Rush: The (Democrats’) GOP Spokesman

President Obama is fond of holding summits, with one on healthcare scheduled for this Thursday. Since I am quite sure the Republicans won’t be taking the time to hold their own summit on healthcare policy, why not hold a Rush summit?

Yes, with Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele joining the ranks of those who felt the pressure to bow to Limbaugh after a perceived slight, it is high time the party solve this internal crisis. Rush is now the Democrats’ GOP spokesman — he is to star in rhetoric, mailing and commercials for years to come. He is a boogeyman so enticing the White House has seen fit to make Rush references even from the podium at the briefing room, where serious policy questions of the day must be dispensed with.

Limbaugh, who fired up the delighted crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last weekend by reiterating his desire for Obama to fail to enact his agenda, struck back at Steele for denying Rush is the leader of the GOP and for calling his show “incendiary” and “ugly.”

In a radio blast, Limbaugh mocked the RNC and its chairman, saying “tens of millions of conservatives and Republicans have nothing to do with the RNC and they want nothing to do with the RNC and when you call them asking for money they hang up on you.” Within hours Steele apologized, tripping over himself to describe how what he had said on CNN wasn’t what was going through his mind.

The fact that Steele has been spending way too much time answering questions about what he says — that the government has never produced a job, that centrist Republicans like Sens. Arlen Specter (Pa.) and Susan Collins (Maine) should be challenged in their primaries — is another question for another day.

Bottom line is Steele fell into White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s trap, after he declared Sunday on “Face The Nation” that any Republican who offends Rush Limbaugh or his supporters must apologize to him. Steele joins Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), who went through this exercise a month ago.

So let’s call a meeting. Republicans can decide how important Limbaugh is to their mission by gathering together and hashing this out once and for all. He keeps the base together, but offends the middle. How about dividing into groups at the meeting and clearing it with Rush — one group will seek to stay in office by never offending Rush and the other, far smaller group will seek to stay in office by occasionally having to find some distance when Rush offends people by talking about wanting our president to fail and makes other “incendiary” and “ugly” comments.

This could probably be worked out behind closed doors — with a wink and a nod and maybe some advance apologies.

SHOULD OBAMA HAVE FOUGHT THE DEMOCRATS’ EARMARKS? Ask A.B. returns Monday, March 9. Please join my weekly video Q&A by sending your questions and comments to askab@digital-stage.thehill.com. Thank you.