Republicans pretty much are just struggling after having 8 years of Bush. Both parties have seen problems like these, but recovering after the lowest approval-rated president is going to be very tough.

I'm an independent so I can really care less about the democrats and republicans, liberals and conservatives, it's all the same to me. However, even conservatives I know think Limbaugh is a joke. Seriously, the man has been open to joke and parody for a long time now.

And off topic, but isn't it ironic that a man named "Rush" is pretty chubsy? I always thought "rushing" meant fast, and light on your feet. =0

And off topic, but isn't it ironic that a man named "Rush" is pretty chubsy? I always thought "rushing" meant fast, and light on your feet. =0

LOL! F**kin' A, dude!

Rush is lying, cowardly hypocritical drug-addled bigot. He's the perfect loudspeaker for the morally bankrupt GOP.

Rush is lying, cowardly hypocritical drug-addled bigot. He's the perfect loudspeaker for the morally bankrupt GOP.

Yes, tell us how you REALLY feel!

LOL

Rish doesn't like Rush.

People actually take his opinion seriously?!

Mind = Blown

I don't.

I've never taken Rush's opinion seriously and I never will.

Finally people with some actual sense.

That is REALLY, REALLY f**ked up.

"Made in China"...

"Made in China"...

?

While the current liberal circlejerk in this topic is funny, what do the local conservatives (US007 and SX) think about this issue of Rush?

SX is a conservative? Guess you learn something new everyday! Anyway, I'm liberal as hell. Let's all get naked and do coke.

While the current liberal circlejerk in this topic is funny, what do the local conservatives (US007 and SX) think about this issue of Rush?

Thing is, Rush isn't an "issue" at all. He's been out of the media cycle for at least a fortnight already (at least from my vantage point of the New York media market, which is now attached to AIG with all the force of a lamprey eel). The man is one more over-the-top pundit using his air time as a bully pulpit for expounding his gospel/ravings, and the fact that the media started talking about it in past weeks is simply part of the national attention deficiency.

Well, his ratings have certainly gone up.

And I found all this attention on Rush to be hilarious. If Rush is so irrelevant, why in the world was he singled out by the Obama Administration?

And for all the jokes about not having any new ideas (heh, as if the Democratic Party does) and being the GOP ringleader, the GOP sure has done an admirable job of NOT emulating Rush Limbaugh 100% (read: various members of Congress...I'm looking at you Arlen Specter...Lindsey Graham...Susan Colins...Olympia Snowe...John McCain...etcetera...).

Though if there's one thing I do have to contend with, it's the following:

How does 'I hope Obama fails' imply 'I hope America fails?'

If you sincerely believe that Obama's stated policies and ideas would lead to a weaker America (and nearly 60,000,000 people apparently thought so), why wouldn't you want him to fail?

But whatever. Let the White House and the news media focus their attention on a supposedly irrelevant talk show host.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.....

Uh, I don't get it.

Well, his ratings have certainly gone up.

And I found all this attention on Rush to be hilarious. If Rush is so irrelevant, why in the world was he singled out by the Obama Administration?

And for all the jokes about not having any new ideas (heh, as if the Democratic Party does) and being the GOP ringleader, the GOP sure has done an admirable job of NOT emulating Rush Limbaugh 100% (read: various members of Congress...I'm looking at you Arlen Specter...Lindsey Graham...Susan Colins...Olympia Snowe...John McCain...etcetera...).

Though if there's one thing I do have to contend with, it's the following:

How does 'I hope Obama fails' imply 'I hope America fails?'

If you sincerely believe that Obama's stated policies and ideas would lead to a weaker America (and nearly 60,000,000 people apparently thought so), why wouldn't you want him to fail?

But whatever. Let the White House and the news media focus their attention on a supposedly irrelevant talk show host.

To answer your first question, Ultra, it was likely to give a face to the Right: excessive and unrepentant. A rise in his ratings does not mean the people listening to him necessarily agree with him. This happens in general with the media, and with shock jocks in particular.

To your point about GOP legislators: you named five Republican senators, three of which were threatened by RNC Chairman Steele for voting for the stim straightaway. I'm not entirely sure I buy the belief that Senators Graham or McCain aren't at least following the conservative paradigm right now. If you're saying that they aren't in lockstep because they both have agreed with Obama's plans for Afghanistan, that's also sidestepping their disagreement with him on every element of domestic policy. Your point also does not account for, say, all the Republican representatives.

It's easy to chortle at the idea of the Dems having new ideas, but they have a mix of mostly old and a few novelties. The Pubbies appear to have no ideas period.

As for failure, I understand your point. But most even-handed people, liberal or conservative, believe that the President is going to try to act in the best interests of the nation. Ergo, when someone says, "I hope Obama fails," what they are hearing is, "I hope every positive thing Obama tries to do for us is negated and the next four years are nothing but quagmire and stalemate." Do you perceive why this sounds like the spiteful sputterings of the minority party?