Steele: Right The First Time

92 responses so far

• 1 mpolito // Mar 2, 2009 at 11:42 pm

  “Subordinating others to serve yourself” is the job description for most politicians. Forget the Iraq War. Take, say, Bush’s attempt to reform Social Security. Is it not true that the Democrats wanted that to fail? If Americans cannot understand that wanting a country to succeed sometimes depends on wanting a leader to fail, we have a problem. Indeed, the gap between conservatives and Obama is such that the very defintion of “success” differs. For example, Obama defines success by government healthcare; we do not. If Rush and Obama could agree on a common definition of success, then Rush would not want Obama to fail. Unfortunately, I doubt such commonality can be reached.

• 2 Canada Calling // Mar 3, 2009 at 12:01 am

  Limbaugh will undoubtedly be exposed for who is really is (again); his venom creates all sorts of media drama, now but it will be pale when the free press that he says is at risk, lances the boil of his mask and excises its puss. That is why America in the end always gets it right on these radicals, no pun intended.
  10 years from now this demagogue will be a mere footnote of the GOP. It always happens in America. Just be patient and watch. May God Bless the United States and all her people. .

• 3 choccity2005 // Mar 3, 2009 at 12:09 am

  Let me tell you the only way to regain the house,senate and presidency is to go the Glenn beck way.Critize the dems when the mess up and critize your PARTY WORSE when they do.40 % of repubs voted for the 410 billion dollar earmark bill.Where is rush’s OUTRAGE!!Why don’t he want those repubs to fail.If Rush says he wants socialism to fail,Then he should of said he wanted bush to fail…Bush grew the government first before obama,bush signed the tarp 1,AIG bailouts,medicare….SO WHY DID HE NOT SAY HE WANTED BUSH TO FAIL!!!RUSH has zero SOCIAL CHARACTER….The man can’t keep a marriage,can’t keep his weight down,isn’t even close to a christian.WE must marginalize this guy.WHy you ASK?Abortion is now a 50/50 issue with americans…30 years ago it was a 80/30 opposed,Blacks are voting 90 percent democratic,hispanics just voted 50 percent for obama.Women are now voting 50 percent for democrats.Republicans are getting killed politically in the North east and midwest.Sooner or later if rush is not silenced meaning moderates turn on him like michael smirconish did……there will be two partys.Liberals and BLUE DOG DEMOCRATS.Remeber jd hayworth,santorum,george allen…..GONE!!Go see who are in thier seats…..conservative democrats like jim webb and bob casey(a pro life democrat).They have figured out how to defeat conservatism….put up thier own.Yet we are destroying liberal republicans like swarzenegger,guliani,collins,spector.Did any democrat attack the ones that did not vote for obama’s bill?Hollywood,the MSM,and the blogs are mostly LEFT.The top 3 conservative talk show hosts are limbaugh,hannity and savage.The left loves this….cause it’s so easy to paint us as The rich white men party.While the speaker of the house is a woman,the president is black,head of Homeland security is a woman,secretary of state a woman,health and human services a woman now,Mayor of los angelos hispanic democrat who is going to run for governor.Do you see what the DEMS are doing…..they have been doing it for years now….The party of WOMEN,BLACKS,HISPANICS,IDEAS,The POOR,SCIENCE VS the PARTY of RICH OLD WHITE MEN stuck in the past.MICHAEL STEELE/sarah palin and JINDAL ARE OUR ONLY HOPE…….YOU LET RUSH WIN and WE ARE OVER!!!

• 4 Go Dog Go! // Mar 3, 2009 at 12:26 am

  To call for our federal government to fail during what could well be a great depression is, in my opinion, bordering on treason. It is the most plain and crass expression of putting power before the welfare of the people I’ve ever heard. With over 90% of the country in agreement and with no one in the GOP willing to criticize him without immediately groveling at his feet, the party should get used to the wilderness.

• 5 Top Dog // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:10 am

  The fact that Frum is the only high-profile person on the right standing up to Limbaugh is not a good sign. If right-wingers won’t stand up to Rush, how can they be expected to stand up to Islamic extremists and other threats? But seriously, Frum is dead right (forgive the pun). Limbaugh is basically a cynic, somebody who uses his tremendous communication skills to feed money in his capacious bank account, all the whilst feeding his even more capacious ego. I doubt he really cares about the electoral success of conservatism, otherwise he wouldn’t have been such a strong advocate for George W. Bush, who was nothing like the Reagan conservatism that Limbaugh advocates. David Frum should be congratulated for having the cahoonies to stand up to him. It speaks highly of him, and doesn’t say much about his quivering brethren who are scared %$#@less to front Limbaugh and pull him up on his crap.

• 6 InTheMiddle12 // Mar 3, 2009 at 5:12 am

  Steele’s folding to Limbaugh confirmed the White House’s position, and perhaps more shockingly, prediction. I’m sure Limbaugh is laughing all the way to the bank. Then again, who knows, by the time this destructive cycle ends, if they’ll be banks there for all his money. It seems Mr. Frum is the only conservative to be speaking truth to Mr. Limbaugh. It’s sad that the country is losing any real dialogue at the media level and it’s become a Rush against the other Republicans debate. In case they haven’t noticed, they’re currently out of power and this is an internal struggle. The Democrats appear united and while the GOP has this internal fight, will pass major legislation without GOP support. Again, I’m sad there isn’t a genuine debate taking place at a time when it’s very needed.

• 7 gblittle // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:10 am

  I love this conclusion, “Leaders subordinate themselves to serve others. Subordinating others to serve yourself?” The Democrats are in power, does anyone really believe that Plosi, Reid, Obama and others are there to serve others or just themselves?

• 8 gospelance // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:59 am

  Frum, now you’re going to turn on Rush? Where’s the unity? Maybe the real conservatives need their own party afterall. If you’re so concerned with looking good on TV, or to liberals, then I’m getting off this ship. Just because folks take Rush’s comments the wrong way–doesn’t mean that he needs to be more PC. Rush reflects conservative views, not TV-freindly or short-attention-span-friendly conservative views. With this kind of unity, we’ve already lost 2010 and 2012.

• 9 gblittle // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:03 am

  Gospelance, DITTO! (Just had to get that in)

• 10 gblittle // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:26 am

  “Any time you get your opponents to fight amongst themselves, that’s a good day,”

  http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2009/03/white_house_cheat_sheet_redefi.html

• 11 Chekote // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:35 am

  “I cannot believe I mean I really cannot believe that a communicator as skilled as Limbaugh fails to comprehend the lethality of this remark.” Oh get over it, Frum! People vote based on the pocketbook during bad economic times. If the economy improves, Obama and the Dems will do well. If it continues tanking, they will be out. You need to get out of DC and talk to people outside it.

• 12 Chekote // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:44 am

  “Mission accomplished – that is, assuming your mission is to aggrandize yourself rather than to serve your professed cause.” Are you talking about yourself Frun?

• 13 Cforchange // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:10 am

  Rush has chased away all the girls and they do vote. Now that he is a 10+ year habit, registering Republican for urban especially North East females is just pie in the sky. It isn’t just economics, they’ve been turned off and I would say the transition is permanent.

  If you’re not a hard biddy like Coulter or Malkin, the GOP is not appealing. Add Limbaugh to the equation and this collection of talking heads for the GOP becomes appalling, a turn off period. Here you have a group of people that take your bleeping head off rather than concede any of their stands. It’s their way or time for a major explosive tantrum – charm is totally lacking. Educated constituents want to exchange thoughts and views not be dominated. That’s what has happened to our future votership, they’re gone. The GOP media frontman and style must be changed. Do you think a fat, obsessive, overpaid dude would care about anything other than his own paycheck? Remember his words equal his paycheck – do you think he would be doing it for free like the concerned party members here? Members of the GOP need to acknowledge this and determine how we can improve our collective voice so it is more appealing not repulsive. Rush supporters, you can argue all you want but look at the trends of Pennsylvania – our future is bleak.

