The Republican Whisperer

Only Democrats are celebrating the fact that arch-conservative radio moderator Rush Limbaugh has become the mastermind of the Republican Party.

Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, was barely able to conceal his satisfaction when he was asked last week in a CBS television interview to comment on the latest development in the ranks of the Republican Party. Rush Limbaugh “is the voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party,” said Emanuel mischievously.

Emanuel is known as a true Washington insider, and clearly apparent in the tone of his homage to Limbaugh was his knowledge that nothing could please Obama and the Democrats more than having Limbaugh lead the party of George Bush and John McCain.

Limbaugh’s rise to the position of leader of America’s right wing is enough to get Obama’s entourage rejoicing for one reason alone: Limbaugh holds no political office. But with an audience of some 15 million tuning in to his daily 3-hour radio show, he apparently has more power than any elected Republican. That’s why the newly elected head of the Republican National Committee made himself a national laughing stock by figuratively kneeling before Limbaugh to apologize for calling him “just an entertainer” in a television interview. Steele excused himself by saying that he had been “maybe a little bit inarticulate” in his description. Apparently, Steele did himself no political favors by publicly criticizing Limbaugh.

That incident was by no means the only proof of the desolate condition Republicans find themselves in after eight years of George W. Bush. The Limbaugh incident was preceded by the no-less-strange appearance of the Republican Party’s new rising star, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal who gave the Republican response to President Obama’s address to Congress. Jindal’s riposte was so embarrassing that most of his fellow Republicans looked like they were wishing the earth would swallow them up. Even Republican strategist David Johnson admitted Jindal “was a flop.” Jindal’s appearance immediately after Obama’s speech seemed extremely clumsy. Besides, his inane choice of Hurricane Katrina as a good argument against government intervention completely undermined the Republican rebuttal.

In his New York Times column, Frank Rich wrote, “The good news for Obama is that he needn’t worry about the Republicans. They’re committing suicide.” The party is in such ramshackle shape that members are looking to the outside for leadership.

Limbaugh, with his speech to the Conservative Political Action Committee, came right on cue. Limbaugh is charismatic and eloquent and he loudly reminds conservatives what they should stand for. Obama’s plans for huge government programs are diametrically opposed to basic American values, he said, and this announcement was greeted by enthusiastic applause. The president is wildly exceeding his mandate by attempting to “reshape the country according to his own image instead of acting as its temporary guardian.” That, he claims, is why he hopes Obama fails.

The fact that conservatives are rallying around Limbaugh and continue to cling to obstinate views that cost them their foundation last November is obviously an irresistible free lunch for the Democrats. James Carville, Democratic strategist and ex-adviser to Bill Clinton, commented, “It’s great for us. Outside his circle of fans, Limbaugh has become one of the most disliked people in the USA.” Carville added, “15 million people love him, 50 million hate him.” David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager recently wrote in the Washington Post, “…if the GOP sticks with its strategy of failure as the only option, further eroding its brand with the people who decide elections, we may find out what it means for a political party to hit rock bottom.”