{"id":573,"date":"2009-03-10T09:51:00","date_gmt":"2009-03-10T13:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/2009\/03\/10\/the-rush-flap-revisited\/"},"modified":"2009-03-10T09:51:00","modified_gmt":"2009-03-10T13:51:00","slug":"the-rush-flap-revisited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/2009\/03\/10\/the-rush-flap-revisited\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rush flap revisited"},"content":{"rendered":"

Republicans worked hard last week to recast the debate over Rush Limbaugh’s role as a Democratic conceit cooked up by the White House and liberal blogs.<\/p>\n

And fair enough. Democrats clearly fanned the flames, following Rush’s high-profile appearance at CPAC.<\/p>\n

But the reality is clearly much more damaging for Republicans. Rush feuded publicly with embattled RNC chair Michael Steele.<\/p>\n

Then conservative author David Frum gave Rush both barrels <\/a>in the pages of Newsweek, arguing that Rush is essentially sabotaging the GOP to advance his own career:<\/p>\n

Rush knows what he is doing. The worse conservatives do, the more important Rush becomes as leader of the ardent remnant. The better conservatives succeed, the more we become a broad national governing coalition, the more Rush will be sidelined.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And now Rush is going head-to-head with Newt Gingrich, describing the former House speaker as one of the “fly-by-night operators” in Washington.<\/p>\n

Republicans can pretend that this is a Democratic scheme. They can argue that it’s a good thing that they’re leaderless and that Rush is elbowing his way into that vacuum.<\/p>\n

But that’s nonsense. The other day I was talking to a North Country Republican — a woman — who made a face at the mention of Rush’s name.<\/p>\n

“He’s not my leader,” she said angrily. <\/p>\n

Until the GOP finds a better standard-bearer, Rush will continue to loom large.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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