Rush To Judgment

The Politico reports that the current demonization of Rush Limbaugh may actually be part of a concerted effort by democrat strategists to use the popular radio host to polarize the electorate against the republican minority in Congress. The plan was supposedly hatched last Fall after Limbaugh’s name tested unpopular with a large segment of younger voters.

The plan unfolded in January, when Limbaugh told his estimated 19 million listeners that he hoped the Obama presidency would fail, and culminated last week in Washington DC where Rush delivered what amounted to a pep talk at the annual Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) convention. Democrats immediately pounced on the opportunity - using the occasion to denounce Rush, and paint the conservative commentator as the unofficial spokesman for the GOP.

Republicans may have unwittingly played into the fiasco by first appearing to distance themselves from Rush, only to offer apologetic overtures toward him the next day.

The strategy is classic Carville – discourage dissent by marginalizing your enemies. Will it work? For now – yes. But if conditions continue to deteriorate, the administration will run out of political bad guys upon which to lay blame. And if this happens, people – more people – will begin to listen to Rush a little more closely. Who wins in all this – why, Rush of course.

Everyone appears to be weighing in on the whole “Rush as GOP puppetmaster”, so allow me my two cents. I listen to Rush Limbaugh, in addition to the roster of political talking heads who dominate the Philadelphia talk radio airwaves; including Glenn Beck, Hugh Hewitt, and Michael Medved. When Rush sticks to the issues, he is a compelling figure. When he drifts off into schtick, he is a bore. But at the end of the day, I take him for what he is – an entertainer. And he’s been doing so consistently, and to larger and larger audiences for over twenty years – a record unmatched by any liberal commentator in a similar medium. The fact that all of this attention is being paid to Rush Limbaugh indicates to me that the left considers him to be a threat, worthy of attempts at character assassination.

Does Rush Limbaugh speak for me, conservatism, or the GOP in general? No more than Michael Moore does for liberalism, despite similar effort by the right to link the bloated filmmaker to the Democrat Party .

But republicans do not help themselves with their deer-in-the-headlights reaction every time Limbaugh’s name is mentioned in the media. It’s understandable, given their status at the moment, but detrimental to their long-term rebuilding effort. Limbaugh fancies himself a kingmaker, but he’s no policymaker – something the GOP needs to keep reminding the media and themselves.