zabu of nΩd
Free Insultation
- Feb 9, 2007
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This is gold:
Above article is probably referring largely to the following incident:
Here's the "I'm Sorry Rush" site:
http://www.dccc.org/content/sorry
Pure genius.
Polls told President Obama to give unpopular talk show host Limbaugh the bum-rush
BY David Saltonstall
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Updated Wednesday, March 4th 2009, 2:02 PM
There's a reason why White House advisors have dubbed conservative radio ranter Rush Limbaugh the new face of the opposition polls told them he was a big, fat target.
Democrats realized their opportunity last fall when they included the talk titan in a poll and got back a surprise: only a tiny fraction of voters under age 40 11% had a positive impression of the talk king, Politico.com reported.
Then Limbaugh raised the stakes by loudly proclaiming last month that he hopes President Obama "fails" giving Democrats just the opening they needed to make Limbaugh the new, made-to-order GOP bogeyman.
"I want to send Rush a bottle of vitamins," former Clinton advisor Paul Begala told Politico. "We need him to stay healthy and loud and proud."
Limbaugh, of course, is loving every second of it loudly and proudly.
"The administration is enabling me," he gushed in an e-mail to Politico. "They are expanding my profile, expanding my audience and expanding my influence. An ever larger number of people are now being exposed to the antidote to Obamaism: conservatism, as articulated by me."
The long-time talk king has continued to express his wish that Obama fails, despite polls showing most Americans regardless of party hope the new president succeeds in fixing the economy.
Yesterday, the White House strategy of elevating Limbaugh came into full bloom when former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe penned an op-ed in The Washington Post headlined "Minority Leader Limbaugh."
"Limbaugh, of course, told his radio listeners that he's rooting for President Obama to fail and hoping the president's ideas for bolstering our economy fail with him," Plouffe wrote. "For many Americans, hungry for leadership and cooperation, this sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard."
Limbaugh is no doubt correct that the face-off will be a ratings boon for him.
But Democrats also seem to have tied Republicans in knots by elevating the loudest and in many ways most divisive of their talking heads to a higher plain.
When Obama chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel officially unveiled the new strategy last Sunday on "Face the Nation" by calling Limbaugh "the voice and the intellectual force" behind the GOP, Republican Party chair Michael Steele was forced to engage.
Steele did so inartfully, calling Limbaugh an "entertainer" whose comments can be "ugly" forcing the new GOP leader to apologize to an angry Limbaugh.
It was a kow-tow that Emmanuel had all but predicted days earlier.
"Whenever a Republican criticizes him, they have to run back and apologize to him and say they were misunderstood," Emmanuel said of Limbaugh's hold over the GOP.
Steele's mea culpa underscored what some Democrats are now acknowledging is the self-reinforcing genius of their new strategy: it depends on Limbaugh continuing to bully all those who disagree with him, a bet many regard as very safe.
Said James Carville, another ex-Clinton advisor, "Our strategy depends on him keeping talking. And I think we're going to succeed."
Above article is probably referring largely to the following incident:
Democrats use Web to mock Rush Limbaugh, prominent Republicans
BY Matt Marrone
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, March 4th 2009, 1:12 PM
Democrats took a swipe at Republicans - and conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh - with a Web page launched Wednesday morning on the official site of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
The page - found at imsorryrush.com - allows users to construct a Mad Libs-style message to Limbaugh using "the secret Republican Apology Machine" and sign it with the name of prominent Republicans who've released mea culpas to Limbaugh recently - including Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.
"Dear Rush," the customizable e-mail begins, "I'm sorry that I called you [an opportunistic brick thrower/ugly/an idiot]. My comments were [inarticulate/stupid/not even about you]."
After choosing endings for the first four sentences using drop-down menus, users can select the "author" of their letter, add a P.S., and hit send.
The message, dripping with sarcasm, includes the line: "You and I both know that in reality, you simply want President Obama to fail in this time of economic collapse. How can I disagree with that?"
"If you're one of the growing number of Republicans who need a quick and easy way to apologize to Rush Limbaugh after you cross him, look no further than ImSorryRush.com," Jennifer Crider, Communications Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement. "Even if you're not a Republican, this new site gives you the opportunity to apologize to Leader Rush just like the elected Republicans did."
Limbaugh made headlines on his radio show when he stated, four days before Barack Obama's inauguration, that he wanted the new president to fail. "We're talking about my country, the United States of America, my nieces, my nephews, your kids, your grandkids," Limbaugh said on Jan. 16. "Why in the world do we want to saddle them with more liberalism and socialism? Why would I want to do that? So I can answer it, four words, 'I hope he fails.'"
Here's the "I'm Sorry Rush" site:
http://www.dccc.org/content/sorry
Pure genius.