The obligatory “Rush challenges Obama to a debate” post
posted at 5:15 pm on March 4, 2009 by Allahpundit
The transcript of this afternoon’s stemwinder is up at his site. Will Gibbs take the bait tomorrow, “counterproductive” though it may be? I’m guessing no, but hope for easy content springs eternal.
A choice passage:
But make no mistake about it. Emanuel is the leader of all of this. Carville and Begala are just trying to ride my fame into their fortune and become relevant again. Begala and Carville, don’t confuse them with the power brokers that are managing this. It all Emanuel. Begala and Carville are second-rate talking heads on CNN. CNN has no audience. Rahm Emanuel is the power behind the throne — and don’t let his effeminate nature and his ballerina past mislead you on this. He may look effeminate (he was a ballerina at one time) but he has the feral instincts of a female rat defending its young. Well, take a look. When Emanuel and Carville and Begala are together (and I’ve seen pictures) it looks like a reunion of the Village People. (singing) Y! M! C! A!
And the big finish:
Rahm Emanuel is leading the team going after a private citizen, and the Drive-By Media applaud, get on board and help further the mission. We live in different times. So if you can wipe me out — and, by the way, Mr. President, and Mr. Emanuel: Don’t make the mistake of assuming I’m wiping myself out here in the process. I want to thank you guys for elevating me beyond the stature I already earned and achieved, because now more and more Americans have the opportunity to learn who you really are, what your ideas will really accomplish, and what damage and harm I think your policies will bring for a very, very long time to them and to this country. So I want to thank you for the opportunity. Obviously, it’s a threat targeting me. I’ve extended the invitation. I’m looking forward to hearing back from whoever in your cabal one way or the other on accepting my offer.
RCP has audio if you’d rather listen. Exit question: I’ve been arguing about this all day with commenters and still haven’t gotten a good answer. Why the fixation on Rush as a “private citizen”? The idea, I take it, is that Obama’s bringing the enormous power of the presidency to bear on a poor, defenseless Joe Public, but Limbaugh’s anything but defenseless (as today’s debate challenge proves) and considerably more powerful, I think we’d all agree, than the average congressman who would be considered fair game as a public official. If the White House had picked him out of a phone book or was rooting around in his trash, that’d be an egregious breach of privacy, but he’s one of the most powerful people in American media, with a following in the millions, and they haven’t done anything untoward (yet?). In fact, strictly speaking, they’re not “going after” him at all. They’re going after the GOP, to tar them by association with Rush and they’re willing to inflate his influence to do so. It’s Republicans who are suffering from having to thread the needle between defending Limbaugh and rejecting the “I want him to fail” rhetoric. What harm has Rush suffered? His stature’s never been greater, as he himself acknowledges right here.
Blowback
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Also, can you imagine GW Bush doing something like this? Othuga is a thug, pure and simple. He is also broderline mentally handicapped.
VolMagic on March 4, 2009 at 5:35 PM
Actually, Clinton went after Rush three different times. The most notable time was when he blamed Rush for the Oklahoma City bombing.
fossten on March 4, 2009 at 5:35 PM
Allah, for me it’s the hypocrisy of the left that went ballistic when private citizens called out the Dixie Chics on their comments. I never listened to them anyway, but the Bush Whitehouse (correctly) ignored them as it was not a government entities place to comment on what a private citizen says. Yet when other private citizens complained or boycotted, they were excoriated for denying the Dixies their freedom of speech (which they weren’t doing of course).
Now, when a government entity (and the President himself) calls out another Private Citizen (regardless of Rush being more politically motivated and connected than a country band), there is… nothing.
Private Citizens exercising their rights against something private citizens say or do is one thing. The government calling out a private citizen (no matter who) is another.
hindmost on March 4, 2009 at 5:35 PM
Rush is as much of a private citizen as a CEO of a major corporation. He is not serving the public per se. The public listens to him.
As for politicians, they serve the public and are on the public’s dime.
When a politician attacks Limbaugh, he is in fact attacking a private citizen who is a tax payer.
For the Obama team to attack him, is elevating his audience numbers and importance.
jencab on March 4, 2009 at 5:35 PM
This is typical chaff on the radar,,,,,all part of Alinsky’s rules for radicals[assisted by Carville]
retiredeagle on March 4, 2009 at 5:36 PM
That image is a keeper.
