Signs of Hope: George Will Berates GOP Cowardice

WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 27: Columnist George Will participates in a discussion about the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, at the Peterson Institute for International Economics on October 27, 2010 in Washington, DC. The discussion was focused on a collection of letters written by the late senator and edited by his daughter Maura Moynihan in a book titled "Daniel Patrick Moynihan: A Portrait in Letters of an American Visionary". (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** George Will — Mark Wilson

George Will describes the spectacle of watching Republicans fail to fully condemn Rush Limbaugh:

ABC’s George Will told me Sunday on “This Week” that GOP leaders have steered clear of harshly denouncing Limbaugh’s comments because “Republican leaders are afraid of Rush Limbaugh.”

“[House Speaker John] Boehner comes out and says Rush’s language was inappropriate. Using the salad fork for your entrée, that’s inappropriate. Not this stuff,” Will said. “And it was depressing because what it indicates is that the Republican leaders are afraid of Rush Limbaugh. They want to bomb Iran, but they’re afraid of Rush Limbaugh.”

It's true that many members of the conservative base love Rush Limbaugh and don't like it when politicians attack him. Republicans politicians thus fear taking him on.

This reminds me of an observation which best explains the difference between the two parties: Democrats loathe their base, while Republicans fear theirs.