On the July 2 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh again falsely accused Media Matters for America of being part of a network of “Hillary [Clinton] fundraising groups, or front groups.” Limbaugh was arguing that recent news reports regarding Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) fundraising success did not take into account “so many institutions -- Media Matters for America and all these other little organizations -- that are just extensions of the Clinton that don't count when you start raising money. But how much are they worth when all this free publicity and attacks that they dole out on any opponent of Hillary Clinton? So, yeah, if you just look at the money, in one sense, you would conclude that Barack's, you know, doing very well and Hillary isn't. But he doesn't have near the organization that she does.” In fact, as Media Matters has previously noted in response to Limbaugh's claims, Media Matters is not affiliated with any political party or candidate.
Additionally, Media Matters has published numerous items highlighting misinformation and attacks disseminated by Limbaugh and others about Obama, including, but not limited to, Limbaugh's accusation that Obama was “inciting riots” in a recent speech and his use of the term “Halfrican American” to refer to Obama. Indeed, Media Matters has corrected misinformation about numerous presidential candidates, including Clinton, Obama, former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX).
Limbaugh also asserted that people reporting on fundraising “don't tally the financial value of these front groups. Media Matters, the Center for American Progress, they're all her groups. And they're all supposedly independent and supposedly non-ideological and supposedly charitable, non-profits and this sort of thing. But they're Hillary fundraising groups, or front groups that go out and promote her and attack her enemies, and how do you put a dollar value on that? That's part of Clinton Inc.”
Media Matters for America is a “progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.” The Center for American Progress identifies itself on its website as “a progressive think-tank dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through ideas and action.”
From the July 2 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:
LIMBAUGH: Plus, there are so many institutions -- Media Matters for America and all these other little organizations -- that are just extensions of the Clinton that don't count when you start raising money. But how much are they worth when all this free publicity and attacks that they dole out on any opponent of Hillary Clinton? So, yeah, if you just look at the money, in one sense, you would conclude that Barack's, you know, doing very well and Hillary isn't. But he doesn't have near the organization that she does. I think she's got the same problems that anybody else is going to have -- or, she's going to have, not anybody else. She's got problems of likability, and she's got problems of -- she's not a real person. Nobody really knows who the real Hillary is, and she hasn't had to put that on display much yet. She's going to have to do a pretty good job of covering that up.
[...]
LIMBAUGH: Now, lookit, I want to clarify something here, too, about Mrs. Clinton and her fundraising along with Obama. They both have a lot of money. It'd be one thing if Obama had raised 31 [million] and Hillary had raised nine [million], like the Breck girl [Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards]. But what is it, 31-24? I mean, they both have a lot of money. And you've got to remember, all of these front groups -- they don't tally the financial value of these front groups. Media Matters, the Center for American Progress, they're all her groups. And they're all supposedly independent and supposedly non-ideological and supposedly charitable, non-profits and this sort of thing.
But they're Hillary fundraising groups, or front groups that go out and promote her and attack her enemies, and how do you put a dollar value on that? That's part of Clinton Inc. You know, she's -- she will be the nominee. There's no question about it. And it's going to be tough for her. She's going to have trouble concealing her hated personality. She's not a likable woman. Everybody knows this and is worried about it. Plus, her leftist agenda. How's she going to hide that? You know, she's -- especially in the primary, she's going to have to really trumpet that leftist agenda.