I don’t think it’s demonization as much as diversion, but they’re related. The GOP and Rush’s listeners (there’s so much overlap that we needn’t bother with the distinction) needs a reason to avoid taking the responsibility for their abject failures, since that would mean rejecting their entire belief systems.
I’m not sure I understand this. “The masses are like a wife.” Could you explain this, please?
Check out the “is Bush Responsible for the Meltdown” thread. We’re a bit more nuanced.
When has the president ever debated the leader of the opposition party - even the real leader?
I don’t think so, and debating style has nothing to do with it. The President of the United States is still a position that commands respect. If Rush tries to treat Obama like a caller, even a lot of conservatives will think he’s a pig. If he treats him with respect, he’ll be seen as wimping out by the trogs. I think you also may be forgetting that shouting is not debating. I doubt if Rush (or any talk show host) would do nearly as well without control of the microphone. It won’t ever happen - there is no benefit for Obama to be wrestling a pig.
- and he’s been fired at the Republican party with amazing effect.
The Obama administration did not pick out Limbaugh for criticism, they’ve been criticizing the Republican Party for aligning with Limbaugh. Limbaugh’s - ehm - odiousness? - is considered a given for this exchange. That’s not what it’s about.
It’s about making the Republicans come up with a position vis-a-vis Limbaugh that leaves both dittoheads and moderate Republicans happy. Version 1.0, “We’re not at all aligned with Limbaugh” has not exactly worked well, what with the chairman of the RNC having to humbly apologize after criticizing The Chosen One. It’ll be interesting to see v1.1.
Limbaugh is of course going to play the victim card and his fans will swallow it, as they are wont to do. (They self-identify as dittoheads, 'nuff said.) That’s a calculated risk - it’s not as if the Democrats are vying for their votes , anyway. However, the sane republicans are watching their party leadership kowtow to the fringe elements, and that has to leave them unhappy.
It’s pretty well played, actually.
I don’t see how or why anyone should have to apologize or bow to Limbaugh. Who is he? He’s just some guy with a microphone. He’s not a leader, or a head of anything, he has no “mandate to rule”. In short he should be treated for what he is - a guy on the radio - nothing more, nothing less.
As for being a victim, that’s just stupid. He’s thrown rocks at people for years. Now he is going to cry because the other kids don’t like him?
Give me a break.
Maybe you should be explaining that to his 20 million listeners and the elected officials who feel obligated to kowtow to him?
He’s got a bunch of power because the Republicans have their base - and at the moment it looks like they don’t have much else. They can’t take a chance of letting He Who Keeps The Republican Orthodoxy get angry at them.
-Joe
I do not get what is so wrong with making Republicans own or disown Limbaugh?
Certainly every side has its wingnuts. Rush however is on a different level. He claims (what?) 20 million listeners and holds himself out as the ideological standard bearer of conservatism. Sure anyone could make that claim but none who would also lay claim to 20 million dittoheads and get the Chairman of the RNC to publicly apologize for stating what was really only the truth. There is no one on the Left in that position.
So far the Republicans have been having their cake and eating it too. They could have a Limbaugh in the background stirring up the far right while they could be more moderate publicly.
Now the Dems decide to shine a light on this guy and move him to center stage and Republicans are pissed over it? Sorry but I can muster no outrage over that at all. What is wrong with it? Is he your (conservative) guy or isn’t he? If you agree with him and he is so right conservatives should be thrilled to announce it and let him lead the way. If he is a colossal ass then conservatives need to point out the Emperor has no clothes and distance themselves from him.
Or conservatives can sit and do nothing and pretend the 800lb gorilla isn’t in the room with them and the Dems will keep him center stage and let him be the voice of conservatism. While the pols may ignore it I am sure the rest of the country will see it just fine.
I think it diminshes Obama. It’s unseemly and goes against his inclusive rhetoric. Maybe I’m wrong but if you lay down with dogs you usually get fleas.
Makes Obama appear petty and all too human.
There is nothing wrong with it. It is absolutely reasonable for anyone to ask the GOP if they agree with Limbaugh since most of Limbaugh’s listeners vote for the Republicans believing that they do.
