Limbaugh, Steele fight over GOP while Democrats laugh

So, who is the top bull elephant in the Grand Old Party?
Is it Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele?
Is it radio show host Rush Limbaugh?
It's an interesting question and since so much of politics is about perception, it's a question that deserves to be answered. First look at the reality of the RNC. The RNC exists to provide national leadership to the Republican Party, including the development of a national platform, coordinating fundraising efforts and promoting electoral strategies. The RNC works with Republican leadership in the 50 states.
Limbaugh is the host of the biggest, and perhaps most influential, conservative radio program in the nation. During the Clinton years Limbaugh was called the "voice of conservative principles" by National Review. Limbaugh is enjoying high ratings now thanks to being targeted by the Obama administration following his comments that he hopes Obama fails.
There's where perception comes into play. With the attention Limbaugh is receiving from Obama and his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, he is the chief target of the Democrats, which gives him more power within the party than he actually had. according to multiple news sources, On Sunday, Emanuel called Limbaugh "the voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party," on CBS’ “Face The Nation." On Monday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs described Limbaugh as "a national spokesperson for conservative views and many in the Republican Party." In January Obama urged Republican leaders in a private meeting to quit listening to Limbaugh.
While Limbaugh is enjoying relevancy during the Obama years, it's clear the majority of Republicans don't acknowledge him as the leader. According to Rasmussen Reports, an independent polling organization, only 11 percent of Republicans believe Limbaugh is the leader of the Republican Party while 81 percent disagree. But when it comes to Democrats, 44 percent say Limbaugh is the party leader while 41 percent disagree.
When it comes to those identifying themselves as conservatives, moderates and liberal, without the party moniker, "76 percent of self-designated conservatives do not see him as the Republican leader. Fifty-two percent of moderates share that view, but the plurality of liberals,45 percent do see Limbaugh as calling the shots for the GOP."
While Rush may not be the leader of the Republican Party, he sure is a powerful voice in its ranks. So far no high ranking elected Republican lawmaker has spoken out against Limbaugh. And here's the reality of that - Limbaugh speaks to millions of people each day. Steele does not have that kind of voice. Limbaugh can urge people to not give contributions to the RNC as well. But would he do that in electoral times when every vote counts toward victory?
This is clearly something GOP officials want to go away and they're attempting to make it happen. According to a Wednesday article in The Hill, GOP lawmakers are stressing that people are more concerned with the state of the economy than they are with Rush Limbaugh and Michael Steele.

"This is nothing more than a distraction created by the administration to take people’s attention away from the fact that they’re going to raise taxes and grow the size of government,” House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday following a weekly GOP policy meeting.“The White House started this … I was in the room, going back to the day after the Inaugural, and it just kind of escalated from there."

Boehner has it right. It's a non issue, yet the Democrats will encourage infighting in the GOP as often as possible. Remember, there's always an election around the corner and fractured opposition is much better than a united opposition.