Thanks For Playing, Better Luck Next Time

January 23, 2009, mark it down as the day Barack Obama got reelected President. He seemingly off-handedly told a group of Republican congressman that, “You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done." I don’t think the remark was off-handed. Obama is like Jason Bourne; he doesn’t do random, he doesn’t make mistakes. What’s happened since then would have been considered hokey and ham-fisted if Aaron Sorkin had written it for a West Wing episode. Rush Limbaugh’s favorite person, Rush Limbaugh, has been emboldened, if that’s possible, and has gone on a predictably narcissistic bender. He “energized” the Republican base with a speech to the Conservative Political Action Council where he basically accused any Republican calling for new ideas or helping the Obama administration of treachery. We’re looking at you Michael Steele and Newt Gingrich. Anytime an elected Republican is critical of Limbaugh that Republican has to apologize publicly. Barack Obama picked the new Republican leadership, and it looks a lot like the old Republican leadership, and with a ten word sentence he started, what will inevitably become, a GOP civil war. Limbaugh is going to beat his chest constantly for the next three and a half years, screaming about how the Reagan strategy, which is almost thirty years old, is the only strategy – while never having to produce results on anything. I don’t know if he knows he’s being used or not, but I don’t think it matters. People are screaming “Rush” and he’s drawn like a pill popper to the medicine cabinet moth to the flame. The only option for Limbaugh to stop an Obama rubber-stamped reelection is subtlety and deference, and he doesn’t have that club in his bag. He can’t let Michael Steele, Newt Gingrich, John Boehner, and Mitch McConnell – the early favorites for 2012 GOP nominees - be more important than he is. But he also can’t/won’t run for office for a number of reasons. He doesn’t want to work that hard. He doesn’t want to take the massive pay cut. He doesn’t like follow up questions. He’s fat. He’s a recovering drug addict. He has a bad back. He’s deaf. He’s been divorced three times. He barely graduated from high school. And Republicans are jackals. There is no way he could survive a primary against one, let alone multiple, GOP hopefuls with work experience more impressive than “disc jockey”. I like Rush Limbaugh, especially with Democrats controlling everything. He’s smart, funny, and he’s constantly in their faces, which forces them to govern better. But he and the Republican Party are getting worked by possibly the best politician ever. Looking at it from Machiavelli’s Obama’s perspective, if Limbaugh is marginalized then the GOP can become more moderate and his job is easier and he’s guaranteed reelection. If Limbaugh does his peacock thing then the GOP is fractured and Sun Tzu Obama is guaranteed reelection. All the pieces aren’t on the board yet and it’s already checkmate.