What the Democrats have discovers is that even the GOP moderates hate Limbaugh. The positions of the extreme right wing and many GOP moderates are no longer reconcilable. The Republicans like to pretend they serve the interests of both sides of the party but that is just logically impossible. Any GOP member that voices opposition to one side will be opposed by the other. By bringing up Limbaugh the Democrats are forcing Republicans to take a stand. So far they seem to be sticking with the extreme wing.
This will make more GOP moderates realize just how extreme their party is. I’m sure many moderate Republicans are wondering why no one in their party is denouncing Limbaugh.
This would seem to apply more to the GOP than to Obama. They’ve lain with Limbaugh for a long time, and only now is someone saying, “You guys realize you’re covered in fleas?”
It’s good cover too. While the media is awash with Limbaugh stories, no body even bothers to delve into why health care is suddenly the root of our budget problems, not homes, jobs, banks, wars, or anything else.
My favorite exchange, though, was this:
To which Eric Cantor, R-Va. responded:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/03/rush-to-potus-b.html
“Inclusive” only goes so far. Some positions are irreconcilable. Rush makes a living of staking out a position almost diametrically opposed to Obama and liberals in general. Any side will occasionally have a good idea (or the seeds of one) but to Limbaugh all liberal ideas are automatically bad ones merely because they were espoused by a liberal.
There is no reason for Obama to be inclusive of people whose starting position is one of rigid hatred and automatic rejection of anything Obama may say.
Indeed I think this is one of the benefits to what the Dems have wrought here. Make republicans take a position. From that they will have a pretty good idea of who they can work with and who to largely ignore as the effort to work with them would be wasted. This does not mean that someone who repudiates Limbaugh will roll over and agree with all things Obama. Merely that the potential exists with them to come to some sort of compromise.
Bwahahaha!
The party of “No” has been trying so hard at a bipartisan solution to small business and middle class tax relief? The Obama administration has been ignoring it all this time choosing instead to have a tussle with Rush Limbaugh?
You really believe that?
I don’t see it that way. The more Obama engages him the more it lessens his moral authority. I think it’ll be seen as unseemly and that obama is afraid of criticism no matter the source.
But he’s not engaging Limbaugh. As Spiny Norman astutely points out, Obama is engaging the Republicans by spotlighting Limbaugh.
Well he’s trying to but I’m not sure it’s going to be seen that way. That’s his angle but it remains to be seen if people will get that nuance or if they’ll just see him attacking a talking head.
As has been noted the Dems have done the “ignore it” route for years and it has not helped them one bit. By deeming themselves “above the fray” and not stooping to engage these monkeys they have ceded a good bit of the discussion to the right alone where they blather whatever suits them.
About time the Dems decided to take a more hands on approach. As noted above I prefer someone who will wade in and fight them. For the chess match that is national politics I think the Dems made a brilliant move.
There is no “real leader” of an opposition party in our system except when they have a Presidential candidate nominated - and you bet the incumbent debates that guy.
Well, yeah, it does, if you remember how effectively Obama laughed off the same crap Limbaugh would give him whenever McCain tried it.
But it won’t happen because Limbaugh would effectively have to claim, himself, that he’s the GOP’s leader, instead of attributing the claim to others. That is not a place an entertainer wants to be, having to accept actual responsibility for his words and actions. The way he’s bombasting, though, he can’t even ask the President for an interview instead.
But I’d like to see Emanuel give it a try. Emanuel would really enjoy it, too, I suspect.
Typically the former president is considered the leader of the party, but given that Reagan is dead and there have been no Republican presidents since, it is usually the head of the RNC.
Oh, Obama would kick his butt, no question, but Rush has negatives even before going in. I bet Rush would back out because of some suddenly unacceptable condition. Bullies always do. He reminds me of a brat taunting a guy much bigger than him, who will never respond because you don’t get any cred crushing a pipsqueak. The whining about how Obama is being so mean to him is typical bully behavior also.
Well sure, it’s a calculated move. It remains to be seen if it will help them or not.