• 14 sinz54 // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:18 am

  Limbaugh claims that he wants just Obama to fail, but NOT the country. I don’t believe that such a thing can happen. I can’t think of a single historical precedent where the Administration was a failure, but the country prospered. It didn’t happen with the Herbert Hoover administration or the Jimmy Carter administration. What Limbaugh is basically saying is that he’s glad that then President Jimmy Carter dragged the country down with stagflation and numerous foreign-policy debacles, because all that paved the way for Reagan’s election victory. And he wants the same thing to happen now: If President Obama’s economic program fails, the country will continue to be mired in a deep recession, perhaps even a depression; and that may pave the way for a Republican comeback in 2010 or 2012. Sorry, folks, I’m just not that cynical. If it came down to a choice between a prosperous America and a conservative comeback, I would choose the former. If Obama’s program can lift the country back to prosperity, I won’t be disappointed. I will be relieved.

• 15 gospelance // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:19 am

  who has ever heard of David Frum? Who has ever heard of Michael Steele? A few on both sides. Who has ever heard of Rush? Just about everyone above 5 years old. Turning on Rush is like when “they” turned on General Petraeus. The Liberal Media manipulated Steele to turn on Rush, and he fell for it. They ought to change the slogan of this blog to: BUILDING A CONSERVATISM THAT TURNS ON ITS OWN AND WILL LOSE AGAIN.

• 16 sinz54 // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:23 am

  One more thing. I consider myself to be a patriot, which means putting your country before your own petty ambitions. In the 1970s, I lived through the debacles of the Jimmy Carter presidency, and the suffering of the country under the worst stagflation in a century. But NOT ONCE did I ever think to myself, “This is wonderful! Jimmy Carter’s failures are going to pave the way for us conservatives to win the next election!” If Carter’s policies had succeeded, and America had improved, I would have been quite satisfied, even if it meant that Carter would win a second term.

• 17 Bulldoglover100 // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:29 am

  I really had high hopes for Steele until yesterday when he dropped his panties for the Magic Blowhard….I mean come on LOL Do we not have one real man amoung us? or a woman srrong enough to stand up to one obese loud mouth whose incapable of any thought process that includes anything other than self promotion….and if those of you on here that support him want him? fine run him for President along with Palin and see how far that gets you LOL Be laughing stocks! LOL Let the Dems have it again! because your numbers? won’t win the election in 2012. Rush could not even attact enough people in this country to keep his TV show from failure so go ahead, let him lead you because he sure won’t lead Sane Republicans. Only right wing nut jobs.

• 18 gerrysh // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:30 am

  Stop lying Frum. Harry Reid – ever heard of him? No, he’s not a blogger or a news dude. He’s one of them there politicians from that party you keep propping up. He openly rejoiced when he declared that the war in Iraq was “lost”. Remember the broad who called General Patraeus a liar about how we were winning? Nope, that chick was not speaking for “Move On”, but now has a high government position. I know you’re not man enough to apologize, but am heartened to see that you have been called out on the Corner by KJL.

  You pathetic jealousy of Rush Limbaugh is now out in the open. In your wildest dreams, you will never accomplish one percent of what he has.

• 19 choccity2005 // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:36 am

  Incredibel!!! I can’t believe gospelance and glittle and any other so called conservative that comes to defend RUSH “JABBA THE HUT’ LIMBAUGH.

  I can’t stand that this pig is suppose to speak for conservatives.Glenn beck speaks for me,hannity speaks for me sort of and oreilly speaks for me sometimes.Newt is my fav conservative…..and charles Krauthammer and yes MICHAEL STEELE.

  Question for the rush lovers….If he wants obama to fail if his policies are socialist in nature…….When did he say he wanted george bush to fail?

  When GEORGE BUSH brought us TARP 1,AIG bailouts,The first BANK BAILOUTS,When every conserv economist said let the big 3 fail…..WHo gave them 20 bil?Who expanded government and ran enormous deficits before OBAMESSIAH!!!!Who implemented medicare and no child left behind…..Plus who expanded governement with HOMELAND SECURITY?Who didn’t change the tax code like he promised,who was a complete F’in embarasment to the world with a republican face on it.GEORGE H. W. BUSH.

  YEs he finally suceeded on the war and he kept us safe for 7 years…i give him credit,But other than that HE KILLED THE CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT AND RUSH IS LAYING THE CHALK AROUND US!!!

  If there was no george bush thier would of never been a barack obama!!!Now we want to hold the dems feet to the fire…..all the y keep bringing up is we had 8 years and look what we did,and to combat that we come up with Don’t TAX the rich and I want OBAMA to fail.Great plans……David frumk,kristol,steele,krauthammer they have solutions…..they opposed bush’s spending,I heard zilch from hannity and limbaugh….ZILCH!!i heard beck and wilkow say it’s wrong.I heard mike pence but i know i never heard RUSH.

  Before you criticize the other team criticize your own first.

  Now here’s another question for you rush lovers……If i say I WANT THE USA SWIM TEAM TO FAIL,B/c i don’t like thier coaches strategy and i believe thier strategy won’t bring us gold,silver or bronze so i HOPE THE USA SWIM TEAM FAILS….But i WANT AMERICA TO SUCCEED!!!!

  Do ANY OF YOU KNOW HOW STUPID AND IDIOTIC THAT SOUNDS??

  YOU CAN’T ROOT FOR THE PRESIDENCY TO FAIL…YOU MORONS!!!YOU CAN ROOT FOR HIM AS THE CANDIDATE TO FAIL….BUT WHEN HE RUNS OUR MILITARY IN 2 WARS,WHEN HE RUNS THE BUDGET,THE HEALTH,THE SCHOOLS AND EVERYTHING ELSE…….IF YOU WANT HIM TO FAIL IT’S PERCEIVED BY MSM AND THE UNINFORMED AS YOU WANT AMERICA TO FAIL!!!!YOU WANT THE BLACK PRESIDENT TO FAIL,YOU WANT YOUR OWN COUNTRY TO FAIL IF A CONSERVATIVE IS NOT IT’S LEADER.

  this is the reason….we loss the elections and we are going to lose more.The dems are talking about medicaid,unemployment,food stamps….and yes basically giving money to people.Instead of finding conservative views on how to fix these problems we are cheering behind some sexist/racist who wants america to FAIL!!!

  WELCOME TO THE NEW CONSERVATIVE PARTY!!!

• 20 Bulldoglover100 // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:36 am

  ROTFLMAO When will you people understand that this party has fractured and we will win NO National election ustil everyone meets in the middle. We will never get people to back Rush unless they already do and you will never get people who do back Rush to see the world as we see it. IF those of you who are pushing Rush never realize that without the black/hispanic/female vote we will never win a National election and your content to lose? so be it but your wasting your breath trying to tell sane people that a thrice married, drug rehabbed raicist woman hater is who we have to let lead our party…..your cheap blatherings, along with the spittle running down your chins, will never bring educated people into our party and without bringing people in? LOL your little 28% won’t win you a stuffed animal at the fair.

• 21 jlloyd // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:36 am

  I don’t listen to Rush because he is on while I am at work, but I think we all are being caught up in wordsmithing game here. The question is not what Rush views as success or failure, it is what the President views as success or failure. He has already stated that he views free-market policies as failure. He seems determined to punish investors, business, and the entire productive sector of the ecomony. He wants to transform this nation into something that is allien – not merely restoring a prosperous economy. As the loyal opposition, we need to focus on what the President is proposing, not some vague idea of what we view as a successful country. When he proposes ideas and policies that strenghten freedom, the economy, and national security, we should support those policies. When he proposes things that do the opposite, we should oppose those ideas and policies. It has nothing to do with Rush, and it is a huge distraction to get caught up in all of this.

• 22 sinz54 // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:37 am

  gospelance: Right now, the GOP doesn’t need “unity”–because it’s not yet clear what specific policies and personalities the GOP should “unify” around. “New Majority” was started because David Frum believes that conservatism has made serious errors in policy and needs to change course. In that, Frum is opposed by many other conservatives who blame others for electoral defeats but never themselves; and that is certainly “disunity.” Go over to RedState.com, and you will see direct attacks on David Frum for daring to deviate from the old party line. That’s probably why Frum is no longer associated with the National Review as well. “Unity” would basically mean ending “New Majority” and continuing to support Rush, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter and RedState.com as the vanguards of modern conservatism. I don’t want that to happen. We can stand a little less “unity” right now–and a little more independent thinking.

• 23 oenolicious // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:38 am

  Brilliant. So instead of letting this story die the usual death of the 24/7 media cycle, Steele has decided to put this into another news cycle. After a few new cycles it ends up in the weekly magazines, of every stripe. It is quickly becoming the narrative that the party has no sense of where it is going and who’s in charge.

