Photon Torpedo Tube's Blog: Emergency Economic Stabilization Bill Politics

Demonizing Rush Limbaugh to Pressure Republicans, Clip

Americans enjoy the right of freedom of speech, and open public debate about changes in American policies are important parts of what helps keep our country free and unique.

Still, it is disturbing to watch people using a statement taken out of context to unfairly demonize an individual (even one with whom we may not always agree) in an attempt to manipulate peoples' emotions and thereby encourage leaders to vote for a piece of fatally flawed legislation. That is exactly what is happening with the 1.1 Trillion Dollar American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 now being debated in the Senate.

This post looks at the ongoing smear campaign against Rush Limbaugh, and a clip alleging it is being used politically, perhaps in conjunction with President Obama's bully pulpit, to pressure Senate Republicans to vote for the massive 1.1 Trillion Dollar pork spending Bill cited just above.

Our President Barack Obama stated he believes in the Lord, and that he knows Him. Here is his testimony:
So one Sunday, I put on one of the few clean jackets I had, and went over to Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street on the South Side of Chicago. And I heard Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright deliver a sermon called “The Audacity of Hope.” And during the course of that sermon, he introduced me to someone named Jesus Christ. I learned that my sins could be redeemed. I learned that those things I was too weak to accomplish myself, He would accomplish with me if I placed my trust in Him. And in time, I came to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world and in my own life.

It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity one day and affirm my Christian faith. It came about as a choice, and not an epiphany. I didn’t fall out in church, as folks sometimes do. The questions I had didn’t magically disappear. The skeptical bent of my mind didn’t suddenly vanish. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God’s spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth and carrying out His works.
GetReligion.org (June 25, 2007). Along with millions of others in America, people are praying that President Obama will hear from the Lord, and he will be wise in the decisions he makes as America's leader. We pray that his decisions will be in accord with God's will and plan.

However, that does not mean that we should not actively dissent and contact our elected leaders in the House and Senate when we, in exercise of our own conscience, believe particularly bad and harmful legislation is being pushed through Congress and potentially into law.

Soon after President Obama was elected President, winning 52% of the vote in America, Rush Limbaugh made the following statement as quoted on his website:
I got a request here from a major American print publication. "Dear Rush: For the Obama [Immaculate] Inauguration we are asking a handful of very prominent politicians, statesmen, scholars, businessmen, commentators, and economists to write 400 words on their hope for the Obama presidency. We would love to include you. If you could send us 400 words on your hope for the Obama presidency, we need it by Monday night, that would be ideal." Now, we're caught in this trap again. The premise is, what is your "hope." My hope, and please understand me when I say this. I disagree fervently with the people on our side of the aisle who have caved and who say, "Well, I hope he succeeds. We've got to give him a chance." Why? They didn't give Bush a chance in 2000. Before he was inaugurated the search-and-destroy mission had begun. I'm not talking about search-and-destroy, but I've been listening to Barack Obama for a year-and-a-half. I know what his politics are. I know what his plans are, as he has stated them. I don't want them to succeed.

If I wanted Obama to succeed, I'd be happy the Republicans have laid down. And I would be encouraging Republicans to lay down and support him. Look, what he's talking about is the absorption of as much of the private sector by the US government as possible, from the banking business, to the mortgage industry, the automobile business, to health care. I do not want the government in charge of all of these things. I don't want this to work. So I'm thinking of replying to the guy, "Okay, I'll send you a response, but I don't need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails." (interruption) What are you laughing at? See, here's the point. Everybody thinks it's outrageous to say. Look, even my staff, "Oh, you can't do that." Why not? Why is it any different, what's new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what's gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here. Why do I want more of it? I don't care what the Drive-By story is. I would be honored if the Drive-By Media headlined me all day long: "Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails." Somebody's gotta say it.

. . . He is the president of the United States, he's my president, he's a human being, and his ideas and policies are what count for me, not his skin color, not his past, not whatever ties he doesn't have to being down with the struggle, all of that's irrelevant to me. We're talking about my country, the United States of America, my nieces, my nephews, your kids, your grandkids. Why in the world do we want to saddle them with more liberalism and socialism? Why would I want to do that? So I can answer it, four words, "I hope he fails." And that would be the most outrageous thing anybody in this climate could say. Shows you just how far gone we are. Well, I know, I know. I am the last man standing.
RushLimbaugh.com (January 16, 2009).

The comments by Limbaugh clearly show that though Limbaugh said "I hope he fails," the comment meant he was opposed to President Obama's policies and that he hopes President Obama's policies, which Limbaugh views as liberal and socialist, fail. That is a perfectly reasonable viewpoint for a conservative.

Soon afterwards, the mainstream media isolated the "I hope he fails" statement from the remainder of the messsage. While it was being reported in that way, President Obama met with Republican leaders in the House about "bi-partisan" passage of 1.1 Trillion Dollar pork spending Bill. According to press reports, he told Republican leaders, "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done." NY Post, FoxNews.com (January 23, 2009). The House later passed the Bill, but it did so with zero Republican support.

Certainly President Obama has the right to use the bully pulpit to persuade recalcitrant Republicans to support a Bill he believes will help the United States. However, if his pulpit is being used as part of an orchestrated campaign to unfairly demonize Limbaugh, then he is not using his power in the right way.

As the vote on the Senate version of the House Bill looms, Moveon.org is allegedly planning a radio advertising campaign to link Republicans to an out of context comment, "I hope he fails." The moveon.org campaign seeks create public inertia that could dissuade Republicans in the Senate from joining their House collegues and opposing the massive pork spending bill.

Here is an interesting clip of an interview of Limbaugh about moveon.org's radio "smear" campaign from the Mark Levin radio show.