Limbaugh: Gonzales is "under fire by white liberal racists in the Senate"
On the March 27 edition of his nationally syndicated radio program, Rush Limbaugh claimed that Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, "the first Hispanic-American attorney general -- a minority" is "under fire by white liberal racists in the Senate." In fact, Gonzales' handling of the U.S. attorney firings has been criticized by lawmakers of both parties, and his actions have been censured by the Senate's only African-American and by one of its three Hispanic members.
In a March 22 CNN.com commentary, nationally syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr. made a similar claim about members of Congress who have called for Gonzales' resignation, describing them as a "lynch mob" led by "white liberals" that also includes "immigrant-baiting members of Congress -- Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California and Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado." Navarrette wrote:
The nation's first Hispanic attorney general is being pressured to resign by -- pick 'em -- Democrats trying to make hay, an elite media that long opposed him, civil libertarians who condemn administration policy on detainees and wiretaps, conservatives who think Gonzales is too liberal, and liberals who think he's too conservative.
The list even includes a pair of immigrant-baiting members of Congress -- Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California and Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado -- who fell out with Gonzales over the prosecution of two ex-border patrol agents.
Leading this lynch mob are white liberals who resent Gonzales because they can't claim the credit for his life's accomplishments and because they can't get him to curtsy. Why should he? Gonzales doesn't owe them a damn thing.
Contrary to Navarrette's and Limbaugh's suggestion that it is primarily white liberals, along with "a pair of immigrant-baiting members of Congress" who are leading the charge against Gonzales, Republican Sen. John H. Sununu (NH) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) are among those who have called for Gonzales' ouster. On the March 19 edition of CNN's Larry King Live, Obama said that he "voted against Alberto Gonzales' confirmation for precisely the reason that we're seeing now." Obama added:
OBAMA: What you get a sense of is a -- an attorney general who saw himself as an enabler of the administration as opposed to somebody who was actually trying to look out for the American people's interests.
And for that reason, I think it's time for him to step down and for another attorney general who can exercise some independence to be put for the reminder of this president's term.
In addition, Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO), who is Hispanic, posted an audio clip on his website in which he is critical of Gonzales. The title of the audio statement, which is linked on the "News Room" page of his Senate website, is: "Salazar Criticizes Gonzales' Role in U.S. Attorney Situation/Introduces Bill to Secure Independence of U.S. Attorneys."
On March 26, CNN.com posted a subsequent commentary by Navarrette, in which he responded to criticism of his March 22 column but did not address his earlier claim that "white liberals" are leading a "lynch mob" against Gonzales. Instead, he noted that he doesn't believe "Gonzales is in trouble ... because he is Hispanic and that, for this reason alone, he should get a pass on any wrongdoing" and later added that "[t]he point of my earlier commentary is that, for reasons that go way back and have nothing to do with this controversy, the long knives are out for Alberto Gonzales. That's a fact. But it's no excuse for making the kind of mistakes that gives your enemies the chance to use them."
Limbaugh also suggested that Laury Gordon Estrada, the wife of Miguel Estrada, who was nominated by President Bush in 2001 to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, committed suicide because Senate Democrats blocked his confirmation. Limbaugh said: "[H]e's [Gonzales] not the first, by the way. We'll never forget what happened to Miguel Estrada. And that was just -- wife ended up committing suicide over what they did to him. It was horrible." According to The New Yorker, Laury Estrada's death "was ruled accidental by the medical examiner."
From the March 27 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:
LIMBAUGH: So you have the first Hispanic-American attorney general -- a minority -- under fire by white liberal racists in the Senate. I guarantee you that -- and he's not the first, by the way. We'll never forget what happened to Miguel Estrada. And that was just -- wife ended up committing suicide over what they did to him. It was horrible.
Oh man. You have to love the up-is-down mentality. Limbaugh is the king. Poor Gonzales.
I was wondering how soon until the drug-addled bag of poop would drop that card.
Please stop denigrating poop!
If he projects any harder, he'll burn out his bulb.
