Just as I predicted he would, conservative radio talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, spent his entire radio program yesterday on the defensive over offensive remarks he made about Mexicans.
The program played right into the hands of Democrats. It was a solid victory because Limbaugh was sidetracked from his own agenda and forced to defend himself. Limbaugh is a creature of uncanny predictability. You can predict, like the path of a hurricane, that Limbaugh will: (1) disagree with the view point of 99% of the people who call his show, if ever so slightly; (2) FLIP OUT when a Republican or devout Limbaugh fan argues against voting for John McCain; (3) talk about nobody but himself when top Democratic politicians start attacking him, throwing him off of his game.
Take Senator Dick Durbin's small reference to Limbaugh a couple days ago. Durbin said, "Even people like the venerable, wise critic Rush Limbaugh said, 'You know, if we closed down the federal government, no one would even notice.' Well, he was wrong when he said it, and he certainly would be wrong today." This tiny reference prompted Limbaugh to spend nearly ten minutes talking about himself. See here.
The alternative to attacking Limbaugh is ignoring him, and the Democrats simply cannot afford to ignore Limbaugh. If they do, they allow too many lies and defamations to go unanswered to too many people who spread the word even further, lending these falsifications an aura of truth. Let's face it, it's fun to attack Limbaugh and exciting for the layperson. Limbaugh opens himself up to be legitimately attacked for hypocrisy every five minutes.
Just yesterday, Limbaugh continued his hysterical charge that Democrats led to the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He said that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have fled DC. "They don't want anything to do with [the aftermath of the collapse of Fannie and Freddie]," because, Limbaugh said, it will necessarily implicate Democrats.
Reid and Pelosi, for the sake of the presidential race and the Democratic races, cannot allow these charges of cowardice and complicity go unanswered. They must forcefully answer Limbaugh's challenge with digs of their own against the inveterate hate-mongerer. They must loudly remind voters that this scandal happened under President Bush's watch, just like the scandal at the Inferior Department. This is the Right Wing's idea of de-regulation. Limbaugh is using the collapse to maniacally argue for further de-regulation.
Presidential candidate Barack Obama should respond to Limbaugh as frequently as possible. Limbaugh slanders Obama 3 hours a day, calling him a Chicago thug, implying that he got his house from Tony Rezko's scandalous money, and belittling his wife. Limbaugh talks tough, but he would wet his pants if Obama challenged him to come out from behind the curtain. Limbaugh banks on this not happening. He like lobbing verbal hand grenades at the Democratic presidential candidate from the privacy of his bunker in Florida. Limbaugh is the final frontier for the Democrat if he wants to win this November. Obama must defeat Limbaugh.
Neither can Obama be deterred by the flack Limbaugh is giving him over his latest ad. Obama launched an ad geared toward Hispanics in four states. The ad features two quotes from Limbaugh, one is, "Shut your mouth or get out!" The ad is a legitimate attack on John McCain, whose principal spokesman is Rush Limbaugh. Yes he is. I haven't heard John McCain repudiate Rush Limbaugh. When McCain repudiates Limbaugh everytime Limbaugh shamelessly attacks Obama with lies and distortions, I will recant.
Limbaugh is now trying to distance himself from his own words and argue that Obama used them out of context. Yeah! Right! Obama ought to ask Limbaugh what context he had in mind last Wednesday early in the second hour of his show when Limbaugh said, "The head that needs to roll is Obama's." Or yesterday, when Limbaugh told a caller who was ashamed of John McCain for giving up vital information to the Vietnam enemy that, "the real lesson here is that torture works."
Limbaugh could argue that both of those statements were taken out of context too, but he says them. He puts them out there for the people of hatred to savor, speaking the words with pure vehemence.
In fact, if taken in context, Limbaugh goes way further to bash immigrants. Limbaugh says, "Shut your mouth or get out!" in a 3-4 minute hate tirade against Mexican immigrants. Read it here:
"Everybody's making immigration proposals these days. Let me add mine to the mix. Call it the Limbaugh Laws."
(See, Limbaugh calls these statements his.)
First, if you emigrate to our country you have to speak the native language. You have to be a professional or an investor. No unskilled workers allowed. Also there will be no special bilingual programs in the schools with the Limbaugh Laws, no special ballots for elections, no government business will be conducted in your language, foreigners will not have the right to vote or hold political office. If you're in our country, you cannot be a burden to taxpayers. You are not entitled to welfare, food stamps, or other government goodies. You can come if you invest here an amount equal to $40,000 times the daily minimum wage. If not, stay home. But if you want to buy land it's going to be restricted. No waterfront, for instance. As a foreigner, you must relinquish individual rights to the property. And another thing, you don't have the right to protest. You're allowed no demonstrations, no foreign flag waving, no political organizing, no bad-mouthing our president or his policies. You're a foreigner, either shut your mouth or get out. And if you come here illegally, you're going to jail..."
By now, if you're Joe Sixpack, your blood is boiling. You can't wait to get your assault rifle, join the Minutemen and head down to the Mexico border for target practice. The damage is done. The seeds of hatred and race-baiting are sown. But here...here is where Limbaugh gives a pathetic little disclaimer that explains the "Limbaugh Laws" are a direct copy of the Mexican government laws. Now, when he is being called to account for his vehement hatred, he can point to this disclaimer as proof that his words were taken out of context:
You think the Limbaugh Laws are harsh? Well, every one of these laws I just mentioned are actual laws of Mexico today. That's how the Mexican government handles immigrants in their country, yet Mexicans come here illegally and protest in our streets. How do you say double standard in Spanish? How about no mas?"
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