From the Left - First Step to GOP Recovery: Fire Rush Limbaugh

[red states rule]

It is so funny to see liberals giving advice to conservatives on how to win elections

Libs like Mort got the candidate they wanted in John McCain - yet they will not admit they were wrong

The question is, how can anyone fire Rush? Unless they silence him via the Fairness Doctrine


First Steps to GOP Recovery
By Mort Kondracke

How can the Republican Party rebound? The first step would be to quit letting Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham set its agenda.

A second step would be for Congressional Republicans to actually try to help President-elect Barack Obama succeed in addressing the country's dire problems -- offering better ideas where appropriate and opposing just when necessary, not reflexively.

And the third -- maybe the biggest one -- would be for GOP governors to use their posts to show the country how conservatives can solve problems, especially the dismal state of American education and its menacing cousin, lagging American competitiveness.

If one governor would fully implement a widely circulated proposal to transform U.S. education -- based on having most children graduate after 10th grade and using the savings to pay teachers like professionals -- it could serve as a model for the nation and bring the United States back to world standards.

But Step One is to fire Rush Limbaugh and his ilk as the intellectual bosses of the GOP. They shouldn't be muzzled, as some liberals want to do by reviving the "fairness doctrine" in broadcasting, just ignored more frequently.

In recent years, Republicans have let right-wing talk show hosts whip the GOP base into frenzies -- over immigration, brain-damage victim Terry Schiavo and same-sex marriage -- that have branded the party as troglodyte.

The result is that the demographic groups representing the future of American politics shifted decisively to the Democratic Party in 2008 -- Latinos, young people, the well-educated, moderates, working women, first-time voters, suburbanites and "seculars

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/art..._recovery.html

[stephanie]

ole Mort has succumb to drinking the kool-aid..

he must be worried about his job when the little Marxist takes over, as well he should be....

[red states rule]

ole Mort has succumb to drinking the kool-aid..

he must be worried about his job when the little Marxist takes over, as well he should be....

The Obama campaign staff is laying off workers. The NY Times and AP are slashing jobs

So there will be fewer Obama staffers out there putting out the approved talking points

So Mort may be losing his job as well

[avatar4321]

Let's see if i understand this correctly. Republicans have been ignoring conservatives when they warn of the dangerous coming, and yet the brilliant idea to rebuild the Republican party is to get rid of the people who were warning against this.

[red states rule]

Let's see if i understand this correctly. Republicans have been ignoring conservatives when they warn of the dangerous coming, and yet the brilliant idea to rebuild the Republican party is to get rid of the people who were warning against this.

You have a firm grasp on the obvious

Whenever big hearted liberals give advice on how to improve the conservative movement - I take it with about 2 tones of salt

Why are libs like Mort so woried about Rush? They should be saying how irrelevant he is since his messiah won the election. Unless he knows Obama will be a total failure and he wants the like of Rush and Sean off the air

[5stringJeff]

Step One is to fire Rush Limbaugh and his ilk as the intellectual bosses of the GOP.

I think Mort has a good point, in that Rush, Sean, et al tend to boil the issues down to what sounds good on the radio, because that's their job: radio hosts. They are not politicians or policy wonks who work on actually implementing new laws. They live and make their money off of sound bites. Not that I don't enjoy listening to them - I usually get Sean Hannity's opening monolouge on the drive home - but they are not the Thinking Man's conservative.

And I'm not sure how suggesting that disagreement with Rush Limbaugh makes one "liberal."

[red states rule]

I think Mort has a good point, in that Rush, Sean, et al tend to boil the issues down to what sounds good on the radio, because that's their job: radio hosts. They are not politicians or policy wonks who work on actually implementing new laws. They live and make their money off of sound bites. Not that I don't enjoy listening to them - I usually get Sean Hannity's opening monolouge on the drive home - but they are not the Thinking Man's conservative.

And I'm not sure how suggesting that disagreement with Rush Limbaugh makes one "liberal."

They are Ronald Reagan conservatives Jeff - and that is why RINO's and liberals want them off the air

They make their living by holding both parties feet to the fire

[5stringJeff]

They are Ronald Reagan conservatives Jeff - and that is why RINO's and liberals want them off the air

They make their living by holding both parties feet to the fire

What?!?!? Rush and Sean both stepped in line to support McCain, even though both had railed against him for years. How can you say that they were holding the GOP's feet to the fire when the GOP abandoned Reagan conservatism?

Regardless, Mort is still correct in saying that Rush and Sean should not be "the intellectual bosses of the GOP." They play to the mass markets.

[red states rule]

What?!?!? Rush and Sean both stepped in line to support McCain, even though both had railed against him for years. How can you say that they were holding the GOP's feet to the fire when the GOP abandoned Reagan conservatism?

Regardless, Mort is still correct in saying that Rush and Sean should not be "the intellectual bosses of the GOP." They play to the mass markets.

Jeff, they did not support McCain because he was NOT a conservative. You said you lisetned to their shows, so you should know they went after McCain over many issues.

Bothe Rush and Sean went After Pres Bush and Republicans on their spending, lack of border security, immigration, Harriet Myers, and growing of government

Rush and Sean are true conservatives, and continue to say Reagan principals is the way to go

I agree