• 24 helios // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:43 am

  Chekote says “Mission accomplished – that is, assuming your mission is to aggrandize yourself rather than to serve your professed cause.” Are you talking about yourself Frun?

  Right on. I thought we are supposed to be building a “new majority”? Instead we’re pontificating on a silly food fight that is utterly irrelevant to most Americans. I was under the impression this site considers itself a substantive alternative to the white noise of other sites and the MSM.

  At least some people seem to be getting on with the business of putting down policy markers on issues Americans actually care about:

  http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19542.html

  “Conservatives for Patients Rights is going on TV, radio and the Web in the same week President Barack Obama hosts a health care summit at the White House. The groups leader, Richard Scott, is hoping a pro-free-market message will rally the right to join the fray on what may be the most hard-fought policy battle in the first year of the new administration.”

• 25 Bulldoglover100 // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:44 am

  Rush the Magic Blowhard….lived deep in the South….and made his magic living by running his big mouth….Ya know someday the people on here that support Rush are going to wake up and find their big girl panties down around their ankles because Rush is doing this for ratings, money and to finally feel that he is somebody. When he tires of you or gets caught with drugs again? He will take his money and go home…LOL Big black shirt and jacket showing some gross skin at the CPAC…. LOL and you support him? Seriously? and you finished school? I mean above the 6th grade?

• 26 choccity2005 // Mar 3, 2009 at 9:08 am

  dantana
  12:28 AMChoccity (Seminar Democratic poster) The debt and disaster are now owned by Obama, Pelosi and the Democratic Party. Enjoy. Dan

  That’s what dantana wrote…….I’m a poster cause i disagree with rush or b/c i spoke truth to power.WHERE
  WERE ALL YOU RUSH LOVERS SCREAMING WHEN
  BUSH BACKED TARP 1,BANK BAILOUTS and EXPANDING GOVERNMENT WITH UNPRECEDENTED DEFICITS!!!1

  WHERE were you all….?I was screaming vote no and some true conservs did and the others did not.Now i listened to rush and did he say I WANT BUSH’s POLICIES TO FAIL coming to teh end of his presidency….go podcast and see!!!!

  i’ll give you a hint….No he did not!!!

  DO you people not get that YOU MUSt GROW THIS PARTY!!!

  90 percent of blacks vote democratic…….55 percent of hispanics are now votiong democratic,when 8 years ago bush won hispanics by a wide margin.Women Vote democratic by a 60 -40 margin.

  The GOP only has White men……taht will not win you elections!!!Do any of you geniuses see this?David frum sees this…alot of conservs see this.

  do you know how the dems are beating us now…..elect blue dog democrats…..pro military,gun toting,pro life,God loving DEMOCRATS!!!!Socially conservative and fiscally liberal.

  SEe…george allen and rick santorum!!!!then see JIm WEBB(pro military) and bob casey(pro life democrat).
  Wheres j.d heyworth,where’s tom tancredo…..is tancredo even alive!!!

  SO the dems have a black president,black attorney general,secretary of state is a ugly woman but a woman none the less.HHS,homeland security..all women,speaker of the house women…and when they truly plant thier flags in the hispanic communities…..There will be two parties yes

  Liberals and …conservative DEMOCRATS!!!None of you see this…..Our liberal republicans can’t win elections cause the base won’t vote for them……they can only run at the state levels.like swarzenegger,collins,specter,snow,giuliani and even romney.

  Now these repubs and others are demonized and are hated right?don’t we hate them….

  Now ask the dems if they hate those who voted against teh stimulus package…those handful of dems.

  jim webb,tim kaine,bob casey,heath shuler…and so on!!!

  The north east belongs to the dems…..ALl we have is the south,and they’ve found out how to get that…..If we don’t grow as a party we are DEAD!!!

• 27 dragonlady // Mar 3, 2009 at 9:19 am

  I believe Steele was correct to say Rush is not the public face of the party. We all know he is a polarizing figure and politicans have to woo moderates. But another poster correctly pointed out that Steele handled this in a ham-fisted manner; he should have never picked a fight with him by using words like ugly and incendiary. But what makes me really question Frum’s blog is how he can sit there and defend Democrats for all the horrendous things they said about Bush, Iraq, and give them a pass on it. These are elected officials like Murtha that painted our troops as cold blooded killers, said Iraq was a failure, and it was Pelosi who said Bush was a total failure. Anyone who listened to Rush’s statement in its entirety heard him explain he wanted America to succeed–he wanted socialist policies to fail. Of course Frum left that out. Frum, you starting to turn out to be no better than Scott McClellan. You cannot disagree intelligently with conservatives; you personally attack them and excuse outrageous behavior of the opposition. Whose side are you on?

• 28 artisticwoods // Mar 3, 2009 at 9:27 am

  Being a Republican, but more importantly a conservative since 1980, I must say that I am completely disgusted with the David Frums of the world. Rush said everything exactly right. I love Michael Steele, but Frum should put on his kneepads and begin servicing Obama. He has nothing but lavish praise for this socialist wanna be, and then shows the temerity to criticize Rush. There was nothing incendiary about what Rush said. As long as the ideology of this party is to cave in to the dems and their dangerous ideas, the party is doomed. When will fools like Frum realize that the dems have no compunction with regard to their vile rhetoric, yet we are supposed to “comport” ourselves in a “civil” fashion. The difference between Rush and Frum is that Rush has cajones, while Frum has raisins..

• 29 choccity2005 // Mar 3, 2009 at 9:28 am

  dantana
  12:28 AMChoccity (Seminar Democratic poster) The debt and disaster are now owned by Obama, Pelosi and the Democratic Party. Enjoy. Dan
  That’s what dantana wrote…….I’m a poster cause i disagree with rush or b/c i spoke truth to power.WHERE
  WERE ALL YOU RUSH LOVERS SCREAMING WHEN
  BUSH BACKED TARP 1,BANK BAILOUTS and EXPANDING GOVERNMENT WITH UNPRECEDENTED DEFICITS!!!1

  WHERE were you all….?I was screaming vote no and some true conservs did and the others did not.Now i listened to rush and did he say I WANT BUSH’s POLICIES TO FAIL coming to teh end of his presidency….go podcast and see!!!!

  i’ll give you a hint….No he did not!!!

  DO you people not get that YOU MUSt GROW THIS PARTY!!!
  90 percent of blacks vote democratic…….55 percent of hispanics are now votiong democratic,when 8 years ago bush won hispanics by a wide margin.Women Vote democratic by a 60 -40 margin.
  The GOP only has White men……taht will not win you elections!!!Do any of you geniuses see this?David frum sees this…alot of conservs see this.
  do you know how the dems are beating us now…..elect blue dog democrats…..pro military,gun toting,pro life,God loving DEMOCRATS!!!!Socially conservative and fiscally liberal.SEE…george allen and rick santorum!!!!then see JIm WEBB(pro military) and bob casey(pro life democrat).
  Wheres j.d heyworth,where’s tom tancredo…..is tancredo even alive!!!SO the dems have a black president,black attorney general,secretary of state is a ugly woman but a woman none the less.HHS,homeland security..all women,speaker of the house women…and when they truly plant thier flags in the hispanic communities…..There will be two parties yes
  Liberals and …conservative DEMOCRATS!!!None of you see this…..Our liberal republicans can’t win elections cause the base won’t vote for them……they can only run at the state levels.like swarzenegger,collins,specter,snow,giuliani and even romney.

  Now these repubs and others are demonized and are hated right?don’t we hate them….

  Now ask the dems if they hate those who voted against teh stimulus package…those handful of dems.

  jim webb,tim kaine,bob casey,heath shuler…and so on!!!

  The north east belongs to the dems…..ALl we have is the south,and they’ve found out how to get that…..If we don’t grow as a party we are DEAD!!!

• 30 jjv // Mar 3, 2009 at 9:30 am

  Aha! I finally get what you are getting at. I still think it is semantics but it matters in politics. Also, I think Savage is ugly and incindiary. Rush is not even as incindiary as Olberman. If Steele had just said Rush is not the leader of the party and let it go at that this would not be an issue.

