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The Simpsons Called It: Rush Limbaugh is the de facto GOP Leader

by Tina Kells | March 2, 2009 at 01:52 pm

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The Simpsons is not the longest running prime time television show for nothing. Well known for making social commentaries and using political satire, it looks as if The Simpsons can now predict the future after a debate sparked this week about who really leads the GOP.

If you are a Simpsons fan I am sure you can recall the episode where Sideshow Bob runs for office. In it a secret meeting is held of a GOP-like group of power characters to determine the best political strategy for putting Bob in power. At the head of the round table discussion is a character named Birch Barlow, who is unmistakenably patterned after conservative shock-talk radio host Rush Limbaugh.

If recent events are to be taken at face value this Simpsons portrayal was bang on with reality.

Limbaugh brought a cheering crowd to its feet several times as he called on fellow conservatives to take back the country.

He used his self-described "first national address," which ran more than an hour longer than his allotted 20 minutes, to accuse President Obama of inspiring fear in Americans in order to push a liberal agenda of "big government."

Limbaugh also backed up comments he made earlier this year in which he said he hoped Obama failed.

"What is so strange about being honest and saying I want Barack Obama to fail if his mission is to restructure and re-form this country so that capitalism and individual liberty are not its foundation?" he said.

But there is dissension in the ranks. Not all Republicans feel that Rush Limbaugh is an appropriate leader for the GOP, even just a de facto one. The most vocal of the anti-Limbaugh Republicans is Party Chairman Michael Steele who has taken issue with Limbaugh's assertion that he is the de facto GOP leader.

Michael Steele has called out Limbaugh as being nothing more than a loud mouth entertainer who makes "incendiary" and "ugly" comments. In Steele's mind it is he, and not Limbaugh, who is the de facto leader of the GOP.

"Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh's whole thing is entertainment," Steele said. "Yes, it is incendiary. Yes, it is ugly."
Limbaugh fired back on his radio show Monday that the GOP leader appears to be supporting President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"Why do you claim to lead the Republican Party when you seem obsessed with seeing to it President Obama succeeds?" Limbaugh said to Steele.

"I frankly am stunned that the chairman of the Republican National Committee endorses such an agenda. I have to conclude that he does because he attacks me for wanting it to fail," said Limbaugh.

So who is the current face of the GOP? Is it Party Chairman Michael Steele or outspoken conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh? That will be up to Republicans to decide.

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Roy C

at 14:21 on March 2nd, 2009

Steele was a good choice and the democrats would do well to avail themselves of the services of Willy Brown, ex-mayor of SF, leader of the house in Sacramento.

Limbaugh's major flaw is that he is a free trader. Our economy will never produce the wealth it once did while most of manufacturing goes on outside the US, good for the multi-nationals, bad for the American worker, and the economy in general and overcoming deficit spending.

Roy C

at 18:02 on March 2nd, 2009

Do you listen to Air America? What is the difference between the right and the left on demagoguery?

backpackwayne (not verified)

at 01:26 on March 6th, 2009

The difference is no one from Air America is running either party. No one is apologizing to them either. And they use these things called facts to state their case.

harringtola

at 13:02 on March 7th, 2009

The amazing thing is that he sees nothing wrong with wanting the president of the country to fail in trying to restore our economic stability. He would rather a high percent of Americans are living in poverty and misery than have an ideology different than his own be in place.