Whose Limbaugh?

by Josh Orton, Wed Mar 04, 2009 at 11:40:39 AM EST

Ok, I admit that I sometimes listen to Rush Limbaugh during the day. I find his show entertaining, and listening to his show feels like a way to preview conservative attacks before they gain traction - Rush is usually reading an early draft of the Republican playbook.

So I heard firsthand the new conservative meme Sargent picked up on: that's it's Democrats who conspired to elevate the story about Rush Limbaugh...and that very few Republicans really consider him the party's leader. Fed by a piece in the politico and a rant by Michael Scherer at Time, the new conventional wisdom insists that Democrats are intentionally creating a distracting sideshow.

But it's all baloney. Obviously dem groups like the DCCC jumped on-board the Rush-as-leader concept - it's too obvious to ignore.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't the White House that booked Rush to deliver the keynote address at conservative movement's convention. And I bet the decision to air his speech live on CNN and Fox was made by...CNN and Fox.

And if there was even an inch of daylight between Limbaugh and the Republican party, perhaps the jabs from dems might ring hollow. But there isn't, so they don't.

Tags: Rush Limbaugh (all tags)

Comments

12 Comments

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It used to be, I'm a Reagan Republican

Now it's "I'm a Rush Republican"...

Yes, the leader of the opposition is a radio talk show host.

They might as well make it official, it's The Rush-publican Party

by WashStateBlue 2009-03-04 11:54AM | 0 recs
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Re: Whose Limbaugh?

Most voters -- the ones that matter-- are just going to view this through the eyes of partisanship. The Republican Party did this with Michael Moore quite a bit, and Moveon, and alot of other groups. The thing is, that Rush's ego seems too big to realize how to go along with getting dissed by the GOP, while he increases his exposure; and the GOP is too lame to know they should diss him; and the conservative bloggers are just as much out of the loop to react the wrong way. Give them a few cycles in the minority opposition to learn how to handle this-- it'll be good for them (and the country).

by Jerome Armstrong 2009-03-04 12:17PM | 0 recs
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Re: Whose Limbaugh?

It is the same stunt as with Michael Moore, but the difference is that the Democrats can point to a ton of issues where they disagree with Moore. (E.g. Moore opposed the invasion of Afghanistan, which all Democrats save one voted for.)  So they can only get so much mileage out of saying the Democrats are the party of Michael Moore.

The reason the Rush issue is durable is that the Republican Party isn't actually willing to put space between themselves and Rush on substantive issues.  Rush says to vote against the stimulus, and they all vote against it.

by Steve M 2009-03-04 12:34PM | 0 recs
Partido verde
Re: Whose Limbaugh?

I have to go back and get the article but there was one sane conversative blogger who questioned the wisdom of having the GOP tagged as the Limbaugh party but otherwise yup they have all jumped over the cliff.

It's bizarre to witness all this. Read his speech to CPAC. It's incoherent, rambling and vague. The view that GOP's problems is one of finding the right messenger, and not retuning its message, will haunt them if not have them go the way of the Whigs. And what will survive is likely to be a ultra-nationalist somewhat laissez faire economics kind of party. A rump and regional party.

by Charles Lemos 2009-03-04 12:39PM | 0 recs
Partido verde
Go back and read Barbara Jordan's

keynote address to the 1976 Democratic Convention. That speech is the antidote to all things Limbaugh.

The words of Barbara Jordan have stood the test of time. Limbaugh in the end will be a sad footnote in the demise of the GOP. Limbaugh may speak for conservatives but he is speaks for the GOP he will kill it.

by Charles Lemos 2009-03-04 12:43PM | 0 recs
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Re: Whose Limbaugh?

Actually CPAC didn't want Limbaugh to deliver the keynote at their convention, but Obama craftily forced them to, using his allotted time under the "fairness doctrine".

by mcc 2009-03-04 01:08PM | 0 recs
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I don't know

Obama himself called Limbaugh out by name back in January when he met with the house GOP.  It wasn't solely plotted by the White House but it does seem like they saw an opening to make the GOP play the denounce and reject game after Limbaugh made his "hope he fails" comment and a bunch of Dem strategists saw how effective it was and have ramped it up.

by JJE 2009-03-04 01:52PM | 0 recs
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Re: I don't know

while that's true that doesn't  negate the theme of the diary.  In fact all it means is that the WH is telling the truth, that Rush is indeed the party leader.  Yeah dems may be setting him up a bit,  but it's evident Rush  plays simon says with republicans and when they mess up they all have to apologize nationally.  

by KLRinLA 2009-03-04 06:09PM | 0 recs
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You too can apologize


I'm Sorry Rush courtesy of the DCCC.

At some point, I'm expecting Ronald Reagan himself to come back from the dead and apologize.

by Charles Lemos 2009-03-04 02:06PM | 0 recs
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Ahhh, The Evil Plan!

Sheer genius:
It seems the Obama White House is mobilizing the vast power of the federal government to make Rush really popular among GOP nutball dead-enders, then coax various Republican officials to criticize Rush and then compel these same officials to issue craven and humiliating recantations of those criticisms.

Josh Marshall

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archive s/2009/03/ahhh_the_evil_plan.php

by QTG 2009-03-04 02:55PM | 0 recs
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Re: Whose Limbaugh?

Actually CPAC didn't want Limbaugh to deliver the keynote at their convention, but Obama craftily forced them to, using his allotted time under the "fairness doctrine".

exactly right

by LukeSneddon 2009-03-04 06:12PM | 0 recs
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Re: Whose Limbaugh?

Yes, because it was democrats who invited Limbaugh to be the keynote speaker at CPAC and who are demanding that every major republican who expresses the least bit of criticism for Limbaugh's positions apologize to him.

by CatM 2009-03-05 08:20AM | 0 recs

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