CarolynM on March 4, 2009 at 5:36 PM
Of course, I meant “profit earnings ratio.” Jeez, I can’t even get it wrong on purpose, lol!
califcon on March 4, 2009 at 5:36 PM
Astute accuracy.
maverick muse on March 4, 2009 at 5:36 PM
if you hadn’t noticed attacking CEOs is all the rage lately….
sven10077 on March 4, 2009 at 5:37 PM
True, I see that. Yet, he is still a private citizen, and whether or not he is their “true” target, it is unseemly at best and frightening at worst that a president would engage in this sort of attack. Had Bush tried to do this with Michael Moore, the media would have howled.
Plus, I’m not so sure that this won’t backfire and actually gin up some support for Rush from non-conservatives. I’m sensing some over-reaching here.
Priscilla on March 4, 2009 at 5:37 PM
I still think it is just crazy that the administration would comment on any disagreement from anyone who doesn’t have a vote that could keep some of his legislation from passing. And as we all know there are precious few of those available. Pres. Obama is a crybaby and I am not at all impressed with the admirable temperment that Mr. Frum, Mr. Buckley, Mr. Brooks, Ms. Noonan and Ms. Parker promised us. Sorry if I left anyone out.
Cindy Munford on March 4, 2009 at 5:37 PM
Rush being the leader of the republican party is not the issue. Obahmbo and his filth want Rush to the the FACE of the party, an ASS for the DNC and Rush for the RNC. Rush does not speak for everyone in the party. While I listen to him daily at work, I can separate his rhetoric from what actual politicians can get away with saying. If you tie Rush around the neck of every candidate in ’12 you will doom them all to failure and America to another 4 years of Obahmo’s magic circus. These ’12 candidates cannot run against Obahmbo & their own party at the same time.
portlandon on March 4, 2009 at 5:37 PM
Then don’t reject it. Or, be prepared to explain why you think that higher taxes, socialized medicine, nationalization of the banks, cap and trade taxes that will cause energy costs to skyrocket, etc. ate a GOOD thing. That is the President’s agenda, and that’s what “success” means.
tgibson1962 on March 4, 2009 at 5:38 PM
No, just this:
Palpable, baby. Feel it.
VolMagic on March 4, 2009 at 5:38 PM
Is there a padded cell in the White House, because Obama is probably in it.
HornetSting on March 4, 2009 at 5:38 PM
This is such a dumb situation for the Republicans to be in.
Why not just have Bobby Jindal say it is wrong for Rush to hope the President fails?
Make sure he doesn’t apologize and then he will be seen as the head of the Republican Party.
Easy.
ckoeber on March 4, 2009 at 5:39 PM
I can only imagine Obama is quoting Hell’s Kitchen when talking to Rahm right now:
Shut it down! Shut it down! Hey! I said shut it the f-k down!!!!
RiteWingFascist on March 4, 2009 at 5:39 PM
Back in the early internet era, it seems that the trolls were of a decidedly better quality than what we get these days.
OmahaConservative on March 4, 2009 at 5:39 PM
Rush explained his rhetoric just fine. I suggest that all suffering Republicans stop defending and rejecting. That’s what the Democrats want. Just pull a Bill Clinton and say it all depends on how you define want and fail.
Disturb the Universe on March 4, 2009 at 5:40 PM
Re. Obama/Emmanuel: I’ve often noticed that insecure people can be quite defensive…
Anyway, don’t be jealous, AP–not everyone can be almost always right 98.9% of the time!
varnson on March 4, 2009 at 5:40 PM
Nice ego there Rush.
He is right, but a pompous wind-bag.
omnipotent on March 4, 2009 at 5:40 PM
He’s trying to make a distinction between himself acting as a law-abiding individual and those acting in their capacity as government officials with the threat of force behind their rhetoric.
For legal purposes, of course he’s not a private individual – he’s a a public figure (celebrity) and is subject to the same laws and protections thereto.
I think the commenters identify with him and see him as one of them (private citizens). Rush has called himself a private citizen. He is and isn’t.
And you’re right, AP. It really doesn’t matter in the legal sense – he’s a public figure. Period. In the rhetorical sense, he’s staking out his ground as a non-government entity.
