You have to give Rush Limbaugh credit. His formula to make his loyal listeners mad – works. He even points out how amazed he is when they keep falling for it! Click the above video and hear him talking candidly about his best listeners who are the ones that lack confidence and come seeking out Limbaugh’s bravado and cockiness to shore up their own lack of true opinions on issues. Is that why all congressional Republicans voted the straight-Rush Limbaugh ticket against the stimulus package? Every single Republican voted the I HOPE HE FAILS! policy that Rush has called for. Disgraceful!
Rush carefully screens the calls and makes sure that any caller is on point about something said on the Rush Limbaugh show. He must lead them. They must follow. He doesn’t tolerate callers who want to talk about other shows or other issues. He claims that he sets himself up as the expert and all conversation revolves around HIS reactions to events. According to him, his ditto-heads are made up of people with “fruitful” imaginations who easily take whatever bait he has to offer. It’s just that easy. Does he REALLY believe the stuff he says? Rush’s reply:
That’s up to you to figure out!
That’s just a riot! Ditto-heads that think this Entertainer’s show is somehow based in reality are slapped senselessly in that early Rush video interview. They’re just fodder for his self-wealth building schemes. He doesn’t care if this country fails. In fact if it continues to fail, people will be even more mad and have more reason to listen to him as he pulls down over $50,ooo,ooo (fifty MILLION DOLLARS) this year and for the next three years, too. Keep buying all that stuff he hawks, suckers!
The new leaders of the GOP apparently are Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. The new chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, has got a lot of work ahead of him if he’s going to pull his party out of the apparent tail-spin that is accelerating. Mega Dittos, Rush! Keep ’em Hot & Hateful.
Former Maryland Lt. Gov Michael Steele will be the new chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Hey, RV, do I detect just the slightest bit of envy here? It’s hard not to admire the success Limbaugh has had over the past two decades. Consider: He’s a guy who didn’t finish college and was a bust at every job he tried until he found his niche in Sacramento. He’s had multiple failed marriages, yet women listeners fawn all over him. He’s described as a blow hard by his opponents, yet has 22,000,000 listeners each week on more than 600 radio stations. Think about that one for a minute! Talk about a salesman! He’s a bargain at $50 million per year – ask his clients…
I admit to being a fan – I’ve listened to him off and on for most of his tenure. I even went to see him at the invitation of a friend before I knew who he was when he appeared at UCI on his “Rush To Excellence” tour. Like most new listeners, I had a hard time with the bluster – until I’d listened to him for a couple weeks regularly. Now I understand his shtick – and do understand when he’s serious. Sometimes he’s a little like salt – a little goes a long way… but I keep coming back because he’s a very perceptive guy who knows how to sell an idea – or a product.
Does he have influence? You betcha! Do I agree with him all the time? Nope! I do think he’s good for our country because he keeps the debate fresh. He’s controversial – so what?! Over the years I’ve heard him mis-quoted more times than I can count by people who were told what he said by a friend, or a friend’s friend. This whole “wanting Obama to fail” issue is one of those. I heard him live the first time he said it – I know what he meant.
RV, I don’t write my blog to have millions of people read it, but I have to admit to just the slightest bit of envy when I think of how many people listen to, and are influenced by, Rush’s rhetoric every business day. How about you?
Great post, Pot Stirrer.
“Hey, RV, do I detect just the slightest bit of envy here? It’s hard not to admire the success Limbaugh has had over the past two decades. ”
I totally admire his success. He has had a winning forumla for building up his listenership for a couple of decades. He spells it out clearly in the above video made a long time ago. He has had a plan for promoting his brand of entertainment and he’s executed it beautifully.
His success has culminated in Clear Channel giving him an unprecedented $50 million dollars a year for the next 4 years = $200,000,000! Not bad for a hard-knocks life kinda guy.
In the absence of GOP leadership and direction, it seems that the easy way for the few remaining GOP’ers in the House and possibly the Senate, next, is to vote as a block against new president Obama’s directive for a stimulus plan. How in the world they think this is the right thing to do, is exactly why there are so few of them left standing. They don’t get it. This country is in crisis mode and being entertained by Rush Limbaugh and actually BELIEVING him is no way to get things accomplished. I think that the new Prez said as much…
The GOP is pathetic and grasping at straws for direction. Asking Rush Limbaugh to do their thinking for them is the last thing they need to do. And the Democrats need to stop thinking that they have to make concessions to the GOP. Hello! The GOP is now the minority and the Dem’s can have it EXACTLY their way. They’ve been losing for so long they’re still kowtowing to the past. Get on with it already!
Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and
a few others….made their cash already. There
time has come and gone. O’Reilly wraps his radio program at the end of this month.
Rush was great during the Clinton era….”Waltzing through the tulips….” and all.
But in today’s blogisphere….it’s a whole new ballgame!
Now, having said that…we thought there was no
hope for Charlie Rose about 4 years back…and he has made a great comeback….after he watched a few Cutting Edge – a talk show programs. Maybe,
Rush will throw his CPAC invitation in the trash and do the same. For O’Reilly and Hannity…they
will have to bring Bob Dornan back – in order to get us to watch them again!
