Daylife/AP Photo by J. Scott Applewhite
Limbaugh laughs with Rumsfeld, end of days in the White House |
In 1994, Rush Limbaugh was a field marshal in the Republican revolution, rallying troops fervid in their passion, armed with a change agenda and determined to shake Washington upside down.
Fifteen years later, Republicans are politically hobbled and Democrats are fervid in their passion, armed with a change agenda and determined, along with their new president, to shake Washington upside down. And again there is Limbaugh, master of the talk radio universe, unchanged and unbowed. If anything, his prominence and political import have increased.
As Republicans grapple with their fall from power and undertake some inevitable soul-searching, not all are comfortable with Limbaugh’s suggestion that he has become the party’s unofficial leader by default. “He motivates a core Republican, who is a very important part of the Republican coalition, and we need those guys to be interested and active,” said Jan van Lohuizen, a GOP strategist in Washington. “But it’s not enough. The Republican Party has shrunk and it needs to be expanding.”
While the GOP’s star has fallen, Limbaugh’s has soared. As party leaders struggle to find their voice, Limbaugh’s baritone booms loud and clear three hours a day, five days a week on 600 radio stations across America. If a $400-million contract and the title of most influential talk radio personality — as voted by industry pros — aren’t sufficient proof, consider President Obama’s decision to pick a fight with him three days into his presidency.
Hosting Republican lawmakers at the White House, Obama called out his nemesis by name. “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” Obama said, pitching his economic stimulus plan and offering a priceless advertisement of Limbaugh’s influence.
Though I never espouse “the worse, the better” tactic for winners, I think it’s superb for losers. Little else could better guarantee continuing devolution of Republican leadership in American politics than putting Limbaugh in charge. It looks like Obama has appointed him.
Is there anyone in that photo, under 60?
Obama is hanging himself with his own rope. Even Charlie Cook thinks Obama is looking incompetent.
And why are so many of you so critical of Rush doing drugs and not of Obama? Hell, Obama can’t even kick his cig habit.
“This idea that the republicans have to be more liberal”
I think the primary weakness of the “right” is their affinity for labeling ideas.
“Liberal”, “conservative” .. what do these labels really mean?
I think it is a danger to try to define the terms of political debate in such a simplistic framework. The “left” generally doesn’t do this.
The problem with the “right” is that these so-called “conservative” economic policies of cutting taxes, letting corporations largely do what they please don’t represent a policy but a lack of policy.
The last president was about tax cuts and national security. Nice. Simple. It worked in elections. But those 2 policies by themselves weren’t “government”.
Corporations, if left unsupervised, do will do things detrimental to the consumer, the country and the economy. Only government can provide this oversight.
As we saw in November, Limbaugh doesn’t have enough power to get McCain elected, even when the dem candidate is a black guy with an un-American name, middle-name Hussein, a non-American, Muslim father, friend of terrorists, wife who hates America, etc.
What he does have enough power to do is make any repub lose his next primary election.
Dems don’t need dittoheads to win but Repubs do. Dittoheads will NEVER vote for Dems. Period.
@ #31 sargasso
“Is there anyone in that photo, under 60?”
Republican problem #2.
Total domination of the leadership of a party by people old and insulated from the times by their wealth.
How can “they” talk about family values when most of these guys are twenty, thirty or even forty years removed from being a family man that had to work hard every day and make difficult decisions with limited resources?
@Hmeyers
Stop making sense. The right wingnuts will think you are a “hate filled liberal”.
Jack Kennedy made me a republican. Limbaugh and Daddy Bush made me a democrat again. Baby Bush confirmed my change of heart. Yes he does influence people.
#37
Sounds like you have no core values and are easily persuaded by god knows what. In other words, you are a moderate.
# 35 Hmeyers said, “Republican problem #2.
Total domination of the leadership of a party by people old ”
Read, Boomers.
But, both parties are dominated by boomers. 3 loser presidents in a row. LOL
Flush Rush!
#25 – LostaLuck
>>And libs naturally hate Limbaugh, whom they
>>often refer to as being vacuous.
Vacuous? No! You don’t say!
#27 – Paddy-RAMBO
>>ROFL
Heh. Heh heh. I’ll bet you know all about Obama’s “feelings” from those insider phone calls you get from and make to your highly placed political sources inside the Beltway, right Paddy-RAMBO?
The only “fear” The President feels regarding Anal Cyst is that there may actually be Americans stupid enough to take him seriously. And that, as we all know, would be bad for America. As President Obama himself said ““You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done“.
I would have phrased it a little different “You just can’t listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done“, but what he said is close enough for government work.
I’ll bet you listen to him every day in the break room at the ‘Shack, shouting “DITTO! DITTO!!”, don’t, Paddy-RAMBO?
# 40 JD said, “Flush Rush!”
That’s what Omama wants. Scared to death of a, has been radio show host. LOL
There is the notion that the media is the pulse of the general citizenry. If that is the case Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter, Savage etc. are just symptoms of a country that no longer represents the best interests of it’s people. Those of his ilk would have never taken over if it hadn’t been for the professional wrestling style of politics we so enjoy today.
