Posted on 03/04/2009 10:04:32 AM PST by Zakeet
According to the Politico Democratic strategists, months ago, planned to paint Rush Limbaugh as a bad guy to hurt the GOP and on Wednesday, the "Today" show followed that blueprint as Matt Lauer pilloried RNC Chairman Michael Steele over his flap with the talk show host:
Doesn't Rush Limbaugh put people like you in a very tough position? If you agree with him publicly it sounds like you're rooting against the economic recovery and yet if you disagree with him and call him an "entertainer" and say he's provocative and sometimes what he says is "ugly," you're put in the position where you gotta run and apologize to him.
Lauer repeatedly misinterpreted Limbaugh's comment that he wants Obama's to fail, never clarifying that Limbaugh is rooting against his policies precisely because they will hurt the economy as Lauer presented the false choice of, you're for Obama or you're against the economic recovery, to Steele:
Mr. Steele, let me try it this way, there are as many Republicans out there as well as Democrats who are unemployed right now. People are hurting across this country. Republicans, as I mention, like Democrats are losing their homes, they're unable to send their kids to school. Do you think those Republicans want the policies of Barack Obama to fail right now?
Lauer began the "Today" show this morning by greeted viewers with news that the GOP was in dire trouble due to Limbaugh:
Good morning. Who's the boss? The GOP facing a major image problem. Its leaders quick to attack controversial comments made by Rush Limbaugh and even quicker to apologize to him, as our new poll shows the party's rating has sunk to a new all-time low. What's going on and how will they turn things around? We'll ask RNC chairman Michael Steele.
After Lauer noted a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows: "Only 26 percent of voters have positive feelings toward the party. That's an all-time low," NBC's political director Chuck Todd came on to discuss the GOP's unpopularity with a report headlined with the graphic: "Republican Rumble, GOP Infighting Hurts Party Support," and relayed that, "The White House is borderline giddy about the entire episode," between Steele and Limbaugh.
The following is a complete transcript of the intro, Todd set-up piece and then full interview with Steele as it was aired on the March 4, "Today" show:
“J. Fred Muggs”
Oh, crap — never mind — wasn’t he just mistaken for 0bama and gunned down the other day?
;-)
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