I mean, it’s one thing when Rush Limbaugh spouts off his usual brand of dreck. It’s quite another when GOP Congresscritters who dare to tell Rush to back off of his criticism of GOP leaders get so inundated with calls and letters they feel compelled to kiss his tuchis and beg forgiveness.
“[Obama is] obviously more frightened of me than he is of (Senate Minority Leader) Mitch McConnell,” Limbaugh told his listeners. “He is more frightened of me than he is of, say, (House Minority Leader) John Boehner, which doesn’t say much about our party,”
Given the vote breakdown in the House, Obama’s remark may have been a blunder. The San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday called it Obama’s “first tactical error” because it elevated Limbaugh.
And Republicans apparently still fear the host. Just ask Georgia Rep. Phil Gingrey, whom Politico.com quoted Tuesday defending his party’s leaders in light of Limbaugh’s comments.
“It’s easy if you’re Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even sometimes Newt Gingrich to stand back and throw bricks,” Gingrey said. “But when it comes to true leadership, not that these people couldn’t be or wouldn’t be good leaders, they’re not in that position of John Boehner or Mitch McConnell.”
The next day, after apparently hearing an earful from constituents, Gingrey issued a mea culpa on his government Web site.
“I have actively opposed every bailout … I see eye-to-eye with Rush Limbaugh. Regardless of what yesterday’s headline may have read, I never told Rush to back off,” Gingrey wrote.
“Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Newt Gingrich, and other conservative giants are the voices of the conservative movement’s conscience.”
Gingrey also called into Limbaugh’s show and tried to make nice.
GINGREY: Rush, thank you so much. I thank you for the opportunity, of course this is not exactly the way to I wanted to come on. … Mainly, I want to express to you and all your listeners my very sincere regret for those comments I made yesterday to Politico. … I clearly ended up putting my foot in my mouth on some of those comments. … I regret those stupid comments.
LIMBAUGH: Well, look, I appreciate that. … I’m glad that you called.
Gingrey concluded by saying, “[T]he best possible message for this country would be for every single republican to vote against [the economy recover package].”
That Limbaugh has that much influence is … disturbing.
Ummm, Dave?
Where have you been for the past 20 years? Rush has been the leader of the GOP since at least ’88, and if you want to know what the GOP is thinking, listen to rush for an hour or two and you’ll know.
From his lips to the Base of the GOP 5 days a week. Folks like Rush, Beck, and Coulter say all the things that the base wants to hear and has been thinking anyways.
I just haven’t seen Congresscritters — ostensibly the elected representatives of the people — kissing Rush’s ass and begging his forgiveness quite this blatantly.