Spring Break
The New Face of the Republican Party
Does Rush Limbaugh Wield the Power Behind the Party?
Taylor Smith
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Politics
After losing the Presidential election in November, the Republican Party was forced to scramble to find a new leader. They made history with the election of the first African American party chairman, Michael Steele.
Since this history making move, Steele is appearing less and less frequently in the public eye, and instead has become a behind-closed-doors type of leader. But perhaps this is not Steele's preference, or maybe it's not even his decision. Instead, talking heads are slowly becoming the norm as leaders in the public eye for a party which, this past election cycle, became buried beneath the leadership of the opposition in both the executive and legislative branches. A struggling party needs strong leadership, but in reality, who is leading the Republican Party?
Amongst continuous cries against a liberal media bias, some members of the conservative media have stepped up to "assist" the ailing party. Case in point: Rush Limbaugh. He has launched countless attacks since the inauguration, including one directed straight at President Obama, declaring that he is hoping for the President's failure. However, Limbaugh is an equal opportunity attacker and has turned on parts of the very party he supports and hopes for.
As Michael Steele tried to pick up the pieces of his party after the elections, Limbaugh quickly put him in his place. On his show on March 2, Limbaugh confronted him after Steele said on CNN that he is in fact the leader of the Republican Party, while Limbaugh is just an entertainer.
Rush would have none of that saying, "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…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."
Since this history making move, Steele is appearing less and less frequently in the public eye, and instead has become a behind-closed-doors type of leader. But perhaps this is not Steele's preference, or maybe it's not even his decision. Instead, talking heads are slowly becoming the norm as leaders in the public eye for a party which, this past election cycle, became buried beneath the leadership of the opposition in both the executive and legislative branches. A struggling party needs strong leadership, but in reality, who is leading the Republican Party?
Amongst continuous cries against a liberal media bias, some members of the conservative media have stepped up to "assist" the ailing party. Case in point: Rush Limbaugh. He has launched countless attacks since the inauguration, including one directed straight at President Obama, declaring that he is hoping for the President's failure. However, Limbaugh is an equal opportunity attacker and has turned on parts of the very party he supports and hopes for.
As Michael Steele tried to pick up the pieces of his party after the elections, Limbaugh quickly put him in his place. On his show on March 2, Limbaugh confronted him after Steele said on CNN that he is in fact the leader of the Republican Party, while Limbaugh is just an entertainer.
Rush would have none of that saying, "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…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."
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