Perhaps recognizing the serious consequences were the general public to equate the Republican Party with Rush Limbaugh, new RNC chairman Michael Steele earlier this week finally developed the chutzpah to do something…
…and then promptly apologized, earning plaudits from Bobby Jindal, who is apparently Rush’s favorite new toy. This makes Steele the second in a growing line of Republicans smart enough to see the problem with Rush, but too afraid to do anything about it (Phil Gingrey, a man I respect despite our differences, was the first). The question for me is why either bother to apologize.
There’s no doubt that Limbaugh commands the ear of many a conservative American. But for a staunch Republican like either Gingrey or Steele, Limbaugh is all bark and no bite. Limbaugh does not have to be a kingmaker, unless the GOP wants him to be: without the Republican Party, Limbaugh’s listeners would literally have no political voice. The GOP spurns Limbaugh at its discretion, confident that the hardliners will still work for the best alternative to the Democrats; on the other hand, Limbaugh spurns the GOP at his peril. Is there really no-one on the Republican side doing this calculus?
It is a curious thing that Barack Obama’s most implacable foes are an exorcist turned impressively-bad-orator and a hoary, enraged disc jockey. And it is a telling thing, indeed, that the only deeds the two have been able to inspire in the Republican Party are the creation of unity in the face of certain defeat (the stimulus bill), and the repetition of ideas either irrelevant (“less government!”) or self-contradictory (“no federal emergency relief!”). For Barack Obama, it’s an answer to Voltaire’s prayer (“O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous”); for the Republican Party, though, it’s the political equivalent of steering into the iceberg.
Not all Republicans are content with staying the course. Credit to “The New Majority” for realizing Rush Limbaugh’s game:
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.
A prescient and historically spot-on conclusion. Turning away from center has never been the answer in American politics; it took the Democrats some time to realize this one, and the Republicans would do well to avoid a similar rage-spiral.
As a Democrat, I realize that the proper partisan instinct is to say nothing, to let the Republicans continue their process towards implosion. But America needs a center-right party, and we Democrats do too. Right-wing extremism benefits no-one. It pollutes the public discourse and dramatically raises the stakes of each election (hey, they could always win). Out of power it incentivizes the left to forget the moderation that won us our majority; in power, it ravages the country. The party system works because the party in power always needs a foil to keep debate lively, relevant, and purposeful. People like Rush Limbaugh, on the other hand, do nothing but lead a sizable section of America to the lowest common denominator. To serve America best, we need our Moriarty. We should wish the Republican Party a speedy (if partial) recovery.
