First off, this means that the message from Indiana's results, even after we have them, may not be clear at all. Second, if Rush Limbaugh wants Hillary as our candidate, God help us. It says something that every nutjob on the far right, even after what Obama has been through the past couple of weeks, is still for Hillary. You want a canary in the coal mine of electability, you just got it.
The Indianapolis Star reported online today that it appeared that droves of "hard-core" Republicans are crossing over to vote in the Democratic primary in GOP strongholds in Marion County and suburbs.
Exit polls suggest that Limbaugh's soldiers could have made a difference March 4 in Texas, where Clinton pulled out a narrow win in the primary, though Obama won the simultaneous caucuses....
But today on his program, Limbaugh told "operatives and commandos" that he has received emails from GOP voters that they have not been challenged at the polls. He read one email from one who voted for Clinton: "It was tough. I showered twice, I threw up in my mouth, but I did it."
Hey SuperDelegates, having fun yet? This is the kind of talk you're going to increasingly get if you let Hillary continue this charade in her effort to destroy our party. We've now got Rush Limbaugh calling for riots in the streets of Denver (something that should get him investigated by the police, the FBI and the Secret Service, and I also have a suspicion there must be an FCC rule or two about this as well - tell me his stations can't be fined millions for inciting violence - who's going to file the complaint?) In any case, expect more of the same, the longer the SuperDelegates let this ridiculous farce drag out. Had they nipped this in the bud weeks ago, we wouldn't now be talking about riots in Denver. It's only going to get worse and worse the longer they let this continue. Cowardice comes with a price.
Limbaugh has been actively urging his Texas listeners to cross over and vote for Clinton in that state's open primary Tuesday, arguing it helps the Republicans if the Democratic race remains unsettled for weeks to come.
"I want Hillary to stay in this…this is too good a soap opera," Limbaugh told fellow conservative talk-show host Laura Ingraham on Fox News Friday. He reiterated the comments on his Monday show and replayed the exchange with Ingram.
He also said Clinton is more willing than the Republican National Committee and John McCain's campaign to criticize Barack Obama.
"We need Barack Obama bloodied up politically. It's obvious that the Republicans are not going to do it, they don't have the stomach for it," Limbaugh continued. "As you probably know we're getting all kinds of memos from the RNC saying we're not going to be critical. Mark McKinnon of McCain's campaign said he'll quit if they get critical over Obama. This is the presidency of the United States we're talking about. I want our party to win I want the Democrats to lose.”
You'll recall that we reported yesterday that the Republicans were rallying in support of Rush Limbaugh's bigoted comments about our troops in Iraq. A friend was able to get a hold of the first draft of the email alert the Republicans sent around for Rush yesterday. Here it is (click the image to see a larger, readable version):
About time. So will Bush and Cheney still be doing interviews with the troop-hater? And will Republicans in Congress finally distance themselves from this hateful excuse for a human being?
UPDATE: Greg Sargent has an excellent post up about this issue as well:
President Bush was recently asked at a press conference to comment on the MoveOn ad attacking Mighty Scholar-Warrior Petraeus. Many concluded it was a planted question, and naturally, Bush responded by slamming the group and saying that he was disappointed in Dems for their reluctance repudiate MoveOn's mean and nasty attack on the General.
So here's the question: Will anyone in the White House press corps ask whether Bush -- who's appeared on Rush's show, as has Veep Cheney -- will repudiate Rush for remarking that soldiers who don't agree with the President's war policies are "phony soldiers"?
When MoveOn legitimately called into question General Petraeus' honesty (he's lied before), the mainstream media dutifully covered the Republicans' crocodile tears. But when Rush Limbaugh - Dick Cheney's favorite interviewer - attacks the integrity of American troops dying in Iraq for our country, the most the media can muster is coverage in their "blogs." Whether it's CBS blog, the Baltimore Sun blog, or the Chicago Tribune blog, there isn't a lot of coverage of this issue in the real CBS News, the real Baltimore Sun, or the real Chicago Tribune, or anywhere else. Why the double standard? Senior Democrats have called out Limbaugh for his venom, which is usually what's needed to make a story "real" in the eyes of the MSM. So why the double standard - when Dems are accused of dissing the troops, it's a front page story for weeks. When Republicans actually diss the troops, it's no big deal.
Rush Limbaugh has no idea what he stepped into by denigrating those who actually served our country. We've seen a lot of outrage about Rush's slam on soldiers, but none from Republicans who are protecting the fat ass.
