White House fires back at Rush Limbaugh

[RamboLiberal]

Source: The Hill

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) won't comment on anything the hero of conservatives has to say — and he has a lot to say — but the White House on Monday was only too happy to respond to Limbaugh's repeated assertion over the weekend that he hopes President Obama's presidency fails.

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"Do they want to see the president's economic agenda fail? You know, I bet there are a number of guests on television throughout the day and maybe into tomorrow who could let America know whether they agree with what Rush Limbaugh said this weekend."

Gibbs said he thought "it would be charitable to say he doubled down on what he said in January in wishing and hoping for economic failure in this country."

"I can only imagine what might have been said a few years ago if somebody might have said that on the other side relating to what was going on in this country or our
endeavors overseas," Gibbs said.

He added that the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, at which Limbaugh spoke over the weekend, seemed to embrace Limbaugh's wish for Obama's failure, saying that Limbaugh's "notion of presidential failures seemed to be quite popular in the room in which he spoke."

Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/white-house-fires-back-at-rush-limbaugh-2009-03-02.html

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You go Gibbs!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. Several hundred million prolly closer to a billion foreigners would

skewer Rush given the chance. Too bad the boob doesn't see how irrational he sounds and is.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

2. I'm glad they did, but . . .

the way that The Poster Child For Preparation H™ gains credence is when his comments gain a wider publicity. Like Ann Coulter, Rush should be treated as an entertainer and nothing else. Ignoring him is what really pisses him off.

[AllentownJake]

7. I disagree

Rush has a 22% aproval rating. He's less popular than fomer President Bush.

Putting that millstone around the neck of our opponents is a great strategy.

[eggplant]

9. I didn't realize his numbers were so low

do you have a link?

[AllentownJake]

12. See my post below

I accidently replied to myself.

[olddad56]

39. I hate when that happens. I do it all of the time

[roseBudd]

16. rush has about 20 million white male fans, not enough to swing an election

[certainot]

28. the talk radio monopoly has been swinging elections for 20 years

he's just the point man for the invisible propaganda machine that sold us into this disaster

[maseman]

30. Yeah that's why the Dems own

the House, Senate and Presidency.

[certainot]

36. yeah that's why we're in this disaster and finally america starts waking up

do you really think the GOP has been anything other than a sack of crap until a couple of years ago? it finally became too much thanks in large part to liberals who didn't know what the fuck the talk radio propaganda machine was doing because it gave them headaches to listen to it. if they had listened just once in a while they would have seen the pattern of talking points and framing starting with talk radio repetition and then migrating into the trad media. instead they preferred the scratched barry manilow CD so rush and sons wouldn't give them a headache.

[maxrandb]

45. How right you are, because his crap permeates every facet of our lives

How many of you have been at a PTA meeting and heard some "Dildo-Head" repeating the half-truths and outright lies fed to them by Limpballs?

How many of you have been at your kids little league game and heard one of the "Dildo-Head" parents repeating the disgusting, noxious bile spewed out of his AM Radio.

How many of you live in a place where you, not only get Rush, Insanity, Levine, Savage AND NOW FUCKING FRED THOMPSON, but you also get the local "cookie-cutter-Rush'" with their morning or afternoon Blow Show?

How many of you have brothers (like I do), that have had their heads filled with such disgusting drivel 24/7, so your family get togethers include the latest "Right Wing Talking Points".

This is why they fight so hard to protect their precious little Rush. They know that without him, you wouldn't be able to find two Republicans in Congress to rub together in a public men's room.

He's their enabler, and he has become like crack to the Repubs. Now, we all know how destructive crack addiction can be. Rush is either going to destroy the Repub Party, or the Repubs are going to have a long and terrible withdrawal. It will be worse than the labor pangs of an elephant.

Rush is a rather large turd that they are going to have to pass if they wish to ever be relevant again.

[certainot]

51. well put!

