Rush is obviously not the head of the party. He's a conservative radio host that provides commentary and analysis -- and his message draws 20 million listeners. If what he was saying didn't resonate with those people, his radio career would've lasted as long as Al Franken's.

But the Dems don't want to deal with that message -- they want to polarize him, cut him off, and silence him and drive a wedge between the Republican party and those 20 million people.

Oh, yeah...and it also gives them a new bogeyman to focus everyone's attention on instead of the socialist agenda people are starting to notice.

As I watch the White House focus its efforts at taking out Rush Limbaugh, two quotes come to mind:

1) Saul Alinsky: "RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)"

2) Adolph Hitler: “The art of leadership. . . consists in consolidating the attention of the people against a single adversary and taking care that nothing will split up that attention. . . .”

The closeset thing to Rush on the left is Al Sharpton maybe. But Sharpton is a fringe personality whithin the big tent of the Demorcratic party. He doesn't comand much of an audience. Much of Expatriates posts I now pick up right off the Limbaugh show. Rush is always quoting Alinsky too, whoever the heck Alinsky is I don't know. Multiply expatriate by the hundreds of thousands and you get the idea. If "Most conservatives know that Rush is irrelevant " they aren't saying it in public, or if they do they publicly appologise within 24 hours.

It's a heads I win, tails you lose kind of thing.

Veer to the right and push more moderate Republicans into the Democratic party. Especially in those high unemployment socialy moderate states of Maine and Pennsylvania. Snow, Collins, Specter. It's all about votes, three votes. Health care and many other large changes are coming down the pike and they can't all be voted on as part of a budget bill, they are going to need 60 to stop debate and vote. 2010 is too long to wait.

If they were allowed to take more centrist stands quite a few Republicans would vote thier conscience anyway, and there would be 80 or 85 votes.

If no one stands up and says "enough already, I'm conservative but I'm not a toady for this extremist hack" then they are for him by default.

I've pointed out all along what's happening by annointing Rush leader. No secrets, even posted links to the people who thought it up saying what they are doing. On a personal level I find Rush pretty entertaining, not for all of his nastiness but for the crowd he attracts.

PS I think conservatives still own the media last I checked, especially Politico.

Bush had a whole lot of detractors. Remember Cindy Sheehan? Through all of her dramatics and media milking, to include meeting with Hugo Chavez and camping out by the entrance to Bush's ranch, did Bush ever try to silence her? No. When my family met with the President, we actually raised the subject of Cindy Sheehan. He didn't have any hard feelings toward her, and said if anything she should be pitied because she went through a horrible loss and gave in to anger.

That's the difference between Republicans and the current crop of Democrats. Republicans believe their ideas can stand up to scrutiny and aren't afraid of dissent.

Rush is as relevant as any other US citizen. Thats all he is, he just has a larger soap box from which to speak from. 20 million are listening.

The Dems will get no moderate repubs because of Rush, or any other reason. They may get the more liberal Repubs but they may just as easy go independent as Dem. Most will see this mess for what it is and know who put them there.

.

As you should. He is an entertainer.

Yet you have elected repub politicians begging his forgivness if they raise his ire. Makes one think.

Also then bit, who would you say is the leader of your party?

Those Republicans aren't afraid of offending Rush. They're afraid of offending those 20 million conservatives that listen to him.

Prior to last week Rush's viewership was 13 million of whom 80% are conservative. Total conservatives 10 million.

http://pewresearch.org/databank/dailynumber/?NumberID=718

His spike last week might well of been people like myself tuning in, and I consider myeself a conservative, so his numbers of conservatives might have gone up.

Bear in mind Rush has worse favorable/unfavorables than former President Bush, not much to win an election on, or even a senate seat in a red state.

CivetKitty wrote:
His spike last week might well of been people like myself tuning in, and I consider myeself a conservative, so his numbers of conservatives might have gone up.

WHAT?????
R~

I used to be a registered Republican, always considered myself to be a conservative, stlll do. Party left me not vice versa, it all began with the "southern strategy".

Any wolves in Cordelane, however you spell it?