From The Hill:
That didn’t take long. After saying “Rush Limbaugh is meaningless to me” on Thursday, Republican New York Assemblyman Jim Tedisco’s camp walked back the statement on Friday.
[…]Here is the full statement from Tedisco spokesman Adam Kramer
:
Jim’s comments were in response to a question about what voters are asking him about on the campaign trail. So far, the concerns he has been hearing from voters on the campaign trail have been local in nature, such as his support for lower property taxes, fiscal responsibility, and his opponents appalling support for the AIG bonus loophole. That was his point and any effort to characterize it otherwise is a distortion of the facts.
If this race ends up going all Pete Tong for Republicans, will they rethink the kowtowing to Rush and opposing the stimulus, or will they just fire Michael Steele? And, assuming they do fire the titular head of their party (Steele) and keep kowtowing to Rush, how can they possibly continue to argue that Rush is not the de facto leader of the party?
bootlegger
I’m going with B.
AhabTRuler
It is reassuring to note that the Republican party is the only thing that is eating itself faster than the economy is.
GSD
I hope the GOP works up an appetite for the eventual feast on Mr. Creosote Limbaugh.
Then I hope they top it off with a wafer thin mint.
-GSD
P.S. The Czechs have decided that thumbing Russia in the eye is pretty stupid. Czech’s reject radar station.
Phoenix Woman
One of the most underreported stories is how disarrayed House Republicans seem to be. Senate ones have better leadership, but the House ones are all over the place. I mean really: Half of them voted for the 90% tax on AIG bonuses — the very one that Lord Rush and Santelli and the other screamers opposed!
Unfortunately, the Senate is where presidential appointments are reviewed.
calipgyian
You are talking about the same party who nominated a man who said that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong". They’ll deny Rush is the head of the party the same way I deny my own shit stinks.
gnomedad
These are the same people who accuse Obama of caving to the A-rabs. And all Rush has is weapons of mass stupid.
cleek
now that the Dems have given up on Obama (ex. This banking business may well be Obama’s Vietnam. (which is of course, a post based on JCs one below)), the GOP will do what the minority party always does : fall into power because people have lost confidence in the majority.
Jay Severin Has A Small Pen1s
He should just go ahead and declare himself a candidate.
Rush
Palin
Jindal
Romney
Sanford
Huckabee
Crist
Chuck Norris
Watching these theocrats punch themselves in the head for six months would be awesome!
Zifnab
Simple. "Media Bias! Media Bias! Out of context! He’s just a comedian! Obamasiah! Reverse Racism! Democrats are worse!"
I can’t really see how. In 2002, the Democrats fell out of power because the nation went into a panic and embraced the GOP agenda. But by 2005, large swaths of the public weren’t attracted to the bullshit talking points and outright lies anymore.
Come 2010, I just don’t see Americans turning back to the GOP as the party of good ideas when they continue to fail to present any good ideas. What, exactly, are the GOoPers going to run on in 2010? Tax cuts, cuts to social programs, immigrant xenophobia, and gay bashing? What would case these ideas to come back into style?
The only Republicans who are going to thrive in 2010 are the ones that buck the core party message. They’re going to have to move to the left of the Democrats (at least in rhetoric) if they hope to gain any traction. Cutting medicaid and social security, scaling back unemployment and food stamps, and "Drill, baby, drill!" is going to win over massively unemployed destitute citizens how now?
LD50
You mean it’ll drag on for 8+ years and cost 50,000 American lives?
Deborah
Assuming they do fire the titular head of their party (Steele) and keep kowtowing to Rush, how can they possibly continue to argue that Rush is not the de facto leader of the party?
Most Republicans aren’t even arguing this, because they then are forced to apologize to Rush and admit his greatness, so no change really.
The Republican disconnect (everything any Democrat proposes is Marxist-Socialism) is extreme, but apparently needs to leap a few more levels of ludicrousness before the sensible people either break away or demand the national party stop embarrassing them, putting in appropriate people to ensure that. I really have no idea what they’ll do; this spring whenever I think they’ve reached an apex of ridiculousness they top themselves.
bootlegger
@Zifnab:
I kept wondering this during the election when McPalin was screaming, "they want to redistribute the wealth." All I could picture was an unemployed father of 5 with a bad back saying "about damned time."
Incertus
Republicans? They use cognitive dissonance for fuel. Helps them clap louder.
KCinDC
I don’t know about that, Zifnab. Economic troubles provide an opening for the dark side of populism, and I could see the GOP embracing it. Paint the Democrats as the party of Wall Street, illegal immigrants, welfare recipients, and all the other people responsible for the economic problems of the hard-working common people. It could succeed if the Democrats start becoming unpopular.
They probably would have to abandon the rhetoric about redistributionism, though.
Surreal American
Gee, based on comments from The Geithner Plan thread below, why should they deny Limbaugh’s leadership of the GOP?
We all know that Republicans believe that Government Sucks. Then they get elected only to prove to themselves they are correct by sucking at governing. Worked for them in the past, right? Where’s the incentive to change?
Intelligent governing has a trial period of 4 years. Then the GOP brings teh stupid as usual.
MoeLarryAndJesus
Can we ban the term "kowtowing to Rush" and go with "tonguing Rush’s filthy floppy bunghole" instead? I feel it captures the dignity and grace of today’s GOP better.
Surreal American
@Jay Severin Has A Small Pen1s:
Chuck’s only shooting for the Presidency of Texas.
Don’t know enough about Crist’s theocratic tendencies one way or another to know if he’ll win the GOP nomination.
As for the rest of the list, I won’t underestimate their chances. The same nation that allowed Bush the Lesser to assume power is not above electing any of these shmendriks to the highest office in the land.
