Monday, March 02, 2009
The Limbaugh scrum:Lots of fun, especially with the latest victim, Michael Steele apologizing. But some observations and questions: Limbaugh is on a roll, but isn't that mostly because of the recent passage of the stimulus bill and budget proposal?
Will Limbaugh still be in the catbird seat one year from now? Isn't he peaking right about now?
If Limbaugh continues to be the face of the Republican party, how will that affect Republicans voting on Obama's health care and energy policies?
Will Limbaugh shunt Republicans into a position of all voting "No", and if so, how is that different than what we've already seen in the last 30 days?
Will Limbaugh rise to a level of "respectability" so that, like in 2004, he's invited onto NBC to opine on elections? Won't there be resistance from the institutional press?
Isn't Limbaugh unintegratible into the Republican establishment hierarchy? Or can he actually take over the party (w/ assists from Hannity)?
It's odd that so far (though it's early), there have been no not-for-attribution, background quotes from Republicans on the Hill critical of Limbaugh.
Limbaugh is a factor here, but isn't the real story here that it's the Base that's calling the shots in the Republican party? Limbaugh more symptom than cause, etc.
How could the moneyed interests in the Republican party lose control to the Base? Or have they? Is this partly a legacy of there being no Bush Jr. organizational network in place, so that the party is virtually leaderless (in the traditional sense, by politicians)? FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T GET ENOUGH: A huge round-up of comments from across the political spectrum (w/links) at the Moderate Voice.
posted by Quiddity at 3/02/2009 10:39:00 PM
14 comments
"The face of the Republican party" is big and fat, a "Humpty-Dumpty."
Limbaugh for Prez? LOL!
Imagine, the man of "Steele" bending over for the titular (or, titilating) head of the Republican party: Rush tools in to make sure Republicans fear to tread on his toes.
"Rush-Mounts-More" Republicans who deign to challenge his lofty position. Take at look at Tenaes' cartoon flick at today's WaPo website as they line up behind his highness to honor him.
Limbaugh is just starting to re-enter the moderate consciousness, thanks to Barack Obama.
If the Democrat smear machine keeps preemptively taking out upcoming upcoming Republican talent -- Palin, Steele, Jindal -- like some sort of game of political Duck Hunt, then people are going to start to identify with the one figure in the conservative scene who has weathered it all for 20 years.
Obama and the Democrats are pushing moderates into the Limbaugh camp. Trust me. Rush has not peaked. He isn't even close to his peak.
"Obama and the Democrats are pushing moderates into the Limbaugh camp. Trust me. Rush has not peaked. He isn't even close to his peak."
Anonymous at 6:35 AM is suggesting he/she is a moderate? I think both Anonymous and Rush are piqued as they wallow in the valley looking up at Obama at a peak that will only get higher, like a Mount Rushmore.
Well, now that Rush has answered Obama's implicit challenge and invited him to debate him on his show, Obama has a chance to settle this once and for all by slaying the dragon in his lair. Think he has the balls to try?
Does Anonymous at 8:10 PM think that Rush has the balls to run for elective office? Even though Rush is quite porcine, he is just a NOAGN* in the relevance of political reality.
*NIT ON A GNAT'S NUT
What? You think he's AFRAID to run for elected office? He hasn't run for elected office because he has more influence on the radio.
The ball is in Obama's court. If Rush is really the new leader of the Republican party, then Obama should come on his program to start convincing conservatives to switch to the Democratic party.
Of course, he won't do it. Obama is a typical bully coward. Tossing insults from safety but terrified of actually getting into a fight with someone better than him.
Rush puts his mouth where the money is, his radio talk show. A run for elective office would subject him to more scrutiny, which Rush can avoid by hiding behind his mike, as "moderates" like Anonymous 6:35 AM pay fealty to him on bended knee. Yes, Rush is effective with his base, but his base is not only small, but quite base. Moderates flocking to Rush? If that were the case we should all "get the flock out of here."
According to the Washington Post, Rush Limbaugh's ratings have doubled this week. That would be up from 20 million to 40 million listeners.
BTW I've never listened to his show all the way through, much less gone on my knees in "fealty" to him. I do acknowledge that he is powerful and dangerous to liberalism, and Obama and company have done one of the stupidest things possible in elevating him to center stage.
" ... in elevating him to center stage. "
Like Humpty-Dumpty on the wall ....
But all the conservatives will not be able to put together Rush's radio talk shell game. The increase in ratings may include many who listen just for laughs, like liberals or moderates. Rush is like a non-melodious Music Man from River City. Remember, conservative starts with "c-o-n."
Remember, conservative starts with "c-o-n."
Ha ha. Remember, you can't spell "Liberal" without the letters L-i-e." So we'll call that one a draw.
Folks like Glenn Beck and Rick Santelli are just making an amazing discovery -- start criticizing and piling on Obama, and the ratings soar!
This is not going unnoticed within the press corps, and once the press turn on Obama the way they turned on Bush and Palin, things are going to get ugly. There are no shortage of skeletons in Obama's overstuffed closet of a background that have been furiously ignored by the press corps that they can suddenly start to remember. Read carefully and you can start to already pick up a definite chill coming out of even AP and Reuters stories. Stories about cocktail parties and his use of teleprompters for even 6 minute speeches instead of stories about hope and change.
I think it's simple. Members of the MSM consider themselves in the "elite." They have high profile, high paying jobs, and lavish retirement 401Ks. And they are on the verge of losing it all. Some of them were even "lucky" enough to get a prized membership in Madoff's amazing investment program. Now they are watching their retirements burn to the ground, their industry dying, and they are starting to see Social Security checks and Medicare waiting rooms in their future. They never thought that the brave new socialized world would apply to them personally, and they don't like it. Keep it up, and it will change their politics.
As the saying goes, a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged by reality. A lot of members of the MSM are starting to feel mugged, and Obama is going to be the lightning rod for their personal anger.
Watching this administration is turning out to be like watching a long, slow four year train wreck.
"Watching this administration is turning out to be like watching a long, slow four year train wreck."
Speaking of train wrecks, compare Jan. 20, 2001 to Jan. 20, 2009 with Jan. 20, 2009 to today, Mar. 7, 2009. And compare what GWB inherited on Jan. 20, 2001 with what he passed on to Obama on Jan. 20, 2009.
With his/her pre-emptive claptrap, Anonymous at 11:04 AM makes as much sense as the comment preceding his/hers.
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