GOP congressman CAVES on criticism of Limbaugh

On his radio show this week, Rush Limbaugh said that President Barack Obama is “obviously more frightened of me than he is Mitch McConnell. He's more frightened of me, than he is of, say, John Boehner, which doesn't say much about our party."

Obama had warned Republican members of congress earlier against letting Limbaugh's narrow, base-oriented agenda guide their actions with regard to the federal stimulus bill.

On Tuesday, Republican Congressman Phil Gingrey of Georgia essentially told Limbaugh to shut his pie hole.

“I mean, it’s easy if you’re Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even sometimes Newt Gingrich to stand back and throw bricks. You don’t have to try to do what’s best for your people and your party. You know you’re just on these talk shows and you’re living well and plus you stir up a bit of controversy and gin the base and that sort of that thing. But when it comes to true leadership, not that these people couldn’t be or wouldn’t be good leaders, they’re not in that position of John Boehner or Mitch McConnell."

Well.

What a difference a day makes.

Here is Gingrey, in a statement on his congressional website, backtracking completely from his earlier criticism of Limbaugh.

Because of the high volume of phone calls and correspondence received by my office since the Politico article ran, I wanted to take a moment to speak directly to grassroots conservatives. Let me assure you, I am one of you. I believe I was sent to Washington to fight for and defend our traditional values of smaller government, lower taxes, a strong national defense, and the lives of the unborn. In my six years in Washington, I have led the charge on many of these issues. In fact, in 2008 The National Journal ranked me the #1 most conservative Member of the House of Representatives.

As long as I am in the Congress, I will continue to fight for and defend our sacred values. I have actively opposed every bailout, every rebate check, every so called “stimulus.” And on so many of these things, I see eye-to-eye with Rush Limbaugh. Regardless of what yesterday’s headline may have read, I never told Rush to back off. I regret and apologize for the fact that my comments have offended and upset my fellow conservatives—that was not my intent. I am also sorry to see that my comments in defense of our Republican Leadership read much harsher than they actually were intended, but I recognize it is my responsibility to clarify my own comments.

Now more than ever, we need to articulate a clear conservative message that distinguishes our values and our approach from those of liberal Democrats who are seeking to move our nation in the wrong direction. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Newt Gingrich, and other conservative giants are the voices of the conservative movement’s conscience. Everyday, millions and millions of Americans—myself included—turn on their radios and televisions to listen to what they have to say, and we are inspired by their words and by their determination. At the end of the day, every member of the conservative movement, from our political commentators and thinkers to our elected officials, share an important and common purpose in advancing the cause of liberty, reigning in a bloated federal government, and defending our traditional family values.

Wow.

On Tuesday, Limbaugh, Hannity, and Gingrich were brick-throwing bystanders.

A day later, they are "the voices of the conservative movement's conscience."

Those must have been some ferocious e-mails.

I wonder how it feels to bend over, grab the ankles, and subordinate your manhood so completely to a bloated, impotent, drug-addled degenerate like Rush Limbaugh.

I wonder how it must feel to be so completely at the mercy of that know-nothing blowhard and the mouth-breathing rabble who hang on his every word as though it was carved into stone by the hand of God.

You know, it really doesn't matter who the RNC picks as its next chairman. They could elect Ken Blackwell or Mr. Blackwell*. It is completely irrelevant. The GOP is Rush Limbaugh's party now.

The co-chair of a group called Republican Majority for Choice has a piece in Politico today titled, New GOP chair must accept moderates:

At a time when the party should be establishing a sound strategy to win elections, regain the majority and have influence on issues like economic security and cutting government waste, the debate among the candidates for RNC chairman is more of the same: a call to energize the right wing of the party, despite the fact that this hyper-ideological, so-called base no longer represents the majority of GOP voters. And, as a consequence, vilify anyone who does not pledge 100 percent allegiance to an exclusionary social agenda.

[...]

The turnaround of the GOP is not an easy fix. Years of marginalizing — even ignoring — the viable and influential moderate majority will take time to unravel, but it must begin now. The newly elected chairman must welcome diverse views on heartfelt social issues while remaining true to core Republican principles of limited government, individual responsibility and personal freedom. If the party cannot do this, there will be no Republican Party to fight over in the future.

Yeah, good luck with that.

The fight over the Republican Party is over. Rush Limbaugh won.

The good news is, there is a home for moderate Republicans. It's called The Democratic Party. We'll leave a light on for ya.

UPDATE

Gingrey also called in to Limbaugh's show to grovel for forgiveness.



_{*Yes, I know he's dead}