The Democrats can’t afford complacency. Heck, they can’t afford a lot of things.
Surreal American
@MoeLarryAndJesus:
So long, eyesight! It was nice having you while you lasted.
Bill H
What you list won’t, but do you believe that if The Geithner Plan goes through that the Republicans cannot use that to paint the Obama Administration and Democratic Congress as being in the pocket of Wall Street? I’m not saying the paint job would be accurate or that I agree with it, but do think they could not sell it to 6 million unemployed, and millions more who are fearful about their jobs?
Punchy
Who did Getty Lee insult this time?
Joel
I’m not exactly a fan of Clive Crook, but I do respect his opinion. I also respect the humility in his analysis (i.e. this financial crisis is far more complex than people realize). Krugman lost some credibility with me when he went after Crook with knives out. Frankly, I think calling this crisis Obama’s "vietnam" is a little overblown, and perhaps insensitive.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Panic at Teh Disco would have made the statement himself, but his mouth was full.
LD50
I think it was Ivy League Republican PJ O’Rourke who said the GOP’s motto was "government doesn’t work. Elect us and we’ll prove it".
bago
Ash
Yeah, except that unemployed father will do what 3/4 of the people who vote Republican already do – think that one day they’re be RICH! Rolling around in money! AND HOW DARE YOU TAX MY FAKE FUTURE WEALTH?
Dennis-SGMM
Say what you will about Republicans, they did pick someone with an ass big enough for all of their kissing.
Dennis-SGMM
@bago:
I agree 100%.
jcricket
They hide behind the whole "he’s an entertainer, not a politician" while also having to kiss his pinky ring at every turn. Frankly, I love it. Coulter, Rush, Savage and the wing-nut/base are the anchor dragging the Republican party down into sub 20% land. Fine by me. In fact, nothing better could happen in this country.
There’s still a false myth that the GOP has something to offer, and bipartisanship matters, because people apply the "conservatism" of 30 years ago to today’s party. When there’s another 2 or 4 elections with the GOP going farther and farther into wingnuttia, the size of the "Independents" will be cut in half, because they’ll all be Democrats.
Jay Severin Has A Small Pen1s
Funny how Republicans don’t trust their government and then wonder why the rest of the world doesn’t trust the US.
bago
@Dennis-SGMM: Apparently exclamation points and anchor tags fight each other to oblivion.
It was an attempt to link to the "Danger Danger, High Voltage" video by Electric Six, with the exhortation to check out the moose.
NonyNony
@Zifnab:
Well here’s the thing – if Obama hasn’t done a good job of stabilizing the economy by 2010, there’s a good chance that SOMEONE is going to latch onto the populist anger and ride it into power.
Now that someone could be Republicans – that’s pretty much how Reagan shot into office in 1980 with anger over Carter’s handling of problems that happened in his administration as well as problems he was dealing with from the previous administration. Never underestimate the power of a good scapegoat – the GOP could very well ride in on a tide of "liberal democrats are taking your money and giving it to illegal Mexican immigrants". And don’t kid yourself into thinking there’s no way the public would buy it – they would if the carnival barker was talented enough.
That someone could also be a real Leftist party – I could actually see a reprise of the Great Depression era politics as the leftists got fed up with FDR and started trying to push for someone further to the left. I don’t know how that dynamic would work today – I suspect that if a political party that combined Leftist economics with social conservatism rose up in the South it could do pretty well right now. So long as they figure out a way to make their economic plans sound like something Jesus would want and not something Marx would.
But the Democrats are really vulnerable – their coalition is not very strong and they can be attacked from both sides. And they’re DAMN GOOD at attacking themselves from within. If someone pushes the Dems out of power in 2010 it will be because the Dems shot themselves in the foot. And it’s completely possible that they will, in fact, take out the gun and aim it at their own feet. They have a lot of practice at it. Democrats are GREAT at shooting themselves in their own feet. Sigh.
Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist
Bargon wanchi kox paa, Tedisco! Hooo hoo hoo hoo hoo
Nancy Irving
Too bad there isn’t video for all these walk-backs. It would make a great "Stavisky"-style montage.
JWW
Being the media moron follower you are, again you are wrong. Rush does not lead or really have influence on the party. He does however have a very large audience.
Being that the most major TV news outlets tend to lean left and all major news papers lean left. The republicans should reserve their negative comments towards anyone who stands for the basic foundation of the party. Rush rags on them much harder than they rag on him.
You however are just a selective reader, and only hear with your left ear. I’m not suprised that you would believe such an idiotic statement.
jl
Anyone who stand for the foundations of the party = Rush
the party = GOP
the foundations of the GOP = Rush
I conclude
GOP = Rush = (BigTime) loser
Has anyone ever seen a Democrat grovel to any media figure or group of figures like the GOP leadership has groveled to Rush?
gwangung
Since most humans can’t get information from all parts of the world by themselves, they generally rely on other institutions, like the media. Since you think people who use the media are morons, you must get information like this from other sources. Perhaps directly from the Republican High Command, shot directly into your brain via etheric brainwaves.
Um, guys, is he really this stupid, or is he just trolling?
TheHatOnMyCat
Limbaugh preaches to a choir, and attracts attention to himself.
Which is basically what the blogs are doing, but without the buffoonery in your face. Preaching to a choir and stirring them up. Telling people what they already think.
His influence has been declining outside of the choir loft. The more people kiss his ass, the more marginalized they are.
TheHatOnMyCat
@NonyNony:
Reagan was elected because the people were tired of Carter. Even the Dems were tired of Carter. Even Rosalyn was tired of Carter.