Looking at the big picture here, I take this as a sign of something good. Any day where you get a lunatic like Rush Limbaugh attacking a lunatic like Tom Tancredo has to be considered a good day. Rush's pathetic "white liberal racism" rant is just another moment marking the downward spiral of his professional trajectory. This stuff is priceless ammunition for the inevitable day when Limbaugh stands alone and revealed to the world for what he is: a man of weakness and hate, rightly reviled and yet pitiable in his abject failure to feel anything but fear and emnity coupled with the absolute certainty that no one really loves or cares for him. Talk about having to live with that curse for the rest of your days?? He is a walking misery.
Linden,
My guess is that all the past archives of Rush will be used as a way to keep him locked up in a white padded room for the remainders of his days........ eventually.
The White Conservative Racists who listen to Limbaugh's show must be quite confused by such a statement.
Without the factless, baseless assertion, name calling, and strawman arguments, Limbaugh would be a mime.
Wait, doesn't Rush hate it when people "play the race card?"
IOKIYAR, sorry.
What in the world does IOKIYAR mean?
It's OK If You're A Republican.
Ah, Rush Limbaugh race baiter extraordinaire. Now I am expecting passionate condemnation from my conservative buds because if there is one thing they hate it's a race baiter.
but we all know that El Rushbo (his Spanish name) doesn't see race, except when it's pointed out by those racist libs.
Yet one more shining example of this walking set of bagpipes just not understanding racial issues.
And Gonzo's about as Pocho as they come.
HBL, "walking set of bagpipes " , carefull with the bagpipes denigration, some leftys like bagpipes. The most emotional song I know of is Amazing Grace played on the pipes at a funeral.
The most emotional song I know of is Freebird played on air guitar
well played, sir.
Bagpipes both look and sound like someone is torturing an octopus
Do you have documentation or are you just blowing smoke up my kilt!!
I enter into evidence every video ever taken of large hairy men wearing skirts torturing said octopi
I actually like me some bagpipes, I was just tired of using "blowhard" and "windbag" for this inflated droning slug, and bagpipes came to mind.
I will retract the "walking" part, as I have never seen Rush walk.
this is off- topic, but, did you know that one college in America offers a bag pipe degree??? I know... it's crazy- Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Go Stillers!!
I hear the familiar sound of crickets chirping.
Selective Outrage?
Well Lynn, this item has been up for a day now and still no outrage from the cons who are usually so outraged about race-baiting. Curious how selective their outrage is, huh?
Rusty, Maybe it's because their definition of race baiting is uniquely defined. Judging from their past posts, race baiting for them equals anything said by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and/or any acknowledgement that racism although better is still a lingering problem in our country. Surely I don’t hold anyone responsible for any insane thing said by Rush or the other wingers BUT many of the conservative posters he are generally so spontaneously vocal about citing incidents of race baiting and how the individuals that do this are un-American demagogues trying to tear the country apart.
Lynn,
What's curious is how the usual suspects are managing to divert the entire discussion away from the actual topic. Seriously, at this point, the mindless "where are the outraged cons?" nonsense is tantamount to an endorsement of Rush's actual comments. Normally I would agree that transferring Rush's comments to anyone but him is off base, but in this instance they must have some reason to distract from and invalidate articles such as these?
However, they could be just attention seeking trolls doing a little of their own race baiting, but who really knows?
Oh no, I've angered it
No, you walked into it.
I understand you're angry about having your double standard exposed. There there, I'm sure Lynn didn't mean to embarrass you
Actually, I am puzzled at your defensiveness as my post wasn't in response to your's at all. But if you're uncomfortable, there there...........
Enjoy your afternoon.
Oh man, that's classic
I can't make sense of that first paragraph. We're endorsing Rush's comments?
Not to worry Marv, actually I didn't understand it either when I read it yesterday as it was written on the Rosenberg thread by another poster, slightly differently. If you want the context, you'll have to go there.
Don't try to understand it. Sometimes you just have to let art flow over you.
Ouch, classic sarcasm aimed at it's original author, since I merely semi-plagariazed it (oops, guilty again) ......I like it.
Hmmm, guess I missed the original.
Hmmm, your "Not necessarily........." response to it at 5:14pm would indicate otherwise.
Stop stalking me. It's creeeeeeepeeeeeee
When I start linking posts of yours that are weeks old in an unrelated thread, then I become a certifiable creeeeeeeeepy stalker. Until then, I am a harmless contrarian.