Good Lt on March 4, 2009 at 5:41 PM
HornetSting on March 4, 2009 at 5:38 PM
My prediction is getting closer all the time. I think we’re going to see the “First Presidential Temper Tantrum”(TM) soon.
kingsjester on March 4, 2009 at 5:41 PM
jencab you are exactly right… I never thought of it that way. Rush talks to the people and elected officials are “supposed” to do what their people want and demand. So, in actuality, Rush is the leader of the Republican Party. People are the government, not those nit wits in Washington. They best start getting it or there is going to be a civil war like they’ve never seen. Good for you jencab.
suzyk on March 4, 2009 at 5:41 PM
Walk into a bar; find the biggest, toughest, meanest guy you can, take him out, no one else will ever mess with you again…
Badbrucskie on March 4, 2009 at 5:42 PM
Most people don’t like Rush. That is the only problem with your thought that this will backfire.
ckoeber on March 4, 2009 at 5:42 PM
maybe Jindal wants Obama’s policies to fail… I hope he does. I know I do; I hate the thought of my kids having to grow up in Obama’s America.
hindmost on March 4, 2009 at 5:42 PM
I think we’ll see him wet his pants in public, first. Then he’ll blame it on his prostate.
progressoverpeace on March 4, 2009 at 5:43 PM
I think it’s because so many of them are Axelrod Astroturfers, with too little training.
IrishEi on March 4, 2009 at 5:43 PM
How much money do you think Rush earned from the publicity from this and his recent speech at CPAC?
RedSoxNation on March 4, 2009 at 5:44 PM
He knows this will never happen for a variety of valid reasons.
I love Rush but he should have set his line in the sand for something more reasonable.
Valiant on March 4, 2009 at 5:44 PM
If Prez-uh-DENT Zero can take the time to fly to Chicago for Valentine’s Day dinner with the wife then he can spare the time to debate.
Rush can flatten Zero easily provided that shill Wolf Blitzer isn’t the one prefabricating the questions and shills Bob Schieffer, Tom Brokaw or Jim Lehrer aren’t moderators for the debate.
Let Ann Coulter be the debate moderator and see how quickly Jug-ears blows a gasket.
viking01 on March 4, 2009 at 5:44 PM
Don’t hate. Educate.
Rush read the definition of socialism from the dictionary last week. I have since taken the Websters entry, blown it up HUGE, and I now plaster it across my front window before I go into a store. I try to park near the door and back in so that lots of folks will see it.
so-cial-ism: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done.
Most people still don’t understand socialism but I do think communism still has a bad connotation. So… if we can help people see that socialism is a stepping stone to communism, perhaps that will wake some folks up.
PrincipledPilgrim on March 4, 2009 at 5:46 PM
Yes, but when you have everyone within the RNC kissing Rush’s a$$ as soon as they say something against Rush that only solidifies him as the head.
Jindal coming out, critizing him, and then NOT apologizing (even if he agrees) is the best strategy to quelch this.
ckoeber on March 4, 2009 at 5:46 PM
Rush debating Obama would be like Morpheus fighting Neo.
grumpy_old_soldier on March 4, 2009 at 5:46 PM
ROTFLMAO!
Norwegian on March 4, 2009 at 5:46 PM
All you trolls can do is to attack Rush on a personal basis and not in the arena of ideas. That says so much about you. And once Obama refuses to debate Rush we will all know who is the king of the mountain
Long live ElRushbo, the man who has the guts to take on the Messiah and oust him from his throne.
technopeasant on March 4, 2009 at 5:47 PM
That ain’t the right metaphor now….
it’s stand out in front of the bar calling that guy a putz and when the guy offers to meet you in a cage fight plead off because you’re busy snubbing the leader of our #1 ally…..
sven10077 on March 4, 2009 at 5:47 PM
Or my comment to AP in shorter language, Rush is illustrating this MO of Obama Inc:
IN SOVIET RUSSIA, GOVERNMENT CRITICIZES YOU!
Good Lt on March 4, 2009 at 5:48 PM
Yeah, but the flip side of that is when you get stomped through the floorboards you’re everyone’s bitch after that. Putin already knows he owns Obama, and Rush will as well. Obama’s only hope now is to back down and never mention it (or Rush) again.
hindmost on March 4, 2009 at 5:48 PM
HAH!
