Rove endorses Limbaugh

[Darth Wong]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/20 ... -limbaugh/

Rove sides with Limbaugh
Posted: 01:32 PM ET

(CNN) – In the ongoing war of words between Rush Limbaugh and Colin Powell, top Bush strategist Karl Rove is siding with the popular talk radio host.

Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Rove said Limbaugh would edge out the former secretary of state if he "had to pick between the two."

Rove's comments come after a back-and-forth between Limbaugh and Powell, during which both have charged the other is hurting the GOP's chances of success in the future.

Discussing divisions over the direction of the party in the wake of its losses in the 2006 midterm elections and 2008 presidential election, Powell said the party should expand its base.

"I have always felt that the Republican Party should be more inclusive than it generally has been over the years and I believe that we need a strong Republican Party that is not just anchored in the base but has built on the base to include more individuals," he told "Face the Nation."

Ultimately, Rove said, the debate between Limbaugh and Powell is a "false" one because neither is a candidate for public office.

"The real debate takes place out there in the real world by people getting out there and encouraging the kind of candidates who represent their vision for the party," Rove said.

So ... where are those people who keep insisting that it's unfair to "caricature" the GOP by associating it with Limbaugh, again?

[Crossroads Inc.]

"I have always felt that the Republican Party should be more inclusive than it generally has been over the years and I believe that we need a strong Republican Party that is not just anchored in the base but has built on the base to include more individuals," he told "Face the Nation."

Well shoot no wonder Powell is being lambasted.. Saying things like that. He should realize by now, realized long ago that its "my way or the highway" with republicans. Bush said it with "You are either with us, or against us"

This is far from a shock to most of us, it has been clear for some time that Limbaugh, and to a lesser extent Cheney, ARE the 'leaders' in the GOP right now.

All the pundits and all the analysis have, since the election been asking "Whose in charge of the GOP? Who will rise to be their leader?" When for most of us this has been answered a while ago. No one in the Senate or the Congress has any real popularity or power in terms of leading the party with both sides being massively unpopular. Steel can't open his mouth without either saying something idiotic, or, making a valid critique that he then has to kneel down and apologize for...

It has been said over and over, that since the Election the GOP have gone on an insane purge of their ranks under the flag of "We didn't win for not being conservative ENOUGH" As of now, the Republican party has no 'real' leader outside of Steel, who no one really listens to or pays attention to. No the dirty not so secret secret, is that Cheney, Limbaugh, and to a much lesser extent, people like O'Rilly Hannity and Glenn Beck, are the 'leaders' of the GOP. It is these people who the majority of the Right listen to and actually pay attention too. They may not be setting policy or providing any sort of organization, but the people in the far right LISTEN to what they say., they obey it and accept it, and god help anyone who disputes them (See Mich Steele)

[Patrick Degan]

By creating the perception of his power, the GOP are actually ceding real power to Sir Porkalot. Bit by bit, step by step, they are making Rush Limbaugh their kingmaker.

That's going to make for a very nasty bite on the ass.

[Teebs]

I'm actually mildly surprised because I always thought that Rove, while a conservative, was much more interested in winning through whatever means necessary than in ideology (that's in no way a compliment to him).

[Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba]

I'm actually mildly surprised because I always thought that Rove, while a conservative, was much more interested in winning through whatever means necessary than in ideology (that's in no way a compliment to him).

Oh, he is. But remember his strategy for both of Bush's terms: Force the opposition onto the defensive and revile them by any means necessary, and, more importantly, Energize the Conservative Base. Karl Rove's never been a man for swinging independents, except by appealing to their baser hatreds. And Limbaugh is loud, a venomously powerful bulldog to go after prominent Liberals without dirtying Party hands, and he's in the news every goddamn day, drawing ever more publicity to himself and Far Rightist listeners to his show. Whether this is a good strategy or not remains to be seen in 2010, but Karl Rove almost certainly has a pragmatic view of the situation, since he's Karl Fucking Rove.

[Sriad]

I'm actually mildly surprised because I always thought that Rove, while a conservative, was much more interested in winning through whatever means necessary than in ideology (that's in no way a compliment to him).

I expect he's either buying into the "We lost because we weren't conservative enough" ideology, or else he thinks the Obama administration (the middle, compromise, etc) will look a lot worse in 2-3 years and everyone who wants to go back to the Republican party will have to go to the Rove/Limbaugh version instead of the Powell version. (those two aren't actually very different, now that I write them out.)

These both predict regular pendulum swings back to the right, but of course, if the Republicans keep leaning further right, the Democratic Party could expand until it's big enough to schism into center and far-left parties, both still larger than the Republicans. I'd give it 10 years, especially if the party is able to keep picking up centrist Republicans.