Forgive Me, Rush Limbaugh, For I Have Sinned

You may have noticed that Rush Limbaugh, the talk show entertainer who has never held elected political office, is much in the news these days. In fact, one could certainly argue that the man has never wielded more influence over our elected officials than he does at this moment in history. How great is his power within the Republican party? Well, to find out, we might consider what happens when a member of the GOP actually has the nerve to say something critical of Mr. Limbaugh.

The last three men who committed this sin against ditto-dom are Rep. Phil Gingrey, Rep. Eric Cantor, and RNC Chief Michael Steele. Each one had the audacity to disagree with Mr. Limbaugh. Steele and Gingrey, after being roasted on Limbaugh's radio program, quickly came back around, tail hidden between legs, and asked forgiveness. In a similar show of courage, Cantor refused to repeat the criticism out loud and risk offending Mr. Limbaugh's delicate sensibilities once more.

Well, none of this has gone unnoticed by the DNC, who are launching a website today to remind everyone just how beholden the GOP is to Rush and his stamp-of-approval. Really, for Limbaugh and the Democrats, his continued time in the spotlight is something of a win-win. Rush's audience will continue to grow and the Democrats will raise a ton of money from people who despise him. Unfortunately, for the Republican party, this kiss-the-rings-routine shows them to be sadly lacking in the leadership department. Seriously, they don't have the guts to stand by their own criticism of a guy who routinely comes up with this kind of stuff? But, hey, not everybody agrees that Limbaugh is a growing tumor inside the Republican body politic. Some say he's good for the party. Who knows, maybe Limbaugh-mania means we all come out winners.