Obama, Emanuel, Gibbs, Plouffe, and Axelrod–the most effeminate administration–evah!
BuckeyeSam on March 4, 2009 at 5:48 PM
“It’s Republicans who are suffering from having to thread the needle between defending Limbaugh and rejecting the “I want him to fail” rhetoric. What harm has Rush suffered? His stature’s never been greater, as he himself acknowledges right here.”
If the president can say “don’t listen to Rush” , rush can say “I want him to fail” in the context he made.
Jindal handled the “I want him to fail” MSM attack smoothly.
Other Reps , not so much.
You almost always want your opponents to fail. right?
That the MSM equals failure of Obama with the failure of USA says something..
the_nile on March 4, 2009 at 5:48 PM
Unfortunately I wish Rush would just drop this…. by feeding the Obama trolls – people are following this and ignoring what is happening to our country. A great sleight of hand trick that is taking attention away from our slide to communism. Heard today that the leader of the US Communist party is now bragging about the fact they have a true ally in the White House…
unaffiliated on March 4, 2009 at 5:48 PM
If Jindal would ever utter such a dumbass thing, I will have lost all my faith in him. He would be done a POTUS contender.
Of course we all want Obama to fail, he is doing his best to destroy our great nation.
Norwegian on March 4, 2009 at 5:49 PM
I laughed so hard when he said that live I damn-near pissed myself.
OmahaConservative on March 4, 2009 at 5:49 PM
Who knows and who cares? The operative word is “Earned”. He gets fair price for his talent.
PappaMac on March 4, 2009 at 5:49 PM
You ARE kidding right? You either are too challenged to think that republicans are that stupid or you are just too challenged.
neuquenguy on March 4, 2009 at 5:50 PM
His point in the statement is that if you (Obama) are going to attack and demonize those that have such private jets, jets THEY (Rush) pay for, you might want to reconsider your own far more opulent one that taxpayers pay for. Obviously he is President and needs the security, but does that mean he is entitled to the finest luxury while being secure?
What’s good for Obama on the taxpayer dime is not good for others on their own.
Saltyron on March 4, 2009 at 5:52 PM
Ballerina, eh? Are we talking tights and a tutu? I’m getting this mental image of the sinister “Marxist Haldeman” spinning a pirouette in the Oval Office, and…
Oh no! No! Make it stop!!!
whitetop on March 4, 2009 at 5:53 PM
They have to do better than handling it smoothly. They have to use this issue to ridicule the media for not getting this after it has been explained to them 1,000 times and then expose Obama’s policies for what they are, explain why we want them to fail, and offer a clear alternative.
neuquenguy on March 4, 2009 at 5:54 PM
Alas Allah, for a leader of any nation to attack or device a “strategy” against an individual is dangerous. I’m almost forgetting what country we’re living in? Venezuela? Cuba? All because they dare to dissent with the views of the president. I find it rather disturbing. Nixon’s was bad but at least his enemies list wasn’t broadcasted in front of the media. This is fully open! I find that to be a real big problem and danger to a democratic society, not alone makes the president look small (maybe he is)
youngO on March 4, 2009 at 5:54 PM
First of all, Jindal would kill any chance of a future WH run by doing such a dumbass thing.
Secondly, why would want to “quelch” this? It is backfiring magnficiantly, latest proof of that is Peter Griffin’s backpedaling during WH Press Briefing today.
Norwegian on March 4, 2009 at 5:55 PM
Now, we’ll see if this shuts the ‘fail’ and ‘leader’ rhetoric down. If it doesn’t, I have every expectation that Rush is working on a plan as we write. And, you know, conservatives need someone to rally around, someone to prop up the things we know are right but are constantly assailed from the left and from those who have no principles except power. This is what Rush does and does well–and I, for one, welcome his determined input.
jeanie on March 4, 2009 at 5:56 PM
yup….AP gets it. The dems are re-branding the GOP with Rush.
Do you know what your old brand was?
That elitist intellectual polymath William Francis Buckley.
How the mighty have fallen.