• 31 Republitarian // Mar 3, 2009 at 9:30 am

  I agree almost entirely with Mr. Frum’s analysis. I would add that Michael Steele has shown a remarkable lack of political deftness while handling this first “controversy” of his very short tenure. One hopes that this is just opening day jitters and that he’ll quickly get his feet under him.

• 32 Cforchange // Mar 3, 2009 at 9:39 am

  artisticwoods – what are our ideas? I’m just not picking up what are our ideas to solve our big problems. Rush is not providing ideas only criticism. Have you been in our biggest cities – we have very serious problems. We’ve ignored these problems over the past decade – we had no ideas to manage life in the US. We had been in total control during part of this demise – we had no ideas unless I’m missing something key???

• 33 choccity2005 // Mar 3, 2009 at 9:44 am

  Don’t you people get it!!!!

  WHo cares if rush can act a fool on stage.WHy is every MSm pundit picking up this story.Why is obam,gibbs and rahm emanuel electing RUSH as the leader of the republican party.Hmmm let’s see…..cause he’s RICH(100 mil plus)he’s obnoxious,arrogant,polarizing,has tons of tape where he says things uninformed people will be shocked to hear and he’s WHITE!!!

  They don’t want michael steele,bobby jindal,sarah palin or a mel martinez as GOP leaders which they are.They want the same old face,same old thinking that has led republicans into the wilderness.

  None of you ask yourselves that question?

  Steele,palin,jindal,martinez have all been critical of OBAMA….Yet the person they single out is RUSH LIMBAUGH!!!

  YOu are facing the MSM that is in the dems pocket,you have a economy in peril,you have the war over and BUSh is getting zero credit for it,obama will be hailed as ending the war…wait and see.You are facing one of the best communicators in american history next to Ronald Reagan.

  If someone had said they wanted reagans policies to fail…..Would we not go nuts over that statement.

  Rush is giving red meat to the left…he’s giving them a gift with a bow.

  I guarantee when the elections come…..they are going to play these rush limbaugh tapes back all over tv and say…..Republicans rooted for AMERICA TO FAIL!!!The recession will not last 4 years and EVEY economist left and right has said that!!!!

  WE ARE DOOMED!!

• 34 Bulldoglover100 // Mar 3, 2009 at 9:49 am

  Karen Heller says it best today:…….Anger is easy. Toddlers get angry. Talk shows such as Limbaugh’s trade in anger. The blogosphere courses with vitriol. Anger’s a visceral, fiery emotion, but it remains dry tinder without constructive solutions. Barack Obama was elected, in part, because he offers measured, assured calm, anger’s antithesis. In economically uneasy times, when people are anxious and unsure, anger seems like the dead-wrong way to mend a crisis.

  Do Republicans, let alone conservatives, really want a rich, intolerant radio-show host who roots for failure as its leader? Anti-taxman Grover Norquist, also present at the weekend’s conference, once said of the federal government that he wanted to “get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.” Looks like conservatives are in danger of doing this to their own movement.

• 35 sinz54 // Mar 3, 2009 at 10:24 am

  choccity2005: Agreed! You are absolutely 100% correct. I couldn’t have said it any better myself. Though I might have said it a little more calmly.

• 36 p761craig // Mar 3, 2009 at 10:31 am

  Dear Mr. Frum,

  Here is an idea for you, you should try to take the time to actually listen to Rush before you write such an uninformed blog. The dems want to make Rush the leader of the GOP. Rush is a conservative period. Steele and all of the higher up republicans would be well served to simply answer questions about rush by saying that he is the best conservative voice in America today, simple as that. Yes the GOP does lean more to the right then the left.

• 37 tarazeigler // Mar 3, 2009 at 10:46 am

  Lots of interesting comments. All I know is that Michael Steele and Rush Limbaugh have both contributed to a very effective ad for the Dems in 2010, regardless of where the economy is at the time. Steele would be well-served to ignore Rush and focus on rebuilding the party. (He may also want to forget that he ever uttered the phrase “urban-suburban hip-hop”)

• 38 DruggyBear // Mar 3, 2009 at 10:46 am

  I’ve never read anyone who has Rush pegged so correctly, David. Great work.

• 39 sinz54 // Mar 3, 2009 at 10:49 am

  DragonLady sez: “what makes me really question Frum’s blog is how he can sit there and defend Democrats for all the horrendous things they said about Bush, Iraq, and give them a pass on it.” When has Frum ever defended Democrats who said those things? I’ve been on New Majority since its launch, and I don’t recall Frum ever defending Murtha or Moveon.org or any of their ilk. And BTW, I don’t recall any of these elected Democrats saying that they *wanted* America to fail in Iraq–rather that they said that America *was* failing in Iraq. (Which turned out to be the case, as Bush himself admitted in his speech to the nation in January 2007. If America weren’t failing, we wouldn’t have needed to change course and do the surge.) Now maybe Murtha was *secretly* hoping that America would fail. But if so, he kept that to himself. Rush Limbaugh did not. Rather, Limbaugh is encouraging all his listeners to want America to be a shambles under the Obama presidency, so that the electorate will become disgusted with Democrats and elect Republicans. I can’t go along with that. I’m an American first and a conservative second. I want America to succeed, even if it succeeds under a liberal Administration. I don’t think it can succeed that way, but if I’m wrong and America succeeds that way, so be it. I’ve actually seen posts on other right-wing blogs that reverse those positions: They say that they’re Americans only as long as America remains a center-right country. That we have conservatives who feel that way, saddens me.

• 40 gblittle // Mar 3, 2009 at 10:52 am

  Maybe the better question instead of who’s the “spokesperson” for the GOP which the Whitehouse launched in their full campaign mode should be this. Who’s the spokesperson for the Democrats? Is it Obama or are Reid and Pelosi really running things? They basically wrote the entire stimulus package. From an economic standpoint Obama and his crew have been pretty much missing in action. Where’s the banking plan promised more than two weeks ago? If they do say anything, and it’s getting less and less, the market takes a dive south. Maybe Soros is running things, he’s been good about shorting markets before. Right now Obama has been more about show than running the country.

• 41 tarazeigler // Mar 3, 2009 at 10:55 am

  Sinz54: Great comment! What Rush fails to grasp is that one can disagree on policy (and promote alternatives) while still wishing the best for the country, regardless of the administration. It turned my stomach to hear all those attendees at CPAC cheer when Rush reiterated his position. Just disgusting. (BTW: I have felt similarly disgusted at people on the left wishing Bush to fail, so I don’t even want to hear it…)

• 42 Realist // Mar 3, 2009 at 10:56 am

  Also, can anyone point out to me what Michael Steele said needed to be apologized for?

• 43 gblittle // Mar 3, 2009 at 10:57 am

  sinz54, agree with last comment to a point but remember the surge was marked for failure by the Democrats before it even started. (This discussion is starting to look like “what the definition of is, is”)

• 44 Realist // Mar 3, 2009 at 11:10 am

  Blaming all of this hullabaloo on the mainstream media is pretty weak when you consider that Rush, Inc., is one of the largest media groups in the country. With 22 million listeners, that sounds pretty mainstream to me.

• 45 cb55 // Mar 3, 2009 at 11:54 am

  I have been reading a lot of the Comments on this page, and regardless of the stance people have on a varitey of topics, I am convinced that a lot of Democrats, and liberals post on here, claiming they Repubublican or conservative.

  A lot of rhetoric in here is exactly like what i read in left wing blogs and publications. There are obvious examples.

  David Frum, you may be trying to build anew majority. But the people faking their affiliations, and trying to back you into redefining conservative principles, are never going to vote for us, or actually support your causes. I think a lot of people in here, whom you probably assume agree wiht you, are just in here to jump in on your anti-Palin and Rush bandwagon. Parker got some noteriety with the same people when she bashed Palin. And now they are giving you some love also.

  I scratch my head why on why you prefer this crowd now, over other conservatives. this support you are getting, is not real support. They will never support conservatism you are offering. Thye will just use you to highlight the criticisms you offer on other conservatives, but still vote for liberal leaders and policy. Liberals offer the real package, you offer the halfway package, which they dont need.

