Let me be clear: Rush Limbaugh's recent shenanigans, while detrimental in the short term for Barack Obama, will ultimately be a significant reason why Obama WINS the general election in November.
Don't believe me?
I'll explain, my friends (after the jump, that is).
First, let us proceed from the following assumption: Limbaugh directly contributed to Clinton's Texas primary (not caucus) win by encouraging his ilk to "have some fun" by voting for the floundering Clinton. An analysis of the exit polls from Texas bear this out fairly clearly, as the percentage of Republican voters shifted dramatically to Clinton in comparison to previous primaries.
And honestly, if indeed this is what happened, I love him for it. See, Limbaugh made a strategic mistake of colossal proportions. He just doesn't realize it yet, and neither do most of my fellow Kossanistas.
His reasoning was this: by extending the drama of this primary season with a Clinton revival, Republicans and McCain would benefit as Obama got bloodied up. Now, this logic may end up having some weight, as we're seeing. However, even with the continued negative campaigning that an extended primary season will bring from the Clinton machine, it pales in comparison to this: an extended campaign will make Obama stronger in November, not because he'll be more seasoned, but because his ground game will be established fully BEFORE beginning the general campaign.
For every state that has been contested, the Obama camp has done an incredible job recruiting grass-roots leaders and activists, and those activists will be at-the-ready come November.
NUMBERS
We saw this in Texas, a state which has over 8,000 precincts. And do you know what the Obama campaign was able to do? It recruited a precinct captain for every single precinct in the state of Texas. Anyone familiar with political organizing or campaigning understands that such an achievement is nothing short of mind-blowing. And the best part: all 8,000 precinct captains are waiting for action when the Democratic nomination is won.
And so it is in Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, and Indiana. And all the states that have come before. Talk about a 50 state strategy. This may be the first election in modern history in which a candidate will have almost ALL of the political groundwork laid during the primaries for the general election.
And who can you thank for the last 10 states to be equipped with the Obama grassroots munitions? Rush Limbaugh. That's who. For without him, it is quite likely that the organizing which will be done in Pennsylvania never would have occurred in earnest until August.
So I tip my hat and say, "Thank you, Rush."