Limbaugher Cheesed

Do we know he was piqued? When I heard about that, I assumed he was speaking with amused, dismissive contempt, for Limbaugh and for the lowest common denominator GOOPers who are pandering to the dittohead base. Limbaugh and the politics of that kind of pettiness, like proposing Alcatraz as the new Gitmo, are the childish things Obama called on us--and them--to set aside.
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Along those lines, after the election we heard, for the fourth or fifth post-election period in a row, that now the non-crazy Republicans, the alleged grown ups, were going to take control of the party. Any evidence that this is happening? Has anyone checked to see if Richard Lugar and Olympia Snowe are aware of... well.... anything?

He's forcing Republicans to make a public choice between the divisive politics of the base and the new era of bi-partisanship, or at least the era of attempted bi-partisanship. I don't think it's a bad tactic...they'll be the ones who broke the truce. Of course it doesn't help that you and your colleagues continue to accept right wing talking points as fact while doing zero due diligence. Talk to Pete Hoekstra lately?

I'm not so sure, Joe. Like it or not, these clowns do take most of their cues from Rush. Given that, how can you discuss Republican "idea" without mentioning Rush?

"I was disappointed that President Obama even acknowledged the existence of Rush Limbaugh in his meeting with Congressional leaders on Friday"
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Joe-I was not disappointed he acknowledged Rush in the way he did. Rush and all these people can not be just ignored like they don't exist because they have millions of listeners. Someone with just a big a of soap box has to tell those same listeners of Rush and Hannity that he and his co-horts are simply wrong. The press isn't going to do it. The media which should be pushing back on this kind of hate and fear just love Rush and Drudge to death.

I disagree. There is a tight core of the GOP that loves the likes of Rush and Coulter. If it comes to it they will listen to them over an old school radio with the antennae duck taped into place. There are those for whom hate is like jello, there is always room for more.
All Obama has done is feed the beast.

I am confused. Didn't Howie Kurtz say Limbaugh is part of the "conservative mainstream?"

There is a tight core of the GOP that loves the likes of Rush and Coulter.

I believe the technical term is "Republican congressional leadership".
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Since that was the very group to which Barack Obama was talking, he needed to note the man who rules their world. (Speaking of that phrase, it appears that Mark Halperin still has a job at TIME magazine; it looks like there are still fans of that kind of Drudge sludge.)

Moreover Joe sound as if Obama has no political skills. If he used this opportunity to portray the GOP's latest tactics as the childish rantings of Limbaugh and his ilk then I have to figure he knows what he is doing. During the campaign you and your ilk constantly tried to tell him how to respond in given situations and if 2008 will be known for anything it will be known for the year all of the pundits got it wrong all of the time.

Bennet only says that stuff for mainstream media consumption (and you fell for it). The GOP has always had two separate message streams, one for the base and one for the "reasonable" people.
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And here's what Bennet actually said: "Of course if you're talking about policies with which you disagree, you don't want them to succeed. The locution 'I want him to fail' is not what you say the first week. [..] The rhetoric could be improved." Yeah, that's some repudiation.
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And why should Obama help the GOP to cover up their own "embarrassing anachronisms"?

While sane people see Limbaugh as the crazy whacked out cancer that he is, Congressional Republicans bow to him. So Obama can't quite bend to reality there.

[Limbaugh] has become an embarrassing anachronism, like a comedian still doing Dukakis jokes. His brand of entertainment went out with the crash; his ditto-heads are losing their jobs. His crapulous invective only has the power to stigmatize his allies now.
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I thought the GOP was purging all the heretics who dare deviate from the books of Limbaugh and Coulter. I thought they were regrouping into an ever-more conservative organization.
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I definitely don't think Limbaugh is getting sidelined right now.

Joe I'm surprised that as a communicator you aren't more astute about GOP communication tactics. Of course Limbaugh uses the most outrageous language to promote GOP positions so when the Bennetts or the Kristols use a more reasonable tone to say virtually the same thing you listen and repeat it as if the position is actually reasonable. I admit its effective because the media rarely understands they've been duped.

Joe,
This sounds like the same strategy that Kerry used in '04: Ignore the swift boat liars and they will just naturally fade away.
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In the same way that Obama responded to smears and lies immediately during the campaign, he should continue to debunk them promptly now. People like Limbaugh have a disproportionately loud voice; we ignore their lies at our peril.

Let's recall what William Bennett was writing about in October: A quick few examples: pimping the "troubling" (read: "Arab-named") Rashid Khalidi "connection" with Obama; accusing Obama of "class warfare"; quoting the likes of Karl Rove, Dick Morris, and Mark Steyn Obama, and Fred Barnes defending Palin.
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Of course, he didn't expect anyone to ever read this stuff or try to hold him to account at any point in the future; he was just saying whatever he calculated might help the GOP that instant. (Gee, I wonder if he still thinks that the election was a "referendum on Obama"?).
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William Bennett is Rush Limbaugh, only slightly less blustery and slim.
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And reality-based commentators should be tying Rush Limbaugh around the necks of the GOP every day. Recall that George Bush Jr. and Sr. called him up to wish him well just a few months ago. Rush Limbaugh is today's GOP.
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There are no sane Republicans.

