People are blogging about this, so I will therefore wade in. From what I understand, a conservative Republican did a little minor Rush Limbaugh bashing, basically saying that he's not elected and he doesn't have any responsibilities, which both seem true to me. But, since Rush is one of the Republican tribe's leaders, he cannot be badmouthed, so said representative apologized. I didn't see any video to verify if his tail was between his legs, or if his hat was firmly in hand, but you get the point.
I'll admit that, while I often talk about intramural conservative politics, largely because I'm totally fascinated by the whole thing and hopefully with some level of insight there is much I don't know. I have noticed that the right tends to be less than willing to depose leaders (and former leaders) who have done them ill. Newt Gingrich would be an example--regardless of his success at helping Republicans win in 1994, he was nothing less than a disaster as Speaker, and was largely responsible at hastening the end of the conservative era, and has been offering an alternating stream of nonsensical and bad advice to Republicans for over a decade now. Limbaugh is similar, and ever since helping Bush get the GOP nomination Rush has championed the same sort of racial and xenophobic sludge that turns off swing voters.
And, despite failing to actually help the Republicans win for the past decade and a half, their influence continues unabated, if not even more intensified. I respect that Republicans like to dance, so to speak, with the girls that brung them, but sooner or later they're going to have to realize that they ought to listen to better leaders. I'm betting on later.