About 40 IQ points would be my guess.
strangelet on March 4, 2009 at 5:58 PM
For me, at least, it’s a way of emphasizing that these attacks are ad hominem in nature: People don’t like Limbaugh. Limbaugh advocates for conservatism. Therefore, people shouldn’t like conservatism. When Bush was the target, it was difficult to argue that it was unfair, since they were attacking what Bush himself was doing. But Limbaugh isn’t passing law. He isn’t filibustering. He’s just running off his loud mouth. And criticizing him is not was an administration should be doing. It’s not an abuse of power. It’s a waste of power.
Both Limbaugh and Obama’s aides are looking after their own self-interest rather than that of the country. Limbaugh would be elevated no matter what happened in a Democratic administration, but they single him out and he calls them out, and suddenly people aren’t talking about Jindal and Boehner any more, let alone about actual ideas. Personal sniping was expected during the actual campaign, but this is just fiddling with yourself while Rome burns.
Limbaugh’s form of angry “conservatism” could kill a movement due for a rebirth. Making homophobic comments and showcasing schoolyard bravado will serve to make sure that the 11% of Americans with a positive view of Limbaugh only shrinks, even if his audience itself grows. And if he’s the de facto face of the movement, it’s only going to diminish with time.
calbear on March 4, 2009 at 5:58 PM
His point in the statement is that if you (Obama) are going to attack and demonize those that have such private jets, jets THEY (Rush) pay for, you might want to reconsider your own far more opulent one that taxpayers pay for. Obviously he is President and needs the security, but does that mean he is entitled to the finest luxury while being secure?
What’s good for Obama on the taxpayer dime is not good for others on their own.
Saltyron on March 4, 2009 at 5:52 PM
——
Oh, for fu**’s sake this is even more stupid.
You cannot possibly be suggesting that Air Force 1 be scrapped for a smaller, simpler aircraft.
Air Force 1 is what it is and has nothing to do with excess or opulence.
Nobody has ever had a problem with the relative niceness of presidential travel until now???? That’s so ridiculous beyond all imagination.
Why don’t you go start an online petition to rent out half the opulent and excessive White House to pensioners.
Dave Rywall on March 4, 2009 at 5:58 PM
I wish someone would buy Rush 30 minutes of primetime on a major a TV network (assuming that money trumps their habitual bias) once a quarter just to be able to speak directly to the masses about simple conservative principles under the guise of it being necessary due to the bias and misinformation that is fed to the public by the MSM. It would be more effective than 500 30 second “soundbite” commercials by the RNC.
chromium on March 4, 2009 at 5:59 PM
Drywall is back? When did he make parole?
trigon on March 4, 2009 at 6:02 PM
81 degrees and a hundred buck a pound beef DRYWALL…..
remember the temper tantrums by the media over Bambi’s coronation as compared to Bush’s inaugural that cost a third less???
yeah neither do I….
sven10077 on March 4, 2009 at 6:02 PM
Regarding Obama’s self defeating behavior, my response is a fleeting moment of Schadenfreud as Rush trounces that dunce drunk with power. But the nerve racking realization remains; Rush is not the only target of Obama’s consummate self centered elitism. Putz Obama insults our allies to prove he’s Der Weltkaiser, yet he grovels to brown nose our nation’s opponents even as they ridicule this vain fool’s weaknesses that permeate from Washington D.C. the bitter gall of liberty lost. Our legacy of independence is forfeited for a vaporous piece of the pie in the sky that’s falling. The price tag is selling your soul to the devil.
But you see, Rush is not alone, nor are conservatives alone in contempt for such vile Socialist authoritarians as they corrupt our Constitutional Government.
maverick muse on March 4, 2009 at 6:02 PM
Yeah, I guess that’s why the GOP has surged UP in Generic Traking Polls in the last week. See Rasmussens latest.
Norwegian on March 4, 2009 at 6:03 PM
Exactly. And, as someone said earlier, Tricky Dicky didn’t have a full court of media lapping at his feet like Obama does.
To the question of what they hope to gain by trying to equate Rush as the leader of the GOP? I don’t understand. At the end of the day, he’ll still have his listeners and they’ll look like childish bullies who should be focused on the tasks at hand. This coming from the candidate who hated “distractions.” I guess that came with an expiration date too.
scalleywag on March 4, 2009 at 6:03 PM
sven10077 on March 4, 2009 at 6:04 PM
I suspect the asylums in Newfoundland had a field trip and DRYWALL escaped….
sven10077 on March 4, 2009 at 6:05 PM
calbear on March 4, 2009 at 5:58 PM
Near as I can tell, the only person I’ve read who dislikes Rush is you. Has if ever occurred to you that you might be the misfit here?
jeanie on March 4, 2009 at 6:05 PM
jeanie on March 4, 2009 at 6:05 PM
Well, Calbear is not the only misfit here, but it is a select group.