RV, you’ll get no argument from me about the state of disarray in the GOP these days. It was obvious when we – I’m one of those guys – chose John McCain as our candidate for President. Don’t get me wrong – he’s a wonderful man and a true American hero, but we, the GOP, needed a stronger, more youthful candidate – especially in a contest against Obama. To see that disarray up close and personal we need only to look around us here in the O.C. The Scott Baugh-led OC GOP is having a tough time, even with voter majorities, in many venues. They’ve elbowed their way into municipal politics and gave us people like Allan Mansoor, Eric Bever and Wendy Leece, for goodness sake.
I think I understand why every Republican – and a few Democrats – voted against the so-called “stimulus package”. They were willing to pass on the opportunity to share the “credit” – because they don’t think it’s going to work – and also not have to share the “blame” when it doesn’t. The process through which this thing was jammed through the system was not an exercise in bi-partisanship, it was an exercise in futility.
Back to the OC GOP… I want them to support good, solid candidates, not party hacks. Dana Rohrabacher got his eyes opened this time around. Debbie Cook made him actually pay attention to his constituency for a change.
As to Rush’s comment about Obama “failing” – I don’t want any American President to “fail”, but I sure don’t want some of his programs to succeed because I feel they are bad for the country in the long term and won’t solve the economic crisis in the short term.
Thanks for letting me play in your sandbox. Keep up the good work…
“Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and
a few others….made their cash already. There
time has come and gone. O’Reilly wraps his radio program at the end of this month.”
Ron, It’s never really over until it is over. I don’t think Rush Limbaugh has anything to lose at all at this point, because he’s secured that big contract. I’d say he’s pretty much free to do or not do whatever he wants. There are a number of progressives that seem to be visible and appealing to viewers in greater and greater numbers: Olberman, Maddow, Stephanie Miller, Randi Rhodes, Ron Reagan. Jon Stewart of the Daily Show and Steven Colbert’s show have an interesting and humorous twist to recapping the news at the end of the day during the week. It’s more lighthearted and fact-based than the angry conservative shows that have been such a dominant force.
—————-
“As to Rush’s comment about Obama “failing” – I don’t want any American President to “fail”, but I sure don’t want some of his programs to succeed because I feel they are bad for the country in the long term and won’t solve the economic crisis in the short term.
Thanks for letting me play in your sandbox. Keep up the good work…”
Pot Stirrer, I am glad you found this interesting enough to post on. You’re always fun to read!
I hope you were as critical of ex-President Bush as you appear to be of the new guy in town. Torture was certainly not good for the country in the long and short term. Neither is a preemptive and manufactured war in the middle east……
*Vex….we watch Maddow and Keith too….but they have to be rather careful…..not to use the “O’Reilly – Hannity Mantra”…..”Oh God how we hate those other guys!”
Stupid news is no news at all. Tainted news..
again….is no news at all. Pure Propaganda.
Thank goodness we have the blogging community to at least as a few purging questions.
Where is the “in depth” reporting and analysis
of where the Obama Bail Out funds are going? And
when?
Wisdom dictates that the Matt Lauers, Larry Kings and Katie Courics of the world may not be really interested in anything but having lunch with very important people! Where is Walter Winchell when
we need him?
RedVixen, sorry I ever wasted my time reading your tired, prepackaged drivel. I will not make the same mistake again.
RedVixen, sorry I ever wasted my time reading your tired, prepackaged drivel. I will not make the same mistake again.
You’re kidding, right? Didn’t you like the Rush Limbaugh video? It was uncut and it was all him. He’s a genius and apparently he has your number as a dittohead. What exactly is your beef?
Red Vixen,
I have to thank you for this blog. Limbaugh is a guy who knows how to manipulate bigotry for his own enrichment. He is absolutely the reciprocal of Obama. As open and honest as Obama is, as manipulative and hate-mongering Limbaugh is. He obviously has a talent to appeal to a certain extremist, disenfranchised minority constituency. Hitler rose to power exploiting similar weaknesses.
Best to you,
Shaw N. Gynan
Shaw,
Welcome to the Orange Juice!
I might be more concerned about Rush’s ability to do more serious harm if he had more youthful, dedicated followers. As it stands, his main audience is the elderly, the bigoted and the intellectually infirm. A shrinking audience pool as time continues.
Shaw.
And in your humble opinion Keith Olbermann is a saint?
Oh, Larry. Rushbo doesn’t talk about Olbermann as one of his topics, so don’t you dare go there!
Get back to the program topics for this week – just say no to the stimulus, the democrats are communists/socialists/stalinists/whateverists, our country is going to fail! etc…
Rush First! America must fail!
Red.
Keith O is an extremist in the same mold as Rush. The only differnce is the size of their hats.
While several members in my own family are Democrats, they are not
“communists/socialists/stalinists/whateverists”
Your move!
Larry,
Most progressives really don’t get all that worked up by talking heads like Olbermann, Maher, Reagan etc. And I have yet to see where Democrats are looking for guidance towards those entertainers – why should they? They have President Obama setting their agendas.
Here’s an SNL clip you might enjoy, Larry. There’s a segment where they are discussing who is more intelligent – Hannity or Rush. Humor has gotten a huge boost with politics, especially the last few years, wouldn’t you agree? Both sides get theirs on a regular basis!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385×272123
This blog is pretty old, but here is my reaction to Keith: he is not nearly as successful as Limbaugh. He does indulge in a bit of emotional appeal to the left-wingers, but in general I find his program informative and well-produced. You see, Keith is not an entertainer. He’s a journalist.