Posted on 03/14/2012 7:39:14 AM PDT by Battle of Tours
Time for a Rush Reboot?
While the Fluke fallout may not be as bad as suspected, it's still bad. I cringed when El Rushbo, on Day 2 of the Fluke matter, doubled down on his remarks and reveled in the reaction he was getting - from members of Congress and the press. A complete miscalculation. But ultimately PR war was lost, simply because a gentleman can't call a woman a 'slut,' and if it takes a half-hour to explain what you really meant, you failed in making your point. The whole thing was like watching Lucy trick Charlie Brown into trying to kick the football. But in HD, and super slow-motion. While EIB's ratings may be up, I'm afraid the Fluke fiasco exposes what I see as Rush Limbaugh's problem: declining relevance, and (like many on the Right), reacting to the topic du jour, rather than driving the agenda. The Left chose this whole contraceptive battle ground, and set it up well in advance, starting with George Stephanopolous. But remember when Rush called the shots? Remember the spontaneity and populist feel of Dan's Bake Sale? Or when, in response to critics who said Rush artificially generated calls to Congress, he demonstrated what would happen if he gave out those numbers to call - and melted the DC phone system. That was the heyday of EIB! But on any given day lately, if you want to hear what will be on Rush (or Beck or Hannity), you can simply read the Drudge Report, which is about all Rush seems to do now. Matt Drudge, the Great Aggregator, drives the news cycle, and Rush seems content to merely comment on it. A far cry from the day when Rush drove the issue of the day, like exposing the House Banking scandal? Rush is The Voice on the Right, and to paraphrase him, I hope he succeeds. So I humbly offer some suggestions, and would be interested to read your comments or additions to them.
Bombshell Mondays
When Sarah Palin was named as John McCain's VP pick, an army of Dem investigators headed north to Alaska. We soon found out more (true or not) about her than anyone dared disclose about Barack Obama. Porn king Larry Flynt offered serious cash, and still does, to anyone exposing sexual misdeeds by Republicans. As a result, Congressman Bob Livingston resigned, Bill Clinton was not impeached, God knows what else due to Republicans being sh_t-scared of being embarrassed. When Donald Trump took up the Birther controversy, and backed it up with his resources, he forced Obama to release what he should have released long ago - his long-form birth certificate (or is it? Ask Joe Arpaio). It took a tabloid's digging to prove Johnny Edward's philandering. The point here is, well-funded and well-executed investigating yields results, except most of it is done by the Left. I can see why pre-rehab Rush wouldn't go here, as his own secret problems would have been exposed. Now that the Enquirer broke that (another example), what's to lose? Young Guns on the Right are doing similar work, but with the loss of Andrew Breitbart, some of that has gone, too. I want to see an army of EIB investigators digging into all the Left has to hide, with Rush leading off each week with Bombshell Mondays. Make the other side respond to Rush all week. Offer $100,000 or more for any of Obama's old girlfriends to come forward, then up it each month when it goes unclaimed. Offer money for anyone who can produce a report card, syllabus or class notes from an Obama-taught course. I bet they don't exist, either. Find the two people that the $11 million Business Attire boondoggle serviced, and see if they even got jobs. Look into Sarah Fluke herself. She has advocated so much for gay and lesbian issues, you have to wonder if she even needs birth control. Find the town hall sob story people that Obama promised to help, and see where they are now. Find out who paid for Obama's college tuition. Give a teaser of the bombshell expose on Friday, and make 'em sweat all weekend wondering what will happen Monday. Rush, stop relying on reporters to report, and get back in the driver's seat, please. The Left will never love you, so take a page from Machiavelli: better to be feared than loved.
Audacious, News-Grabbing Acts of Generosity
Any listener to Rush knows he is very generous, probably far more so than he lets on to the public. Countless times I've heard him give things away to callers (except the schmoes that ask for things), not to mention his annual fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. But imagine if, rather than call Sarah Fluke a slut and prostitute, Rush had sent her a Sleep Number bed, some Pro Flowers, and a thousand condoms. Point well made. On a grander scale, this has a lot of potential to show the hypocrisy of the Left, like Dan's Bake Sale showed that taking kids' donated money for deficit reduction was not beneath the Clinton Gang. The contrast to Fluke and her self-centered ilk's representation of womanhood is seen in Stephanie Decker, the 36-year-old Indiana mother that lost her legs trying to protect her children during a tornado. Decker's home was demolished. Buy her a new one, handicap-accessible. Hand her the keys yourself, that woman is a living, breathing example of the best of a woman's virtue, who's actions did more in a minute that Fluke has done in her measly, academic/activist life. Find Obama's half-brother George, who reportedly lives in a hut on next to nothing per year in Africa. Get him a job and a house, and get your picture with him in the process. Imagine how the President, who loves to quote the Bible and 'brother's keeper' language when it means separating taxpayers from their cash, would look in contrast. I would bet most people don't know Obama has an indigent brother. Or pay for Obama's illegal-alien uncle's legal fees in his drunk driving casae. Pay him to wear a Rush tie in court. Why? First, because it's funny. Second, because there's no comeback to that. It again shows Obama does not take care of his own, despite demanding other's money for his political agenda. Once a month, select a servicememberat random returning from war, and send, along with family members, them to Disneyworld for a week. All expenses paid. It's a slap in the face to the commander who never stops apologizing to foreigners for the actions of Americans. Oh, and mention it all during the Armed Forces Radio portion of the show. Pick a Chicago gas station, and offer a Pre-Obama Gas Price day. Get the local affiliate to cover it. Man, can you picture that? The lines that would form, the riot that would likely ensue, to sell gasoline at $2.40 per gallon, and more importantly, what a message it would send about the spike in gasoline prices under Obama. Sponsor a Steven Chu Bicycle Race in DC, with the winner getting a BMW (like Chu's wife drives). Targeted philanthropy coupled with a potent message is hard to criticize.
