Posted on 03/02/2009 12:03:53 PM PST by Sub-Driver
'Pretty sad' Limbaugh's the lead GOP voice: Ron Paul @ 2:13 pm by Michael O'Brien
It is pretty sad that conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has become the de-facto voice of the Republican Party, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said Monday.
"I think it’s pretty sad," Paul said during an appearance on CNN Monday morning. "And it means that the Republicans are really starving for some type of leadership."
"He really didn’t broaden the base," the former Republican presidential candidate told the network's John Roberts. "I mean, it’s still very narrow, and that is why some of us would like to see an approach that would emphasize personal liberties and civil liberties."
Limbaugh's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this past weekend has been the subject of much discussion on the left and the right, with a number of Republican leaders (such as Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele) sounding off on Limbaugh's role and influence within the GOP.
"I think a lot of people like to hear what he’s saying, but I think it’s also a little bit polarizing and confrontational, and I think that’s why the Democrats are bragging that Limbaugh now speaks for the Republicans," Paul added. "So I guess the Democrats think it’s to their advantage if he’s leading the charge."
The Texas Republican also indicated there was little chance he would rekindle his presidential bid in 2012, opting instead to focus on his "Campaign for Liberty" fund.
And in those areas, it’s really the old Republican Party, because even Limbaugh was a strong supporter of Bush. So, he doesn’t have anything new either when it comes to, you know, bringing our troops home and not expanding the war in Afghanistan, and talking about, you know, the danger to our personal liberties and our privacies.
But the important thing is that somebody comes through with a philosophy that appeals to good, principled, liberal Democrats and progressives who like personal liberty, who don’t want to see perpetual war and to appeal to people who believe in the free market. I mean, this is what we need. We’re in desperate shape financially. Worldwide, we’re bankrupting ourselves because we’re overextended.
“It is pretty sad that conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has become the de-facto voice of the Republican Party, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said Monday.
“I think it’s pretty sad,” Paul said during an appearance on CNN Monday morning. “And it means that the Republicans are really starving for some type of leadership.” “
He is right. We don’t have any confidence that our elected republicans will ever speak up and stand up for what they belive in. They should have been in our faces every time san fran nan openned her mouth as the speaker of the house and spent money. Nooo they were too scared to disagree with a president - they were too busy f@#$%^& us right along with the democrats. Todays republicans are a bunch of whimps whose nuts have been turned over to the dems. For example where are they ranting about the 900Million going to Gaza? They have one thumb in the ass and the other in their mouth and are playing switch.
Sad is Paul never developing into a leader.
Geez, the Republican Party is not narrow and I’m really tired of party members saying this. It’s a HUGE tent, with liberals and moderates trying to co-exist with conservatives and that is the source of this problem. No one is advocating that we throw the moderates and liberals out; we just want them to stop being chosen as the leaders.
The friction is due to the posturing and positioning taking place right now and that’s a good thing. The more conservatives speak up and claim their rightful place as leaders of the party, the better off it will be.
The Democratic Party went through the same exact issue during its primary, with Clinton representing the more moderate wing and Obama the liberal wing. The liberals won and that’s the direction they decided to take.
Now, what is the best contrast to extreme liberalism? Conservatism. That is why I am certain the conservative wing will emerge as the direction our party will take and it will come from the likes of Palin, Jindal and others.
I, for one, am thrilled to see this disagreement within our party. It means the conservatives have finally awakened and they’re ready to take charge.
You broaden the base by having strong core priciples that you present to people, and then explain why those priciples are correct, and why they are better than the opposition's proposals. You do not bend or spin those principles to suit the occassion, and you wait for the broadening to come to you. This is what Rush does.
See 81, he want’s to broaden the base by having a “ philosophy that appeals to good, principled, liberal Democrats and progressives”
Look who’s talking. Ron Paul, the arch-credible...NOT.
I remember images of Duncan Hunter standing in the snow and people just passing him by. Or standing on stage during a debate and getting asked maybe one question all night.
I’d ask people about him and they’d look at me like I was talking another language. “He doesn’t impress me”. He was a truly impressive man in a race that ultimately gave us John McCain as our standard bearer for pete’s sake.
There are a lot of conservatives who are not really very conservative; they assume “conservative” is whatever they like. Meanwhile a real conservative can’t get the time of day. And GOP stalwarts go after our most outspoken philosopher and assume they speak for the party at large. Maybe they do. But they don’t speak for me.
Most of the people attacking Rush from the right or the left have not a clue what they are talking about. They mostly repeat the media spin on him proving they haven’t heard a thing he’s said.
The reason Rush is the Republican spokesman is because there aren’t any Conservative Republicans with the guts or b@lls to be the national voice for the GOP. Of course, Ron Paul isn’t really a Conservative and I don’t think he ever pretended he was. Paul is a Libertarian, which is Very Different from a Conservative.
Ron Paul is a rank earmark hypocrite AND an antiwar wingnut. His following in 2008 was mostly from the left. You want to build a coalition with broad appeal? Get non-hypocrites into the movement who don't say one thing and do another, and whose primary appeal in the 2008 primary was NOT to antiwar wingnuts.
No one wants to see perpetual war. Some of us realize, however, that war is necessary at times. I don't know whether to call him Ron Chamberlain or Neville Paul.
Rush is an entertainer, dont let the fact his show caters to Conservatives make you lose sight of that, he's paid to get on the air and make his Conservative views known in a fairly confrontational and blustery way, we've all come to expect this of Rush so of course he's going to cater to that image to keep people tuning in and listening. Its still up to you to do your own research and form your own opinions on things and not take anything at face value just because the voice comes out of a magic talking box.
Note I'm not saying that what Rush says is wrong or that he's not valid in what he says on the air or that he doesn't believe what he says. He's great at what he does and he's filling a void thats not being filled by the leadership, its just a shame that its falling to him to do.
Now THAT’S funny!
Not a whole lot of difference between a conservative and Libertarian. I am more Libertarian who did not vote for GWB. Both conservatives and libertarians share the same belief of limited government, minus the christian conservatives.
You don’t like Rush speaking for the Republican party?
Then why don’t you ELECTED F***S DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT? Like...I don’t know, TAKING A STAND YOURSELVES?
If you want to “work with the president” and “hope Obama succeeds” then why don’t you just resign now? Why are you even there as “Republicans”?
This truly blows. :(
Not a whole lot of difference between a conservative and Libertarian. I am more Libertarian who did not vote for GWB. Both conservatives and libertarians share the same belief of limited government, minus the christian conservatives.
Sounds a lot like that effeminate talking head George StephaloaPAULous with those words.
I don’t see anything disparaging to Rush in these remarks. I think Ron Paul is rightly acknowledging that the GOP is no longer representing the values of the conservative voters.
Sure he is. He's disparaging the Repbulicans AND Rush. Doesn't want any Republicans being "confrontational" or "polarizing", saying exactly what a democrat or media hack would say.
If Ru Paul really gave a damn about the party his comments would have been along the lines of 'Rush is right...' and not that 'Rush is devisive' Bullshit. Screw him.
I was busy fighting with my post, so I didn’t see #81.
>”philosophy that appeals to good, principled, liberal Democrats and progressives”<
Now that is sad! How can he call himself a conservative?
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