Drywall didn’t make parole. It’s the spring thaw.
kingsjester on March 4, 2009 at 6:06 PM
Allah, I think the Fairness Doctrine or whatever it is those on the left are currently naming their attempt to silence their opposition’s right to free speech is weighing heavily on the mind of Rush Limbaugh. I think that is what is driving him right now. You know their attempts to limit the free and open exchange of ideas are growing bolder by the day. You post about it all the time. I think Rush is trying to make this as black and white as possible by forcing them to try this while he is in the spotlight. In broad daylight, surrounded by whitnesses, it will be far more difficult for the left to accomplish the orwellian things they would like to accomplish. Rush is now reaching beyond his regular listeners. The country is watching Rush vs Obama on their television sets every night. They are reading about it not just on Hotair but in the NY Times as well. The conservatives are watching, the liberals are watching and the marxist utopians are watching. If the libs try and shut down the right wing’s consitutional right to free speech the debate will be far and wide. That is not what the left wants. They would prefer it to be done silently. They would prefer the MSM to play along and pretend not to notice. They would prefer the large swaths of low information voters stay in the dark to this. You recently made reference to the game the left plays whenever someone on the right warns about the Fairness doctrine. On the one hand someone like John Kerry (a prominent Dem) voices support for it. The right complains. Then someone on the left tells them they are crazy for worrying about it because it will never happen. In other words, nothing to see here move along. Rush is saying, “No more games, if you’re going to kill me, your going to have to do it while everybody is watching.”
Zetterson on March 4, 2009 at 6:08 PM
Why is Obama attacking Rush?
Every wizard needs a straw man. We must not see what is going on behind the curtain.
turfmann on March 4, 2009 at 6:09 PM
Drywall is out on appeal. Pee Wee Herman offered to be his character witness.
viking01 on March 4, 2009 at 6:10 PM
Boldface noticed.
No boldface?
JiangxiDad on March 4, 2009 at 6:10 PM
Personally, I don’t care if they rebrand the party with Rush. The GOP needs to seriously grow a pair. And Rush in my estimation has the equivalent of 6 sets to start off with.
RepubChica on March 4, 2009 at 6:11 PM
I’d like to get Chuck Norris and Obama in the ring for a pay-per-view UFC match; with the money going to the charities that Obama and Biden “forgot” to contribute to.
marklmail on March 4, 2009 at 6:11 PM
I’ll debate YOU, rush, you muthah suckah.
/Michelle.
Key West Reader on March 4, 2009 at 6:11 PM
According to work done never flies when it’s always ONLY the party elite who get everything.
Redistribution means taking away from you all that you have in order to further bloat the Socialist Party gluttons who never return what they took from you, regardless of how hard you work or how much you produce.
Redistribution has its own translation for give and take. The worker gives, the Party elites take, and workers take getting taken.
maverick muse on March 4, 2009 at 6:11 PM
Rush is right about a lot of things. So is Krauthammer. Do I think of either of them as leaders of the GOP? Nope. I think of one as a talk radio show host and the other as an excellent editorial writer and guest panelist on Fox. I wonder when Obama is going to tell the GOP they need to stop reading Krauthammer? After all, he’s labeled a lot of Obama’s policies as failures too.
scalleywag on March 4, 2009 at 6:11 PM
Why don’t you go start an online petition to rent out half the opulent and excessive White House to pensioners.
Clinton did that often, for campaign money.
The point here, jackass, is that I have no problem with Obama (or any other President) having Air Force One for security purposes, as he can’t fly Air Tran. But any “perk” he gets along with that is another matter. Hell, I wouldn’t even care about that either, except Obama makes a big deal about what OTHERS can and can’t have (profit, energy, heating), yet he (and others in power) are exempt from that moralizing, as they are “politicians”.
Ex: Decrying school choice and vouchers for parents to send they kids to private school, and forcing the funds to be spent on inferior public school, all while sending your own kids to private school. Offer the choice you exercise to everyone else.
