Last night I dropped by JawsBlog to find this little gem of a radio bite from Rush Limbaugh, and how the GOP Convention, despite media portrayals that its speakers are being used as a front to show a face of moderation, is more a celebration of Conservatism. I had to listen to it a couple of times, as I read the transcript, to understand what Rush is talking about:

There has been a central theme in the Schwarzenegger and Giuliani and McCain speeches. You know what the theme is? Tell me. Conservatism, ladies and gentlemen! Conservatism from start to finish so far in this convention, and, you know, I’ve been watching this, watching all these pundits and analysts talking about how the Republicans are “wearing a mask.” It’s exactly what the Democrats did! The Democrats are the ones that put on a phony face. It’s the Democrats that tried to hide who they really are.

[...] If this were a convention devoted to the moderates and the centrists and what they believe, we would be hearing nothing but all the so-called social issues that all these people believe in. Then you get to the Schwarzenegger, and this is… My gosh, folks! I mean, I thought I was listening to myself. I thought I was listening to Reagan. I thought I was listening to the people who have defined conservatism over the years throughout this party. Schwarzenegger — and we’ve got the audio; we’ll get to all this in due course — Schwarzenegger spoke of the American dream. He spoke of the opportunities that it afforded him and millions of people like him. He lauded liberty. He lauded capitalism. He described what it meant to be a Republican, and when he did that — that list of things that he went through describing what it means to be a Republican, was nothing more than a detailed list of conservative principles.

I was standing up and cheering, and of course: Reaganesque style. He used humor like a rapier out there, to dissect Kerry and his party, and like the others, Schwarzenegger said nothing of his more liberal views on the environment or social policy. Now, to tell you and to illustrate for you just how right I am about this, I have in my formerly nicotine-stained fingers here (rustling paper) today’s Boston Globe story on Schwarzenegger’s speech, by none other than the esteemed Ann Kornblut, and she says, “GOP Sounds Opportunity Theme; California Governor Cites Party Role in His Success — Governor Schwarzenegger brought his outsized persona to the stage last night holding up his own immigrant success story as an exhibit of the virtues of capitalism and praising Bush. Schwarzenegger, native of Austria, sought to convince voters that his centrist brand of Republicanism is welcome in the party.” This is the exact thing I’m talking about. They’re trying to make it sound like what we got last night was moderates and a bunch of centrists faking and pretending to be people that they’re not. This is not what Schwarzenegger was doing, is “trying to show his centrist brand of Republicanism is welcome in the party.”

Schwarzenegger was on display with full-fledged conservatism last night. He wasn’t trying to show anybody he’s a moderate. He was trying to explain how conservative he is. [...]

— Rush Limbaugh: RNC Theme: Unabashed Conservatism

This is what self-professed moderates in the Republican party do not seem to understand. This convention is about advancing Republicanism, and the Conservatism at its root. Sure, at each individual’s heart is a different understanding of what “Conservatism” is, so far all the speakers—including Zell Miller—have shown why they call themselves Conservatives. They spent no time explaining what sets them apart from the likes of Pat Buchanan (who was hardly happy that Arnold spoke there). Mike Hendrix says, of Andy Sullivan’s outrage at Cheney’s seeming hubris: To expect that Cheney and the Repubs should have spent even a moment of convention time wringing their hands in anguish over how tough the reconstruction of Iraq has been (and they said all along it would be, mind) is laughable.

There are issues discussed internally, just like in a family, where two parents speak privately of matters that are not the business of children in order to protect them from responsibilities that they are not ready to face. And though this analogy seems to make light of the rest of the voters in that I may have called them children, the truth of the matter is the convention is about setting forth a cohesive voice for the president, and for the party.

Earlier this week I was afraid that the ultra-conservative wing of the Republican party might highjack the message. What has happened is that from the most Liberal members through to the ultra-conservative, a cohesive voice of Conservatism that rang from the center of the Republican spectrum. What Rush Limbaugh called “Reagan Republicanism.” When the messages of the speakers past are all put together to form a gestalt, it really is about classical liberalism.

McCain did not advance his fascistic desire to control our speech. Rudy hid his liberal tendencies. Arnold did not take the stage to say that gay marriage was welcome among Republicans. Laura Bush spoke about accountability in education. Zell Miller and Dick Cheney underscored the need for a firm and decisive foreign policy at a time like this. This folks, is how Republicans do unity. We duke out our differences behind the scenes but when we have to come out with a single message that has a common vein, we pull it off, and pull it off just fine.