Limbaugh In The Crosshairs
With threats of the (UN)Fairness Doctrine being reinstated by anti-free speech liberals like Chuck Schumer and others in Congress, conservative talk radio has been prepping for a battle for some time now. Well, it looks like the battle is already underway, if not at least indirectly.
Just a week into the Obama Administration, the nation’s top conservative talker Rush Limbaugh has found himself immediately in the sights of Obama himself and Congressional Democrats. Last week Obama said this during a meeting with GOP Congressional leaders:
“You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done”
The administration has defended the comment by saying it was an attempt to forge bi-partisanship, but make no mistake this was the first attempt to try to marginalize Limbaugh and make him a target.
Now, in a second salvo, the DCCC has actually launched a petition against Limbaugh for, as they frame it, having said on air that he wanted Obama to fail. Good to see the Democrats in Congress have listened to Obama’s words to ‘put aside childish things’ and focus on the people’s business.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched an online petition for readers to express their outrage at conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh for saying last week that he wanted President Barack Obama to fail.
The petition includes a 19-second sound byte of Limbaugh, saying, “If I wanted Obama to succeed, I’d be happy the Republicans have laid down. I don’t want this to work. So I’m thinking of replying to this guy, say ‘okay, I’ll send you a response, but I don’t need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails.’”
Not surprisingly, the DCCC has completely taken Limbaugh’s comments out of context. Limbaugh was merely saying he wanted Obama’s policies to fail because he feels they are extreme and socialistic. (To see Limbaugh’s comments click here.)
Digressing for a moment, I find it funny how the same people in Congress are so quick to condemn a talk radio host for his opinions, but fail to reprimand people in their own ranks such as Rep. John Murtha for far worse comments. Murtha essentially called his own constituents racist during last year’s campaign. Worse yet, Murtha smeared several U.S. Marines for having killed innocents ‘in cold blood’ during the Haditha incident. Those troops have since been vindicated, yet Murtha never even apologized.
These actions on the part of Obama and the Democrats are an effort, in my opinion, to lay the groundwork for reinstating the (UN)Fairness Doctrine. By marginalizing Limbaugh and trying to make him seem extreme, they will use these incidents as examples to support their position and likely will search for more wherever they can.
To make matters worse, however, we have Republicans like Rep. Phil Gingrey taking offense to Limbaugh’s criticism of the GOP leadership’s weak-kneed approach to opposing Obama’s agenda.
Responding to President Obama’s recommendation to Republican congressional leaders last week that they not follow Limbaugh’s lead, the conservative talkmeister said on his show that Obama is “obviously more frightened of me than he is Mitch McConnell. He’s more frightened of me, than he is of, say, John Boehner, which doesn’t say much about our party.”
Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., did not take kindly to this assessment in an interview with Politico Tuesday.
“I think that our leadership, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, are taking the right approach,” Gingrey said. “I mean, it’s easy if you’re Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even sometimes Newt Gingrich to stand back and throw bricks. You don’t have to try to do what’s best for your people and your party. You know you’re just on these talk shows and you’re living well and plus you stir up a bit of controversy and gin the base and that sort of that thing. But when it comes to true leadership, not that these people couldn’t be or wouldn’t be good leaders, they’re not in that position of John Boehner or Mitch McConnell.”
Rep. Gingrey might mean well, but Limbaugh’s comments regarding the Republican leadership are representative of the feelings of many conservatives and others in the party. We do expect our party’s leadership to stand up for its principles and steadfastly oppose the most left-wing agenda we have ever seen. If they don’t have the backbone for that then we might as well fold up the ‘big tent’ and all just go home.
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January 28th, 2009 at 12:12 ammeanwhile Rush just keeps picking up listeners and more press attention…
Seriously when will all these folks realize they are suckers..it’s a business he’s running and he knows how to generate attention.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:22 amRush is right on the money! Gullible Conservatives like Gingrich and Bill Bennett are quickly loosing their credibility!
January 28th, 2009 at 1:16 amA vile, hateful individual, ridden with insecurities, addictive behaviours, and a cancer on America and the American people at a time when we need to draw together, take strength in our values and move forward as a nation.
Rush Limbaugh is a detriment to himself and adds to the disrespect heaped upon this country in the past 8 years.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:07 pm“a time when we need to draw together”
Aren’t you paying attention Marco? We’re supposed to be in complete opposition to Washington’s socialist agenda! They want to redistribute our hard earned wealth! They don’t realize that we are better than them! Rush Limbaugh is a national hero! In fact, I think we should build a magnificent fleet of Rush Limbaugh shaped dirigibles and fly them all over this great country of ours from coast to coast. We could use the hot air from Rush’s own mouth to inflate them all!
January 28th, 2009 at 1:20 pm“fold up the ‘big tent’ and all just go home”
Best idea ever…
January 28th, 2009 at 1:23 pmRush is LOVING this!
You dittoheads should be thankful they are doing this to him.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:30 pmMarco —
In smearing Limbaugh as you have, you do realize that you are essentially also smearing many of the 20 million or so listeners he has who generally agree with him. Quite frankly, I don’t think anyone in America could garner such an audience if he were as despicable as you claim.
