Kristol: GOP's Future "Center Of Gravity" Lies With Beck, Limbaugh

In his Washington Post column Tuesday, Bill Kristol predicted that the "center of gravity" in the GOP going into 2012 will not be its leaders in Congress but rather "media personalities like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh" (as well as Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, and Newt Gingrich).

Obviously, many Republicans and conservatives -- and lots of moderates and independents -- will be grateful to Mitch McConnell if he can stop ObamaCare, and to Jon Kyl if he can induce the president to embrace a stronger foreign policy. But it's unlikely that the minority party in Congress will be the source of bold new conservative leadership over the next three years. Even if Republicans pick up the House in 2010, the party's big ideas and themes for the 2012 presidential race will probably not emanate from Capitol Hill.

The center of gravity, I suspect, will instead lie with individuals such as Palin and Huckabee and Gingrich, media personalities like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, and activists at town halls and tea parties. Some will lament this -- but over the past year, as those voices have dominated, conservatism has done pretty well in the body politic, and Republicans have narrowed the gap with Democrats in test ballots.

Meanwhile, Beck and Palin had turned on Gingrich for supporting a moderate Republican in a New York House race.

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Comments

[kev1000]

11:12 PM on 10/31/2009

So, these folks are the center of GOP gravity, huh?

GOP better hold on to something.

[flydoghead]

08:40 PM on 10/31/2009

If Kristol predicted the sun would rise tomorrow morning ...it would not happen.

He is terminally wrong about everything.

[ytorch]

02:54 PM on 10/28/2009

Every person that Kristol has named is a lightweight.

None matches Colin Powell in gravitas. None would build coalitions as Powell could and would successfully, in order to win high office.

The ideologues will drag the GOP down to defeat in 2012 and 2016 and beyond.

The wingnuts turned the GOP around into The Party of No.

The ideologues have succeeded in their politics of gridlock.

Our nation is in decline because of them.

[markytex]

10:47 AM on 10/28/2009

fear-mongering and bullying are what keeps the gop together.

[1differentdrummer]

10:41 AM on 10/28/2009

He thinks gravity is a fancy way to say gravy.

[kev1000]

11:10 PM on 10/31/2009

Mmmmm ... tasty pork gravity ....

[Cogs]

10:40 AM on 10/28/2009

I hear Kristol also likes the Cubs to win the World Series.

[seawolf77]

10:27 AM on 10/28/2009

We have Qualye to thank for this.Need I say more.

[solarian]

09:27 AM on 10/28/2009

center of what a black hole , I am not insane kristol

[Horus45]

09:24 AM on 10/28/2009

When has Kristol been right about anything?

Please leave your party's plans and ideas to Limbaugh and Beck, you will guarantee a permanent Democratic Majority if you follow them over the cliff.

[HLL]

09:11 AM on 10/28/2009

If that whacky list of people is the GOP center of gravity, Mr. Kristol, then with any luck it will be voted into oblivion in 2010 & 2012.

American citizens have to ask themselves - what have the GOP done for me lately? Nothing. Zip. Zero.

[rsaillant1]

07:05 AM on 10/28/2009

Remeber Bill,

Gravity is that thing that makes you fall on your face..it's
all physics, which reminds me; although Kristol may be
number one in the minds of the righties, he'll always be
number two in my book. A quick glance at the photo
above, and the look on his face, will reveal my reason
for that ranking.

[1differentdrummer]

05:42 AM on 10/28/2009

How does this clod from Lower Elbonia get so much attention?

[clearpepsi]

05:29 AM on 10/28/2009

lots of great comments on here, his comentary is so insane and getting more so with time... the idea that something in the near future is going to go the gopers way is insane... what a culture of failure...

[StillAmused]

05:14 AM on 10/28/2009

Reminiscent of the whacko who dives off the roof of a 20-story building and, as he passes each floor on the way down, mutters to himself, "So far, so good."

[grf67]

04:28 AM on 10/28/2009

If kristol is correct, and he never has been, then the GOP center of gravity is in the toilet. beck and limbaugh are not running for any office; they are just sitting on the sidelines whining and sucking their thumbs.