'Minority Leader Limbaugh' Will Sink GOP

The 2008 election sent many signals, but chief among them was that America is sick of partisan pettiness, writes President Obama’s former campaign manager David Plouffe in the Washington Post today, He faults the GOP for somehow missing that memo, joining Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel in declaring that “Rush Limbaugh has become their leader.” For hurting Americans, Rush's bellowing that he hopes Obama fails to rescue the economy "sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard.”

But Republican leaders are too terrified to rebuke their new leader, Plouffe writes. When Michael Steele dared criticize the Maha Rushie, he felt compelled to publicly apologize within 24 hours. Eric Cantor says the GOP’s strategy will be to “Just Say No,” a clear echoing of Rush’s failure strategy. If Republicans stick to that, “we may find out what it means for a political party to hit rock bottom.” (More David Plouffe stories.)