This leads to politicians having better health care, better living, better retirement, better pay, etc. all better than the average voter, all on the govt. dime, and subject to their own approval, all while THEY demonize anyone else for having “more” than their neighbor. Class warfare, but as govt. employees they themselves are “exempt”.
Saltyron on March 4, 2009 at 6:13 PM
ROFL…
ddrintn on March 4, 2009 at 6:14 PM
kingsjester on March 4, 2009 at 6:06 PM
Sorry–was too lazy to read all the way back. And, speaking of misfits, for those of you who were not listening to Rush when he called o out–apparently his siwtchboard lit up with libs spinning and careening in a whirling frenzy. He had two of them on who simply kept repeating that the debate wouldn’t be ‘fair’ because it would be in Rush’s studio or some such. The same suggested Clinton or Emmanuel as fitting opponents–but Rush said “leader to leader’ and no flunkies. Then he shut them off—gone!!! Inspiring.
jeanie on March 4, 2009 at 6:15 PM
I wonder if they know that at one point in my life. I was. A Ballerina.
Key West Reader on March 4, 2009 at 6:15 PM
^ Obama wouldn’t stand a chance debating this guy. But it’s a nice fantasy.
ddrintn on March 4, 2009 at 6:15 PM
So because Rush thinks Obama is leading the country down the drain he’s supposed to STFU? Did I miss him buying ads on TV a la “General Betrayus?” Did I miss Rush having veto power over any legislation?
Attacking Rush anounts to Obama equating his Presidency to a radio personality. It demeans the office to unleash his dogs on those who dissapprove of his policies. It makes Obama look small and petty and vindictive. Did Bush or his surrogatesgo on shows telling the public to boycott the DixieChics? Did I miss Karl Rove – devil that he is – making the rounds calling the Daily Kos guy personally a traitor?
I don’t even listen to Rush and it strikes me as worrisome that someone who is supposed to be handling the big issues facing the country is spending time bashing the man. Will you find it equally no big deal if the next target of Emanuel’s wrath is MM?
katiejane on March 4, 2009 at 6:15 PM
Before the current administration, when was the last time you recalled the President’s press secretary calling out individuals by name for expressing a dissenting opinion?
You’re a private citizen, right? Where does it stop? What if you dug up something that didn’t jive with The One’s plan for a greater society, would you want want to be called out publicly for expressing an opinion? Would you want to be publicly berated and told to shut-up?
Debate the message, the messenger.
Rusty Shackleford on March 4, 2009 at 6:15 PM
Allah,
Rush is a public figure, but he’s still a private citizen. He wasn’t elected or appointed to any official position within the legislative, judicial, or executive branches of government, and doesn’t exert any real power. If I don’t like his show, I don’t have to listen to it. Rush can’t force me to part with my hard-earned money to give to someone else, declare war, write laws, punish me if I break a law, etc. In that sense, he’s a private citizen just like me. He’s just a lot smarter than I am, has a huge audience, and makes a heck of a lot more money than I do. ;) *slinks back into lurkdom*
tumbleweed on March 4, 2009 at 6:16 PM
Was watching the dittocam at work today with headphones on. I laughed myself silly. My coworkers thought I was losing it.
rollthedice on March 4, 2009 at 6:17 PM
In case anyone’s having trouble coming up with a visual:
http://tinyurl.com/6p3vuc
califcon on March 4, 2009 at 6:18 PM
Rush is not nor will he ever be the “head” of the Republican Party. I am sure he doesn’t consider himself a Republican. He is a Conservative. He votes Republican because they have the best chance of advancing Conservative principles. He has explained this many, many times.
A President calling out anyone is unprecidented. No President should be doing that. Remember the flak Reagan got for calling USSR the Evil Empire? Libs went nuts! John McCain went all wobbly barely calling out Dodd, Frank, and the other bank robbers last fall. I am sure he considered himself brave for doing that. It just isn’t done.
