Michael Steele yesterday said on the air that Rush Limbaugh’s rhetoric was “incendiary” and “ugly”, and reminded the audience that he, not Rush Limbaugh, was the head of the Republican Party. Limbaugh’s response? ” “Michael Steele, you are head of the Republican National Committee. You are not head of the Republican party.” After the loss in November, it was pretty foreseeable that there’d be a battle for the hearts and minds of the Republican Party. And now it’s on like Donkey Kong.
While I admit that the “Obama is a political ninja” theory which I’ve ocasionally endorsed may strike some as wishful thinking, it’s pretty clear that Rahm Emanuel triggered this spat on purpose. I don’t know if Obama’s on a mission to destroy conservatism as a political force, but he seems to be making a solid play at it so far. If the Republican Party doesn’t do some serious strategic planning, they might be headed into a generation of total irrelevance.