by Deb Cupples | Over the past couple weeks, debate has raged over whether radio personality Rush Limbaugh is the real leader of the Republican Party. We know that he was a few years ago, when President Bush referred to him as a "national treasure" -- but not anymore.
Polling data from Rasmussen suggests that Americans collectively have no clue as to who the GOP's leader really is, and a super-majority of Republican voters feel that their party has no clear leader:
"Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Republican voters say their party has no clear leader, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Another 17% are undecided.
"Just five percent (5%) view either John McCain, the GOP's unsuccessful 2008 presidential candidate, or new party chairman Michael Steele as the party's leader.
"Two percent (2%) see conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh in that role, and one percent (1%) name McCain's running mate, Alaska Govenror Sarah Palin....
Mr. Limbaugh got only 2$? Apparently, Republican voters finally feel embarrassed by any association with Mr. Limbaugh and want some distance -- like family members at the Thanksgiving table who sprint for seats far away from the hyper-flatulent uncle.
And who can blame those poor Republican voters for turning against Mr. Limbaugh? Reality has started coming home to roost, what with millions of Americans losing their jobs or houses -- along with those elusive bootstraps for which Mr. Limbaugh has such great fondness.
It was only a matter of time before ordinary folks started seeing the great divide between policies that Mr. Limbaugh pushes (e.g., low taxes for wealthy folks like him) and policies that would actually help ordinary Americans.
Mr. Limbaugh, himself, spotlighted the great divide a few weeks back, when he told a cheering, elite group of self-styled "conservatives" that he hopes President Obama's economic-rescue attempts will fail.
Ever the flag-draped hawk (though he never personally served in the military), Mr. Limbaugh started losing credibility even in the patriotism realm back in 2007 -- when he referred to anti-war soldiers who'd actually served in Iraq as "phony soldiers."
Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) recently summed up what many Americans have for years been thinking of Mr. Limbaugh:
"I’m sorry Limbaugh called for harsh sentences for drug addicts while he was a drug addict. I’m also sorry that he’s bent on seeing America fail. And I’m sorry that Limbaugh is one sorry excuse for a human being.”
It'll be interesting to see how the American public views Mr. Limbaugh a year from now. Apparently, even members of his own party would like to see him hissed or booed or laughed off the national stage.
In the mean time, the Republican Party is having a Blanche-Dubois-style identity crisis, leaving the GOP in an impotent state of limbo -- and at a time when our nation is overwhelmed by crises and could use solid contributions toward digging out of the rubble.
Memeorandum has commentary.
Other Buck Naked Politics Posts:
* Rep. Alan Grayson "Apologizes" to Limbaugh
* Report: How Lobbyists & Politicians Caused Financial Meltdown
* Taxes: Media Manipulate People To Speak Against Their Own Interests
* 651,000 American Jobs Lost in February
* Congressman Grayson Grills Citigroup CEO
* Kudos to Obama for Trying to Reduce Contractor Waste and Fraud
All politicians are the same, we don't have to trust anymore
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