It remains to be seen what will happen next. Obama takes the bait? Probably not. Will it shut up the others? Probably not. However, the more they say, the deeper the hole for the Obama administration. God bless Rush. He is a fighter and is our only line of defense. Certainly the Media isn’t going to do it. So that leaves us and Rush. Keep writing to your Congress persons. Every day. There is a lot to complain about. My two senators get at least two a week from me. Sometimes I think it isn’t doing any good as the replies are form letters. However, I have noticed that they are sending out all sorts of meaninless junk. They seem to be loosing the battle. Harrass them at every turn. Overwhelm them. We have to stop this, but all we can hope for is to slow it down until we can stop it. They work for us. We don’t work for them.
BetseyRoss on March 4, 2009 at 6:20 PM
Dead wrong. It makes no difference whether Rush is a talk show host or a guy who stepped out of his house to ask a question of the President like Joe the Plumber did. He is indeed a private citizen, and this is an attack by the most powerful man in the world against a private citizen, no less egregious because of his notoriety or soapbox. If Obama has a beef with the facts of what Rush is saying, or feels he is being libeled or mischaracterized, then he can engage in the debate, or have his proxies do it. This is America. Otherwise Obama can ignore him. But that’s not what is happening. A covert campaign is being waged within the public offices of the US government to use the power of the office of the presidency — in concert with sympathetic elements of the media — to smear a private citizen.
rrpjr on March 4, 2009 at 6:21 PM
Maybe I’m paranoid or something.
DID ANYONE NOTICE THAT WE NOW ALL HAVE AN MSN TOOLBAR ON OUR INTERNET EXPLORER LAUNCH? Even if your website is yahoo, google?
I can’t get rid of it. Help!
Key West Reader on March 4, 2009 at 6:21 PM
Wow. That is the most effeminate picture of Rahm I’ve seen yet. No wonder Obummer likes him.
Guardian on March 4, 2009 at 6:22 PM
Why don’t you go start an online petition to rent out half the opulent and excessive White House to pensioners
Laura(at least I think it was her program–suspect I’m too deeply into this thing!)had a spot about how Michelle o goes out into the street and invites people into the WH and how warm and welcoming they find her, and the children love her, and the fashion mags love her, and the angels sing and play on their harps, the stars align etc…so, I see no harm in a little praise and well done for Rush. So—keep the ball in play Rush and never let them up for air.
jeanie on March 4, 2009 at 6:23 PM
The best help I can suggest is not to use IE at all. Use Firefox instead.
Guardian on March 4, 2009 at 6:24 PM
Exactly. Even Nixon didn’t do this publicly. That I recall.
scalleywag on March 4, 2009 at 6:25 PM
I may be wrong but the only time George Bush called out a dissenting party/person was at the Sept. Repub convention when he gave his video speech and referred to the “angry left”.
Maturity, class, experience and backbone do not exist in the present administration. Stark contrast.
sherry on March 4, 2009 at 6:26 PM
Key West Reader on March 4, 2009 at 6:21 PM
If you have security concerns about Internet explorer there are several free alternatives such as the popular Mozilla Firefox which is download-able at mozilla.org
viking01 on March 4, 2009 at 6:27 PM
Ditto. Firefox is the best.
OmahaConservative on March 4, 2009 at 6:28 PM
Definitely . . . once you go Firefox, you’ll wonder why you ever used anything else.
califcon on March 4, 2009 at 6:29 PM
You want the answer? OK, listen carefully and learn my son -=
The only reason Obama’s minions are still stubbornly chewing on this is not to necessarily discredit Rush – although that is no doubt part of the strategy – but to discredit Rush’s MESSAGE OF CONSERVATISM.
Rush has an audience of millions, and those millions can influence others, thus undermining Obama’s Marxist agenda. The only way he can succeed is to maintain his dominance over information that gets to the public. Information, in a Marxist state, is dangerous and must be controlled by the powers that be.
Only pure, unadulterated, traditional conservatism can stop Obama, and he knows it. So, who is the main disseminator of conservatism (whether you agree with the way he articulates it is another matter), but Rush Limbaugh.
That is why he is on their radar screen. If someone else comes along that surpasses his influence as THE conservative spokesman, then they will drop their attacks on Rush. It isn’t him, its his message.
Joe Pyne on March 4, 2009 at 6:30 PM
There’s no shortage of arrogance though! It’s the “we won” administration.
scalleywag on March 4, 2009 at 6:31 PM
There is a feature in the bookmarks at Firefox that lets you migrate your IE favorites over, folders included.
OmahaConservative on March 4, 2009 at 6:31 PM
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