Jindal or Palin will have another shot.
Should be a bounty on them.
[Fixed that for ya – ed.]
> I’m not wasting
> space on Rush’s evangelism.
Except that you are of course.
Limbaugh is not “in charge” of anything other than his own show. For better or worse, his ideals really haven’t changed in 20+ years of his show. What has changed are the ideals of the people running the Republican party and *that* is what this entire feud is about.
Damn, I’m disappointed in Steele. I was hoping he was going to pee on Rush.
If I were a member of the RNC, I’d start a “Draft Rush” movement and put all kinds of public pressure on him to accept the leadership post. Then he can put his “ideas” to good use and see if they’re truly viable, and eventually able to get a Republican candidate into the Oval Office.
#2
A generation is usually equated with about 25 years. You are suggesting that the next six Presidential elections will be won by Democrats? Would you like to place a wager? No party has one six straight elections. The record is five and four of those came from one guy getting elected four times. Since Roosevelt, the record is three election victories for one party (Reagan ’80, Reagan ’84, Bush ’88).
Perhaps a little bit of enlightenment is in order. The reason U.S. conservatives are appalled by the election of an unknown cypher to the office of President is not because he (as claimed by his supporters) another President Abraham Lincoln, President Franklin Rooosevelt, or President Ronald Reagan, but instead another President Salvadore Allende. Love of the Democratic Party is not enough to justify every bill that they want to enact into law.
This will be interesting. I don’t think you’ll see a conservative on a Repub Presidential ticket for a long time. There hasn’t been one since Reagan.
Why don’t Steele get all HipHop on Rush?
From the Wash Times…
“Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele plans an “off the hook” public relations offensive to attract younger voters, especially blacks and Hispanics, by applying the party’s principles to “urban-suburban hip-hop settings.””
As long as the right wing nuts have people like Rush Limbaugh to trumpet their goals, they won’t be getting ahead. Mainstream people can see the bullshit Limbaugh, O’Rielly, Savage, Hannity, Colture, and the other babbling, self righteous wing nut set love to throw.
As long as the memories of Bush are with us, the Republican party will fail. In order to attract new members and voters, the Republicans will need to dump the extremists.
“I’m not wasting space on Rush’s evangelism.”
Har. Too late for that.
@2 “It is going to take the Republicans at least a generation to climb out of the hole”
As far as I can tell from history, the US political system isn’t dependent on someone winning but someone “not losing”.
1. Nixon tainted his party. Carter defeats Ford.
2. Carter gets the “malaise” and inflation thing. Reagan defeats Carter.
3. Bush Sr. breaks “no new taxes” pledge. Clinton defeats Bush Sr.
4. Democrats do House Banking scandal, House Post Office scandal. Hillary does the Health Care debacle. Democrats lose House and Senate.
5. Gore attacks gun rights, WV and other more blue collar dem states flip. Election is razor thin and Bush wins or “wins” depending on point of view.
6. Republicans spend $$$ and get involved in corruption scandals. Democrats win house and Senate.
I don’t see a pattern of a party “winning” anything, just a pattern of parties losing.
A 2 party system is a lowest common denominator system where they compete to be the least worst party — as far as I can tell.
Someone correct me if I am wrong.
#3 bobbo said, There should be a bounty on them.
Who’s gonna take that bounty, pussy liberals don’t even know how to shoot guns!
The RNC, the Republican Party, and the Conservatives are three separate groups. Steele leads the RNC, Limbaugh is the leader of the conservatives, and nobody is in charge of the Republican Party.
And BTW, ever notice that the anti-Limbaugh types never discuss his philosophical views or anything substantive about him? They just call him names, probably because they can’t understand what he is saying or fearful that he might be right.
Who needs pussy liberals anyway. They’re just as useful as wingnut conservatives and feathers on dogs.
Rush is getting richer on this. And for that reason alone, he is the smartest conservative in the US right now.
#15–Gates==of course “I” would never shoot anyone. Gee, you’re right. Quite a conundrum there. How do you act real stupid without being stupid yourself?
I guess just put that bounty on them and see if there are any takers?
