Rush Limbaugh bounced on the stage like a prize fighter waiting to square off against an opponent. He paused momentarily, then raised a hand to his face, clearly becoming overwhelmed by the reaction of the crowd at CPAC on Saturday. Limbaugh was about to embark on an hour long speech to his constituents, the Republican party, and explain a definitive course for conservatives. Whether Limbaugh has effectively launched a presidential campaign for himself or simply plotted a course for the party remains to be seen, but in either event, Limbaugh shook CPAC to life with his speech on Saturday.
Reminiscent Of Reagan
Rush Limbaugh’s speech at CPAC was brilliant. His speech inspired a reaction from the crowd reminiscent of Reagan or Goldwater. The crowd was in a frenzy at times, chanting "Rush, Rush, Rush," and launching into standing ovations when Limbaugh made a definitive point. Limbaugh may have realized the trouble and condition his party is in, and decided it was time for a call to action.
"We conservatives have not done a good enough job of just laying out basically who we are because we make the mistake of assuming people know," Limbuagh began. "We believe that a person can be the best he or she wants to be if certain things are just removed from their path like onerous taxes, regulations and too much government."
Limbaugh's speech was peppered with jokes, and other moments of ovation;
"Our beliefs are our core. Our beliefs are our hearts....we can tell people what we believe off the top of our heads and we can do it with passion and we can do it with clarity, and we can do it persuasively. Some of us just haven't had the inspiration or motivation to do so in a number of years, but that's about to change."
The Republican party has been awash in chaos over the last eight years. George W. Bush was a big spending Republican clearly not cut from the same cloth as Reagan. John McCain garnered the nomination to run against Obama and had a dismal campaign. Other embarrassments to the party soon followed, with the media disaster that continues to be Sarah Palin, and the blossoming media disaster that is Bobby Jindall.
Limbaugh took action after Jindall’s train wreck of a speech last week. During his speech, Rush was everything that Jindall wasn’t; he was concise, he was captivating, he was entertaining. Limbaugh pointed out in detail what he feels Republicans should be about; free markets, tax cuts for everyone, small government, and hands off regulation. He also spent time pointing to why he feels Obama will fail, and what's wrong with the President's policies, including making overt comparisons between the current plans of the administration and socialism. In one hour, Limbaugh managed to make clear what others have failed at, and may have become the new face of conservatism.
"Conservatives are naturally happy. We seek happiness. We pursue it. It's part of who we are. So what can you do? Live your life," Limbaugh declared. "Know you're going to fail, no human being is perfect, you're going to make mistakes, but live your life -- you'll be stunned at how many people you impress."
Steele Declares Sides
Limbaugh’s speech clearly carved out party lines, and declared war on anyone not in camp with the conservative movement. His speech has also caused a few heads to poke up out of foxholes. Michael Steele, chairman of the RNC, called Limbaugh’s show “incendiary” and “ugly.” Steele insists that Limbaugh is only an entertainer, and that Steele is solely in charge of the RNC. At CPAC, there were three ballrooms who would disagree with him. Steele’s reaction to Limbaugh shows that he clearly is not in control. Steele seems content to sit quietly by while the current administration spends record amounts of money. In reality, Steele should have been the one rallying the party to action and not Limbaugh.
These have been dark days for the Republicans. John McCain is all but invisible now, having lost his somewhat favorable spotlight to the burning beams of media sarcasm aimed at Sarah Palin. Bobby Jindall may have been labeled the “Next One” prematurely, as his first exposure to the nation was ineffective, to put it in the most polite of terms. Limbaugh may have no wish to run for President in 2012, but his speech shows he should absolutely be considered.
Limbaugh has taken the Republican party on his shoulders, he has slapped it awake, and he has shown it the error of its’ course. Clearly, Limbaugh is going to drag the Republicans, kicking and screaming if need be, back to their conservative roots.
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