Letting the Snake Eat Itself

In case anyone was wondering, it is now official. Rush Limbaugh owns the Republican party.

Two days ago, I discussed how the conservative talk show blowhard had, for all intents and purposes, taken over the GOP. Honestly, I had no idea just how right I was. Events of the last 48 hours have confirmed that he is not simply the leader of the party. He holds the keys, drives the car and takes a switch to anyone who doesn't kow-tow to him.

Exhibit A: Republican Party Chair Michael Steele.

Over the weekend, Steele appeared on D.L. Hughley's television show and, when confronted with the accusation that Rush had taken over the GOP, responded that, no, in actuality, Steele was the head of the Republicans. Then he said:

"Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh's whole thing is entertainment. Yes, it is incendiary. Yes, it is ugly."

Whoops. Rush, suffice it to say, was not pleased.

Yesterday, the OxyContin spokesmodel got on his squawk box and let Steele have it with both barrells. Some selected quotes:

"Michael Steele, you are head of the RNC. You are not head of the Republican Party. Tens of millions of conservatives and Republicans have nothing to do with the RNC and right now they want nothing to do with it, and when you call them asking them for money, they hang up on you."

"It's time, Mr. Steele, for you to go behind the scenes and start doing the work that you were elected to do instead of trying to be some talking head media star, which you're having a tough time pulling off. I hope you figure out how to run a primary system. But it seems to me that it's Michael Steele who is off to a shaky start."

"Republicans, conservatives, are sick and tired of being talked down to, sick and tired of being lectured to, and until you show some understanding and respect for who they are, you're going to have a tough time rebuilding your party."

Man, somebody pinch me! I'm in left-wing, liberal, latte-sippin', Volvo-drivin', French-food eatin' heaven! When the GOP and Limbaugh are at each other's throats, well...order me up a ringside seat, won't you?

The question then became: What will Steele do? Will he dig in his heels and insist that the Republican agenda is not determined by some overweight pill-popping loudmouth? Will he show some backbone? Prove that he is, in fact, the leader of his party?

Don't you bet on it:

"There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership," Steele said Monday. He added, "There are those out there who want to look at what he's saying as incendiary and divisive and ugly. That's what I was trying to say. It didn't come out that way."

And:

"I went back at that tape and I realized words that I said weren't what I was
thinking," Steele told Politico. "I'm not going to engage these guys and sit
back and provide them the popcorn for a fight between me and Rush Limbaugh."

Too late, Mike! (munch, munch, munch)

And with that, Mr. Steele effectively put a sign around his neck that reads: "Limbaugh's Bitch."

So let the word go forth, throughout the land. There is no longer any question of who is the anointed head of the Republican party. And he is not, as you may have thought, the erudite African-American former lieutenant governor of Maryland and current head of the RNC. Nosiree Bob.

He is, in fact, the three-hundred pound thrice-divorced mouth-breather in front of the microphone in South Florida. And, as events have shown, you anger this beast at your peril.

Beware!