[AllentownJake]

11. I don't have the Gallup numbers

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8239862&mesg_id=8239918

But I can look them up...however when a respected moderator cites a stat, I tend not to fact check.

[Claire Beth]

41. You're exactly right....

and it's a smart strategy to name Rush the leader of the GOP.

[Laelth]

42. I fully agree.

Rush claims to be an entertainer, but he has power, and it's real. Lots of people listen to him, and his words have a real impact on the politics of the United States, and that means real votes that translate into real decisions that effect real people.

The Republican Party needs to own him (or disown him), but they can't have it both ways.

:dem:

-Laelth

[gcomeau]

8. But that's the whole point.

They WANT Rush's profile raised. They WANT him turned into the poster child of the GOP. They WANT people , when they think "Republican", to think "obnoxious loudmouth cheering for the nation to fail for partisan political reasons".

Sure ignoring him might piss him off more... but not ignoring him does the political equivalent of dousing the GOP's election prospects in gasoline and lighting a match. If Rush is happy, but in being happy he's systematically destroying the credibility of the Republican party in the eyes of three quarters of the nation... let him be happy. I for one can bear it.

[Myrina]

21. Yep, and they'll be the permanent 23% club if he's their "leader" ...

... so by all means, let's help America identify the GOP with OxyRush.


:patriot:

[The River]

14. This What They Want

Claiming OxyRush is the leader of the Repubs ties them together.
If the Repubs don't give into Rush they will loose his support
and his(supposed)20M ditto-heads.. and he will attack them on the radio.
If they do give in to Rush it makes the entire GOP look just like him.

GOP = drug addled, racist, homophobic loudmouth hater.

[eridani]

34. You forgot pedophile

I learned on the internets tubes that Rush Limbaugh is a hardcore pedophile junkie.

[creeksneakers2]

18. That strategy put Democrats out of power from '94 to '06.

The Internet demanded confrontation with the vast right wing conspiracy in 2006 and since then we've won two big elections and turned the whole country around. Ignoring right wing atrocities was the strategy John Kerry used.Ignore Limbaugh and he spreads lies and takes over the mainstream media and destroys all who question him. Like any bully though, he weeps and runs when he's hit back. Already today, Rush subtly convinced his followers, 20 million at least, to stop donating to the RNC. The rewards of confrontation are flowing in! The GOP is going to either go down with Limbaugh or lethally divide itself.

[certainot]

29. you're right

and there's more than 20 mil because the rest of the talk radio blowhards from 1000 stations repeat much of the same message. all together 60MIL have been having a huge effect on politics the last 20 years, since reagan killled the Fairness Doctrine, but largely invisible to liberals because they kept turning the dial and all they could see was the final result, wondering what hit them and blaming it on other shit. and it is a great enabler of the trad media, prechewing talking points for them, and for intimidating politicians and media.

limbaugh's and the talk radio monopoly's greatest asset was their invisibility.

[Mike 03]

3. Fuckin' A.

I am just about to fire off a few emails myself.

[indepat]

4. Kick to the greatest page

:D

[Stuart G]

5. Yes, K and R....nt

[HopeHoops]

6. Gibbs looks like he would be a weenie - but DAMN is he GOOD! GO DUDE!

He's really quick on his feet and knows his shit inside out. After eight years of "well, I'll get some numbers and get back-to-ya" crap, it is so refreshing to have someone who actually understands the issues and isn't under gag orders.

[goclark]

19. Gibbs is cool now ~ he was testing the waters

and he sure beats all the airheads we listened to for 8 looooog years.

[madamesilverspurs]

10. If I apply

Preparation H to my television screen, will it make Limbaugh and Coulter go away?

[Optical.Catalyst]

13. I like Rush Limbaugh

Under his leadership, we took the House of Representative in 2006

Under his leadership, we took back the Executive Branch in 2008

If he continues to lead the Republican Party, we will have 65 Senators in 2010

The grand finally will be when we hand the Republicans their heads in the 2012 election and the Republican Party disbands.