"about as controversial as Norway".
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Hehe, is that the new metaphor in Washington? On behalf of all norwegians, I'm not sure whether to take it as a compliment or insult... But, I will say this: Norway has no equivalent to Rush Limbaugh. Thank God.

What's funny is that Limbaugh seems to be doing his usual show, but his listeners' ardor has been amped way up. It's kinda funny/sad watching them get more and more out of touch.

It may not be uniting, but Obama seems to be marginalizing the crazies away from the moderates.

That being said, baiting Rush's listeners into (further) stupid yawping doesn't seem his style. This tempest in a teapot was probably inadvertent, resulting either from pique or from trying to speak the Republicans' language.

I disagree with both Joe and most of the comments. Rush is Rush. He is entertainment. I laugh that people connect him with so called conservatism (what the hell is that now, anyway) or the disintegrating Reupubs. He is to political commentary what professional wrestling is to sports. Even I listen sometimes for a good laugh. As I do the pope and other religious crazies.
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I think Obama had no great movtives in mentioning the jerk, other than to point to what he and his dittoheads are. Nothing significant beyond pure entertainment value. Long live fat Rush.

The first step towards turning people into Obama herd of sheep is maligning opposing point of views using various "inaccurate" adjectives.

Way to go, apparently getting things doing is fllowing the order of Mr.Godama

"He should save it for opponents who remain relevant."
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I think that it is you who is confused. Limbaugh is still relevant because he's promulgating the same (lying) talking points that are the mainstream Republican position which are, in turn, parroted by your colleagues in the corporate press. They've been legitimizing, if not lionizing him, since Ronald Reagan was president. I appreciate your public disdain of Limbaugh but stop blaming Democrats for what the corporate press and other "conservatives" have wrought.

I do get the impression Limbaugh leads, not follows. I often see a striking increase in message discipline after Rush comes on the air at noon EST on those days Rush deigns to appear on the air.

I have long believed that our Big Media and other Villagers were afraid of Limbaugh. This is an important step for Joe. Calling Limbaugh irrelevant is about the worst insult Joe could possibly hurl at him. If only it were true...

"I do get the impression Limbaugh leads, not follows."
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It's such a circle jerk from Hertitage, to Kristol, to Limbaugh, to Reynolds to Boehner, it's hard to say who "leads". However, during the last desperate weeks of the McCain Campaign, their rhetoric and that of Limbaugh and Hannity became almost indistinguishable from one other (don't ask me how I know this). The good news: it failed spectacularly. I blame the intertubes.

What a phucking idiotic post this is by the appropriately named Joke Line. President Obama knew EXACTLY what he was doing because he knew just like kindergarteners the GOP would run to the nearest journalist and recount what he said. But the problem for them is its going to blow up in their face. Rush Limbaugh's audience isn't nearly as big as it used to be and for the people squarely in the middle this is going to once again expose the GOP for the assclowns that they are. Notice none of these dumb asses have come out and said they AREN'T taking their cues from Limbaugh. And guess what we have been hearing about all day in addition to President Obama's words? The clip of Limbaugh telling the world he hopes Obama fails. Just as the situation made Bill Bennett who is just as big a wingnut as Limbaugh repudiate him, for the next three days or so you will see Republican/Conservative after Republican/Conservative on the talking head shows having to walk back Limbaughs words all in front of millions of middle of the road Americans who are are going to be appalled that the GOP was once again playing politics with their lively hood. For years behind the scenes Democrats have been saying the Republican party was taking its cues from the Limbaugh/Hannity crowd but nobody stepped up to the plate and put them on blast so average people thought it wasn't true. Now they will know better. And the best part won't be the clowns like Bennett who walk it back, it will be the "conservative thinkers" who back Rush up. THATS whats going to hurt the Republicans the most.
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President Obama said what plenty of people have wanted to say but didn't have the clout. As I type Chris Matthews just made another Republican walk it back on Rush

"I do listen to Rush. I listen to it from a radio in my office, or depending on my day, if I'm in the car, I will listen to Rush. And he will tell you I've been listening for years. I think it's my duty to listen to Rush. I think Rush has actually yet to get the credit he is due, because his audience for so many years felt they were in the wilderness of this country. No one was talking to them."
-Brian Williams

And here's the WaPo's Michael Shear's take. Wow, the MSM love covering this stuff.
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IMHO, Obama's cool take on Limbaugh is appropriate. I didn't see any evidence of pique. He seemed dismissive, like a teacher deflating the class clown, but maybe it was too low-key to have an effect. Limbaugh is not just distraction; he fuels and emboldens the opposition.