Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:30 pm
Rush Limbaugh continued his feud with Colin Powell today by announcing on his radio show that he was resigning as the titular head of the Republican Party. He then passed the baton to Powell and told him to lead the GOP to victory in 2010 and 2012. Did Rush Limbaugh just admit to running the Republican Party?
Here is the audio from Media Matters:
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After ranting about the media, Rush went back on the attack against Colin Powell, “There frankly is someone far more qualified and capable and more in tune with today’s Republican party than I to be, not only its titular head, but its real head and that would be Gen. Colin Powell. So, I now pass the baton to Gen. Powell as the titular head of the Republican Party. From this day forward, it will be up to Gen. Powell to instruct the party on things it needs to do to win elections in 2010 and of course the all important presidential election in 2012.”
Even though Rush was using mountains of sarcasm, I think he admitted that he is the leader of the GOP. Limbaugh doesn’t seem to get the fact that there are still millions of Republicans out there who like Colin Powell. Limbaugh’s basic point once again was that his way is the only way that the GOP will ever win again. In his view, Powell is the villain for suggesting moderation.
Ironically enough, Powell is the kind of Republican that could be elected in the United States right now. Everyone seems to understand, with the exceptions of Rush Limbaugh and the leadership of the Republican Party. Agreeing with the president on the issues where the two sides have some common ground would help the GOP immensely. In the long run, Powell’s ideas would be proven correct.
Rush Limbaugh and most of the Republican leadership refuse to acknowledge that the political climate has changed. The same tactics and ideas that Republicans were successful with since 1994 aren’t going to work today. Limbaugh is on a quest to purge every moderate from the GOP, and I wonder if he realizes how much damage his leadership is doing to the party?
Limbaugh’s mock resignation was actually an acknowledgment of his power and authority. It was very clever of him to pretend that he doesn’t want this role, while at the same time admit that he is giving the Republican Party the advice that will lead it back to victory. Over the last few months, Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh have teamed up to take control of the GOP in order to protect its purity, but what Cheney and Limbaugh will find out is, purity does not equal victory.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
