Editor 's note : Rachel Motte blogs at www.evangelicaloutpost.com and writes for Wheatstone Academy , a Christian educational program for high school students . She is a graduate of Biola University and the Torrey Honors Institute . Rachel Motte says Rush Limbaugh still can animate conservative popular opinion . ( CNN ) -- It 's no secret that liberals throughout the nation are rejoicing at Rush Limbaugh 's supposed status as leader of the Republican Party . I can see why . He 's easy to pick on . His rhetoric is extreme , and his personal life has at times been less than picture-perfect . I 've heard some pundits refer to Vice President Joe Biden as `` the gift that keeps on giving . '' I imagine the left feels the same way about Limbaugh . Rush was an integral part of my childhood . I must have been 6 or 7 when I started listening in the late 1980s . I remember that my parents and their friends found him refreshing , and I remember that he made them laugh . I memorized his song parodies and even tried to write a few of my own based on the events I heard him talk about . When I was 11 , I once spent several hours trying to call his show , redialing after every busy signal , over and over . I never got through . It 's probably just as well ; I think I had planned to try to talk him into running for president . I no longer think he 'd make a good president -- we 're all much better off when he sits behind the EIB microphone . Rush taught me a lot about personal responsibility , the value of freedom of speech and the love of country . At 26 , I 've outgrown many of my childhood habits , but I never outgrew Rush . Have conservatives outgrown him ? Is it time to distance ourselves by dismissing him as just `` an entertainer , '' as Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele initially did before apologizing ? My friend John Mark Reynolds wrote recently that Rush is `` a shallow thinker '' who will alienate today 's young adults rather than draw them in . He argued that Rush 's `` insider lingo '' and harsh demeanor are problematic at a time when the Republican Party is losing the young adult vote . Is he right ? Has Rush Limbaugh outlived his usefulness to the conservative movement ? Should we take a cue from the Democrats ' glee and relegate El Rushbo to a back room like an aging and unpopular distant relative ? Not by a long shot . Rush does n't need to be removed as leader of the Republican Party , because he 's never held that position , much as Democrats would like you to think he has . He 's a vitally necessary part of the conservative movement , but he 's no one 's leader . Do n't give him more credit than he deserves , and do n't fall prey to the Democrats ' carefully planned attempts to inflate his authority . Steele learned the hard way a few days ago that the opposite extreme is also not true -- Rush is not a mere entertainer . One of his most important contributions to the conservative movement has been his ability to energize the base . This is particularly vital now given the recent election results . Someone has to keep the troops from giving up , and like it or not , for now that someone is Rush . It does n't really matter whether he 's a shallow thinker . What does matter is that he knows how to prod people into action . That 's all well and good , but is it sustainable ? What works for me and for the many other `` Rush babies '' out there may not work for our younger siblings . Thanks to the Obama campaign , new activists are n't going to be as easily attracted by witty aphorisms and wordplays as previous demographics were . President Obama 's impressive rhetorical skills appeared to raise the level of public discourse during the campaign . As far as I can tell he did n't actually say anything new , but so many things sounded new when he said them . I do n't think he changed the content of the age-old feud between right and left , but he did change the style , providing a stark contrast to the admittedly strident tones of some on the right . That 's going to change the way young people all over will approach the political process ; after all , 66 percent of the 29-and-under crowd voted for Obama . Rush 's personal influence will decline because of this shift in rhetorical style , but we 're not yet at the point where it is unimportant . The current crop of college students may not call themselves `` dittoheads , '' but their mentors and heroes within the movement still do , and that will continue to be significant for a while yet . Do we need leaders who can inspire the next generation of young conservatives ? Absolutely . Is Rush the best man for that job ? At this point , yes , though that will probably change in the next few years . One thing is likely -- the next big conservative leaders who do resonate well with the age group that favors Obama will cite Rush as a major influence . His work wo n't end with him . And that 's as it should be . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rachel Motte .
Rachel Motte says she grew up listening to Rush Limbaugh and became a big fan . She says Limbaugh 's style still has great appeal to conservatives . Motte : Obama has set a new bar for public discourse , winning over young voters . Limbaugh may not appeal to the young as much , but he 's still relevant , Motte says .