Monday, March 02, 2009

Republican Cat Fight: Limbaugh 1, Steele 0

It is entertaining to watch the GOP tear itself apart as embodied by the cat fight between Oxycontin popping queen, Rush Limbaugh, and the GOP's token black RNC chair, Michael Steele. Rush Limbaugh, in his typical demagogue form, spent the weekend inciting the Kool-Aid drinkers at the CPAC gathering in Washington, D.C., and making numerous outrageous pronouncements, including again stating that he hopes the Obama administration fails - apparently with no regard as to what might happen to the country. Initially, Michael Steele condemned some of Limbaugh's nastiest comments and described them as "incendiary" and "ugly." Now, apparently confronted by Rush's zombie like followers, Steele has issued an apology to Limbaugh thus underscoring that Rush and his followers are indeed the face of the GOP today. Here are highlights from ThinkProgress:
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Steele has quickly backed down. Politico reports that Steele “reached out” to Limbaugh today to say that he didn’t mean what he said. “My intent was not to go after Rush – I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh,” Steele said in a telephone interview. “I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. … There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.” […]
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“I went back at that tape and I realized words that I said weren’t what I was thinking,” Steele said. “It was one of those things where I thinking I was saying one thing, and it came out differently. What I was trying to say was a lot of people … want to make Rush the scapegoat, the bogeyman, and he’s not.”
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Steele made clear that he will welcome Limbaugh into the party,” calling him a “
very valuable conservative voice for our party.” “He does what he does best, which is provoke,” Steel said. “My job is to try to bring us all together.” Steele isn’t alone. Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) and Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) have previously dared to criticize Limbaugh but then quickly backed down. To quote Rush, a lot of Republicans are being told to “bend over and grab the ankles” for him.
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Talk about groveling! It's pretty sad when the leadership of a national political party is intimidated by a drug abusing blowhard. Oh, and as for "family values" and the sanctity of marriage, here's how Limbaugh applies Biblical values in his own life:
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Limbaugh was first married on September 24, 1977 to Roxy Maxine McNeely, a sales secretary at radio station WHB in Kansas City Missouri. In March 1980, McNeely filed for divorce, citing "incompatibility." They were formally divorced on July 10, 1980.
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In 1983, Limbaugh married Michelle Sixta, a college student and usherette at the Kansas City Royals Stadium Club. They were divorced in 1990, and she remarried the following year.
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On May 27, 1994, Limbaugh married Marta Fitzgerald, a 35-year-old aerobics instructor. They were married at the house of U.S Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who officiated. They were separated on June 11, 2004. Limbaugh announced on the air, "Marta has consented to my request for a divorce, and we have mutually agreed to seek an amicable separation." The divorce was finalized in December 2004.
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And Limbaugh ridicules gays for wanting to marry? It seems like he's the one who makes a mockery out of marriage.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Suffice it to say that one comment from the President to Congressional Republicans ("You should stop listening to Rush.") on the day Barack Obama went to Capital Hill to talk to only Republicans about the now-passed stimulus bill, was enough to ignite a Republican civil war. That comment led to Rush's now infamous,"I hope Obama fails" line that split the GOP asunder. Now we have the spectacle of Eric Cantor, the Nancy- Polosi-is-mean-and-she-hurt-our-feelings-so-we-won’t-vote-for-TARP (back in September when John McCain was busy losing the general election.) Congressman form Virginia supporting the Obama administration in hoping the stimulus works.

Now let’s see if this picture works out. On one hand we have the king of the right wing hoping for failure of the new guys in office after doing so much to guarantee the failure of the old administration in the Dubya years with his doctrinaire “screw the markets” outlook and out-to-lunch commentary that was eagerly gobbled by everyone too lazy to think for themselves. And, on the other hand, we have former Rush acolyte Eric Cantor saying he wants the the new administration’s stimulus plan to work. Sounds like a plan, doesn’t it?

Perhaps this is the type of "bi-partisanship" that the President was working toward. Let’s have a nod toward Rahm with his reinforcing knife in the ribs comment on Sunday morning talking-head TV.

Meanwhile, it looks as if the Republicans are up to their old tricks; they don't realize-yet- that they've been had.( Just like in days of Geo W.) And Rush doesn't realize- yet- that his best days are now in the past. His influence is waning. His audience is more afraid of reality than eager to support his fantasy of a “principled” conservative movement that has the best interests of the country as its only motivation.

All I can say is. “Please, please, please, pretty please keep underestimating the political skills of Barack Obama.”

Anonymous said...

Suffice it to say that one comment from the President to Congressional Republicans ("You should stop listening to Rush.") on the day Barack Obama went to Capital Hill to talk to only Republicans about the now-passed stimulus bill, was enough to ignite a Republican civil war. That comment led to Rush's now infamous,"I hope Obama fails" line that split the GOP asunder. Now we have the spectacle of Eric Cantor, the Nancy- Polosi-is-mean-and-she-hurt-our-feelings-so-we-won’t-vote-for-TARP (back in September when John McCain was busy losing the general election.) Congressman form Virginia supporting the Obama administration in hoping the stimulus works.

Now let’s see if this picture works out. On one hand we have the king of the right wing hoping for failure of the new guys in office after doing so much to guarantee the failure of the old administration in the Dubya years with his doctrinaire “screw the markets” outlook and out-to-lunch commentary that was eagerly gobbled by everyone too lazy to think for themselves. And, on the other hand, we have former Rush acolyte Eric Cantor saying he wants the the new administration’s stimulus plan to work. Sounds like a plan, doesn’t it?

Perhaps this is the type of "bi-partisanship" that the President was working toward. Let’s have a nod toward Rahm with his reinforcing knife in the ribs comment on Sunday morning talking-head TV.

Meanwhile, it looks as if the Republicans are up to their old tricks; they don't realize-yet- that they've been had.( Just like in days of Geo W.) And Rush doesn't realize- yet- that his best days are now in the past. His influence is waning. His audience is more afraid of reality than eager to support his fantasy of a “principled” conservative movement that has the best interests of the country as its only motivation.

All I can say is. “Please, please, please, pretty please keep underestimating the political skills of Barack Obama.”

Anonymous said...

Honest to God, I can't believe how much press time this fool is getting FROM EVERYBODY !!!!

I finally turned off the news and put on a baseball game between the coverage of economy and this idiot I needed to keep my sanity.

Fatso gets his 15 minutes of fame Monday thru Friday for 3 hours, he doesn't need anymore.

We need a major earthquake in California to get the press to start reporting/discussing something else !!