UPDATED below.
Just what does it mean when radio host Rush Limbaugh, and now many others, say they hope Obama fails? What does that mean? And what would it look like, if indeed, Obama failed? Is "hoping for Obama failure" the same as hoping for American failure? And if it is….is it treasonous to root openly for America's failure?
Here's a one minute piece of…Rush, when he first called for Obama to fail….
Here's 46 seconds of Rush from Saturday's CPAC, where he flounders while seeking some equivalency for his "I want Obama to fail"….
In addition here, I also heard Tom DeLay and Rick Santorum call for Obama to fail….so this is not simply the brain-damaged, rage-trash of one sick radio emcee.
Let's evaluate the exact wording of Limbaugh….
"If his mission is to restructure and reform this country so that capitalism and individual liberty are not it's foundations. Why would I want that to succeed?"
I love this part. The deconstruction part. Just love it.
Barack Obama, as he campaigned, has proposed, now as president, that he would lower taxes on 95% of working Americans, while raising taxes on 5% of tax paying Americans, the richest 5%, those making more than $250K per year. Additionally, Obama has proposed an increase in the capital gains tax rates, from 15% to 20%, keeping the estate tax but raising the minimum estate value exempted from such a tax, and limiting the amount of mortgage interest that is deductible.
How does returning our tax schedules to 1993 levels eliminate as the nation's "foundation", "capitalism and individual freedom?" During the 90's, when some 20 million new jobs were created, when average working Americans actually saw their buying power increase slightly, and when capitalistic freedom was never more apparent with all the investment monies that were available……during the 90's, had Bill Clinton eliminated the American foundation of capitalism and individual liberty?
The answer to Rush's, admittedly, rhetorical question, "why would I want that to succeed?"…..is….so the nation succeeds as it did under virtually identical tax rate circumstances during the Clinton administration. That's the correct answer. Rush knows that's the correct answer….but if a Democratic President Obama's economic plan succeeds, then Republican Party hopes are futher diminished. Republican open resistance to Obama's plan would be rewarded with a futher kicking to the curb by the voters of the already-under-seige GOP.
If Limbaugh wants Obama to fail on the two other major fronts, health care and energy…..which, theoretically, could be included in the rant statement about, "individual freedom",…..then further deconstruction is necessary.
First, energy. Scientific experts agree N. America doesn't have enough oil under the ground to ever sustain U.S. current demand. Commodities-trading shysters, aware of the last statement, openly and unforgiveably manipulated an oil bubble that resulted in $4 per gallon gasoline, $5 per gallon diesel, as well as a sense of powerlessness throughout the nation.
President Obama wants to remove that ever-present threat by seriously going all-in on alternative energy. From cap and trade, to wind and solar, to electric and battery powered vehicles, Obama's "restructuring" of America's long neglected energy situation is anything but a removal of "indivual liberty" as our nation's "foundation." It's just the opposite. Obama's energy plans are strengthening our indivual liberty and insuring our "capitalistic" survival.
Health care. The best that can be said about our national health care system is…"clusterf*ck." Not because doctors, nurses, technicians,……you know, those who actually provide health care,….are doing anything wrong, but because of the layers of for-profit paper and money shufflers who dictate health care terms while simultaneously working to deny as many American health care claims as possible.
This system has greatly hampered American employers, provided lower overall health care quality as compared to other industrialized nations, and made health insurance unaffordable. President Obama's plan is to give Americans more choices by allowing one of those choices to be Medicare. This plan will force health insurance companies to lower their prices or face extinction by the, you know, "market."
In a crisis situation, which is what our health care system has created, capitalism will be maintained through the offering of more choices to consumers, individual liberty will be maintained by allowing consumers to MAKE those choices.
How does that, according to Limbaugh, amount to a "restructuring and reforming of our country", so that "capitalism and indivual liberty" are not it's "foundations?"
In summary. President Obama's plans, as I've set forward, do not change America's foundation of capitalism and individual liberty, assuming those ARE the foundations….and not the Constitution. Rush Limbaugh's wanting Obama to fail, wanting Obama's plans to fail, is admitting, really, that he wants America to fail. Rush wants America to have fewer health care choices and he wants those choices to remain unaffordable. Rush wants taxes on the wealthiest, the group he belongs to, to never go up and always come down. Rush wants America to moronically,"drill, baby, drill", rather than pursue a new energy agenda that might cut into the profits of his rich friends for a time.
