The GOP debacle: Thank you, Rush Limbaugh

http://bidinotto.journalspace.com/?cmd=displaycomments&dcid=468&entryid=468 ^

[stylin19a]

Would anyone care to dispute the likelihood that Talent's defeat -- and the consequent GOP loss of the Senate -- hinged on a one-percent swing of voters toward the Democrats because of Rush Limbaugh's highly publicized and grossly offensive personal attack on Michael J. Fox?

have at it.

[Tennessean4Bush]

This guy is an idiot who did not even listen to Limbaugh. In fact, if not for Limbaugh, pubs probably would not have won control of Congress in the first place.

[BufordP]

Well, in that case, let the destruction of human life begin!</sarcasm>

[freeper_peeper]

Bookmark to read later.

[TNdandelion]

He had me until that. I don't suspect I'll be any more miserable under Socialist Democrats than I was under Socialist Republicans.

Oh...I think you'd be suprised.

[Leatherneck_MT]

That's because we seem to be too busy pointing fingers at one another when we should be firing the Captain and Officers and hiring new ones.

[beaversmom]

Personally I think Limbaugh's affect would be minimal. I don't know if there's any way to gage that. You are right--death by a thousand cuts. I would include immigration and the open border, McCain's backstabbing, the constant MSM negativity toward the GOP, Libertarian siphoning of votes, "macaca", 6th yearitis, corruption scandals (real and imagined), and President Bush's communication problems to your list. I'm not trying to sound like an eternal optimist because I AM very disappointed over the election, but all and all, it's surprising that we didn't lose by a bigger margin than we did. To me it shows that the GOP has a pretty good base of support. If we can correct the problems (at least some of them) that lead up to this loss and start attracting more people to our side then we would be in really good shape. Overriding the MSM is going to be the really big hurdle.

[joe fonebone]

Clinical progression is: Idiot, Imbecile, Moron...the writer of this article is a moron

[ElPatriota]

..What all these Aholes do not realize is that Rush explained to his DITOcam watchers WHAT HE SAW ON THE FOX ADD. He was SHOWING them how Fox was acting in the add. The MSM and liberals moved the film faster to...

Which brings us to FOX NEWS....Be careful people... they simply found they could make money pandering to the right... but they could turn against us in a sec.. Be careful!

Just look at the owner... and you'll see he is not conservative champion!... but, he knows how to make money!... which is cool... but let's not delude ourselves.

[longtermmemmory]

This author does not know of what he is writing.

Pointless Elitist drivel.

What we have now is the country club of the belway trying to force out the main stream citizens in favor of insiders.


(for example Sandra Day Occonor has no business on the Iraq Study Group)

[ShawTaylor]

Rush took credit in 1994...I guess he can take blame for 2006.



How so?
Rush made Mark Foley chase after boys(complete with pervy IM's), and cleverly released that info in drips just before the elections, and then made the MSM hammer Republicans over that matter for 3 straight weeks at 24/7 in the run up to the elections?

[SunStar]

Rush did not attack Fox, in fact Fox admitted in his book about altering his meds to fit the occasion.

Yes, and not only that, but Fox stated in an interview the same week as Rush's comments that the shakiness in the ad was due to overmedication.

[Sicon]

embryonic stem cell research is one promising area

Well, this statement is an outright falsehood. To date, there have been absolutely NO indications that embryonic stem cells offer any promise.

That said, Limbaugh definitely made a mistake in attacking Fox's possible "acting" or "exaggerating" his symptoms. Limbaugh should have stuck to attacking Fox's position on the issue on the basis of it's lack of support by the facts.

The statement in the article is wrong, but the overall premise that Limbaugh likely impacted Talent's re-election bid negatively is fair enough. On the other hand, its sort of like blaming the field goal kicker for missing a last-second field goal to win a football game: the team is to blame for letting the game come down to the need for such last minute heroics. Likewise, the Republicans blew the game long before Limbaugh came in and possibly "shanked" the winning field goal kick.

[Bassfan]

Paleeease.

This is a hack of all hacks. Rush said said something that was.....ah......TRUE!

J Fox DID go off his meds to ENHANCE his symptoms before. HE ADMITTED TO DOING SO YOU BONEHEAD!

Rush simply pointed it out and people are so uneducated or bias that they can't or won't see the truth.

If it wasn't for Rush, the GOP wouldn't have been in the majority in the first place. He's been pounding the Dems since the 80's. Show some appreciation you hack.

[Dolphy]

If the author of this has ever listened to Rush, he clearly missed the 15 hours or so that Rush spent discussing this on his program.

That's the way it is...the national media didn't cover his discussion. They ran with the "ugly conservative" image he provided.

[longtermmemmory]

This is small fish conservatives who are trying to make a name for themselves.

It does not matter how correct Rush did everything, this small fish would criticise in order to build up his own image.

[jbwbubba]

I am a fan of Rush, and I don't think he was trying to mock Fox and belittle him. But he did step in it, the story became about him attacking 'Marty McFly' and not that there are different kinds of stem cell research or that the admendment in MO was about cloning. Rush's biggest problem is his ego, and he spent more than a week talking about the Fox ad and its fallout. Worse was the fact that other non-news, non-political outlets covered the story in a bias fashion like Entertainment Tonight and played into the hateful Rush attacking poor Michael Fox. This played perfect for the part-time voters who can't named the VP or a single SOCTUS justice. Rush should have dropped the story after day one, but he wouldn't and helped keep the story alive.

[FreedomNeocon]

IMO the election was more about the "HATE BUSH" meter being proven to take roughly 60 months for to fill to the top.

Sure we have some issues to work on, but in an offyear election when turnout is down naturally (compounded by some shortsighted conservatives) the dems ran purely on "hate bush" for the 3rd election cycle still stemming from people who think "they got robbed" in 2000.

I know there is a tendency, especially around here, for people to try to sound smart and pinpoint what lost it for us, but for THEM, but it was as simple as "hate bush" for the 3rd time in a row that eventually worked... and no 'better immigration policy' or 'tighter spending' would have effected that specific aspect at all.

[Eagle Eye]

I'm tired of the whining and finger pointing.

[dfwgator]

6 yearitis is a huge factor. When a party controls all three branches for so long, anytime something goes wrong, deserved or not, that party gets the blame for it. Over time the list of things builds and builds, until inevitably it just becomes too much, and there is a sense of, let's give the other guys a chance.

Another fact is that most Americans are just not comfortable with one party controlling the executive and legislative branches, regardless of party.