HUffie: Democrats Are Empowering Rush Limbaugh

Peter Daou of the HUffington Post has had the jobs that political player wannabee William Rivers Pitt could only dream about. Daou has been an integral part of both the Hillary Clinton and John Kerry campaigns among many other things. Therefore, when Daou warns the Democrats that they are making a big mistake by focusing on and attacking Rush Limbaugh, smart folks should pay attention to the warning he posted in this HUffington Post THREAD, "Why on Earth Are Democrats Legitimizing and Empowering Rush Limbaugh?" Yeah, by focusing on Rush Limbaugh, Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats are making more people who never listened to him before tune in thus generating yet more dittoheads. Great move...NOT! However, many HUffies disagree with Daou and want to continue with the ultimately self-defeating attacks on Rush. So let us now watch the HUffies inadvertently call for the elevation of Rush Limbaugh in Bolshevik Red while the commentary of your humble correspondent, about to put out an APB on Randi Rhodes, is in the [barackets]:

I don't buy into this 'brilliant' strategy of elevating Rush Limbaugh in the hopes that it will tarnish Republicans.

[But...but William Rivers Pitt thinks that strategy is absolutely brilliant. Stand by now as Peter lists his Democrat bonafides to establish leftwing credibility...]

Focus relentlessly on the disastrous Bush presidency to tarnish Republicans, yes.

[BUSH'S FAULT!]

Overturn every single illegal and unconstitutional Bush-era policy and show the country and the world that we're reclaiming the moral high ground, yes.

[BUSH'S FAULT!]

Implement bold strategies and use soaring rhetoric to inspire Americans, yes.

[Uh, um, like, uh, ok.]

Hew fiercely to Democratic principles, reassert the greatness of our American identity, demonstrate the true meaning of liberalism, of progressivism, providing opportunity, seeking justice and fairness, helping those in need, yes.

[We got it. You're a liberal!]

Spend our resources healing the sick, feeding the hungry, lifting the poor, cleaning the planet, rather than on war and more war, yes.

[You left out the walking on water part.]

But expand Rush Limbaugh's profile and platform? No.

[Yes.]

It's bad for the country and it's bad politics. Limbaugh and his cohorts (Coulter, Hannity, Beck, Savage, and so on), are largely responsible for our toxic political environment. Given major media platforms to launch crude and brutal political and cultural attacks, to demonize liberals, and to use rage as a means of lining their own pockets, these 'entertainers' have poisoned our national discourse.

[Return of the "Fairness Doctrine?"]

There's precious little benefit in making Limbaugh more of a central player, in engaging him directly from the White House podium, in raising his stature, in stamping, sealing and approving the years he's spent bashing his political opponents. There was a moment, a brief moment, after Barack Obama was elected president, a moment long gone, where the likes of Limbaugh and Hannity could have become marginalized, bit players rather than media movers and shakers, the detritus of a sorry era. But instead, they have been granted more power -- out of some contrived political calculus. This, at a time when we don't need political calculus, we need single-minded determination to get us out of this economic calamity and to restore sanity to our government.

[Contrived political calculus hatched at early morning conference calls between Rahm Emanuel, James Carville, The Forehead, and George Stephanopoulus.]

I know it's hard for Democrats to appreciate how quickly political fortunes turn -- the glow of victory, the high of electoral success gives a sense of inevitability and invincibility, of permanence. But there's nothing permanent about power. The tide will turn again, and the engine that will drive it is the fury stirred by the likes of Limbaugh. Feeding that machine, expanding and enhancing it is a mistake. A serious one.

[Keep on feeding the Rush machine!]

It's a truism that victory makes every decision seem genius, defeat, the reverse. Democrats, now in power, have a sense of triumph that makes every decision feel smart, every chess move a checkmate. Thus the "Rush strategy" foisted on those of us who have spent the past decade trying to point out how noxious and pernicious Limbaugh and his ilk have been (and continue to be), and how detrimental the anger they've stoked.

[Hmmm... Does anybody know if President Eisenhower was completely obsessed with Gabriel Heater?]

Empowering Limbaugh in the hopes of a bank-shot against Republicans will yield the opposite result: Limbaugh will become more powerful, Republicans will relish his increased influence and allow him to do their dirty work.

[I'm hearing the "Getting Stronger" Rocky theme song in the background. And now to hear from the HUffies determined to empower Rush...]

I think it is a good strategy. Limbaugh is an odious and self evidently wrong character that brands his party unfavorably. People are angry and they should be. Limbaugh did not create or inspire this anger, he misdirected it. His spell is broken for most people. Make him the face of conservatism and leave them the votes only of the most wealthy and the 17% or so of unreachable, finding Cheney favorable, reality denying true believers.

[Declared the suicidal HUffie.]

There's precious little benefit in making Limbaugh more of a central player, in engaging him directly from the White House podium, in raising his stature, in stamping, sealing and approving the years he's spent bashing his political opponents. I AGREE WITH YOU, PETER. AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WHY WHY THE DEMOCRATS -MSNBC, ETC. ARE GIVING HIM EVEN ONE OF THEIR PRECIOUS BREATHS!!!

[Shhh! Please continue to allow them to take the WRONG path.]

This idea of him being unpopular is sadly not true...his radio audience just doesn't consist of diehard right kooks...the data on listeners shows that repeatedly...some Dems like Emanuel would like to perpetuate this sorry myth.

[The Dittohead army grows stronger every day thanks in large part to Rahm drawing attention to Rush.]

I agree. It's a cynical move that might backfire. Less cynicism please.

[Shhhhh!]

It's the beginning of the end for Limbaugh and his hate mongering ilk.

[I've been hearing that since about 1990. And does anybody remember how many media types were writing Rush off as "irrelevant" just a year ago?]

Limbaugh is such an easy target. I would absolutely crush him if I had a lot of media support. He would have to go for years of therapy after the humiliation I would deliver.

["Humiliation" delivered by a long, inarticulate screech.]

I would not have heard about Rush's latest actions had it not been for the commentators that were critical of him. I share some of the concerns of this article

[The Democrat PR just makes El Rushbo's audience bigger.]

The threat Rush poses is that people will start listening to him once they become disillusioned with the present policy, and then the listener begins to question the ideologies they have been force fed. That is why this attempt is to destroy him. Law 43 in the Play book.

[This is why the Rahmbo plan will FAIL. Most liberals who are attacking Rush never actually listen to him. Once more people start listening to Rush due to the publicity generated by the attacks on him, the more his ideas will permeate the land. So those Democrats plotting the demise of Rush by focusing attention on him are too cute by half and should be thanked for causing a huge BACKFIRE. Peter Daou is right but please continue to NOT take his advice. However, I will now allow Daou the last word...]

The idea that making him more powerful in the hopes that it somehow illustrates the weakness of GOP ideas is too Rube Golbergy for me.