Rush Limbaugh wants Obama to fail. He wants him to fail so that Republicans can rush back into power and save the day. Limbaugh would rather see the nation, all 300,000 million of us, endure more hardship and suffering, than for his alleged god, economic conservatism, to be proven out by Obama to be a hopeless failure.
Someone who openly cheers for his country to fail is, by definition, a traitor.
UPDATE
From the Onion….
"NATION APOLOGIZES TO RUSHBO: WE’RE SORRY FOR ELECTING OBAMA!
The entire country today admitted that it “didn’t mean it” when it elected Barack Obama president, in direct disobeyance of orders from petulant American dictator, Rush Limbaugh."
"
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
WHAT! No comments yet. The conservatives who post here must be conflicted or perhaps embarassed by the actions of their leader. Come on, defend your leader. Ohio is hurting more than most states. I am in NC and they are selling cars in NC — no one is selling cars in OH. I am heading back to OH in 3 weeks and I am going to have to buy a car in NC because they are not getting any delivered to OH — BECAUSE no one in OH is buying a new car. They cannot afford to because "things are bad in OH." Defend your leader and your party. Support those old failed policies. Geeeez!
This concept is beyond what a typical lib can understand. There's no value in trying to explain it any better than Rush himself.
Meanwhile, the prophet BHO speaks and the market and consumer confidence take another plunge…
Can someone put a muzzle on BHO and get the rev wright dice clay back on stage? The American people deserve some comedic relief during times like these.
It's a curious national embarrassment that the president of the United States wants to bicker back and forth with a radio talk show host, but what's to say about it, Mary?
yeah, i don't understand what arguing with a junkie is going to accomplish.
Rev,
I find myself among the many who owe Rush an apology. Many people know that Rush was prevented from serving his country in the military during the Vietnam by a pilodinal cyst. This cyst, sometimes called a truckdriver's cyst grows at the base of the spine. Since I had one removed and had a 2 week recovery, I had assumed that Rush was a chickenhawk, ready to send other people's kids to fight and die in a war he supported but could not participate in. I have finally realized what a great patriot he is after all the years of him telling us so. His cyst has obviously grown much larger, causing his addiction to Oxyicontin and an inability to defecate as he is a drug-addled gasbag full of shit.
I can't believe that our govt is actually taking on someone that has the freedom to say what he wants and they are actually giving him their time and consideration. This is a joke.
Mary why are things so bad in Ohio. It's not Bushes fault or Obama's fault. It is the fault of our state govt. And our current gov hasn't done one single thing to try to attract business or create jobs. However he still wants to continue increasing taxes and raising them on the remaining people. He is also continuiong to spend like a drunken sailor on Saturday night. Oh and we can't forget CLinton sending our car and steel business out of the country. At least we have alot of check cashing and short term loan stores around to help employ some of the people. Haha.. What a joke.
One other thing, did you ever see George Bush, Bill CLinton, Bush I or Reagan try to fight against one of these media types? No, they were too mature for that. I wonder if Oand Nancy and Harry stick their tongues out at Rush when he's talking on the radio, while the rock to and fro in the corner sucking their thumbs. THey want to crush this guy but let terrorist from GB go. Haha.
Good stuff frank. Very good.
On the White-House-is-fighting-Rush meme:
Obviously, there is some short-term memory problems out there. Rush started all this on Jan 24 when he took an "I want Obama to fail" tact. Probably to boost sagging ratings. The White House hadn't said anything about Rush, nothing, at that point.
But Rush didn't just say, "I want Obama to fail", he went on to challenge all GOP House members to vote against the stimulus. What happened then? The House GOP'ers obeyed Rush.
Meanwhile, all media began playing, on a loop, Limbaugh's "fail" statement.
It wasn't until after the House vote that Obama said ONE LINE about Limbaugh. "Just listening to Rush Limbaugh won't get anything done", Obama said. That's it.
It would seem, then, that "trying to fight" with Limbaugh, would be an extreme exaggeration.
Steele then echoed Rush with his "big fat goose egg" comment in praise of House GOP'ers.
Moving along, CPAC invited Rush to be their featured speaker, CNN and FOX covered the speech commercial free. The White House….umm…was not involved with any of it.
