Barack Obama's push: Make Rush Limbaugh appear to be the face of the GOP

Chicago Tribune ^ | 3-2-09 | Peter Nicholas

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he Obama White House has begun advancing an aggressive political strategy: convincing the country that the real power behind the Republican Party is not the GOP leaders in Congress or at the Republican National Committee, but rather provocative radio talk show king Rush Limbaugh.

President Barack Obama, top presidential aides and outside Democratic allies have been pushing the message in unison.

*snip*

With the White House working to make Limbaugh the face of the GOP, it is getting some outside assistance.

A tax-exempt group that supports progressive causes — Americans United for Change—is helping finance a television ad that claims GOP leaders are beholden to the radio host. The ad closes with Limbaugh saying of Obama, "I want him to fail."

*snip*

Brad Woodhouse, president of Americans United for Change, said the group has discussed the ad campaign with the Democratic National Committee. Woodhouse is joining the DNC next week as its communications director.

Asked whether the White House was notified about the ad, Woodhouse said: "They certainly are aware—I'm sure they're aware of what we're doing."

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Saul Alinsky ~~ Rules for Radicals

RULE 5: "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon." There is no defense. It's irrational. It's infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions.

RULE 8: "Keep the pressure on. Never let up." Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new.

RULE 10: "If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive." Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog.

RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions.

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~~PING!

[Darkwolf377]

The GOP can choose to panic and say “No, no, he’s not our real voice! Why would you say such a thing?” or they can start growing a backbone and calling out the WH on this crap.

Were I running the GOP I would use your quotations from Rules for Radicals. I would use them again and again and again, and come right out and compare Obama’s moves with that of the Soviets, without blinking or hedging when the worms from the MSM ask “Are you REALLY calling the president of the United States a communist?” and respond “I am merely showing the American people the facts. Unlike the president, we don’t try to tell people what to think.”

[goodnesswins]

UH...I think he might regret doing that....making Rush the face of the Republican party.....Rush has an ARMY of conservatives.....

[GinaLolaB]

Barack Obama's push: Make Rush Limbaugh appear to be the face of the GOP

So what!?! We could do worse.

Obama, Axelrod, and Emanuel are incompetent clowns. They are trashing the economy so fast that everyone's heads are spinning. Once the people get over from being punch drunk by dummy Obama, they will all want to follow Rush.

[rom]

This is a perfect strategy for them. All of that pent up BDS has to be transferred somewhere.

[TheZMan]

And I’ve been considering recently, what would happen if he called on that army?

[boroman]

I don’t care whether they follow Rush or not, as long as they adhere to conservative principles.

[Danae]

Rush beats the HELL out of Obama speaking for us!

Hey Rahm.... Piss off, you are GOING to fail. Get used to the idea now. It will make the end easier for you.

[rom]

See: Operation Chaos. Didn’t do too much, but I think conservatives are more motivated now.

[Tex Pete]

“Obama, Axelrod, and Emanuel are incompetent clowns.”

They aren’t incompetent, they are diabolical. What they are doing to our country is quite deliberate. It is just community organizing on a national scale.

[exist]

I hate it when the MSM keeps recycling the same story over and over. It’s like I got it the first 10,000 times. Jerks.

[Tex Pete]

“See: Operation Chaos. Didn’t do too much, but I think conservatives are more motivated now.”

Too many people doubted Rush, and assumed that Hillary would be much harder for McCain to beat. Those people didn’t consider that 98% of the black vote would go to Obama, and that the media would never ask him any questions.

[4rcane]

Obama send out his guarddogs (media)

[Rosemont]

Republicans and Limbaugh need to point out that the stock market has tanked since Obama’s election. People are getting laid off every day. It is unfortunate that ObamaCarter, the king of the misery index, would rather spend his time taking stupid political cheap shots at Limbaugh rather than fixing the economy.

[Harry Wurzbach]

White House is trying to delegitimize their opposition and interfere with the message. Meanwhile many Americans wonder WTF is the White House engaged in these games with the country in such a precarious spot.

[BookmanTheJanitor]

Republicans and Limbaugh need to point out that the stock market has tanked since Obama’s election. People are getting laid off every day. It is unfortunate that ObamaCarter, the king of the misery index, would rather spend his time taking stupid political cheap shots at Limbaugh rather than fixing the economy.

EXACTLY!!!

[redhead]

"I hate it when the MSM keeps recycling the same story over and over. It’s like I got it the first 10,000 times. [Lazy] Jerks."

There. Fixed it.

[goodnesswins]

Actually...I think the “people” ARE seeing that...pretty soon....they’ll start asking questions.....IMHO

[sinanju]

These are great tactics for a rabble-rousing activist but Obama hasn’t got it through his pretty head that he’s now the chief executive and the buck now stops with him.