Rove Sides With Limbaugh Over Powell, Ridge Calls Limbaugh "Shrill" (VIDEO)

Asked to choose Sunday between Rush Limbaugh and Colin Powell as a Republican he could support, former Bush confidant and conservative firebrand Karl Rove sided with the brash talk radio host.

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Rove was posed the same question asked of former Vice President Dick Cheney: What type of Republican best represents the party?

"[Cheney] sided with Limbaugh. Do you?" asked host Chris Wallace.

"Yes, if I had to pick between the two," replied Rove, who earlier acknowledged that Powell was -- despite what his conservative critics say -- a Republican. "But, you know what? Neither one of those are candidates," he continued. "Neither one of those are going to be people who are offering themselves for office."

The remarks reflect what is a continuing and in some ways growing divide within the GOP. As Rove appeared on Fox, an interview of Powell defending his brand of Republicanism was set to air on CBS' "Face the Nation." Meanwhile, on CNN, former Homeland Security Chair and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge was being asked about his prescription for GOP resurgence. Ridge made two points rather unorthodox to contemporary conservative thought. He disputed Cheney's assertion that the country was less safe under Obama. And he made it clear that Limbaugh was more hindrance than help, calling the conservative talk radio host "shrill."

RIDGE: I think a lot of our commentators are being shrill. I mean, I don't disagree --

JOHN KING: Rush?

RIDGE: Yes, Rush Limbaugh has an audience of 20 million people. A lot of people listen daily to him and live by every word. But words mean things and how you use words is very important.

KING: I want to be clear, though. You think Rush is among those being too judgmental, too shrill?

RIDGE: Well, I think Rush articulates his point of view in ways that offend very many. It's a matter of language and a matter of how you use words. It does get the base all fired up and he's got a strong following. But personally, if he would listen to me and I doubt if he would, the notion is express yourselves but let's respect others opinions and let's not be divisive.

Let's lead our party based on some principles that have been very much a part of who we are for decades. And let's be less shrill in terms of -- and particularly, let's not attack other individuals. Let's attack their ideas. Let's explain in a rational, thoughtful, responsible and reasonable way why our ideas and our approach are more acceptable and why they should be more acceptable to the average citizen.

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Comments

[JohnnieBravo]

Why is Rove even offering up Repub strategy? He and his candidate GWB, ruined that party for at least a generation. Rove offering up that ultra conservative "shrill" on Fox News, what a shock. That's his employer.

Why don't the moderates in that party fight back and say, we began losing because of the Rove/Limbaugh strategy of 2000. Nobody likes that party exceot for the very wealthy and the other 50% of the 20%, the uneducated relgious nuts in the south who still think it's 1950.

As long as Fox News is the conduit for the Repubs hard line positions, the longer they will remain at best a southern regional party.

[Fromageball]

Maybe Rove and Cheney are siding with Rush because they don't want him to suddenly get mad and turn on them, deciding that maybe we should indeed investigate them...and of course his flock goes wherever he herds them. Could get pretty ugly.

[doug108]

Let's explain in a rational, thoughtful, responsible and reasonable way why our ideas and our approach are more acceptable and why they should be more acceptable to the average citizen.


A) The Republicans have no new ideas, and B) the ones they've been peddling have been roundly rejected, and C) even before they were roundly rejected, the Republicans needed to hide what they really stood for behind social issues and morality.

My point is that Ridge's sentiments sound great, but the Republicans can't abide by them. Rove is right to side with Limbaugh, those tactics are all the Republicans have, and have ever had. Without them, the Republican Party would disintegrate before our eyes.

[RevBookburn]

Why isn't the criminal Rove in prison? Maybe word should go out internationally: if you are a war criminal or in any way miles beyond the incarcerated common criminals, you can escape justice in America and regularly appear on the Fox propaganda station. Rev. Bookburn - Radio Volta

[Allablaze]

Ridge and Powell.......moderates, warriors and statesman who served their country.

Cheney, Limbaugh, Rove.........each took measures to avoid military service and now through their conservative extremism do a disservice to the country.

[Craig Cotora]

It is very evident from all of their recent public comments that neither Mr. Cheney nor Mr. Limbaugh has studied much history--including the history of their own party.

As was historically documented in an article "A House Divided: The Future Of Abraham Lincoln's GOP," the Republican Party was founded as a "progressive, " not a "conservative" political party--advocating in its 1860 Platform and legislative agenda the use of federal authority and funding to: establish a state college system, donate public lands for private use and ownership, stimulate railroad and communication infrastructure improvements, and encourage a labor policy aimed at the replacement of low wage [mainly day labor] jobs with skilled, high wage jobs--all with the goal of providing every single American with the opportunity for upward social and economic mobility regardless of his or her initial station in life.