[FiveGoodMen]

15. Under his leadership Bush took the White House for eight years and destroyed the country

[Gregorian]

17. Under his leadership, the world looks upon us with rage.

Under his leadership, we're a nation of pillaging murderers.
Under his leadership, women lose their choice over their own body.
And the DOW plunged, and the debt skyrocketed, and the environment decayed, and on and on and on.

[louis-t]

20. I was livid this morning when I heard him say

Obama was going to destroy "individual liberty." WHAT!!!1!1!! This guy has the NERVE to talk about liberty after supporting the giggling jackass we had WH for 8 years?

[truthisfreedom]

22. Yo rush, got some news for ya: You already got your wish, but the failed presidency was the LAST one

You just weren't paying attention, huh?

[byronius]

23. Anybody want to bet on how long it until Rush's next PR disaster, and what it will be?

Oxycontin, Viagra and the Dominican Republic are just the tip of the fat white iceberg. This is a man living a secret life.

Won't be too long, I think, until the next one comes along. And the higher up in GOP he rises, the better for us when it breaks.

[Beartracks]

24. Wait - WHO was screaming FAIL a few years ago?

>"I can only imagine what might have been said a few years ago if somebody might have said that on the other side..." said Gibbs.

Funny, I only remember the Republicans declaring boldly that Democrats wanted Bush to fail in Iraq and against terror in general. Republicans made that claim.

First thought on that is: I never heard a Democrat voicing a desire for failure in those efforts -- only that Bush was in fact failing in them himself.

Second thought on that is: Those who bitterly claim that others want them to fail will be the first to express their desire for the failure of others.

[eridani]

35. Well, we did want Bush to fail in Iraq, based on the Bush definition of success anyway

Most reasonable people would define success as getting out completely with as little damage and further instability as possible, and who could be against that? If the project is establishing permanent military hegemony over the Middle East, I fucking well do want that to fail. Wishing for "success" would be morally and ethically equivalent to hoping that your high school student succeeds in beating the shit out of a first grader and taking his lunch money.

[Beartracks]

50. Sorry, let me restate...

"Ggetting out completely with as little damage and further instability as possible" is the definition of success I was thinking of... but your point is well-taken that that's not how Bush would have defined it IN PRACTICE (in speeches, certainly, but clearly not in practice). So let me restate: the claim from Republicans was that Democrats wanted IRAQ to fail (which meant, to them, that "Democrats want Bush to fail" be extension).

[downindixie]

25. I would think that assault

would have to show intent to do bodily harm.

[Beartracks]

26. Oh, there he goes again.

:eyes: Limbaugh thinks Obama's intent is to dismantle free enterprise and individualism in America, and that is why he does not want to see that "succeed." Of course, he's totally wrong on his definition of "success."

[L. Coyote]

27. The narcissist is a plant best left unwatered.

[FudaFuda]

31. The White House should be above this.

Nixon was also famous for 'picking on' individual reporters and commentators who dared criticize him. Rush may be a 'big voice' among radio listeners, and he may be a spotlighted face for the republicans right now because they don't have a proper candidate that's worth a damn ... but compared to the actual game on the field (i.e the White House), he's just a cheerleader on the sidelines for the other team. Whoopity-doo for him.

The President (and his staff) should be ignoring Limbaugh and all his ilk.

[Hansel]

32. Nope. They need to push him front and center.

The only way that the "moderate" Republicans are going to start working for the good of the country and stop being cowed by this fool is when they realize that the majority of America thinks this guy is the fricking moron that he is. Right now they are afraid to go against him because he appears to be so popular with their supporters.

By pushing this guy front and center, American gets to see what a piece of work he is. Obama will challenge Republicans to either side with Limbaugh, who is now exposed as buffoon that he is, or to work with him to do what's best for the country.