Push Aside the Haters and Promote your Supporters
It's always been weird how Rush trumpets Apple products, when, as a company, they recoil from him. I admit I enjoyed the report of Carbonite stock falling after they dissed Rush in the wake of Fluke. Now certain musicians are complaining about Rush using their music on his show. I'd like to see Rush pump up those who support him, and ignore the detractors. Trim from the bumper rotation those that have come out and repudiated you. There's a ton of musicians that would love that exposure (but please, no more Robert Davi tracks). Make a contest of it - submit your band's tracks to appear on Rush's bumper music, mention who it is on the website. Then thumb your nose at Peter Gabriel. Same goes for any ex-advertiser.
Rush won.
Stop living in the past please.
Fight the left on the next issue.
Always advance.
Rush won. Fluke is still a slut, and he’s still on the air.
LOL! You think Rush “miscalculated”??? Really. We all know the Rats have these operatives scattered everywhere and they are waiting for them to be needed to credate a diversion. Did you ever see a photo of a tank? Did you wonder what all those little cylinders pointing at odd angles were? Those are smoke grenade launchers. When the commander realizes he is in trouble he “pops smoke” and disappears.
The Rats use these operatives like Fluke to create a distraction when they need to control the news cycle. A complicit media knows this and helps out. Rush knows it, too. This time he jumped in and escalated things so that it would get LOTS of attention. We all knew she wuold eventually be outed as the Rat operative she is and the news cycle would “flip” on the Rats. It is “Rush Judo”.
Relax. Rush knows what he is doing.
Rush won. Give it up.
The Rats set a trap. Limbaugh fell straight into it.
He’s a moron.
Really now... declining relevance? Is that why the left is so doggedly trying to force him off the air?
Rush won this battle... big time. There's no denying it.
Thank goodness we have you to set our heads on right
thanks..
Produce 1/100th the empire Rush has, and I'll take your comments seriously.
Moron like Bill Gates was a moron.
The American people ARE as gullible as the writer claims.
I submit that if you went down to the street corner and asked passers by what folks thought of Rush Limbaugh, a fair majority would view him negatively.
This is because the middle American OVERWHELMINGLY receives his worldview from MSM on AM radio, FM radio, television news, television entertainment, print news media, all from local and national outlets pulling content from national and international wire feeds.
Rush is on three hours a day, and the middle American on the street does NOT listen to Rush. He listens to his favorite country music or classic rock station which pushes a liberal, progressive, pro-Obama worldview to our middle American every hour at the top of the hour. 24 hours a day. Seven days a week.
If there were 100 Rush Limbaughs, they would not compete with the worldview push that Middle American Voter receives from the overwhelming push of news to local and regional outlets from national and international sources.
Rush was right to call Fluke a slut and prostitute. She is. (Actually, she is more like a pimp, but....)
But Rush does not win the battle of public opinion in this case.
The Rats set a trap and fell in it themselves.
Rush’s ratings are up. Sleep Train and Carbonite are down. Maher has gone as white as a sheet. ‘Edgy’ left-wing comedians have been cancelled. The buying power of Rush’s listeners has been reasserted.
Granted: this didn’t seem like a win at the time - but then neither did Agincourt.
Rush won this one. Pure and simple.
It was actually an amazing thing to watch. The last thing the left wants is a vetting of The Slut, or the misdeeds of the left.
—He’s a moron.—
I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you left off the sarcasm tag. ;-)
Seriously? Rush had a GREAT show yesterday analyzing the results of the weeks-long contraception debate and it’s KILLING the Democrats. They have an 11-point loss on this subject, and Obama has lost ground with women. Go Rush. Hit Fluke again, harder.
Yeah right already. Tell Hillary to hit her magic reset button. Lesson learned. Even if you take his characterization as false it knocks him down to what? 94.5? .6?
—I submit that if you went down to the street corner and asked passers by what folks thought of Rush Limbaugh, a fair majority would view him negatively.—
I disagree. I think they might SAY they do, but in the way that a lot of people “say” they are atheists. Every one I’ve ever met - face to face - once queried on the subject admits they are really “agnostic”.
Also, Rush is not running for political office.
Rush doesn’t need your advice. He has been and continues to be number one in his field and has the millions to prove it.
When you have his success then maybe you can tell him how he should do things.
But Rush went charging after her sex life. He went at her as a slut, "she's asking us to pay for her sex!"
It was very bad
Het there “Battle of Tours”, Rush has a Radio Audience of over 20 Million, for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. How big is YOUR Radio Show? I DO NOT THINK that Rush needs advice from the likes of YOU!
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