OK George, you woke me up (BTW, what’s the CS in SOM?).
Anyway, looks like a big brouhaha may be brewing between President Obama and Rush Limbaugh in the wake of Limbaugh’s comment that he wants Obama to “fail”. As someone who respects Limbaugh but not exactly a dedicated listener of his show, I reacted to his comment with no more than mild curiosity given Limbaugh’s penchant for being a super-bloviator.
If you feel this way (or even if you don’t), check out the following links in order:
– Daily Telegraph on Obama/Limbaugh.
– The always spot-on Paul Ibrahim on Limbaugh’s comments (with a little CNN/Rick Sanchez bashing for good measure).
You may feel a little differently after reading these two pieces.
UPDATE by DittoHead Pitbull: National Review‘s Byron York published Rush’s response to the brewing contretemps:
According to an account in the New York Post, President Barack Obama yesterday told Republican leaders, “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done.” With George W. Bush now off the stage, it may be that Obama and some of his fellow Democrats view Limbaugh, and not John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, or any other elected official, as the true leader of the Republican opposition. This morning I asked Rush for his thoughts on all this, and here is his response:
There are two things going on here. One prong of the Great Unifier’s plan is to isolate elected Republicans from their voters and supporters by making the argument about me and not about his plan. He is hoping that these Republicans will also publicly denounce me and thus marginalize me. And who knows? Are ideological and philosophical ties enough to keep the GOP loyal to their voters? Meanwhile, the effort to foist all blame for this mess on the private sector continues unabated when most of the blame for this current debacle can be laid at the feet of the Congress and a couple of former presidents. And there is a strategic reason for this.
Secondly, here is a combo quote from the meeting:“If we don’t get this done we (the Democrats) could lose seats and I could lose re-election. But we can’t let people like Rush Limbaugh stall this. That’s how things don’t get done in this town.”
To make the argument about me instead of his plan makes sense from his perspective. Obama’s plan would buy votes for the Democrat Party, in the same way FDR’s New Deal established majority power for 50 years of Democrat rule, and it would also simultaneously seriously damage any hope of future tax cuts. It would allow a majority of American voters to guarantee no taxes for themselves going forward. It would burden the private sector and put the public sector in permanent and firm control of the economy. Put simply, I believe his stimulus is aimed at re-establishing “eternal” power for the Democrat Party rather than stimulating the economy because anyone with a brain knows this is NOT how you stimulate the economy. If I can be made to serve as a distraction, then there is that much less time debating the merits of this TRILLION dollar debacle.
Obama was angry that Merrill Lynch used $1.2 million of TARP money to remodel an executive suite. Excuse me, but didn’t Merrill have to hire a decorator and contractor? Didn’t they have to buy the new furnishings? What’s the difference in that and Merrill loaning that money to a decorator, contractor and goods supplier to remodel Warren Buffet’s office? Either way, stimulus in the private sector occurs. Are we really at the point where the bad PR of Merrill getting a redecorated office in the process is reason to smear them? How much money will the Obamas spend redecorating the White House residence? Whose money will be spent? I have no problem with the Obamas redoing the place. It is tradition. 600 private jets flown by rich Democrats flew into the Inauguration. That’s fine but the auto execs using theirs is a crime? In both instances, the people on those jets arrived in Washington wanting something from Washington, not just good will.
If I can be made to serve as a distraction, then there is that much less time debating the merits of the trillion dollar debacle.
One more thing, Byron. Your publication and website have documented Obama’s ties to the teachings of Saul Alinksy while he was community organizing in Chicago. Here is Rule 13 of Alinksy’s Rules for Radicals:“Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”
Obie doesn’t know how to respond to criticism that pins him against the wall, and he can’t defend his positions when faced with unexpected confrontation. He reacts by taking cheap shots and anyone (left or right) who disagrees w/him. His own media is ruffling his feathers and he can’t handle it – if it’s not scripted, he’s toast.
So he now he picks a fight with Rush, which is an asinine thing to do. But Obie can’t help himself, it’s all coming out in the wash quite early. And Rush nails it right: It’s a diversionary tactic to shift the focus from a socialist agenda which, if they understood it right, the American people don’t want.
Personally, I’m loving the circus; Obie’s becoming unhinged, and if the conservatives just had some nuts, they’d keep the pressure up. Conservatives haven’t realized yet that Obie can’t take the heat of a White House kitchen, but it’s plain to anyone with eyeballs.
Rick Sanchez needs to be bitch slapped with a tuna a couple of time until he realizes that he’s been betraying his fundamental roots. I liked him better when he was on Fox Ch. 7 local News.
I listen every day to Rush. As always the Kool-Aid drinking imbeciles, who hear but do not listen, have misinterpreted what he said which was: that he wanted Obama to fail if his success meant a Socialist agenda for America.
I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically agree with Rush.
I’m going off a bit on a tangent here, but, I personally don’t care much for Rush Limbaugh.
Here is a comment that Rush Limbaugh made back in 1999 that suggests he an is anti-Cuban racist:
“On March 2, Limbaugh advised Madonna how to have a second child: “Well, Madonna, if this is what you want to do, just do what you did. Take a walk in the park. Stake out some gang-member type guy who looks like a hunk to you. Pay the guy some money. Bring him into the apartment on Central Park West, bed him and it can happen all over again just like it did the first time.”
Carlos Leon who is the father of Madonna’s child comes from a solidly middle class family. His father is a businessman and his mother is a social worker. He went to Catholic School and is not/was not in any way connected to gangs.
When Madonna met him, he was a fitness trainer.
But in Rush’s mind, Mr. Leon was a “gang-member type,” just because of his ethnicity [i.e. Cuban American].
Ray, please. You’ve gotta be kidding. That’s it? That’s why you don’t like Limbaugh? You’re as shallow as Madonna…
Ray, you joking, right? Rush has been noting but supportive for the liberty and freedom of Cuba. He was one of the very few great allies Cuban-American’s had in the media during Elian. He was probably the reason that changed Hannity’s mind on the Elian issue.
Let’s see here, President Bush was scrutinized, criticized, made fun of and insulted for 8 years. What did he do? He did his job, and brushed off ALL the criticism.
President Obama has been in the job not even a week, and he’s already criticizing the media. He’s also limiting access to the media.
Rush Limbaugh came on Hannity, and he said that if Obama is going to go ahead with his socialist plans then he wishes that he fails. I think people misunderstood what he said.
Once again, the liberal media distorting what’s said to benefit their politial patsies. I’d say Obama’s fixation with Limbaugh, and during the campaign with Hannity, tells me the ‘Fairness Doctrine’ is just around the corner. Scary…
I listen to Rush everytime I can and I don’t remember Rush ever saying that he wanted President Obama to fail. He did say however, that he wanted “President Obama’s policies to fail” if they were not good for America.