Rush Judgment
David Frum* slams Rush at Newsweek. A lot to ponder and dicker over his view of the future of the party and whether Rush is part of it. Basic point, does anyone actually think Rush is going to be the leader of the Republican Party or want him to be, including Rush? Raise your hand if you want Obama, Emanuel, Carville to choose the GOP’s next leader. Also, fundamentally, Rush or no Rush, is this party expressing itself in a way that is going to reach people, and taking positions that reflect current realities.
Frum’s drawing all kinds of fire.
Noel Sheppard: MSM pays cons to attack Rush.
Hot Air gives him quote of the day for “language of a cult” as kickoff point for a lot of coment debate.
Patterico at Hot Air: “Frum doesn’t speak for me any more than Rush does”
Ace: Frum ego vs. Rush ego
American Power misreads a line to suggest Frum said he feels silly about supporting the Iraq war, gets a little wound up when it’s pointed out. It’s pretty clear Frum is saying he feels silly about supporting the impeachment of Bill Clinton … I dunno, the guy barefaced lied to the American people about being serviced by a junior subordinate in the Oval Office. Nothing to feel silly about wanting that out of there.
Strata-Sphere, no Rush fan and no Frum fan, goes both ways. Likes some, whacks some.
MacsMind thinks Frum’s an idiot, wants nothing to do with his RINO hybrid liberal GOP makeover.
More Rush/whither the GOP inter-blog debate via Villainous Company.
Red State: White House distraction tactic.
* Full disclosure: I’m related to Frum, enjoy his company, have been to his house for dinner, run into him periodically at funerals, weddings, bat mitzvahs, that kind of thing. I also respect him as a thoughtful, informed, principled conservative voice, honest maybe to a fault, quite apart from the fact that he’s married to my cousin. I have probably listened to a grand total of 15 minutes of Limbaugh in my life, but I’m not big on talk radio, so don’t take it personally, Rush. OK, maybe an hour and 15. I like the combativeness, the harsh truths, and the capacity for driving people out of their minds. My view on all this? 2010 and 2012 are a long way off. The driving events of those elections haven’t happened yet, and the people who are going to drive events may not even have emerged yet. I’m not convinced the GOP needs a total makeover, but the message is nothing if not all over the place, utterly lacking leadership, and given that vacuum, who’s surprised Rush is filling the void? Point man, voice of frustration, attack dog, lightning rod, he is getting the job done for the moment, though by his own admission, in his own interest. Dems must be enjoying the crossfire, most of which is in aid of nothing, except to the extent it gets dirty laundry out of the way, motivates and focuses people. Sooner or later, someone is going to have to work on more than just driving up ratings, selling magazines or in my own case, getting a couple of blog hits. Things like actual message, platform, candidates, fundraising, elections. Politics.
Anyway, I’m more interested in attacking my adversaries than my friends. So we’ll end on a high note. Or is it a low note?
Malkin: “This party atmosphere sends the wrong message.”
Gateway: “Obama to appease Cuban regime next.”
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 2:27 pm on Sunday, March 8, 2009
6 Responses to “Rush Judgment”
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March 8th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
“Anyway, I’m more interested in attacking my adversaries than my friends..”
No, no, no…. must keeel frenz, always keeel frenz … and then make with the suckingup to the enimeeze, It iz the Rebooblican way!!!
March 8th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
There are some in the “conservative” wing of politics that devoutly wish to keep all political discussions at a theoretical level and within the decorum of academic philosophical debate. Such folk tend to forget that it matters. They also tend to forget that politics have always been a bloody knuckle business at street level.
The primary problem, now, for such folk, isn’t the radio or who’s on it and what they’re saying. It’s the blogs and how the blogs are beginning to intrude on their fortresses of disdain for those they believe to be nothing more than unibrows.
A fight’s coming. Not a metaphorical type but a fight type fight. It’s coming. The appeasers and philosophers will, as usual, be caught completely by surprise too.
March 8th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
You sure you don’t want to get drawn into this whole Patterico-Ace-Allah vs. Goldstein and Friends thing, Jules? Wouldn’t want you to feel left out.
March 9th, 2009 at 4:59 am
Raise your hand if you want Frum to choose the GOP’s next leader.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:09 am
You know me, I’m all about the love, V’taigne.
March 9th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Who? Frum?
Never hoid a da guy.