Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 3/9/09 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Tommy Wright

In the wake of the 2008 elections, there is a power vacuum atop the Republican Party. The party has some new faces that are gaining power, but it is a well-known name that seems to be making the biggest push for power, and I am all for it.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is set to be the GOP's answer to Barack Obama. "The rock star of the Republican Party," as Sean Hannity called him, gave his first big speech on Feb. 24 in response to President Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress.

Juan Williams, a conservative political contributor for Fox News, said Jindal's speech was a "really poor performance."

"It just came off as amateurish, and even the tempo in which he spoke seemed like sing-song, and he was telling stories that seemed very simplistic and almost childish," Williams said.

Another Republican who has drawn comparisons to Obama is Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee. Steele rose through the ranks quickly. He became lieutenant governor of Maryland in 2003 and, like Obama, had a prominent speech at his party's 2004 national convention.

Steele also served as chairman of GOPAC, a Republican political action committee that is essentially a training camp for the party.

But competing with these up-and-comers for control of the party is the self-proclaimed "most dangerous man in America," radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

In an interview with CNN, Steele said that he was the de facto leader of the Republican Party, not Limbaugh. He also said that Limbaugh is an "entertainer" and described his tactics as "incendiary" and "ugly" and spoke of empowering the black community and improving education.

Limbaugh responded by saying that Steele is the head of the Republican National Committee, not the Republican Party. He asked why Steele seems obsessed with making sure Obama succeeds.

"This isn't complicated stuff here, folks. It's difficult to organize the defeat of Obama and the Democrat(ic) Congress in 2012, if we want to," Limbaugh said.

He went on to explain that the key to success for the Republicans is to move further to the right.

"The pressure is on the Republican Party to be more Democrat(ic) Party-like, and too many Republicans in Washington want to make that happen," Limbaugh said. "Well, just the opposite is going to happen. The sleeping conservative giant has been awakened here. It's a beautiful thing."

Continued...

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