Posted on 04/03/2008 7:55:15 AM PDT by jdm
Cobb is saying Rush Limbaugh has crossed a line with Operation Chaos, and he even has a cartoon up about it.
My take on “Operation Chaos” is that Rush is doing several things, here - he’s demonstrating his sway, he’s enjoying making mischief (and hoping that when the press talks about “Hillary winning and demonstrating momentum” they’ll mention his “Operation,”) and he’s getting a feel for just how strong may be the desire of conservatives to — not now, but in coming years — jump the GOP ship and form a more demonstrably “conservative” party.
Rush is justifying “Operation Chaos” by suggesting that since Democrats routinely play around with some Republican primaries (I believe the Kos folks did something similar) this is an acceptable thing for conservatives to do. Rush seems to blame the Democrats rather than the conservatives for the GOP nominating John McCain over some never-specified “perfect conservative” candidate, and his line is “since the Democrats selected our nominee, we’ll select theirs.”
I reject the premise that the Democrats “selected” John McCain. Had conservatives managed to find that “Ronald Reagan II” they were demanding, he/she would have been immune to stray Dem hijinks; if the conservatives couldn’t find/groom a preferred candidate when they’ve known they needed one for the past 4 years, they shouldn’t whine about it or blame others. (Please don’t tell me “Mitt was perfect” - you only loved him when you had no other choice but McCain, and you got McCain because no one else was “good enough” and Thompson was never serious. And remember, I’m the girl who still thinks — because things turn on a dime — that McCain may still not be the GOP candidate; health and age are real issues.)
Cobb writes:
This is quite obviously subversive which is bad enough, but when Limbaugh much to the consternation of party bosses on both sides claims to be influencing elections and manipulating democracy with his plotting it demonstrates what I consider unconscionable hubris. He’s gone too far and he needs to be stopped.
Well, it is subversive, and it is hard to justify the subversion on the basis “fighting fire with fire.” One cannot compare the influence of — at most — a couple million KosKidz to Rush’s enormous audience. I keep thinking that if a liberal with Rush’s audience was advocating “Operation Chaos,” lots of conservatives would be decrying the game-playing and mischief-making misuse of our votes, which I believe most conservatives consider “sacred” things.
But I don’t think Rush should be stopped. That would involved trampling on something equally sacred, our right to speak freely and organize and assemble, even if we’re making cakes of ourselves doing it.
This 2008 election - and much of our electoral process - is already a two-ring circus; Rush is simply adding a third ring, and he’s perhaps also demonstrating how absurdly dishonest and vapid has it all become - the endless campaigning, maneuvering, manipulating and lying. And like a good capitalist he is turning a profit on the thing, besides. (If the “Operation Chaos” tee shirts, hats, etc are meant to support a charity, please let me know.)
So, I don’t think Limbaugh should “be stopped.” But I also don’t know that people should be giggling and guffawing over “Operation Chaos” without considering that — if the “operation” is rooted in a spirit of spiteful payback — it is bound to reap negative fruit. Moreover, I am old-fashioned enough to think of our vote is “a sacred trust” even if that is unsophisticated of me, even if others think vote manipulation is timely sport.
I keep thinking about the Russian Immigrant who looked forward to his first chance to vote in America, and told Gerard Vanderleun, “I will vote always for best, always”…and about the people in Iraq who braved so much to hold their purple fingers in the air…and about the Iraqi and American dead who fought to give them that right.
And in thinking about them, I’m a bit ashamed of our three-ring circus and the casual menace which we are bringing to our own sacred process. They all deserve better than we’re giving them, right now.
What is your opinion? Is Limbaugh subverting a sacred trust, or is he - somehow - “saving” it?
One potential positive result of Operation Chaos, might be new rules that would require you to actually be a registered member of a party, and be so registered for several months in advance, before being allowed to vote in a primary for that party
“Is Limbaugh subverting a sacred trust?”
Free speech is not being subverted by Rush. Check out the PC Nazi’s to find subversion!
Don’t like the way primaries are run? Change the rules. Most of them are stupid anyway. Why any party would let anyone outside their party vote in their primary is beyond me. I know Republicans are that stupid, I didn’t realize Democrats were as well.
-—anybody yattering about “sacred trust” should check the demographics of the Kennedy vote in Wisconsin in 1960-—
Voting IS a sacred trust, which the parties have subverted.
susie
I wouldn’t vote for Hillary for dog-catcher if Rush Limbaugh put a gun to my head. Operation Chaos is humorous in the sense that it also toys with ‘rat minds. If it were a vote for Obama to eliminate Hillary, I would have to consider it...(but probably not do it).