Honestly, I find all the calls from liberals to now ‘come together’ quite hypocritical after the 8 years of venom and knee-jerk opposition so many on the Left thrust George W. Bush’s way.
Suddenly, now that Democrats own all 3 branches, Republicans are just supposed to roll over and play dead.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pmTrust me Proto, Marco is right. The fact that 20 million or so listeners generally agree with Rush Limbaugh does not make him any less vile. He is the ultimate crumb bum, a bozo. If may, in fact, be playing his listeners for fools like a television evangelist (as suggested by Eric Sedler). But if that is the case, he is truly diabolical.
January 28th, 2009 at 7:57 pmNobody is asking Republicans to roll over and play dead. It would be nice, however, if you broadened your palette beyond contemptuous radio talk show hosts.
For all of you that have a low opinion of Mr. Limbaugh, can you name three incidents when he was wrong. I’ll settle for one if your having difficulty coming up with three.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:26 pmRush Limbaugh mistakenly assumed that Sherrod Brown, a congressman from Ohio running for U.S. Senate, was a black man. A flurry of e-mails to his nationally syndicated radio show alerted him to the fact that the seven-term congressman and former Ohio secretary of state was indeed Caucasian. “Uh, Sherrod Brown’s a white guy? Then I’m confusing him with somebody. OK, I’m sorry,” Limbaugh said on the air.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:34 pmCongratulations!!!! I guess we can now go out and stone him.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:37 pmThe conservative commentator has made a number of recent statements on his nationally syndicated radio show that indicate that he doesn’t know when a show or segment is really in high-def.
This is a bit surprising considering that he’s a vocal HDTV supporter, frequently telling his listeners how wonderful it is. But it appears that he may not always be aware of what he’s watching.
For instance, Limbaugh yesterday said on the air that NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams began broadcasting in high-def on Monday night.
That is true. But Limbaugh added that a Nightly News interview segment with Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez during Monday’s broadcast was in high-def.
It was not. Nightly News is airing the studio segments with anchor Williams in high-def. Most of the field reports, including Justice Department correspondent Pete Williams’ interview with Gonzalez, are shown in standard definition.
The previous day, Limbaugh made the same error when he joked that “Mrs. Bill Clinton had a town meeting today on Good Morning America. I was watching this, and it was on High Definition. And I’m saying to myself, ‘Mrs. Clinton, stay away from HD.’”
However, the joke was actually on Limbaugh. While Good Morning America airs its studio segments (and some outdoor shots) in high-def, most field reports (such as Mrs. Clinton’s Town Hall meeting) are not in HD.
An ABC spokeswoman confirmed today that the Clinton segment was not in high-def.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:38 pmRush Limbaugh gives his side of the restaurant meeting last year, where Bill Clinton brought over the mayor for an introduction: “I thought it was a Secret Service agent, maybe a shoeshine guy. Turns out he gives me his card, I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s the mayor of Los Angeles.’” Villaraigosa’s office is preparing a statement, says Jeff Bercovici.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:39 pmShortly after praising Tim Giago a member of the “powerful” Sioux Nation, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh has resorted to Indian stereotypes to describe Giago’s withdrawal from the U.S. Senate race in South Dakota.
Limbaugh is upset that Giago dropped out after having a “pow-wow” with Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.). “What happened in the tee-pee is unknown, but when the smoke signals cleared, Giago was Home on the Range,” the host says.
Limbaugh claims to be concerned that the Black Hills were stolen from the Sioux Nation. “As for Giago: since he’s back on the reservation, maybe Daschle will forgive him for asserting himself,” he says.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:42 pmAuthorities in Florida were investigating whether Rush Limbaugh was guilty of money laundering when he withdrew cash to illegally buy prescription drugs.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:44 pmA three-year investigation into drug use by Rush Limbaugh ended abruptly when the conservative commentator was booked on a single charge of prescription fraud in a deal his attorney says spares him a trial.
The charge will be dropped if Limbaugh continues treatment, attorney Roy Black said Friday.
“He feels that a great burden has been lifted from his shoulders,” he said. “What he told me is that this is the first day of the rest of his life.”
January 28th, 2009 at 8:45 pmRush Limbaugh paid “substantial” blackmail to a former maid before she told law enforcement and a tabloid newspaper about his addiction to prescription pain-killers, his attorney told a judge Monday.
Attorney Roy Black said Limbaugh could not complain to authorities about the maid’s demand for $4 million because they would use the information against him, and that the maid and her husband “bled him dry” before going public anyway.
The claim was made during a court hearing where Black asked that medical records related to Limbaugh be kept secret.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:47 pmWow!!!! I never realized how big a fan of Rush you are. Are you President of his fan club? Do you use any special listening devices or telephoto lens’ when you follow him around?
January 28th, 2009 at 8:57 pmThanks for noticing My Way! Some of these stories are a few years old. I keep a scrap book. Some of the text is a little hard to read though because of all the come stains.
January 28th, 2009 at 9:18 pmgood site, good work, thanks!!!
September 14th, 2009 at 7:11 amvery nice site!!!
October 10th, 2009 at 10:22 pm