• 46 artisticwoods // Mar 3, 2009 at 12:39 pm

  To cforchange:
  Perhaps I can enlighten you. First of all, I doubt very seriously that you are a Republican or a Conservative, but I will pretend that I believe you. We all realize that there are ’seminar’ posters, and I believe that you are one of them. The first Idea would be to keep the tax cuts in place. I know that this is hard for you to admit, but for the first 6 years of the Bush administration, revenues to the gov’t were up, due to the tax cuts, and capital gains reductions. During the time when the Republicans were in power, discretionary spending was increasing. Pork programs were in place. Big problem! This was in no way, a conservative principle, but when you look at the first month of the Obama administration how much has discretionary spending increased? Would you call that a geometric or exponential increase?? How quickly you so called conservatives seem to forget, that during the last 8 years, the GDP of our nation rose 2-3% on average, until the last year. When was it that Dems took over the congress?? 2 years ago? Hmm, what a coincidence. I’ll give you my take on what “we” as Republicans can do, which is to lower taxes on business to keep them in this country, provide incentives for companies to create jobs, such as tax credits. Remove the restrictions on production, and forget about these arbitrary standards placed on business by bureaucrats for certain output, and things such as CAFE standards for the auto industry. Allow NUCLEAR power plants to be built, not killing them!! Restrictive trade requirements, and government intervention, by a bunch of morons whose only intellectual requirement to become a ruler of the people is that the morons vote these fools in, because they promise the losers in our society the moon. GET OUT OF MY WAY AND LET ME RUN MY BUSINESS OR I MAY MOVE TO IRELAND WHERE THE CORPORATE TAX RATE IS 11%, WHEREAS IN THE US IT IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST IN THE WORLD AT 35%. Franklin Roosevelt tried Socialism and it almost destroyed this country economically. That is what I think we need to be saying. How does that grab you, CFORCHANGE?? (By the way, when you name yourself C For Change, it sure does make me wonder about your so-called conservatism) Richard

• 47 artisticwoods // Mar 3, 2009 at 12:47 pm

  To Realist:
  Are you joking??? Get Real, Rush Limbaugh is one talk show, out of many. WE are fighting against ABC, CBS, NBC (Obama election headquarters), CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, Washington Post, NY Times, LA Times, Associated Press, Reuters, etc….. All the major newspapers in this country are left leaning. So tell me where we go other than Fox News to get our “NEWS”. Did you notice I said News, and not opinion and entertainment, which is what Rush Limbaugh is? Do you have the capability in your brain to understand the difference?? Very doubtful..

• 48 joebozak // Mar 3, 2009 at 12:59 pm

  (Note: Just posted this on another article, but would be interested in any thoughts here):

  I am a registered Democrat who would consider voting for a Republican candidate articulating a serious interest in governing at a federal level. Unfortunately, what I see in the current batch of Republican candidates/officeholders is a lack of seriousness in this regard. I may be guilty of projection here, but I think that most voters want government to work. That is, to function effectively. My first question is this: If you are interested in government working, why would you vote for a candidate who professes that government, in and of itself, is the problem? My second question: Can a Republican candidate stand for effective, efficient, and robust government without being branded a heretic by the rump of the party and thereby disqualified from office?

• 49 Bulldoglover100 // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:16 pm

  GALLUP Weighs in on Rush the Magic Blowhard………according to Jake Tapper:…..ABC’s Jake Tapper also noted Limbaugh’s low numbers with the general public hours after Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele apologized for calling Limbaugh an “entertainer” after the radio host excoriated him in return during his Monday program.

  Tapper wrote, “Our polling director, Gary Langer, points out that according to a Gallup poll completed Feb. 1, 28% percent of Americans view El Rushbo favorably, 45 percent unfavorably. The rest, 27 percent, express no opinion.”

  “That’s a 28/45 favorable/unfavorable rating, which is not great,” Tapper adds, before noting that his “fave-unfave is 60-23 among Republicans.”

  So only 60% of Republicans will vote for whoever the blowhard pushes…that leaves 40% that will either NOT vote of go to another party. Dems and Independents? Apparently won’t touch Limbaugh pushed tools with a 10 foot poll…….Good luck getting back into power with Rush as the fearless leader and Palin leading everyone across that bridge to nowhere.

• 50 sinz54 // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:25 pm

  JoeBozak asks: “why would you vote for a candidate who professes that government, in and of itself, is the problem?” I wouldn’t, and you shouldn’t either. Reagan’s original remark has been taken completely out of context and twisted. What Reagan said was: “IN THE PRESENT CRISIS [of 1980-81], government is the problem.” And he was absolutely right–back then. Government policies had created double-digit inflation, fuel shortages, etc. Once those policies were changed to free up the free market, the economy improved dramatically. But today, some modern conservatives have left off those four initial words, to make it sound like government is *always* the problem. That’s just not true. Some things have to be done by government. No less a free-market proponent than Ayn Rand hailed the Apollo moon landing, even though that was definitely a government initiative (http://tinyurl.com/crk322). Conservatives have to explain EXACTLY when government has screwed up and gotten in the way of an expanding economy, not suggest that government is inherently antithetical to a free economy. In other words, conservatives have to remember why they are not libertarians.

• 51 sinz54 // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:35 pm

  JoeBozak also asks: “Can a Republican candidate stand for effective, efficient, and robust government without being branded a heretic by the rump of the party?” I am concerned about your use of the term “robust.” We conservatives don’t believe in government doing jobs that the private sector can do. Do we really need a Department of Education? What has it accomplished? Do we really need a Department of Homeland Security? Was its response to Hurricane Katrina worse than if it had never been created at all, and FEMA had been left to do its own thing? I believe that conservatives have to make it clear that as long as Congress refuses to axe these inefficient agencies, we conservatives will do our best to make them work as well as they can. But we also have to make it clear that they don’t need to be these huge bloated agencies that they have become.

• 52 joebozak // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:48 pm

  Sinz54 wrote: “conservatives have to remember why they are not libertarians” and “conservatives have to make it clear that as long as Congress refuses to axe these inefficient agencies, we conservatives will do our best to make them work as well as they can.”

  Very well said.

  I agree that a rollback of the size and scope of the federal government is necessary. It seems to me that the federal government has become bloated and ineffecient. I do not agree that the cuts need to be made on ideological grounds, however. They must be made on pragmatic bases. FEMA, for example, (IMHO) should continue as an active agency of the federal government. There are no private companies or state agencies that can provide comperable service in times of need.

  As a result, my rhetorical questions are: (1) how much rollback; (2) Which departments/agencies; and (3) To what degree?

  I know this is not the correct forum to get into the specifics of each cut, so I would like to know if Republicans could check the ideological baggage at the door and accept the active existence of federal agencies that are effective but do not dovetail with their orthodoxy.

• 53 A.B. // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:48 pm

  Doesn’t it bother people to be associated with outright cowards? (or drug addicts, but I digress) Moral weakness is an occupational characteristic for politicians, but some politicians actually feel shame over their cowardice. Not ours!

• 54 joebozak // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:50 pm

  If the answer to my ultimate question (below) is “yes,” perhaps this is the starting point for the “New Majority”

• 55 Bignut // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:52 pm

  Finally a forum for all us conservatives that are truly ashamed of holding any conservative thoughts.. The only way we can get the media, Huffington, Frum, Olbermen, PBS, CNN, etc., to like us is to turn on ourselves. Let’s give Frum and Brooks kudos in showing us how it’s done. Nicely done boys.

• 56 Bulldoglover100 // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:57 pm

  WORSE than Limpnut? JOHN MCCAIN is trying to lay the PORK onto Obama when it is going to come out that the TOP 10 EARMARKS? 6 OF THEM BELONG TO REBUBLICANS and over all? The Republicans are ahead on earmarks in the budget by 59% to 41% for Democrats! ARE WE STUPID?????? trying to blame the pork on Dems when it is sooooooo easy to see who is really pulling earmarks????????? MILLIONS for misquito research in LA???????After Jindals speech??? WE LOOK LIKE FOOLS!

• 57 krove // Mar 3, 2009 at 2:53 pm

  Today’s CBS/WSJ poll. Question was who will do a better job getting the USA out of the recession. Answer GOP 20% Democrats 48%. The GOP is loosing the argument because of the ” I hope the president fails” and the party of “NO” memes and it is hurting.

• 58 Sulla // Mar 3, 2009 at 3:21 pm

  Its laughable. The idea that Rush Limbaugh is the problem is hilarious. Rush Limbaugh has been in business for almost twenty years now, a period otherwise known as the ascendancy of Conservativism. He isn’t responsible for that but he sure helped.

