Limbaugh's audacity of "hope" for failure
Washington, D.C. -- With a Democrat back in the White House, nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh has wasted no time dusting off his Clinton administration playbook and hurling attacks against President Barack Obama. In the past two weeks, Limbaugh has blamed Obama for the economic downturn, claimed that Obama is waging a "war on prosperity," and asserted that "[w]e are being told ... that we have to bend over, grab the ankles ... because this is the first black president." And Limbaugh's remark "I hope he fails," when asked to comment on his "hope for the Obama presidency," has grabbed headlines and sparked wall-to-wall cable news coverage about whether Limbaugh is still the "Number One voice for conservatism."
Today, Media Matters for America released an online video documenting Limbaugh's ability to influence conservative opinion -- in and out of Congress. You can watch/download the video here: LIMBAUGH VIDEO
"Rush Limbaugh has said some pretty insulting, misleading, and downright incendiary things in the past, but this jumps close to the top of the list," said Karl Frisch, a senior fellow at Media Matters. "Limbaugh's latest comments prove that he is out of step with the American people and their hopes for overcoming this economic crisis. How much longer will conservatives allow Limbaugh to be their voice?"
Since Obama's election and inauguration, Limbaugh has only increased his attacks on Obama and his policies. These attacks include accusing Obama of using and exaggerating the current economic crisis for political gain. Limbaugh has also echoed the myth -- repeated by media conservatives denouncing Obama's economic recovery plan -- that the New Deal prolonged the Great Depression. In addition, Limbaugh has repeatedly criticized Obama for his plan to close the detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, asserting that Obama's intended action would endanger American lives, and perpetuated the falsehood that "it has been learned that 61 detainees" who have been released from Guantánamo have returned to terrorist activities.
BACKGROUND:
"Number One voice for conservatism" Rush Limbaugh wastes no time leading assault on Obama
Summary: With a Democrat back in the White House, Rush Limbaugh has wasted no time in hurling false and baseless attacks against President Obama, echoing his slanders and smears of President Clinton, his family, and his administration during the 1990s.
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For more information, visit www.mediamatters.org.
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The votes and the polls clearly show a widespread rejection of these kinds of political dialog. With our country basically broken by 8 years of Republican rule, most people want someone in charge that can fix things. Approval poll numbers show a very large number of people (including Republican voters) supporting Obama.
Given this clear fact, the various news media still want to play this as a conflict between Rush and Obama. This is how our news media have evolved (thinly disguised reality TV shows that distort reality). Even in the face of declining newspaper and television news readership/viewership the media continue down this road.
If the Republican party and the News Media want to tie themselves to various "Rush Rantings" they may find that such an association is much like being tied to an anchor and thrown overboard.