Jon Soltz, who did serve his country and does oppose the Iraq war, has a challenge for Rush. Say it to my face. Anyone who has seen Soltz in action knows this isn't a fair fight. If you haven't seen him, check out some of Jon's debates on the VoteVets' YouTube channel.
You weren't just flat out wrong, you offended a majority of those of us who actually had the courage to go to Iraq and serve, while you sat back in your nice studio, coming up with crap like this.
My challenge to you, then, is to have me on the show and say all of this again, right to the face of someone who served in Iraq. I'll come on any day, any time. Not only will I once again explain why your comments were so wrong, but I will completely school you on why your refusal to seek a way out of Iraq is only aiding al Qaeda and crippling American security.
Ball's in your court.
We're all waiting for that one. And, I know who I'd rather have defend my country. Not Rush.
Rush Limbaugh's personal attack on our men and women in uniform is reprehensible. It minimizes the sacrifice our troops in Iraq and their families are making and has no place in the public discourse. Rush Limbaugh owes our military and their families an apology for his hurtful comments that minimize their service to our country.
Where is the rest of Congress on this outrageous, callous attack on the troops from the big, fat drug addicted chickenhawk, Limbaugh, the hero of the GOP?
At what point does traditional conservative racism end up inciting violence? With Barack Obama now under Secret Service protection, reportedly after being threated by white supremacists, should Rush Limbaugh really be continuing to mock Obama as a "negro" and more? And should Dick Cheney really be a regular guest on a show that calls African-Americans "negroes"? The BBC has more on the latest hate from Rush Limbaugh.
TMP has a clip of both "Barack the Magic Negro" and a parody of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" - except that it's called "Respeck." It also includes other clips that Limbaugh ran mocking black speech. And by the way, the guy doing the voice over is a white conservative.
Dick Cheney's favorite racist has been playing playing the song "Barack the Magic Negro" on his radio show. John Amato has the tape, it's hideous. (Update: The guy who does the song is a white conservative who routinely mocks blacks - Limbaugh often plays his stuff.)
Limbaugh claims he's just repeating a term used in an LA Times commentary. Yes, the LA Times commentary made a reference to the historical term "Magic Negro" - in old films, apparently, the black character, the "magic Negro" as it was called in the trade, would absurdly appear out of nowhere to save the white character. Limbaugh, however, decided to adopt the term, use it over and over again in a mocking way, and even went so far as to make a "funny" song about magic negroes. There's a difference between a historical look at the term - and it's still an iffy proposition using it in a serious op ed - and using the term in a "funny" way to continually mock Obama and, implicitly, black people. Limbaugh is using the term because he thinks it gives him license to say "negro" repeatedly on the air, and "negro" (like "homo" and "ho'" and so many other denigrating words) to Limbaugh is funny because to the GOP base, to Limbaugh's base, bigotry is fun.
Limbaugh is the guy Vice President Dick Cheney interviews with regularly. Limbaugh knew exactly what he was doing - and he didn't care. The current extremists running the Republican party find racism funny. To them, bigotry is a big business. And Rush is one of the biggest. So what does the White House have to say about Dick Cheney's favorite radio host? Will Cheney be going on the "magic negro" show in the future? And will Rush be permitted to keep his job?
Chris in Maine was kind enough to transcribe the song:
(sung by an Al Sharpton impersonator, I assume)
Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C. The L.A. Times they called him that cause he's not authentic like me.
Yeah the guy from the L.A. paper said he made guilty whites feel good they'll vote for him and not for me cause hes not from da hood.
See, real black men like snoop dogg or me or Farrakhan have talked the talk and walked the walk not come and laid and won (not sure about this line).
Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C. The L.A. Times they called him that cause he's not authentic like me cause hes black but not authentically.
Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C. The L.A. Times they called him that cause he's not authentic like me cause hes black but not authentically.
Some say Barack's articulate and bright and new and clean the media sure love this guy a white interloper's dream.
But when you vote for president watch out and don't be fooled don't vote the magic negro in cause...
(background singing the first 3 lines, while the singer is saying)
Cause I wont have nothing after all these years of sacrifice and I wont get justice this is about justice this is about justice, buffet, I don't have no buffet there wont be any church contributions there'll be no cash in the collection plate, no cash money, no walkin' around money...
Dick Cheney's favorite racist played a little ditty last week about "Barack the Magic Negro." John Amato has the tape, it's hideous.
