By John Wilkes from Eyesonobama.com:
Democrats didn't concoct some false connection between Limbaugh and the Republican Party. It's always been there. Republicans know if they cross Rush, the firestorm he unleashes may be enough to end their careers. And so he speaks daily to an audience of millions, unchecked by his fellow conservatives. They think Democrats are making this up? Or are they just angry someone finally noticed?
Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn called a Democratic plan to portray conservative talk radio guru Rush Limbaugh as the de facto leader of the Republican Party "an outrage," a "diversion," and "a manipulation."
But is it really? How much did Democratic schemers like James Carville and Paul Begala have to do to point out the obvious?
Limbaugh speaks with impunity. When he makes a gaffe that Media Matters or some other media watchdog group latches onto, Republicans rush to his defense. When he comes under attack by Democrats, Republicans rush to podium to deliver his rebuttal for him.
And when, god forbid, a Republican criticizes Limbaugh, they run back and immediately apologize. RNC Chairman Michael Steele- who apologized after he called Limbaugh an "entertainer," and labeled his show "incendiary" and "ugly"- isn’t the only one, he’s just the most recent.
A month ago, Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) commented rather innocuously that, "I think that our leadership, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, are taking the right approach. I mean, it’s easy if you’re Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even sometimes Newt Gingrich to stand back and throw bricks." Within 24 hours, Gingrey’s office had been flooded with mail and phone calls, and he was ready to issue his retraction: "I regret and apologize for the fact that my comments have offended and upset my fellow conservatives—that was not my intent...Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Newt Gingrich, and other conservative giants are the voices of the conservative movement’s conscience."
Perhaps more telling is this: there is not a single Republican who has publicly repudiated Rush Limbaugh for saying that he hopes President Obama fails. But when asked about it, Republicans are quick to defend Limbaugh’s words with phrases like, "Well, I think what he meant was..." so that they can re-contextualize the comments without having to disagree with him. Here are just a few examples.
Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) had this to say: "We all hope our President succeeds. We all hope America succeeds....I think that’s what he was saying." How Pence got all that out of, "I hope he fails," I’m not sure.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) began by defending the context of Limbaugh’s comments, and then said, "I don’t think any of us are wishing for his failure." Again, how he gets that from "I hope he fails," is a mystery.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) just imagined Limbaugh didn’t mean what he said. "I’m sure when he’s saying he wants the president to fail he’s talking about his policies."
Make no mistake: Limbaugh meant what he said, and he’s not apologizing for it, even if prominent Republicans are. He reaffirmed his feelings in his speech at the annual convention of the Conservative Political Action Committee.
Others wouldn’t even deny that he wasn’t the head of the party without putting on an ingratiating display of deference. Cornyn noted that Limbaugh wasn’t a party leader any more than the New York Times prints Democratic talking points (which is an opinion many conservatives hold...so is he saying that Limbaugh is the de facto party leader?), before adding, "And I say that with all due respect." Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) admitted that he doesn’t listen to Limbaugh much, quickly adding, "but I like him." McCain affirmed that Limbaugh was "one of the voices of the Republican Party."
Senator Mel Martinez of Florida refused to even touch the hot potato, saying he’d "rather comment on the president than I would on Limbaugh."
Look at the homage some of the most important Republicans in the party- from the Chairman to the presidential nominee, to the leader of the Senatorial Campaign Committee- pay to Limbaugh. If they won’t admit he’s their leader, that’s fine. But they’re sure as hell afraid of him.
The departure from Washington of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney left a vacuum in the party leadership, one that was far too big for Michael Steele to fill. So who is steering the ship? Congressional minority leaders? Certainly not.
The bottom line is that Rush Limbaugh is unequivocally the most simultaneously loved, respected, revered, and feared man on the right. According to Machiavelli, that makes him the leader.
Democrats didn’t concoct some false connection between Limbaugh and the Republican Party. It’s always been there, and as Rush has grown more popular, he’s grown more powerful in his ability to deflect criticism, to the point that his very presence downright deters it. Republicans know if they cross Rush (or speak against him publicly in even the smallest way), the firestorm he unleashes may be enough to end their careers. And so he speaks daily to an audience of millions, unchecked by his fellow conservatives.
And Cornyn thinks that Democrats are making this up? Or is he just angry someone finally said something?
If you like EyesOnObama post, click here and check our Worst Republican of the Month.