A House GOPer takes issue with Rush:
Responding to President Obama’s recommendation to Republican congressional leaders last week that they not follow Limbaugh’s lead, the conservative talkmeister said on his show that Obama is “obviously more frightened of me than he is Mitch McConnell. He’s more frightened of me, than he is of, say, John Boehner, which doesn’t say much about our party.”
Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., did not take kindly to this assessment in an interview with Politico Tuesday.
“I think that our leadership, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, are taking the right approach,” Gingrey said. “I mean, it’s easy if you’re Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even sometimes Newt Gingrich to stand back and throw bricks. You don’t have to try to do what’s best for your people and your party. You know you’re just on these talk shows and you’re living well and plus you stir up a bit of controversy and gin the base and that sort of that thing. But when it comes to true leadership, not that these people couldn’t be or wouldn’t be good leaders, they’re not in that position of John Boehner or Mitch McConnell.”
There is a great deal of truth in that – the critic does have the easier job than the guy in the trenches. On the other hand, the guy in the trenches should be working diligently to avoid criticism from his own side. Meanwhile, the job of the critic is, well, to criticize. Rush’s whole existence as a talk show host is built around offering a critique about how things are done in government. To try and say that Rush should butt out is to say that Rush shouldn’t say anything, which is absurd…though in keeping with Obama Administration policy.
It is going to be tricky for the GOP over the next six months – right now, Obama is riding high on a wave of optimism. He is, of course, sowing dragon’s teeth which will eventually cause his Administration to crash, but it isn’t for the GOP to get out in front of what will eventually be popular dismay with Obama. Obama needs to screw up badly before the GOP starts jumping on him – and we need only be patient, and Obama will screw up badly. Meanwhile, the job of the Congressional GOP is to offer warnings about the idiocies of the Obama-Pelosi-Ried Golly-Here’s-Another-Dollar-To-Spend! national bankruptcy “stimulus” bill; offer alternatives out of the core GOP economic playbook and then just wait for it all to go smash, and then argue for the prescriptions we offered earlier.
But this doesn’t mean Obama gets to coast – far from it. Out here in the blogsphere and talk radio, our job as conservative commentators is to severely and regularly hammer Obama and his Democrats, as well as buck up the GOP base during what will be a lean time. And part of this will entail some shots at the Congressional GOP, especially if we’re not seeing anything in the way of strong, principled opposition to the Obama plan. So far, the GOP critique has been muted – we need supply side, Reaganite red meat…and all we’re getting is go-along-to-get-along tofu.
So, my advice to Gingrey – grow a pair and reserve your public ire for our Democratic opponents. To Limbaugh – keep doing what you do. To Obama – keep doing what you do, as well, because that is our sure fire ticket back to power.
Blogs For Victory 