Bum's Rush

CPAC, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 

The Conservative Political Action Committee met this weekend and to my thinking, the conservative movement as part of the Republican Party is imploding.  Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R) was practically booed off the stage because he had spoken out earlier that his State needed stimulus dollars and he would gladly accept them (he was not, by far the only Governor to do so but he lives in big populous swing State).  The keynote speaker of the convention was, as Keith Olberman refers to him, comedian Rush Limbaugh.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/28/rush-limbaugh-at-cpac-dou_n_170792.html

Not only did Limbaugh reiterate his desire for President Obama to fail, he fell just a step short of the Boston Tea Party speech of revolution that some even more radical than Rush (true enough) seemed to advocate.  Probably the most embarrassing moment came from Michelle Bachman (R-Minnesota): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/26/michele-bachmann-tells-mi_n_170426.html  I’m as un-hip as any man alive and that was preposterous to me. 

Chess match

I see the Obama administration moving their pieces with a very fascinating design.  I’m not a chess master, but I think the Obama people are painting Rush Limbaugh and his ditto-head following into the proverbial corner.  Not missing any opportunity to make Rush Limbaugh the figurehead of the GOP, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel called the brash talk show host the "voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party" on Sunday.

Appearing on CBS's Face The Nation, Emanuel brought up Limbaugh without being prompted. Applauding the conservative radio personality for being upfront in his desire to see the president fail, Emanuel went to great lengths to make the case that Limbaugh, more than any other contemporary figure, is the leader of the GOP.

Republicans now have the dilemma…the classic argument.   What is distressing or painful about a dilemma is having to make a choice one does not want to make.  Either they rebuke the “Rush” or embrace him.   If they dismiss him, they stand to lose significant base support (now there is a double meaning) or showing their constituencies they want Obama to fail.  Over all, my comment is, “well played, Mr. President, well played.