Today millions of Americans who like General Powell became life long Republicans in admiration of the vision and policies of the original GOP represented by Abraham Lincoln, are without a home under the House That Limbaugh and Cheney Has Built, and now
"progressive Republicans" [no Mr. Limbaugh and Mr. Cheney not "liberal Republicans" who are anyone you do not consider "conservative" enough] can only hope that a Republican with public stature, such as General Powell, will continue to fight to restore the GOP to its true historical "roots" so that our party can advocate new economic and political policies with credibility.

[nubret2008]

Even the often cited founding fathers were the progressives and liberals of their time. The conservatives were the Loyalists to the British Crown. The original Boston Tea Party and the War of Independence have been the fight against Conservatism and for a free (liberal) nation...

[GranE]

History has no "do-overs". It's done, Cheney.

[ReealOne]

Wow..... what cozy 3 faces of evil, with each being each other's minion... Ladies meet the 3 faces of evil in the flesh: Tricky Dick Cheney, Rush "the boss" Limbaugh and Karl "the snake" Rove. How cozy they must feel with their man love.

Tricky Dick Cheney (TDC). FAILED 2-term X-VP, who as of late has shown us EXACTLY who to blame for a war we should not be fighting, his FAILED domestic policies, and the person we now understand should have received the "shoe" in Iraq. TDC was the "driver" of the disasterous Bush / Cheney & Co administration, along with Donald Rumsfeld and Karl Rove.

Karl Rove: For anyone who has not taken the time to research Rove, I strongly suggest that you do. This is a person, who fashioned himself after the late Lee Atwater, who in the end of his short life, came face to face with KARMA. HERE ARE 2 LINKS YOU MUST READ!!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/bckgrnd/atwater.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Rove

Rush Limbaugh: A DELUSIONIST who thinks that he is a "god", and full of himself, who could never "measure up" to royalty. He is mean-spirited bully, who is divisive and hateful, a legend in his own mind, and uses it to garner his wealth. There is NO DOUBTS that one day KARMA WILL be knocking at his door, as well as Karl Rove, just as it did Lee Atwater.

[realpolitic]

I agree that the three are awful people and representative of the lack of humanity shared by top conservatives, but Bush did deserve the shoe in Iraq!

[noaxe397]

Please don't hate me for saying this; I agree with Karl Rove. Let the marketplace of ideas decide which version of the Republican Party its members want. We know that the shouters will drown out the thoughtfuls and that will further marginalize them.

And BTW, the GOP threw out Powell more than a decade ago. In 1996 Powell was widely considered by MSM to be the GOP front runner. But Powell received so many death threats that his wife told him she would not accept him running. Ever wonder why Powell never even entered a primary or caucus just to test the waters back then?

[Marcus-UK]

The beauty of the Democratic Party or Liberal minded folk is that their are varying degrees of thought and ideas. All inclusive, empathetic and none self-righteous.

THE GOP IS NONE OF THE ABOVE

[Fromageball]

The problem with the "marketplace of ideas" for the GOP...is that nobody is buying.

[theman575757]

Why all the fuss about Boss Rush Limbaugh being the leader of the Republican Party. I think it is great especially if you are running a One Man Show.All this free publicity he might just be the first talk show Billionaire Billionaire. Let get all of those who kneel down,bow down and apologize to Rush for just saying something minor that may offend him.
1.Dick Cheney, 2 Karl Rove, 3, Michael Steele, 4 Eric Cantor 5-- 6-- 7--FOX NEWS ENTERNAINERS, running out of space. I do not think you could WaterBoard any of these Top Republicans to say one little drop of a bad message against or about old Rush.

[CaptainHowdy2]

Apology to Limbaugh coming in... 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... 0!

[Whatashame]

If you want to get rid of the only prominent minority in your party, go right ahead.

[JoBangles]

How low can he go? Limbaugh as spokesperson for the GOP is incredulous. No wonder the GOP has sunk to the bottom of the barrel. When a fat, pill poppin', over paid motormouth is seen as the "leader" of an American political party, you know something has definitely gone awry.

I seem to remember a line from a certain old Oklahoma cowboy that went something like, " I don't belong to any organized political party, I'm a Republican". History does indeed repeat itself.

[brynnrose thorn]

I thinks that was Will Rogers and substitute Democrat for Republican.

[confuseddemocrat]

I wonder if the GOP realizes that their current push to oust one of the most prominent general of our times, and who happens to be a well-respected party moderate and probably the most prominent and credible minority in the GOP is going to further marginalize their party

Hmmmm.........

Do they really think that they will be able to elect many presidents, senators and house reps if the only people voting for the GOP resides in KS, AL,MS, MO, OK, WY,GA, SC and the Dakotas?

[kozy]

I've been around a long time and have seen the Republican party change a lot. They were always the party of the wealthy and big biz, and those that would like an aristocratic society. But, in the past 15 years or so they have been drifting toward a hard far right ideology. They have added a religious pretense to get the votes of the poor and middle class. Goldwater, who ran for president in 1960 was criticized as a far right nutcase, but he would be a moderate in today's right wing world (he might even be purged from the party today for lack of idelogical purity). The GOP is not only lost in the woods -- it can't even find the woods.