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Thursday, May 7, 2009

Politics The Great Contraction

Posted by Charles Mudede on Thu, May 7, 2009 at 7:52 AM

After ordering John McCain and his daughter to leave the party, Rush Limbaugh, the current leader of the GOP (which is in a state of contraction), is now giving Colin Powell the boot:

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh Wednesday that if former Secretary of State Colin Powell is going to keep criticizing the GOP, he may as well leave the party and become a Democrat—adding that Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama was “purely and solely based on race.”

Limbaugh's natural nastiness has turned into gold for the Democrats.

Comments (18) RSS

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Have you ever tried talking to a Limbaugh fan? He has a lot of them. Anyway, it's just like talking to Limbaugh. I'm sure.

Posted by Mr. Poe on May 7, 2009 at 8:14 AM

They don't call it the "Grand OLD Party" for nuthin'...

Posted by Andy Niable on May 7, 2009 at 8:15 AM

They're cutting out the "dead wood" and returning to their core values - you know, the ones that 21% of Americans say they believe in. Only problem with that is that 21% doesn't win an election.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on May 7, 2009 at 8:29 AM

This is SOOOO great for the Democrats.

Posted by Seattle Mike on May 7, 2009 at 8:32 AM

I never thought I'd say this, but God bless Rush Limbaugh. That man has done more to help America in the last four months than anybody else in the Republican party. Keep kicking out the moderates and cool heads, Rush! Ideological purity can be yours!

Posted by Greg on May 7, 2009 at 8:43 AM

And now, even before Rush can say anything, it seems Joe the Plumber is deserting that sinking ship. Hmmm...

Posted by Andy Niable on May 7, 2009 at 9:17 AM

That dude is so amped up on speed it's crazy. He's been a boon to dems for sure.

Posted by Jersey on May 7, 2009 at 9:21 AM

Limbaugh reminds me of a character in a book I recently read. An infirmed old man who once wielded considerable power over people and dictated much of their lives and now it is almost a farce. Some still do as he wish while most look upon him as some great joke or a sad old property-proud person.
I am sure there are still view Limbaugh as some sort of oracle but there are plenty who have other more pressing worries.

Posted by au_gout on May 7, 2009 at 9:22 AM

@5: Unfortunately, Limbaugh (and the blather-alikes his success has spawned on regional radio stations) was enormously successful at bringing a lot of disaffected and entitled but previously politically neutral males into the GOP's coalition. At least that's how it has always seemed to me. While I agree that his antics are destructive for his party now, they were also at one point a major factor in enabling the right-ward push that began in 1994.

So, it's hard to celebrate his self-destruction now seeing as it comes after his role in attempting to destroy the country.

Posted by Lee on May 7, 2009 at 9:22 AM

The Republican Party - so to be a party of one.

Posted by Schweighsr on May 7, 2009 at 9:23 AM

Charles,
No doubt Rush Limbaugh is a pain in the ass for the GOP. But, this isn't 1964 or 1974. The party was in much worse shape back then but it bounced back. The evenhanded Economist noted after Obama's victory that the two major American political parties remain in "fierce competition".

Posted by lark on May 7, 2009 at 10:16 AM

adding that Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama was “purely and solely based on race.”

I'm 90% sure that's how Obama got the majority of his votes.

Posted by JF on May 7, 2009 at 10:20 AM

I'm with 7. Limbaugh is looking more and more like a bulging-eye speed freak. I'll bet he's doing forty Oxycontin a day now; there's got to be something else in those speedballs to make him look like that.

Posted by Fnarf

on May 7, 2009 at 10:44 AM

Yes yes yes! They all must die! No one can stand against the withering purity of Rush Limbaugh!

The whole wonderful scenario reminds me of the final scene of Aguirre: Wrath of God, with Rush in the starring role. Everyone in the crew has died, the captain has been murdered, Aguirre's daughter has drowned, his boat is destroyed, and he is left completely alone, floating aimlessly down the Amazon, on a desolate barge crawling with monkeys. All he has left are his mad delusions of strength and purity. "I will marry my own daughter and we will found the purest dynasty. Then, all of New Spain shall be in our hands and we'll stage history!!" Go Rush go!!

Posted by Gurldoggie

on May 7, 2009 at 10:54 AM

And so the Big PupTent becomes ...

The Big Sleeping Bag.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on May 7, 2009 at 10:58 AM

It's so delicious to be alive at this moment, witnessing things like the withering of the Republican Party and their desperate flailing attempts to decide what they believe and who they'll follow. Then you add in the growing national support for marriage equality, coupled with the ongoing entertainment wreck that is Miss Prejudge, oops, sorry Prejean...

Oh it's going to be a lovely spring and summer..

:-)

Posted by merry on May 7, 2009 at 11:45 AM

What do you expect from a guy who's built his entire persona and reputation around being indisputable?

If the GOP is going to continue to move in the direction of being a party where even its own members are denied the ability to engage in constructive criticism, it's just going to become even more increasingly marginalized than it is now.

And although I can't say that I'm going to get all broken-up at the prospect of the GOP devolving into a minor regional party, by the same token I do hope some other political organization eventually comes to national prominence. A one-party system, even if it's MY party isn't the best prospect for the long-term health of our political system.

Posted by COMTE