Then came the timid apologies, on hand and knee, by Steele and others, fearing they had offended the Comedien-King of the GOP.
Contrary to larry, and others, this "fight" is an internal fight in the Republican Party as they work their way towards self-destruction.
The White House doesn't really have to do anything at all…..only watch the meltdown.
"Rush Limbaugh's wanting Obama to fail, wanting Obama's plans to fail, is admitting, really, that he wants America to fail."
"Someone who openly cheers for his country to fail is, by definition, a traitor."
The fact that you do not comprehend the full danger of these statements negates any need to engage you on any level. Your same ideology allowed Nazi Germany to exist.
Tell me, if Barack Obama were to say that his term should be extended to ten years for the good of the country, would it be traitorous to disagree with him? Would it be traitorous to wish for him to fail in that endeavor?
But I would never try to shut you up, Rev. It's nice having you here to demonstrate liberal hypocrisy on a daily basis.
Mike is correct. For the president of the United States to target an individual member of the media the way the Obama administration has should be cause for concern no matter what your political leanings are. It is creepy for sure.
But of course Mike must have missed the times the Reverend has promoted the idea of Obama suspending all term limits on the presidency.
frank,
In what branch of the military did Barack Obama serve ? Is he a chickenhawk too ? And need I point out that the one chickenhawk, Limbaugh, is a talk radio host, while the other chickenhawk, Obama, is the Commander In Chief. Yet, it's Limbaugh that you feel compelled to disparage. Amazing.
To Rev and company,
This Limbaugh stuff is SO preposterous and childish considering the situation the country is in that it doesn't require any comment from us. And now you call Rush a "traitor" because he's against socialist policies ? The brains have fallen right out of your heads. This little distraction is not going to work. Find a new one.
No, Mike is not correct.
The issue before the nation is not f*cking term limits. It's the Great Recession.
The Great Recession threatens the entire population. It is an emergency issue, the solving of which, will affect all of us.
Obama sets forth a plan to bring us out of the Great Recession. Rush rallies conservatives to fight Obama's plan, hoping openly that the plan will fail and encouraging all GOP representatives to vote against the plan. If Obama's plan fails, then the Great Recession will worsen and who knows what will happen then. All Americans will suffer even more if the plan fails, the plan Rush and conservatives hope WILL fail.
Rush and the conservatives hope the nation fails. There's no other conclusion to come to.
Bush went to Iraq. I, and others, didn't want him to do that, and hoped openly he wouldn't go to Iraq. When Bush went to Iraq, I, and others, didn't hope for America's failure in Iraq. That would have been traitorous….like Rush is doing now.
Given these very obvious circumstances….to say that one sentence by the president including Limbaugh's name is "creepy" is just plain silly.
But Obama's plan will worsen the Obama Depression, Reverend. And it's not just one sentence–there has been a concerted effort and it's creepier than anything Nixon did especially when you consider it alongside the cult of personality Obama has carefully crafted.
And it's happening only six weeks in. What happens in five years if Obama gets re-elected?
Mr. King,
A chickenhawk is one who can support war yet avoid serving. In other words, a hypocrite. As far as I know, Obama didn't advocate for a war when he was eligible to serve.
Pretty sure you don't want to go there King.
AHHH!
Ouch, uh, it's okay.
It's just,… UHHHHH!
No, no don't.
I just am, ooohhh, trying,
To, look don't pay any attention,
To, uhh, me.
Ooof, this is horrible,
the way they treat us,
Can you look at this,
It might be swollen.
Oh, is it a little blue?
God, it's swelling.
I can't believe this happened to me.
Oh, you're so nice.
It's so funny,
Such a thing,
Could bring us together.
Halifax is back with the bongos. I'm thinking about this one. I know it's profound, I just can't explain why, yet.
larry, larry…
"But Obama's plan will worsen the Obama Depression, Reverend. And it's not just one sentence–there has been a concerted effort and it's creepier than anything Nixon did especially when you consider it alongside the cult of personality Obama has carefully crafted.
And it's happening only six weeks in. What happens in five years if Obama gets re-elected?"
"Obama Depression." In office under 6 weeks.
"creepier than anything Nixon did." Obama mentioned Limbaugh once, in passing.
"cult of personality." It's called leadership.
"What happens in five years?" Maybe Rush will be off the air. One can hope.
To see a good American like you write like that is the most chilling part, Reverend.