Tommy DID YOU JUST DIS ME? Actually I think your conscious is showing. The purpose of the thread is to highlight Rush's race baiting and my noting that there is a lack of enthusiasm from those on the right to criticize people who are not AL SHARPTON and JESSE JACKSON for race baiting is appropriate especially since the right side of the political spectrum was the first to adopt race baiting as a political strategy and they continue to use it. I'm just looking for a little consistency here buddy.
Lynn,
As I said to Marv, you will have to check yesterday's Rosenberg thread for context on what I wrote, originated by Clams - then it will make sense.........and No, I did not diss you.
Ha! I love it when conservatives attempt satire. I can almost muster enough sympathy to actually be embarrassed for you. Your attempt at a snarky joke failed because it made absolutely no sense at all in this context. In your desperation to get a jab in at me, you failed to realize that the shoe doesn't fit on the other foot. For one thing, Lynn and the others were completely on topic in exposing your double standard. And by posting this nonsense here you only succeeded in verifying what I was saying in the Ferguson thread. Lynn called you on your lack of outrage at Rush's race-baiting, and your reaction was to post a bunch of diversionary nonsense. And you still couldn't bring yourself to condemn Rush's words.
All you've done here is to confirm your double-standard and to once again expose your m.o. Distract, distract, distract.
Oooohh, Great! Now I'm a white liberal racist gay homosexual mafia member... I'm going to have trouble labling myself at the DMV when I turn 16...
Yes, and anyone who said anything critical of Janet Reno must have been sexist, since she was the first female A.G. Anyone want to check Limbaugh's record on that score?
And yes, I know women are not a minority, they're only treated like one.
White Liberal Racists?
Does anyone remember the infamous "Political Correctness vs Free Speech" debate?
Which side of that debate would Rush be on?
Rush created the creature White Liberal Racists when in reality his creation is a kitchen sink.
Gonzales lied twice and a kitchen sink may come in handy to steer attention away from the Gonzales embarrasment.
Desperation calls for desperate measure and coming up with White Liberal Racists is getting pretty desperate.
I know a few while liberal racists, and a few black ones, a few asian ones..... who really cares.
What a stupid comment by Fatso Limb.
I think Rush should put his money where is (substantial) mouth is.
I want names, dates, and quotes. I want to know exactly who has said anything during this whole Gonzales thing that has anything to do with his heritage, name, skin color, or sexual preference. Unlike Gonzales' reasons for firing the attorneys, this is entirely about his job performance.
I've got a month's salary says Rush's got nothing.
Ole BlunderRush continues to call Vince Foster's terrible suicide a murder - and now he calls an accidential death a suicide? Has this man no decency?
And, by the way, nice way of Mr. Navarrette [Hispanics can do no wrong - certainly no racism there!] to work in the Nazi accusation - unless he doesn't know where the phrase "long knives" comes from...
the bigot stricks again
ha ha
dave where are u to defend your hero
liberals arent racist they love everyone
In fact, Gonzales' handling of the U.S. attorney firings has been criticized by lawmakers of both parties, and his actions have been censured by the Senate's only African-American and by one of its three Hispanic members.
Uh oh. Those Hispanics must hate their own race according to Rush Limbaugh's logic.
I thought they nailed that </b> bold text thing.
I'm sorry, but are you F*%&'ing KIDDING ME?
This IS Rush Limbaugh we are discussing here, right?
Rush "Barack the magic Negro" "Halfrican American" "Blacks can't swim" "mexican immigrants are unwilling to work" "women want to be hired as eye candy" "American Injun" "Dick Turban" "invasive species" "women's lives are easier" "Jesse Jackson is a chocolate chip" Limbaugh?
Just checking. BTW, that's just a random sampling. There are SOOO many more. All I'm saying here is that if Rush Limbaugh wants to call someone a racist, or intolerant, or insensitive to minorities... I'll be over in the corner laughing and peeing myself.
SPL, haven't you been paying attention? Rush does "satire".
Thanks HBL - although I already got it. Rush does satire. Actually, I do too... I won't REALLY be laughing and peeing myself in the corner. I'll be alternating between laughing, crying, maniacally gibbering to myself, and wondering aloud, with varying degrees of intensity, EXACTLY which universe I have woken up in.