“One potential positive result of Operation Chaos, might be new rules that would require you to actually be a registered member of a party, and be so registered for several months in advance, before being allowed to vote in a primary for that party.”
Amen. The Dems helped choose our nominee so my thinking is we’re just returning the favor...
With the other party having for years offered ‘walking around’ money to urban preachers, free transportation to the polls for indigents, obstructing laws to prevent illegal voting, etc etc I find it hard to get excited about Limbaugh violating the ‘sacred trust’.
I thought Rush was “irrelevant” and really had no power?
By the way, when Michael Moore tells people how to vote, nothing happens. When Rush tells people how to vote, the entire Democrat primary gets thrown into shambles. Who’s really irrelevant?
I had to renew my PA driver’s license and, on the spur of the moment, I registered as a Dim just to vote AGAINST Hitlery. I hope I don’t have to vote against her ever again! Oddly enough, Democrat was the first choice on the list. Republican came second and I thought it might be alphabetical listing, but Libertarian was third.
LOL.
Utter nonsense. The politicians with the assistance of the media have made a complete travesty of almost all that we hold dear in this country. They steal elections and break the rules at will.
Voting is a political act, not a sacred one. Using it tactically is just fine.
I think what Rush is doing is wonderful.
Payback’s a b!tch, ain’t it?
I would rather crush the Clinton serpent head and get Obama later. Clinton would do McCain’s work even after defeat to make sure she has a chance in ‘12.
That said, Rush is no more subverting a sacred trust than a newspaper reporter sneaking bomb parts/guns onto an airplane to show security holes is subverting airplane safety.
After this election, the Dems are going to do some badly reworking of the rules. Or should I say, they might institute real rules ofr the first time.
I'm sure Limbaugh is selling lots of hats and T-shirts though.
The OJ Simpson jury pulled an “operation Chaos” long before Rush ever thought about it. I thought it was wrong then, and I think it is WRONG now.
I am a huge Rush Limbaugh fan. I listen all the time. I agree with him 90% of the time. He doesn’t dictate my views, he simply validates what I believe 90% of the time and he states them very articulately. My take is that the MSM and the liberal democrats meddled in our Republican nominee process by crossing over in the early states, and in fact, affecting the eventual nominee. McCain is not my choice. I am disappointed because this was a bad year for conservative candidates. The one I would have supported, Fred Thompson, was not willing to jump through the MSM hoops and play along with their mind games, answering silly questions, raising hands on certain issues. It’s a shame that such a good and decent man was made to feel and act like the MSM dictated he should act. Who out there thinks the MSM should be this involved in the political process when we all know their biases? They ask hard, divisive questions on religion and homosexuality and abortion to Republicans and throw softballs to Democrats. No media spoke of their own meddling in the Republican process. Now Rush is simply returning the favor. No, I don’t like it. Both have subverted the will of the people. The MSM is so committed to a Democrat in the White House they will stoop to any level to insure that. Rush is a powerful resistance to the MSM but I don’t think he even comes close to the impact of CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, NYT, MSNBC, NPR. They all have their liberal agenda and they are unashamedly pushing it. They picked our nominee. That makes me very angry. That being said, I don’t think what Rush is doing, though effective, is very wise, and especially his gloating over it and making a big deal out of it. I DO think Republicans should do exactly what Rush is suggesting. I just wish it had not been made such a big, public effort because that can come back to bite you.
1) It is true the Dems did not "select" McCain. We managed to screw that up all by ourselves, thank you, by failing to unite behind a McCain stopper early on. People were so terrified of Rudy that they allowed Huckabee to gain significant traction; and Huckabee, in turn, allowed McCain to come back to life. Thompson should have gotten in much earlier, then it would have been clear he didn't "have it" much earlier, allowing still more people to maneuver to stop McCain.
2) Rush's plan is brilliant. He is doing what neither McCain nor the RNC will do, which is to actually CAMPAIGN. He is calling both Hillary and Obama on the carpet, forcing them to spend multiple millions (new story today about Hillary having to stay in JUST to keep campaign $$ coming in to pay her debts!!).
3) McCain may not win: but he absolutely would not win without Operation Chaos. It is the ONLY program that is exposing the lies and keeping Obama from the shield provided by a fawning press. Trust me: some of this stuff may not be OPENLY circulated to the conservatives by Hillary's people, but it's submitted over the transom with a "Hey, look at this . . ." kind of message. She would not be doing that if not for Rush.
The irony is that McCain will owe more to Rush---IF he wins---than anyone else, but will never ever admit it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.