I'll be writing more about this tomorrow, and throughout the week. This is the guy Dick Cheney interviews with regularly. Coming just two weeks after Imus, Limbaugh knew exactly what he was doing - and he didn't care. Chris in Maine was kind enough to transcribe the song:
(sung by Al Sharpton I assume)
Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C. The L.A. Times they called him that cause he's not authentic like me
Yeah the guy from the L.A. paper said he made guilty whites feel good they'll vote for him and not for me cause hes not from da hood
see real black men like snoop dogg or me or farrakhan have talked the talk and walked the walk not come and laid and won (not sure about this line)
Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C. The L.A. Times they called him that cause he's not authentic like me cause hes black but not authentically
Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C. The L.A. Times they called him that cause he's not authentic like me cause hes black but not authentically
some say barack's articulate and bright and new and clean the media sure love this guy a white interloper's dream
but when you vote for president watch out and dont be fooled dont vote the magic negro in cause...
(background singing the first 3 lines, while the singer is saying)
Cause I wont have nothing after all these years of sacrifice and I wont get justice this is about justice this is about justice, buffet, i dont have no buffet there wont be any church contributions there'll be no cash in the collection plate, no cash money, no walkin around money...
Nice. The victims have only just been buried and Limbaugh is already using them for his own sick entertainment. Why does this man have a radio show, let alone a single advertiser? More from ABC's Jake Tapper.
On April 11, NBC News announced that it was dropping MSNBC's simulcast of Imus in the Morning in the wake of the controversy that erupted over host Don Imus' reference to the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." The following day, CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves announced that CBS -- which owns both the radio station that broadcast Imus' program and Westwood One, which syndicated the program -- has fired Imus and would cease broadcasting his radio show. But as Media Matters for America has extensively documented, bigotry and hate speech targeting, among other characteristics, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and ethnicity continue to permeate the airwaves through personalities such as Glenn Beck, Neal Boortz, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Michael Smerconish, and John Gibson.
Dick "Last Throes" Cheney launched an attack on Nancy Pelosi yesterday via Rush Limbaugh as reported in the LA Times:
Vice President Dick Cheney scolded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday for "bad behavior" in traveling to Syria, a country that he said promoted terrorism.
In a conversation with fellow conservative Rush Limbaugh on Limbaugh's radio show, Cheney belittled Pelosi's public statement after she met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Wednesday.
"It was a non-statement, a nonsensical statement, and didn't make any sense at all that she would suggest that those talks could go forward as long as the Syrians conducted themselves as a prime state sponsor of terror," Cheney said.
Stop media. You know Dick Cheney lies and has no credibility. Just because he says something to Rush Limbaugh of all people doesn't mean it's true. But lets talk about nonsensical statements that don't make any sense. On March 29, 2003, the Washington Post provided a synopsis of Cheney's pre-war spin:
On CBS's "Face the Nation" on March 16, Cheney said the fight would be "weeks rather than months. There's always the possibility of complications that you can't anticipate, but I have great confidence in our troops." Cheney also predicted the fight would "go relatively quickly, but we can't count on that." That same day on NBC's "Meet the Press," Cheney said, "I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq, from the standpoint of the Iraqi people, my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators." It was then he predicted that the regular Iraqi soldiers would not "put up such a struggle," and that even "significant elements of the Republican Guard . . . are likely to step aside." Asked if Americans are prepared for a "long, costly and bloody battle," Cheney replied: "Well, I don't think it's likely to unfold that way. . . . The read we get on the people of Iraq is there is no question but what they want to the get rid of Saddam Hussein, and they will welcome as liberators the United States when we come to do that." Cheney has spoken that way for months.
How about his post-war comments as this debacle has dragged on and gotten worse. Does anyone in the media remember Cheney's comment about how the insurgency was in the "last throes"? He said that on June 20, 2005.
Yet, the media is buying the White House spin that Nancy Pelosi made a foreign policy blunder. The entire Bush administration has been a foreign policy blunder -- and a lot of people are dead because of those failures.
As Dan Froomkin noted earlier this week, "too many reporters prefer uncritical transcription to the kind of tough but fair analysis that would be required to put what the president [or vice president] says in context." Too many reporters never provided context to White House statements. They regurgitate them -- even when it's Dick Cheney spewing on Rush Limbaugh. That's just absurd on its face. But, the White House knows how to play them. As usual, Tim Russert fell for it this morning on the Today Show -- acting all sanctimonious as he discussed this issue with foreign policy expert Matt Lauer. The Bush team counts on just that kind of reaction from the patsies in the press. And, true to form, they got it.
George Bush is a miserable failure as President. The American people know it.
