Michael Steele vs. Rush Limbaugh

A clash between the Republicans' chairman and talk-radio's leading conservative voice

“This must be the End Times," said Rod Dreher in BeliefNet, because there are signs everywhere. The latest came when Michael Steele, the head of the Republican Party, “didn’t let the sun go down before apologizing to Rush Limbaugh” for uttering a mild criticism of him. The Democrats must be giddy at the spectacle of the GOP’s chairman groveling to a “fatmouthing blowhard” of a talk-radio host.

Michael Steele did Democrats a huge favor, said Steve Benen in The Washington Monthly. By saying that “Rush Limbaugh’s schtick is both ‘incendiary’ and ‘ugly,’” (watch the CNN video), Steele drove a wedge between the GOP leadership and its Limbaugh-loving base. The offense “baited” Limbaugh into launching an on-air tirade against Steele, which only made the spotlight on the feud brighter.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up