  On the other hand, let us consider where the David Frums, the David Brooks’, and the rest of that ”Compassionate Conservative” cabal have brought us. The lowest ebb of Republican fortunes in almost fifty years. David Frum is the remnant of George W. Bush’s disasterous administration. Why are we taking him seriously? Why are we pretending that this guy has any interest at heart other than sucking in as much attention as possible?

  This is the guy who is specifically responsible for making us in the grassroots defend ”Axis of Evil” hyperbole for more than a year. This is a guy who wasted space over at The Corner discussing his wife’s remodelling plans in a dozen posts.

  There are plenty of officials in the Bush administration who are probably salvagable, decent folks. There are VERY FEW staffers and political operatives that are worth the ephermal Internet bandwith we’re looking at now. Harriet Myers, Proscription Drug Benefit, TARP the Elder, worthless accomidation with 2/3rds of the ”Axis of Evil” (Rolleyes), and the loss of Congress in 2006.

  These ‘achievements’ are the pedestal from which Mr. Frum mounts now to lecture REAL Conservatives. It is unfortunate that the nature of the medium prevents us from pelting him with vegetables!

• 59 joebozak // Mar 3, 2009 at 3:49 pm

  Sulla:

  I think you’re misreading Frum here. The issue is not whether Rush Limbaugh is/isn’t responsible for the current plight of the GOP. The question is whether Rush Limbaugh exacerbates the GOP’s current electoral problem of marginalization. Rush’s talent, rallying the base, is also his weakness today: polarization. It seems to me that if a political party is in the minority and losing market share, polarization is not a winning strategy. When you’ve got 51% plus, maybe it works. (See Nixon’s “Southern Strategy”) But not now. A time for every season, and all that.

• 60 b will derd // Mar 3, 2009 at 4:01 pm

  Here’s the thing. If we engage people on facts and common sense, we will hurt their feelings. You can say what you truly believe because it will hurt peoples feelings, Tol with feelings. We are being ruled by an Administration who’s very existence is owed to feelings. Our country is circling the drain because of policies that appealed to feelings.

  Rush is right. Obama will fail. If he doesn’t, all that we believe as Conservatives must be wrong. It’s time to be firm and unequivocal on issues of liberty, free markets, size of government and state sovereignty. If we are right, Obama will fail and we should be shouting it from street corners so the mush moderates will remember. We also have to lay the blame for the failure of the GOP lies with Bush and the please love me mushy moderates who want to be invited to all the cool parties in DC and NYC. (Frum Brookes, et al.)

• 61 joebozak // Mar 3, 2009 at 4:21 pm

  b will derd said: “It’s time to be firm and unequivocal on issues of liberty, free markets, size of government and state sovereignty.” As I previously posted, I am a registered Democrat who’s willing to vote for a Republican candidate. But your party’s current message (cited above) is proven to be a smokescreen when compared to its actions of the past eight years. I’ll address each: (1) Liberty — warrantless wiretapping, John Yoo’s legal members authorizing suspension of habeus corpus and first and fourt amendment rights for U.S. citizens; (2) Free Markets — tariffs on foreign steel and farm subsidies; (3) Size of Government — Office of Homeland Security, Medicare prescription benefit; (4) State Sovereignty — EPA restricting CA’s ability to set own admission standards, Terri Schiavo, opposition to CA medical marijuana laws, defense of marriage act. Question: how am I supposed to believe the Republican party really stands for these principles when little or no objection was raised to these actions by the federal government during the Bush years and are only now, when a Democrat is in office and in control of the Congress, being objected to?

• 62 ChristianMiller // Mar 3, 2009 at 5:01 pm

  Try to see Rush Limbaugh’s brazen statement as a symptom of the vacuum that exists in the Republican party

  This “I hope he fails” is meant to attract attention to something more. He is willing to overstate the alarm that he feels that Obama and those who put him in office want to destroy our way of life – literally.

  Perhaps Republicans can simply state the facts at least.

  We Conservatives want to pull the curtain down. It’s a big farce and David thinks it is real. That win can win in a theatre where we are the villains.

  I’m sorry, we must abandon pretense, because THEY certainly have.. Republicans and conservatives have to stop going along with the ruse that the left scripts to define them.

  Stop worrying about what they think of us or how they can portray us badly. They hate us. They will find a way to hate us, and they will lie and do whatever is necessary to gain and maintain power.

  Get with it.

• 63 ChristianMiller // Mar 3, 2009 at 5:16 pm

  This is really an argument that goes beyond party. Conservatives have ditched the Republican party. We hate Leftism which is mostly Democrat, but we don’t see the Republican party doing an adequate job of fighting leftism. In fact a deplorable job in explaining why small government is better, certainly not by action . We oblivious Republicans focused on process and re-election.

• 64 dragonlady // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:02 pm

  sinz54, read what Frum wrote. When disputing Rush’s point at CPAC on Dems wanting Bush to lose the war, he just pretends that rhetoric never happened since hey, it’s all good since they voted for the war, right? Hello, kettle, this is the pot?! These are ELECTED officials not a radio talk show host, one who is third in the line for the Presidency who practically called Bush stupid by saying “bless his heart, ” and also stated he was a total failure. This week on another post, he also said Obama and Pelosi were not socialists and we shouldn’t call their policies that. Umm, okay. We should be careful tossing that label around, but when you look at their ideology and all the policies they want to pass in their totality, how is their vision really different than any other center-left European politican? What has Frum written about since he’s launched this blog? His criticism of Obama and the Dems is nibbling around the edges. But he sure is enthusiastic on bashing popular conservatives. Enlarging the party is one thing…we can debate what areas or rhetoric may need to be changed. Explaining why Rush may not be a useful Republican poster boy is one thing. But it’s suicidal to turn the gun on your own base. Frum does not seem to get that.

• 65 larryo // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:04 pm

  betterred wrote: Hey little man frum, you have it exactly WRONG.. Go stand in the corner and think about how stupid you sound, then when you figure it out – write an article about how low your IQ is and how that dos not mean whoever has the unfortunate mistake of reading one of your pieces has a low IQ also, until then…. adios little man. * * * See, this is one reason we – i.e., the others – have so much trouble taking what you say at face value: So many of these guys are way too enamored of what you call “conservatism” for well-meaning people not to be suspicious about what it really entails, even if we hadn’t just gone through the last 8 years. And it doesn’t do to say “well, they aren’t really Republicans!” I mean, this guy offers no arguments, no facts, not even any reasons for his insults and his name-calling. You cannot reason with someone like this, and there are way too many of them on the right.

• 66 dragonlady // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:11 pm

  larryo, have you seen the crazies on the left? Even mainstream liberals have no problem with ad hominem attacks against Republicans. Palin–complete bimbo, right? Reagan–amiable dunce. Quayle–really dumb. Bush the elder? It’s the economy, stupid. And Bush II–dumbest of them all! I’m not excusing rabid or personal attacks by so-called rightists but come on…let’s not pretend there’s not an angry and vicious side to the Dems base with Kos and the Moveon crowd.

• 67 larryo // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:18 pm

  As for the post, Mr. Frum, I have no dog in this fight, but I tend to agree with your major points, but especially that Steele should not have backed down once he threw down the gauntlet. Steele is interested in winning elections, but Limbaugh isn’t – he has a whole other agenda. You wrote that you “really cannot believe that a communicator as skilled as Limbaugh fails to comprehend the lethality of this remark.” You look at the forest, and you cannot see the trees. Limbaugh has grown very rich and prominent by publicly manifesting a dark, paranoid, self-centered, bigoted small mindedness that one finds in various places in the US in concentration. You cannot deny that it is at least a large limb on the tree of American conservatism – a tree that has produced bitter fruit, of late. But what he espouses will never gain favor with the independent voters you need so badly. An overwhelming majroty of them are appalled by the stain on our national character that Limbaugh and his followers represent.