@#39 PaddyO
“3 loser presidents in a row. LOL”
1. Clinton
Clinton did an excellent job tuning the application of the Republican bills sent to him by the House and Senate.
He pressed corporations VERY, VERY hard to make an active and aggressive effort to hire women coming off the welfare system.
When Clinton is judged by what he actually did .. not his talk, his lying, his bad taste of support cast … he ranks very admirably.
2. Bush
Scared the crap out of borderline Muslim regimes after September 11 by continually defying conventional wisdom.
These regimes were afraid of Muslim extremists within their borders, but were made to be far more afraid of Bush’s erratic behavior.
The rest of his presidency was rather unremarkable, but he stabilized the Middle East through fear.
3. Obama
3 weeks just isn’t much to talk about. Maybe around July or August.
I know you aren’t fond of him, but if you truly believe he won’t be a good president, why not wait to judge him a few months out?
If you are correct, you don’t need to jump the gun — you can patiently sit back and wait for your evidence to roll in.
Paddy-O. “Scared to death of a, has been radio show host. LOL”
Yes, that’s why the headline.
RBG
It doesn’t matter because I think Rush is closing on the end of his career, but I think Rush is betraying what he claimed to stand for.
Once upon a time, he was all in arms about “liberals” wanting “Bush” or “our troops” to fail.
Now he is doing it.
He said it was anti-American and he was right. And it’s anti-American when he is doing it too.
Sorry, JohnnyBoy, but you obviously didn’t listen to anything Rush said during the campaign…he considered McCain a liberal and didn’t support him. Said it would be better in the long run for Obama to fail and make way for real conservatives.
Paying some attention to the facts akes better opinions, but guess it’s too easy just to spew bile.
You and Adam are pretty much on the same level of crackpot, he’s just consistent.
#45–HMyers==right you are. Hypocrisy is the bread and butter of all politicians. Just an extra helping for the Repugniks, and an extra one on top of that for Radio Entertainers.
Anyone that thinks Rush is a political pundit is – – – – -well- – – – – a dittohead at a minimum.
# 39 Paddy-O said “But, both parties are dominated by boomers.”
My fearless prediction is that the boomers will go home to the Democrats as they age so they can “get what’s coming to them”. Yeesh
I thought the R’s were dominated by big money and rednecks.
I haven’t seen a recent picture of him! Wow he’s bloated up!
Was all that weight loss a few years ago because of his drug addiction?
We’ll if it’s any consolation, he made keel-over any day now.
OH. I guess I should say, “Rush will be assuming room temperature any day now.”
50 Greg Allen, Yeah, Rumsfeld is still Secretary of Defence, or am I confusing him with another Republican appointee?
RBG
# 48 QB said, “My fearless prediction is that the boomers will go home to the Democrats as they age so they can “get what’s coming to them”. Yeesh”
Already happening. They ravaged their body & mind with drugs and they are now panicked about health care.
Not a one of you who are slamming Rush have ever heard more than 15 minutes of him. Therefore you all are disqualified from having a valid opinion.
Frankly, I’m not surprised. By listening to him for 6 weeks or more everyday, you risk being cured of your mental-disorder also known as liberalism.
Why anybody would be anti-freedom is beyond me. How anyone could see the government as a provider of freedom is a total mystery. If the government were not so hyper-involved in every aspect of our lives, no business could have enough influence on government to make a difference.
@ Ivor Biggun
“How anyone could see the government as a provider of freedom is a total mystery”
Freedom is a byproduct of ..
1. Having police to internally ensure our rights
2. Having an army to protect us
3. Having a legal system to resolve our disputes.
#1 is provided by the government. #2 is provided by the government. #3 is provided by the government.
If there were not police, I could take all your stuff and you would not have the freedom to own anything.
Without a legal system, the only recourse you would have about the stuff I stole from you would be violence.
# 55 HMeyers said, “If there were not police, I could take all your stuff and you would not have the freedom to own anything. ”
Really? No police at my house. Come on over. 😉
@ PaddyO
I had look inside when I was down at the trailer park but didn’t see anything I wanted 😉
# 58 HMeyers said, “I had look inside when I was down at the trailer park but didn’t see anything I wanted”
Why would you want to steal from yourself?
Rush isn’t even a conservative. HE IS AN ENTERTAINER, a clown, for a group of clowns that like his brand of LIEBERTARIANISM==self seeking irresponsible f&cktards.
Was it this blog that had the video about 2 weeks ago showing an early Rush explaining how to become a success talk show comedian?–Pimp the idiots.
Rush lost what little cred he had with me when he lied all over the place about his drug addiction while before, during, after, and now==he wants the Government to throw drug addicts into jail.
Hypocrit? — check.
Bad Policy? — check.
Self Centered? — check.
Not caring for his fellow man? — check.