How about saying: “That big fat dumb white guy over there (Rush!) wants the USA to fail?” That should get a few good ol boys hepped up.
Ivor, the problem is that many of us with brains do understand what he’s saying.
He’s a gasbag entertainer, and he’s admitted so himself. The video of him copping to that was posted here last month.
He has a knack for making people think they are thinking.
#9 Paddy-O said, “I don’t think you’ll see a conservative on a Repub Presidential ticket for a long time. There hasn’t been one since Reagan.”
What about Bush? He was the next Reagan eight years ago. Don’t you remember all the gushing about him right after the mission accomplished banner. Did he do something wrong?
The elephant in the room is (pardon the pun) — is modern conservatism capable of governing? Are they better at being a minority party? I would say judging by the last 14 yeas, Conservatism in this country has failed.
#16,
There are a few things you can do that make me disregard everything you say after that. First is becoming an addict. The other is getting cosmetic surgery.
As Rush has been both a heroine addict and had a gastric bypass surgery (then got massively obese again anyway) I can safely ignore everything he ever says again.
We have an adversarial system. We want our opponent to lose even when our opponent has our interests at heart. Rush embodies the adversarial approach. He condemned women with the Feminatzi moniker. What he can do better than anyone on the radio is rant like a professional wrestler does about the destruction of his opponent. If you ever watched professional wrestling or “24” or listened to Rush you know the feeling of being of told what is right and wrong even though you know better in your heart of hearts.
Americans love a fight proceeded by sabre rattling.
Who’s in charge? President Obama. Republican infighting and, to a lesser degree, the memory of Dubya’s screwups will ensure that no one in that party will be in charge.
The Obama camp LOVES that Rush is the de facto leader of the party. I think they snub him at the right-wing Obama dinner just to keep him pissed off.
Steele groveling to Limbaugh has got to be the saddest headline I have read in a while. I agree with #2 Rush is a millstone around the GOP’s neck. If the GOP does anything that Rush doesn’t like, the GOP gets an earful from the “dittoheads”, and they go groveling back to Rush to forgive them.
This is really truly a sad state of affairs for the GOP.
Ultra Conservatism and Neo-Conservatism are failed philosophies, and as long as adherents to these philosophies rule the GOP, the GOP will wither and die. The GOP needs new versions of Barry Goldwater, William F Buckley Jr., etc. These were forward thinking intellectual Conservatives not bogged down by Religious dogmas or anti-science propaganda. Alas the closest we have today are Ron Paul and George Will, both getting up there in age.
We NEED at least a TWO party system. Mexico suffered under a single party for decades, and we don’t want that here.
# 22 Hyph3n said, “What about Bush?”
What about him? I said there hasn’t been a conservative since Reagan.
The future of the Republican party is probably more in the hands in the hands of Obama right now then it is in any of the Republicans. If he can shepard us through this economic crisis, then it may take 20 years for the party to come back. If things give drastically worse, then Rush is there to say I told you so.
Ironically, the ethnic group that Repubs should be going after is the Hispanic… but they burned that bridge and placed landmines in the river.
#28 Paddy-O said “What about him? I said there hasn’t been a conservative since Reagan.”
Or Bush is the poster child of modern Conservatism.
Maybe they are caught between their ideologies of more corporate welfare and greater government intervention on social issues and their supposed “hatred” of government that they are incapable of governing.
Who’s to say that Reagan with a Repub congress would have been any different? At least with Democrats, you can always count of in-fighting.
GregA said, on March 3rd, 2009 at 8:49 am
#16,
There are a few things you can do that make me disregard everything you say after that. First is becoming an addict. The other is getting cosmetic surgery.
As Rush has been both a heroine addict and had a gastric bypass surgery (then got massively obese again anyway) I can safely ignore everything he ever says again.
YOU must be the gastric bypass patient on heroin. Neither of those is a fact.
And if you state that those experiences make for disregarding, remember Obama, by his own admission smoked dope and did cocaine.
Obama is a failed President. That’s evident in the 1,200 point loss on the Dow since his inauguration. His policies are failed. We all know that now. What is needed is bipartisanship, which the we all see the Democrats don’t want.