• 68 fact based // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:24 pm

  thanks for posting the link to the rush profile, you should post the nyt mag piece on newt as well. You gotta love it 2 egomaniacal losers who never implemented a singel one of their ideas as policy (rush and newt) have the actual elected reps of your party like Steele and Cantor jumping at their every bark. You guys will follow them into the abyss. You’ll note that increasing numbers of repub governors and mayors who actually have to deal with 10% undemployment declining tax revenues and increasing social service expenditures breakaway from rush newt sean and puppets like Cantor as they try to actually govern. Ask Gov Bobby how he is going to cope with his budget shortfall ?

• 69 larryo // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:30 pm

  dragonlady – you know, I will have to take your word about KOS – I don’t think I have been there twice, but moveon doesn’t really namecall. There was this e-newsletter before the 2004 election where they would send you a new Bush lie every day, 5 days/week. I got it for about 5 months before the election, and you know, there was a new lie every day, with the data debunking it. I acknowledge that sometimes they reached a little – predictions are not susceptible to hindsight – but most of the time it was just outright lies. They proved that, but they didn’t call him a liar. They called him a misleader. And besides, this is a blog, not an election. People come here, you would think, to reason together even if they disagree vehemently. What’s the point of taking the time just to call David Frum names? You don’t do it to anyone that I can recall. In fact, I recall having many times told Mr. Frum that he was blatantly wrong – maybe even idiotic – and telling him why I thought so, but I hope I haven’t just resorted to just namecalling.

• 70 Go Dog Go! // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:37 pm

  The sad thing is that Rush’s defenders don’t realize that a) he is positively loathed by centrists of every political ilk and b) those centrists largely hold the republican’s right wing responsible for the disaster we’re in. Since the centrists are the deciding factor of modern electioneering, you’ve got to create some distance from Rush and atone for the mess of the Bush years. If the GOP isn’t willing to do that, in whatever way it can, Dems will hold power for a LONG time.

• 71 larryo // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:47 pm

  Another thing about the “crazies” on the left, Dragonlady – from the protests against the Vietnam War through the attack on the WTO in Seattle right up to Code Pink: While one might take then to task for their tactics – although I have to say at the time I agreed entirely with The Strawberry Statement and its associated disruptions and the property damage, which was minor in light of the ultimate outcome – history has repeatedly vindicated the “crazies” on the left. What they were protesting, as a rule, deserved to be protested against. Nuclear power – they are trying to run that one back in on us now – all of it – all the wars we have exacerbated around the globe by selling arms to anyone with a buck or the power to tax – all the “private” banking shenanigans – it has been an unmitigated disaster. I do not hold the Democratic leadership in Congress in high regard – I have taken the trouble to write directly to Harry Ried on paper accusing him of cowardice. But the reactionaries and the anti-intellectuals and the bigots – the knuckle-draggers, are primarily to be found to the right of center. You cannot deny that. You have Rush Limbaugh.

• 72 mpolito // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:58 pm

  Larryo- the bigots and anti-intellectuals are primarily found right of center? Bear in mind that all those pro-Palestinian anti-Semites (”go back to the ovens”) are not conservatives. Bear in mind that our current Democratic VP said that all 7-11s are run by Indians. Anti-intellectualism is more rampant on the right? Have you been to a university lately? History is rewritten and lied about to pander to minorities. Strippers are invited to campus so the students can learn. The left does not value intellectualism at all.

• 73 dragonlady // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:03 pm

  larryo, agree that personal attacks require little imagination and we should avoid it. But Frum’s first post on Rush…had personal attacks. This article is more measured in tone and I do agree with some of his points, although I don’t know why he keeps extending the benefit of the doubt to the opposition party while having no problem kicking the base in the gut. That is what I object to since it just fuels the rift between so called moderates and the party faithful. I understand for attracting moderates, Republican pols have to be ambigious about Rush. But love or hate Rush, he is quite popular to many in the base. It’s the reality of it, just like Kos is quite popular with the Dem base, and Dem politicans were kissing up to that blog during the primaries. I don’t think moderating our policies or becoming what Brooks calls “the Limbaugh brigades” will help one iota if Pres Obama remains popular and his policies are seen as successful. This last election was a referendum on Bush, particularly his handling of Iraq. The economy sealed his fate. In came a charasmatic leader that was able to aptly ride the wave between his base and moderates, and that was that–the GOP lost. If Pres Obama’s policies are deemed failures and the GOP fields a charasmatic pol who can do the same, then 2012 looks pretty good.

• 74 dragonlady // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:05 pm

  Frum, do you see leadership in fueling a civil war between moderates and conservatives?

• 75 betterred // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:11 pm

  hmmm -I thought the header had something like “building conservatism that can win” or something to that effect.
  Tell me Frum, how can conservatism win if a washed out comedian on a washed out network gets to host the RNC chair and then get him to renounce the largest voice of conservatism? It explains everything that is wrong with you so called “centrists” or “moderates”.In a word it’s called compromise, it’s what you idiots are doing, your life is about “compromising”- you have no intention of building a winning party do you Mr. Frum?

• 76 Clarence Darrow // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:23 pm

  David is right. Rush is no party leader when he continues to play right into the hand of being painted as the party leader by Obama’s strategy team and Rahm.

  Obama’s team made another brilliant political move by painting an ecomaniac shock jockey with little love from the center as the leader of the Republicans.

  If I were Steele – I probably would have said something similar. At this point, Republican leadership has to keep calling Limbaugh what he is – “Entertainment”

  Also – I really enjoyed – Go Dog Go! ’s comments they are 100% spot on.

• 77 Realist // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:33 pm

  dragonlady said: “Frum, do you see leadership in fueling a civil war between moderates and conservatives?”. Do you actually believe Rush has ever had any interest in appealing to moderates? His show is popular because it is so incendiary. So stop blaming David Frum for fueling a civil war between moderates and conservatives when it’s clear that the person who is truly enjoying the rift is the guy getting the most radio listeners.

• 78 Chekote // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:41 pm

  “If President Obama’s economic program fails, the country will continue to be mired in a deep recession, perhaps even a depression;” If Obama succeeds in implementing his policies, the country will end up in a depression. Worse. The very values that made this country unique will be lost. Yes, I want Obama to fail.

• 79 larryo // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:46 pm

  betterred, how do you expect to win without compromise. You are hardly in the majority – neither extreme is in the majority. The independents choose who will win elections and have since at least the 1960’s. Gabriel Almond – the father of voter profile analysis – proved it decades ago.

• 80 Chekote // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:52 pm

  “”New Majority” was started because David Frum believes that conservatism has made serious errors in policy and needs to change course.” Let’s list the errors: 1) War in Iraq; 2) Expansion of the federal government; 3) Running up deficits; 4) Splitting the Republican base by insisting on a comprehensive approach to immigration.

• 81 larryo // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:54 pm

  “Republican pols have to be ambigious about Rush.” * * * Oh, I don’t think anyone will be fooled by that anymore, for at least awhile. * * * “But love or hate Rush, he is quite popular to many in the base.” * * * I rest my case – that is what is so scary to the rest of us – don’t you get it? That you are so sanguine about that, and so ready to take advantage of it for crass political reasons, renders you unworthy of trust. That’s the problem! I agree with Zonie – my politics are left of center – I know that. But I want to see an effective opposition party in this country too – that’s the only way it really works. But you people don’t seem to want the same thing – look at the way the Republicans froze the Democrats out for the last 8 years – marching in lockstep to orders given by BushCheneyRumsfeld. There wasn’t even any collegiality, meaning no one was even willing to listen to the other side. And look what happened.

• 82 dragonlady // Mar 3, 2009 at 9:06 pm

  larryo, let me be clear. I’d much rather the Republican party as an opposition party be a principled, conservative party then a Dem-lite party. But you really make me chuckle on the so called crassness of my politics. Rush and his dittoheads do see themselves as principled, just like the Code Pink wackos you revere. However if you ever bothered to listen to Rush, as much as you despise his politics, I guarantee you he has put some more thought in his broadcasts than the Pepto Bismoal cheerleaders. You are just more sympathetic politically with the Code Pinks and their ilk, so you don’t find them objectionable. But the majority of Americans think they are moonbats.

• 83 dragonlady // Mar 3, 2009 at 9:14 pm

  Realist, get off your high horse. Rush is doing what he’s always done, plugging his radio show and provoking controversy. Frum is the one claiming he’s trying to build a NewMajority. Having a discussion on how to do it is one thing; sowing unneeded discord within the party is not particular a smart way to do it. If you bothered to read my other posts, I have again and again stated we should be the Big Tent party, room for both moderates and conservatives. But I don’t believe for one minute Rush Limbaugh is why the GOP lost in ‘08, even though I said I understand why he shouldn’t be the public face of the Republican party. You want to ostracize Rush and his followers? Go ahead…launch the NewMajority and see what happens.

