Last weekend, after fatuous gasbag Rush Limbaugh wowed the crowed at CPAC (the Conservative Political Action Conference), Michael Steele, the newly elected RNC chairman appeared on the D.L. Hughley Show on CNN. Appearing, as always, to be an intelligent, reasonable man, he bridled when Hughley referred to Limbaugh as “the de facto leader of the Republican Party.” Steele asserted that he, himself was the defacto leader of the party. (Technically, he’s the actual leader, not just the de facto leader. But maybe he never studied latin.)
He then went on to say that Rush is “an entertainer” and that some of the things he says are “incendiary” and “ugly.” I’d have to say that’s a fair assessment.
Steele’s comments incited a huge backlash among conservative bloggers and pundits, who spent several days talking about how “this is not what the party needs.” Finally, Steele caved in, and offered a kind of mealy-mouthed apology, saying that he had reviewed the tape, and has seen that his words hadn’t come out right. He hadn’t meant to say that Rush was an entertainer who says incendiary and ugly things. He meant that Rush was often used as a scapegoat by the left.
Hmmm. I find it hard to imagine what kind of mental process would have caused Steele to say what he said, if he had actually been thinking what he now says he thought.
In any case, all doubt has been removed as to who the de facto leader of the Republican Party is.
I now have two questions for Michael Steele. First, since you obviously did mean what you said in the first place, why is it, do you think, that Republicans are entertained by a pompous thug who says things that are incendiary and ugly?
Second, what are your future plans, now that you know you’re not really running the RNC? Are you just going to spend the next couple of years toadying?
