General

Say no to Rush

David Frum argues the conservative radio host is the Republicans’ worst enemy

“Our party seems to be running to govern a country that no longer exists,” David Frum writes of the Republicans in a scathing essay for Newsweek. And Rush Limbaugh is leading the Republicans’ charge into political oblivion, according to Frum. By embodying the very stereotypes that have left the party grasping at a dwindling base of voters, Limbaugh’s only success is in further marginalizing the party, ensuring that its appeal is limited to white, socially-conservative males with a deep-rooted mistrust in government. If the GOP hopes to one day regain control of the White House,
Frum argues it will first need to develop a platform that better reflects contemporary realities. That is, Republicans will need to update their messaging on climate change, revisit their views on gay marriage, and abandon their monolithic opposition to pro-choice candidates. Most of all, though, Republicans will need to learn to embrace new ideas rather than instinctively retreat from them. “Instead,” Frum glumly concludes, “we are accepting the leadership of a man with an ego-driven agenda of his own, who looms largest when his causes fare worst.”

Newsweek

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