Actually, there's no such thing as a white liberal racist. Just as there's no such thing as an intelligent dittohead.
I'd beg to differ, but since WeinerforPresident started saying that Bush (and I guess Regan too) weren't "conservatives", then we can deny all racists the label "liberal".
Uh, there a lot of liberal racists, unfortunately. Less and less all the time, though - but obviously you don't live in the south. LBJ is a famous example (oh yes he was). Nevertheless, Rush is a gibbering racist moron.
Didn't you get the word? Liberals are anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, anti-American white supremacists.
Yeah I agree with wzwriter. The term "liberal racist" is an oxymoron if ever there was one. Racism is incompatible with liberalism.
Hey, Limbaugh has hit the nail on the head here. Let us not forget that these "white liberal racists" were just as cruel to African-American Michael Brown and Asian-American Donal Rumsfeld. When have they ever held a white person accountable for anything?
At least I can now say I have lived long enough to see Rush Limbaugh play the race card.
Liberal racists my foot. While I enjoy seeing Gonzo go down in flames, I regret that we weren't able to get that pantload Ashcroft on something.
Dale G, "pantload", that's a funny one. I just helped an 8 yr old who had a little pantload problem this morning, before breakfast. Guess who skipped breakfast?
Ewwwwwwwwwwwww
(Re: Pantload: I'm guessing someone read "Youth in Revolt"?)
Just for the record: Limbaugh slammed Clinton back in the day for having a greater percentage of blacks in his Cabinet than there are in the general population.
the only racist bigot is limbaugh
hey dave where are u to defend limbaugh ur hero
people need to go on these talk shows and say the truth on limbaugh
it was only a matter of time before this gasbag limbaugh trotted out the old racist scam. with the avalanche of e-mails, testimony and contradictions from the ag's own mouth sinking him, the only defense of gonzales remaining is the tried and true discrimination dodge. it's looking more evident every day that old limbaugh is running on empty.
While I'd love to agree with some earlier posters, that this could be the beginning of the end for Rush Windbag, no, I'm not that confident. You're assuming that people who listen to this overblown idiot/junkie are (1) reasoning or (2) paying attention to what it says. They're not. Rather, they're begging for some authority to confirm, in essence, manifest destiny.
Look at o'lielly. He keeps lying, saying the most outrageous nonsense imaginable, yet he still has his "demographic," people who'll continue to listen to him, even refer to how "moral" he is even after the sex call charge! Windbag is almost low key compared to o'lielly.
No, these idiots aren't news, or commentators. They provide a sense of authority--because they're media "personalities"--to those who need it.
Incidentally, despite her "credentials," Coulter is the same, or even worse because those who read her disgusting hate pamphlets--the same ones who'll complain about the "educated, Eastern liberals," will ingratiate themselves with Coulter's "credentials" as a source for that "authority."
So, sorry friends, we'll be stuck with these degenerates for a while, until enough people ignore them--or until some more Hitlers and Mussolinis come about to replace 'em. Horowitz is providing some of that, issuing mandates for who is allowed to speak on college campuses, for example (!) and getting away with accusing the "left" of all but ending the world. And he's a Stalin if there ever was one!
If there's a 21st Century Schizoid Man, Rush is it.
very great analysis PARCIVAL and may i add that one way to get at thses nuts is to go on their programs and talk shows and show them to be the idiots they are with facts.
when oreilly says this that u know is a lie call it a lie and give the facts. if he cuts u off challenge him does he want the truth or not. if he cuts off the mike go on keith olderman show and talk about it and challenge fox. also do the same with hannitiy.if u let them get away with a lie they will contiue . when u are on the program calmly ask the audience of orieñlly do they want the truth or oreilly version of what he thinks i s the truth .
these guest need some spin and be ready when they go on tehse shows
i am sick of these guest going on these shows and showing no backbone just sitting there like sheep.
If our society ever recovers its general sense of social decency, shame, and good will toward others, folks like Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Boortz, Beck, Coulter, etc., etc., would blow away like a pile of dried up, well, you know...
Then again, networks have given up the pretense of owing the public anything and continue to shovel out hate and anger -- because it sells to those sad souls who thrive on it. Corporate responsibility: none to be seen among those that support Hate Radio.