Government run CBS News (eek!) has released a poll that shows that Americans consider Rush Limbaugh to be the most influential Conservative in the country. This is by no means surprising. Consider for a moment, if you will,what makes Limbaugh so influential.

Sure it makes sense that Rush is influential because of his listening audience. Over 20 million Americans listen to him on a daily basis, topping all other radio shows nationwide: hands down. But then we have to ask, why so many people tune  in to his show.

The reason I think is twofold. First, Rush holds beliefs that most Americans hold… or at lest that most productive and rational Americans hold. But is this the reason for his influence? I don’t think so. After all, my beliefs are similar to Rush’s and to most productive and rational Americans, and I am not influential at all (unlike some bloggers, I am able to admit that). So agreement is not the key here.

If you say that Rush has personality, you are on the right track. Plenty of personalities have been (and are) on the radio speaking Conservative principles, and they are nowhere nearly as popular as Rush (think Sean Hannity and Glen Beck). So personality has a lot to do with it. Rush is funny, he is entertaining, and he speaks the truth. But it’s even more than that: he mocks the insanity, the lies, and the foolishness of the Democrat Party, the Democrat media, and Democrat voters. He is able to boldly expose those who are destroying our nation as our enemies. These people are not only people with a different viewpoint: everything Democrat is anathema to the American way of life (not to mention that pesky, irrelevant Constitution). Rush is able to articulate sanity. He comes off as sincere (unlike Sean Hannity who almost always comes off as superficial and phony).

The influence of Rush Limbaugh has some implications: first, in spite of his influence, Rush Limbaugh no longer has enough influence to have any effect on government policy or voter behavior. Democrats have figured out that Conservatives just will not act on what they believe: period. Rush can wax eloquent all week, but as long as Conservatives are incapable of sustained action, Conservatives will continue to lose. Consider the Tea Parties and the Town Halls from earlier this year: they made some short term impact, but since they were unsustainable, they have proven to be nothing but a waste of time. Liberals, on the other hand, are willing to forcefully and aggressively pursue their agenda over decades to see their goals accomplished.

Finally, the most serious implication of Rush Limbaugh’s influence is the utter weakness and futility of American Conservatism. What do I mean by that? I mean that hope for America is largely in one man and is only one man deep.  Just consider this: the next three influential Conservatives, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and Dick Cheney combined can barely surpass Limbaugh’s stature. Conservatives are vulnerable because they lack depth of leadership. Take out Limbaugh, and Conservatism will go comatose.