Sign in to wowOwow

Enter the email address that you used when registering at wowOwow.
The password field is case sensitive. Click here if you have forgotten your password.

Please register for wowOwow

Newsletter subscriptions
Sign up to receive wowOwow's weekly newsletter and get our best picks delivered right to your inbox. Our newsletter content is hand-picked by the wowOwow editorial team and provides the top features, news, and commentary from our site. Subscribing to our newsletter is free and safe. We will never share your email or other information with a third-party without your direct consent.
By registering, you indicate that you have read and agree
with our privacy policy and terms of service.
Home › Politics

Politics | 03/09/2009 1:15 pm

Majority of Republicans See No Clear Leader, Especially Not Rush, Palin

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
© Getty Images

Rush Limbaugh may fancy himself leader of the Republican Party, but recent polls say otherwise.

In addition to last week’s survey showing that more than 60% of GOP members reject Rush as their bellwether, a fresh Rasmussen Reports survey passes on word today that the majority of Republicans see no clear commander: "Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Republican voters say their party has no clear leader, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Another 17% are undecided." Sadly for Rush, only a scant 2% view him as their leader, while former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin pulled in a mere 1% of the vote.

If the party wants to win forthcoming elections, we suggest they find a popular face and stick with it — otherwise there won’t be any leadership at all!

Read more about: John McCain, Michael Steele, News, Politics, Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin

137 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Queenie .
Rush never said or implied that he was the leader of the Republican party.  This is a figment of the dems imagination which they made up for sensationalism.
By Queenie . on 03/09/2009 1:27 pm
Rachel F
Quite right. It’s another ridiculous line that’s spewed with regularity by that crowd — more empty rhetoric that somehow "justifies" their preconceived notions and foolish prejudices.
By Rachel F on 03/09/2009 1:37 pm
Raugiel Reddel

The dems didn’t make it up, just took advantage of Mike Steele’s strange behavior towards Rush. Any time a political leader feels the need to apologise to a media figure, questions will be asked. (What if the dems started apologising to Bono whenever he didn’t like their policies or statements? The media would of course be right on top of it.)

Rush, of course, doesn’t need to claim to be the leader of the Republican party, or anything else, but the media circus alone helps fuel his celebrity, which is of course, how he makes a living.

By Raugiel Reddel on 03/09/2009 1:48 pm
Rachel F
Steele was insulting to Limbaugh, which is why he apologized. That doesn’t look good for him, and it distracts from his valid points. He was right in saying that Limbaugh is an entertainer. That’s what he does — he presents things in an amusing, oftentimes outrageous, manner, because it draws the laughs of some, and the ire of others … and publicity and more listeners all around. It’s just business. Steele would have been better off ignoring Limbaugh altogether, or else completely refraining from insults and simply stating his point.
By Rachel F on 03/09/2009 1:56 pm
caj p
Steele was not insulting to Limbaugh he only said what he and many others thought, the sad thing is he never had enough guts to stick by what he said and had to grovel to this man alongside others who said one thing and then felt they had to apologize.  Those are marks of true leadership…..not!!!   Limbaugh is not an entertainer he is just a loud divisive person who doesn’t know when to put a sock in it, but he rallies up the base so he does a good job for them as they lap it up. Whether he gets his facts straight makes no difference to him or them as long as he gets good ratings and they feel they are hearing what they want to hear everything is just fine. 
By caj p on 03/09/2009 2:41 pm
Rachel F
I’m sorry, but on the planet where I live, arguing politics by insulting your opponent’s looks is…well, insulting. Steele was right in his message, but wrong in how he expressed it. As I say, he should either have ignored Limbaugh altogether, or stuck only to his reasoning, free of insults. Instead, he used the same sort of tactics that Rush uses to get a rise out of people — and it went poorly with him. Limbaugh can get away with things like that, and be none the worse — oftentimes better, because of the scandal/uproar it causes — but a respectable political figure can’t.
By Rachel F on 03/09/2009 2:55 pm
caj p
Limbaugh is doing the Rep Party no favours here and Steele and others know it, they tried to clamp down on it by trying to stand up to him but it failed miserably by all and has left them all looking weak and Limbaugh the winner.
By caj p on 03/09/2009 5:05 pm
Catherine Kaiman

How is Steele saying that Limbaugh is not the Rep leader, that he himself is, an insult on Limbaugh? Steele was only speaking the truth.

Perhaps that’s where Limbaugh felt insulted, he was demoted in his own mind.

By Catherine Kaiman on 03/09/2009 6:44 pm
Rachel F
That is not. Steele was absolutely right to say that. But he was not right to insult Limbaugh’s appearance (something else that he did); this lowers him, and distracts from the discussion. That was what I was referring to. :-)
By Rachel F on 03/09/2009 9:07 pm
Catherine Kaiman
Oh ok thanks for clarifying, I must’ve missed that part of the interview. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
By Catherine Kaiman on 03/10/2009 12:26 pm
Rachel F
No problem. :-)
By Rachel F on 03/10/2009 1:31 pm
DeBúrca obj
As long as Senators and the head of the RNC feel the need to apologize to their leader anytime they disagree with him publicaly, and as long as he is given an hour in a key spot to pontificate at CPAC…. Rush is the official "Anointed One" of the Republican Party.
By DeBúrca obj on 03/09/2009 4:19 pm
Mike Hunt
Obama has already apologized to the American people about Daschle. Have you forgotten that?
By Mike Hunt on 03/09/2009 11:20 pm
deber B

Queenie, it’s the best they’ve got right now.   If they feel by saying that Rush is the leader of the republican party it will "embarrass" us they are sadly mistaken.   Rush is an entertaining commentator making millions of dollars doing what he does best….upsetting the liberals.

This next election is of utmost importance to the moderate republican party.   Candidates will be making their intentions known soon and we will have the opportunity to bring back the republican party we know and respect.   Pawlenty and Sanford, so far, look promising.   Palin could make a comeback, better prepared and media savvy this time.   There will be others who will challenge Barack Obama and his aggressive socialist policies.    2010 will be the tipping point.

Republicans have learned a valuable lesson and will have the opportunity in 2012 to bring our country back to our core beliefs.  

By deber B on 03/09/2009 1:45 pm
caj p
Limbaugh doesn’t upset us but he should upset and embarrass you folks…the tipping point you refer to is not going to go in favor of the Reps that’s for sure too much water under that old bridge and it will take a long long time before any credibility comes their way again.  The lack of leadership is laughable right now, Limbaugh has been the only voice for them and no one has a backbone to refute him, they say one thing and then do another…that is great leadership skills for you.  That’s the problem their core beliefs they are out dated and they are out of touch, those are the ways of the past and it’s about time you all moved forward such stagnant ideas will get you nowhere.
By caj p on 03/09/2009 2:32 pm
1234567next ›last »