In this respect, it worked exactly as it was supposed to. Our real problem in this election, according to Rush, and I think he's right, is that there was really no conservative with a realistic chance running. Thompson was as close as it got, but he didn't really want to run, got in late and campaigned unenthusiastically. The polls tightened when McCain picked Palin, and the more like a conservative McCain sounds, the better he does.
There are things I like about Ron Paul, but Paul is one of those guys who has a narrow range of support that's a mile deep. People either love him or think he's a nut. It's very difficult for a Libertarian candidate to expand beyond his base, although Paul did far better than I expected. But no, Limbaugh didn't really affect the Republican side at all, as he never endorsed a candidate, and didn't start Operation Chaos until after McCain had it wrapped up.
“But no, Limbaugh didn’t really affect the Republican side at all, as he never endorsed a candidate, and didn’t start Operation Chaos until after McCain had it wrapped up.”
That’s an interesting interpretation.
Even if it were true that Limbaugh did not endorse a candidate, and that his operation didn’t start until McCain had it “wrapped up”, conservative non participation in R precinct conventions, R county conventions and R state conventions left the R party apparatus and R party platforms wide open to the party’s liberal establishment party hacks and crooked McCain factotums.
In effect, Operation Chaos was an attack on the conservative & constitutionalist base of the Republican party.