• 84 olipane // Mar 4, 2009 at 12:44 am

  Mr. Steele was right…Rush is an entertainer plugging his station first, then a conservative philosphist second. He’s not a leader, except for the fact he is educating our base on what is going on in the political world but giving his “incendiary and ugly” perspective on things. Sure it excites our base but it alienates everyone else. He’s a leader of a niche that basically says, “anything a democrat says is wrong and bad.” 84% of Americans are sick and tired of this kind of political banetering. You want a true leader with the right perspective who can not only excite the base but also woo the moderates and conservative democrats? Mitt Romney! Listen to his speech (on this site) at the latest CPAC 2009 and listen carefully to the balance of his remarks. “America first”, “agree when we can and stand firm where we should”, support the President because he is our President and “he” has to make those decisions ultimately. This guy IS the guy for 2012. He SHOULD be the leader of the Conservative movement/Republican Party and our 2012 presidential candidate. I believe had Romney been the candidate against Obama, Romney would be the President. McCain was simply the wrong choice this past election. People trust a former CEO of a business especially when it comes to economics. THAT was his trump card against the liberals. So, spread the word around. I hope this seed planted today bears a harvest of fruit for the conservative/republicans in 2012. Forget Limbaugh – he’s an agitator that does nothing for the rest of the American people. We know who we are – the job of a TRUE conservative/republican leader is to convince the “others” to join us. We need to minimize Limbaugh because he helps nobody except those who already agree that the liberals/democrats are “wrong.” =) Romney for President – 2012!!! Shut Limbaugh up!!

• 85 choccity2005 // Mar 4, 2009 at 11:44 am

  Hello fellow conservatives and independents.I only found this site b/c of frum’s comments.I agreed 100 percent.David frum is vastly more superior to analysis than rush limbaugh.Hey why don’t we give ann coulter a radio show and make her the head of our party .How many would love that…casue she’s not polarizing right?

  Steele is the best thing for the GOP,some have taken him to task for the hip hop thing.Let me explain something….not that i agree with even half of hip hop,but it is number 1 with young people.It makes more money in record sales than anything else.Movies,music(except country and christian)controlled by the left.Newspapers,hollywood,majority of blogs,tv,cable….all we have is talk radio and fox news but where is it that you can say you want a popular president to fail and that doesn’t become front page news.We have to expand as a party….do you know if we can get 30 percent of the black vote,40 percent of the hispanic vote,and 45 pecent of the female vote……THERE IS NO DEMOCRATIC PARTY!!!II mean if we could just get those goals…there is no democratic party…..they wouldn’t even win a high school class president election.Now who does RUSHBO not have in his audience….blacks,hispanics and women.WHy is he valued again???

• 86 larryo // Mar 4, 2009 at 3:07 pm

  dragonlady – I didn’t say your politics was “crass” – I was commenting on your patent willingness to pander to the Rush Limbaugh moonies. A better word to have used there would have been “opportunistic.” Hindsight is always 20-20. But I notice that you chose to respond on the level of semantics rather than address my main point, which was that the left wing protesters have been historically vindicated. You must agree. Of course, you are at a disadvantage – he left has mounted protests about many things, but the only things that cause the right sufficient anxiety to get people out of their armchairs seems to be weapons registration and abortion. I must admit, however, that I am as leery of weapons confiscation as they are so I am not favorably disposed toward registration. I would like to be able to figure out a way to *legally* get the handguns away from the street gangs without abridging everyone else’s right to have them, but I have not been able to do so as yet.

• 87 choccity2005 // Mar 5, 2009 at 8:10 am

  choccity2005
  wrote 0 minutes agoA senior White House aide has been tasked with helping to guide the Limbaugh strategy. Outside, Americans United for Choice, a liberal group, and the Democratic National Committee are driving the message, in close consultation with the White House. Democrats can barely suppress their smiles these days, overjoyed at the instant-ad imagery of Limbaugh clad in Johnny Cash-black at CPAC and, more broadly, at what they see as their success in managing to further marginalize a party already on the outs. I want to send Rush a bottle of vitamins, said Begala. We need him to stay healthy and loud and proud. With President George W. Bush and Vice-Presidentk Cheney out of the White House and Tom DeLay gone from Congress, the left had been suddenly absent an unpopular right-wing figure. Few Americans know who the congressional Republican leaders are. Even Sarah Palin is now four time zones away from Washington. Enter Limbaugh. This the article i found…….on politico,WHO CAN DEFEND LIMBAUGH NOW…HE’s destroying us!!!

• 88 sinz54 // Mar 5, 2009 at 10:26 am

  choccity2005: I agree with you 100%. The GOP is always focused on Step One–Motivate the Base. And yes, Limbaugh is good at Step One. But I keep waiting and waiting to hear Step Two–Reach Out Beyond the Base. We seem increasingly incapable of that. We seem to have turned inward–only concerned with preserving the ideological purity and fervor of the base, not with aggressively reaching out beyond the base.

• 89 choccity2005 // Mar 5, 2009 at 11:22 am

  sinz54 :thank god for people like you and david frum who actually see STRATEGY.I’m a black conservative and i came to this party b/c i believe in School vouchers(notice barack obama puts his kids in private school),Social security accounts,Low taxes(i live in NY for goodness sake),smaller government,Strong defense(not for war with the world)Fiscal discipline(not 9,000 earmarks),I am pro-Life,Pro-gun rights, and i believe in GOD.This is why i am a independent conservative…..This is why i supported mccain in the last election.Why id i support mccain/palin b/c they went against thier own party and they stood against washington.Mccain has NEVER taken an earmark.I applaud that…he would be a better president now than obama.
  Limbaugh however i can’t stand b/c he’s a coward.It’s easy to sit in your fat chair and spew incendiary rhetoric and allow lawmakers to take your heat but you won’t DARE RUN FOR OFFICE.You want to debate obama,you want to be our leader…get some courage and run for 2012…..until sit there,smoke your cigar and shut up!!

• 90 DestinyBender // Mar 6, 2009 at 12:26 am

  Mark Levin speaks for me as well. We tried things your way by nominating McCain and look how well that worked out. The radical liberal net roots took control of the Democrat party and they WON! First you bad-mouth President Bush and now Rush. If sniviling little putzim like you would direct your criticisms toward Dems instead of our Conservative Leaders we’d be alot better off.

• 91 choccity2005 // Mar 15, 2009 at 11:54 am

  destinybender:Can i tell you why we loss the election.
  1st off mark levin is a idiot who know one listens to.I prefer michael savage,andrew wilkow and glen beck cause thier not a bunch of ditto heads.

  We lost teh election b/c GEORGE BUSH Was president for 8 years!!A freaking laughingstock on every comedian and every late night/early moring talk show.katrina,Iraq,afahanistan…WMDs.If a democrat had made that many blunders…tell me rush would not be taking them apart every day.When did any of them call for bush to fail in anything other than amnesty.Conservs and repubs defended this man in his rampant government spending,increasing governemt,the first bailouts…george bush did that.increasing the deficit…george bush did that!!!No one in our party was loud enough to oppose bush.that’s why mccain loss…every word,every comercial was how mccain represented 4 more years of george bush.bush’s third term remember that!!!If it was any other repub but mccain it would be a 43 state win for obama.that’s teh truth

• 92 choccity2005 // Mar 15, 2009 at 12:00 pm

  How can we say we stand for fiscal discipline,smaller government,lower deficits,and national defense and no government bailouts when …BUSH DID THE ALL THOSE THINGS.

  WE want to oppose barack for it…yet who OPPOSED BUSH FOR IT??

  WE want barack to fail for it…but no one not even might rush called for bush to fail.Rush sold us out and any conserv who never spoke up against those principles.Michale savage did,glenn beck did.Oreilly did….That’s why they are all i listen too…cause they have credibility.David frum did.

  We still have senators and congressman…..voting for earmarks.Democrats like feingold and mccaskill are showing more principles by voting no and not putting earmarks in the bill……and they wonder why we keep losing elections.

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