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25) Michelle
Malkin: She is a well-read columnist, runs two of the
largest conservative blogs, is a popular author, and does
semi-regular TV appearances on Fox. Her mixture of social
conservatism, a tough stance on illegal immigration, and
ferocious criticism of liberals has helped her to become a
force in the conservative movement.
24) Jim
DeMint: The feisty Republican from South Carolina is
shaping up to be the leader of conservatives in the Senate on
everything from illegal immigration to fiscal issues.
23) Mark
Steyn: He is a wildly popular columnist whose arguments
about Europe heading into a downward spiral have started to
become conventional wisdom amongst conservatives.
22) William
Kristol: He is the editor of the Weekly Standard, which
has been effective at pushing the Republican Party to be more
aggressive on the foreign policy front and regrettably, more
moderate on domestic policy.
21) Glenn
Beck: He has 5 million listeners a week on the radio and
an up-and-coming show on CNN. There may not be a person on
this list with the potential to climb higher up this list over
the next 5 years than Beck.
20) Michael
Savage: Savage is cranky, brilliant, controversial,
pessimistic, over-the-top, and hypnotically charming all at
the same time. That's how he has managed to build an audience
of 8.5 million listeners a week even though he is ignored by
much of the mainstream conservative movement. But, like him or
not, Savage definitely has sway.
19) Newt
Gingrich: Along with Ronald Reagan and Rush Limbaugh,
Gingrich is the man most responsible for the conservative
resurgence since the eighties. Although he's not running for
President, he's still a brilliant-idea guy and the respect he
has earned from engineering the Republican takeover of the
House back in 1994 ensures that when he speaks, people listen.
18) Tom
Tancredo: More than any other man, Tanc is responsible for
changing public opinion on illegal immigration in this
country. At one time, he was practically a voice in the
wilderness on the issue -- but in large part because of his
impassioned leadership, the Republican Party and the American
people have come three quarters of the way towards his
position on illegals.
17) Jeb
Hensarling: He is the Chairman of the Republican Study
Committee, the powerful group that agitates for fiscal
conservatism in the House.
16) Ann
Coulter: Some people love her and some people hate her,
but everyone tunes in to see what she's going to say next --
and more often than not, Coulter's biting humor and outrageous
quips have a point behind them that she inserts into the
national consciousness with a bang. Ask John Edwards, who
tangled with Coulter -- and was damaged so heavily that he
ended up having to take public financing for his presidential
campaign.
15) Condi
Rice: People have called Karl Rove "Bush's
brain," but when it comes to foreign policy, it is
debatable whether anyone has had a bigger impact on Bush's
thinking than Condi Rice. Unfortunately for her, she has
become steadily less popular with conservatives since she
became Secretary of State and began to pursue policies that
are less palatable to hawkish Republicans.
14) Paul
Gigot: He is the Editorial Page Editor of the Wall Street
Journal, a paper that's a stalwart advocate for free trade,
lower taxes, pro-business policies, and tragically, open
borders and amnesty for illegal aliens. Had the WSJ taken a
different position during the illegal immigration debate, it's
entirely possible that the messy conflagration that ensued
could have been avoided.
13) Pat
Toomey: He is the President of the Club for Growth, which
has become a force in Republican politics by becoming a potent
advocate for fiscal conservatism and going after spendthrift
Republicans in the primaries.
12) Rich
Lowry: He has been the editor of National Review for a
decade. Having the power to decide which articles get
published in what may be America's most prestigious
conservative magazine makes you mighty indeed on the Right.
11) John
McCain: When Republicans in the Senate surprise people by
teaming up with the Democrats to jam a thumb into the eye of
conservatives on some key issue -- 9 times out of 10, McCain
is the one leading the charge. That makes him a very
influential man -- not influential in a good way, but
influential.
10) James
Dobson: The Christian conservative movement in the GOP has
fragmented in the last decade or so and Dobson, who has
alienated a lot of conservatives this year by threatening to
form a third party in 2008, is the most powerful leader of the
socially conservative wing of the party.
9) Mitch
McConnell: His performance as the GOP's leader in the
Senate has been head and shoulders above that of his
predecessor Bill Frist, but McConnell still hasn't quite
managed to get himself in tune with the base on immigration
and spending issues.
8) Bill
O'Reilly: His unique mixture of populism and social
conservatism has enabled him to pull in more than 3 million
listeners a week on the radio, write best selling books, and
host the most-watched program on cable news. That last part is
particularly important, given the lock that liberals have had
when it comes to news on TV.
7) Dick
Cheney: Cheney, who has been a solid conservative
influence in the White House, is the single most powerful Vice
President in living memory.
6) John
Boehner: He wasn't viewed as an agent of change when he
was elected as Minority Leader in the House, but he has done
an outstanding job of steering Republicans in the House to the
right since the GOP's crushing loss in 2006.
5) John
Roberts: He isn't the only originalist on the Court and he
doesn't have the flair of Antonin Scalia or the conservative
record of Clarence Thomas, but after only a short time on the
job, he is putting his own indelible stamp on the Court with
his exceptional leadership style as Chief Justice.
4) Sean
Hannity: Even though his talk show wasn't syndicated
nationally until late 2001, Sean Hannity has already garnered
12.5 million listeners a week, is half of the 2nd hottest show
on the cable news networks, and has put out two best-selling
books. Few people, if any, have risen further, faster, within
the conservative movement.
3) Rush
Limbaugh: The Doctor of Democracy has 13.5 million
listeners a week on his radio program and many of them have
been availing themselves of his wisdom daily, for years. You
ever heard the phrase, "You can't fight city hall?"
Well, Rush Limbaugh went head-to-head with Harry Reid and 41
Democratic senators who smeared him and not only did he win
the fight, he humiliated them in the process.
2) Matt
Drudge: His website, the Drudge Report, generates more
than 10 million impressions per day and more importantly, sets
the agenda for much of the rest of the media. If Matt Drudge
puts a story at the top of his website, it instantly becomes a
hot story in the mainstream media, talk radio, and the
blogosphere. More than anyone else in the media, Drudge
determines whether a story is hot or not.
1) George
W. Bush: Granted, he's a lame duck President with low
approval ratings and mediocre communication skills -- but for
good or ill, George Bush shapes many of the political debates
we have in this country. Whether you're talking about illegal
immigration, deficit spending, foreign policy, or Campaign
2008, George Bush's policies are right at the heart of the
discussion.
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