Obama's approval ratings are in the 70's, Limbaugh's in the 20's. Not a hard choice, but to make their choice even easier, they'll begin to hear feedback from their constituents that they do not appreciate them caving to Limbaugh. This will be freeing and Rush's power grip over the Republicans will be broken.

It is because Limbaugh flies under the radar that he is so effective at controlling the Republican party. The smartest thing Obama can do is shine a light on him. Many of the moderate Republicans are probably are thanking him behind the scenes.

And Obama is not Nixon by any stretch of the imagination. Obama's motivation is to put an end to gridlock in Washington for the good of the country. Neutralizing the right wing propaganda echo chamber is critical to doing this. Nixon's motivation was to gain total control and power for himself.

[montanacowboy]

33. Spot on

Cockroaches always run from the light.

[FudaFuda]

38. Well, we can disagree on whether the WH should be doing it

I never said there shouldn't be a focused attack on Limbaugh. I said it is below the status of the White House to be doing it. It's Low.

[No Elephants]

47. Limbaugh under the radar? Disagree. He'll self destruct if they leave him alone.

[Imperialism Inc.]

49. As a bonus side effect the 20% who do like Limbaugh may stay home in 2010

to "punish" the moderates who stray from the Limbaugh line. This is really win win for Dems and is brilliant politics.

[ibegurpard]

37. Absolutely not

Ignoring him and his ilk back in the nineties allowed them to get where they are now.

[No Elephants]

48. No. Ignoring them back then allowed them to get where they were back then. Now, they are on

life support. Going back and forth is only going to revive him by making him seem important and as though he is really getting to Obama. Mistake, IMO. Just walk away and let him splutter to 22% of America until puts everyone to sleep, while the WH gets on with the business of America in a professional manner. The WH demeans itself when it goes head to head with a loudly braying ass.


For instance, Michael J. Fox never went head to head with Limbaugh. Who came off classier in that incident? Who came off worse? And, when Claire McCaskill got elected, who got what he wanted? If the WH acts like it must go tit for tat with Limbaugh, it makes it seem as though the WH is on Limbaugh's level. That's silly.

Even in the 90's, it should not have been Clinton or Gore or anyone in the WH who responded to the windbag. It should have been handled by making sure Democratic broadcasters had a platform and also by having people like Schumer mow down the likes of kimbaugh.

[bowens43]

40. Nonsense.

Not only is a response from the White House appropriate, it's mandatory.

[daggahead]

43. The more attention paid to Rush ...

... the more people will want to find out about Rush.

This could be good and bad. I'd hate to think he will get more listeners, but more listeners that are horrified means more pressure on his sponsors to drop his show.

[Odin2005]

44. BWAHAHA!!! Obama, Rahm, and Gibbs are provking the GOP into digging it's own grave!!!

Grab the popcorn, this is gonna be fun!

[No Elephants]

46. Rush, keep telling the American people you hope the stimulus fails. Tell them that for your entire

broadcast every day for the next two years.

Thanking you in advance.

[opihimoimoi]

52. Rush...in his Arrogance,.. went over the top. He is Overpaid and Obtuse

He is now on the way DOWN...he has lost Creds Respect....

[sattahipdeep]

53. I say, let's put Rush Limbaugh in jail because

"I" think he's "done something!"

Limbaugh's doctor had prescribed the Viagra, but it was "labeled as being issued to the physician rather than Mr. Limbaugh for privacy purposes," Roy Black, Limbaugh's attorney, said in a statemen

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/27/national/main1753947.shtml


"Rush is the bloated face and drug-addled voice of the Republican Party," said Paul Begala, a longtime Democratic strategist who rose to prominence during Bill Clinton's presidency. "Along with lots of others, I intend to continue to turn up the heat until every alleged Republican either endorses or renounces Rush's statement that he hopes our president fails."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/03/AR2009030303946.html?hpid=topnews