Rush Limbaugh Picks On Karl Rove For Tea Party Comments

Rush Limbaugh singled out Karl Rove on his radio show Wednesday, bringing up the political strategist by name for his recent remarks about the Tea Party.

In an interview with Der Spiegel, Rove said that the Tea Party movement is "not sophisticated" and contrasted it with the "well-organized, coherent, ideologically motivated and conservative revolution" that accompanied Ronald Reagan's ascension in the 1980s.

According to Politico's Ben Smith, Limbaugh struck back on Wednesday:

Now, meanwhile, there are Republican political operatives insulting Tea Party members of not being sophisticated, not having read Friedrich Von Hayek. Wonderful, great people, but just not sophisticated. Karl Rove said this, but he's not alone. I got a note today from a friend, "Why would Karl be saying this, Rush? You know Karl. Why would he be saying this? Why doesn't Karl learn to keep his mouth shut?"

I said, "Karl means to say this. Mike Murphy, all these guys, they think this." It's not easy for me say here, folks, it really isn't. But it's what ought to be a euphoric period still indicates that on the Republican side there are divisions and jealousies and egos and competition.

And the simplest explanation is that the Tea Party cannot be claimed as credit by anybody. Nobody can say, "I am the Tea Party." Nobody can say, "I started the Tea Party." Nobody can say, "I saw the Tea Party coming, and I steered it." Nobody who makes a living generating political support, generating political donations, nobody in that business can point to the Tea Party and say, "I did it." So it's a threat.

The remarks are another indication that a battle is brewing inside the Republican party, between grassroots activists and the GOP establishment. Also on Wednesday, an original organizer of the Tea Party movement expressed his immense frustration with Republican leaders as well as some Tea Party organizations, denouncing Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and "douchebag groups."

If Rove finds more trouble for his latest comments on the Tea Party, it would not be the first time he has taken fire from grassroots conservatives. In September, he quickly walked back critical comments about Delaware Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell in the face of mounting pressure.

Comments

[tequilamockingbirdJC]

01:54 PM on 10/25/2010

I hate to pick sides between Limbaugh and Rove -- I wish they would devour each other. However, I've got to say that Rove was right, both on support for O'Donnell and on tea party sophistication. Limbaugh, however, can't admit it; instead, he throws out red meat for his rabid base.

[PHILVflorida]

01:31 PM on 10/24/2010

Hey, Karl put on your "Man Pants" and stand up to Rush. Rush would attack his mother if he thought it would make a buck.

[Marie Russell-Barker]

01:13 PM on 10/24/2010

Hum! Something tells me not all is well at home, lets admit it the Tea Parties, have divided the Country and not for good reason but wild and outrageous ideological ideals that far out of an ordinary person think. Yes the Republican are worried they played a game and lost.

The Republican have a fight on their hands and they know it. These people do not know how government work it is not all about ones ideal but the people that they represent now looking form here one can see that will never happened they will not compromise therefor nothing will get done. Nothing will pass the house or the senate they will stop governing in it's track. These people do not care about loyalty to the Party and the Republicans knowsthis.

[Fish Hook]

02:12 PM on 10/23/2010

Oh Boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There has never been so much comedy in the comments posted by readers.

Please allow Rush to Rove some more, And more fireworks please

[Erik Deerly]

10:17 AM on 10/23/2010

Rush is right! The Teabag candidates are all "wonderful, great people, but just not sophisticated." For instance, Sharon Angle just learned she is not Asian and O'Donnell just learned that there are amendments to the Constitution, and Miller just learned that he and his wife have been receiving government entitlements, and Palidino has yet to learn anything. They are wonderful people who should never hold public office. Thanks Rush.

[Levi Wilson]

01:25 PM on 10/22/2010

Is it just me or do these guys look related?

[AddyGmom]

03:39 PM on 10/22/2010

The Brothers KaRoJerkov..........

[iw]

01:45 AM on 10/23/2010

I thought so, too. Separated at spawning??

[hellotiki]

01:03 PM on 10/22/2010

It was very generous donation from both of them. Lending their uniforms to the new Hitler exhibit.

[exhale09]

12:50 PM on 10/22/2010

Why do Rove and Slimebaugh's photos both make me want to say, "oink oink"?

[EndRacismNow]

01:20 PM on 10/22/2010

HP always uses the worst pictures they can find to help push their narrative. The right wing sites do the same thing with liberals. It's a petty way to smear someone.

[15yearswiser]

12:39 PM on 10/22/2010

Wait, wait, wait I thought Karl Rove was Rush Limbaugh.

[nobodysgirl]

12:16 PM on 10/22/2010

Evil twins is a good name for them. mister piggy and mister piggest

[tugboat9]

04:35 PM on 10/24/2010

#99.

[Nel Pineda]

12:15 PM on 10/22/2010

Gop/Teafarts--Owned bu Saudi Oil. Troops die due to this.

[genrel1248]

11:51 AM on 10/22/2010

Good God! Both of the heads look like cooked hams!

[demshuff]

12:30 PM on 10/22/2010

Maybe uncooked too

[Justdontgetit]

11:23 AM on 10/22/2010

Popcorn, anyone?

[den1953]

11:07 AM on 10/22/2010

Judging from those picks those two lunatics look like they would be perfect cell mates in a Federal Prison!

[sagmann]

09:48 AM on 10/22/2010

"Rush Limbaugh picks on Karl Rove..."

The fight between the white shark and the giant octopus...

[binkis1]

10:25 AM on 10/22/2010

Let the two fat liars fight it out..Take the pressure off the liberals...Both slime!