James at OTB: [1]
Radio talk king Rush Limbaugh told his audience yesterday that he might not support the Republican nominee for president this year. Rob Port has the audio and the relevant transcript:
CALLER: Earlier you had mentioned that when the time comes, you’re going to announce or get behind somebody, and I’m just wondering, what’s your selection criteria for picking a candidate, and two, how do you decide when that time is that you’re going to announce? I’m more interested in how you pick a candidate. Because especially this year with-there’s really not a true conservative. How do you narrow it down?
RUSH: That’s an excellent point. I don’t have a time frame, just to address that first. I don’t have a time frame.
CALLER: All right.
RUSH: And I also, I can see possibly not supporting a Republican nominee.
CALLER: Hm-hm.
RUSH: And I never thought that I would say that in my life.
I explained yesterday, in my responses to Steve Bainbridge (Fred Thompson Loss Ends Republican Party and Does Losing Focus the Attention?) why this stance is self-defeating. In this particular case, though, I tend to agree with commenter Lestat, who quips, “Don’t worry, Rush won’t end up standing on principle, he never does. He will end up ‘carrying the water’ of whoever the Republican nominee is.”
I don’t know as I’d be quite that derisive, here. It still comes down to, as it always has, which action will cause the country the least damage. I grant, that as the Republican hopefuls have lunged left, choice has become ever narrower.
Addendum: (David L)
Rush is getting the horse before the cart. In order to vote republican, you first must have a republican for which to vote. John McCain does not qualify.