The Rush Limbaugh Challenge

A recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times by Andrew Klavan is titled “Take the Limbaugh Challenge.” Klavan writes that recent attacks on conservative radio talker Rush Limbaugh are on the rise and are likely coming from those who have never even listened to the controversial talk radio pundit. American Chronicle contributor Steve Shines accepts:

“I´ve been taking the Limbaugh Challenge for fifteen years. I started listening to Rush Limbaugh on the radio in 1992, when I was twelve years old. By eighth grade I had read both his books, The Way Things Ought to Be and See, I Told You So. When his television show was on the air, I rarely missed an episode. During the summer when I wasn´t in school, and over vacations and sick-days, I routinely listened to all three hours of his radio show. I was familiar with Rush Limbaugh and the "real policy material" beneath his "jokes and teasing bluster" before there even was such a thing as Media Matters or ThinkProgress to spoon-feed me distorting excerpts.”

“It took a few years. I had some growing up to do. The more I opened myself up to a wider range of views — and not merely a narrow variation of my own views perfectly describing the phony broad-mindedness of which many conservatives are guilty, it seems to me — the less what I was hearing from Limbaugh made sense. Once I had read Voltaire, Carl Sagan, Thomas Paine, the wisdom of Rush Limbaugh looked trivial at best. Once I had read and heard from Mark Twain, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, the humor of Rush Limbaugh hardly seemed to exist at all. I have no intellectual keepers. No one has shaped my opinion on Rush Limbaugh other than Rush Limbaugh. The more I heard him as an adult rather than an adolescent, the more I came to see him not as insightful, funny and wise, but as tiresome, clownish, self-serving, and oh, just the tiniest bit hypocritical.”

AMEN

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Obamas to use own cash to redecorate White House

The President and First Lady have turned down $100,000 in federal funds that is traditionally allotted to new presidents for renovation projects. The first couple is also turning down money from the White House Historical Association, the organization that financed a $74,000 set of china for the Bushes. The decision to forgo federal funds is the president's latest belt-tightening move amid the sagging economy and widespread outrage over corporate excesses.

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Why Rush Is Wrong

Conservative Michael Frum explains why Rush Limbaugh is wrong and why he's not a smart choice for GOP representation. This article comes at the end of a couple weeks of Limbaugh controversy leaving some wondering who really is the leader of the Republican party.

“The party of Buckley and Reagan is now bereft and dominated by the politics of Limbaugh. A conservative's lament.”

“Rush is a walking stereotype of self-indulgence.”

“Rush Limbaugh is a seriously unpopular figure among the voters that conservatives and Republicans need to reach.”

“The Republican Party needs to evolve.”

Read more: Newsweek: Why Rush Is Wrong

Obama Day 50: Stocks see biggest gains of 2009

Today, the Dow gained 379 points, Nasdaq surged 7% and the S&P 500 rallied 6.4%. Credit mainly goes to Citigroup and the possible limit on short selling. Citigroup cooled some worries about its wellbeing and regulators said they may reinstate a trading rule. That said, it's good news on the 50th day of the Obama presidency after the market had been dropping on fears of a worsening recession.

Republicans continue to bash Obama and the Democrat's stimulus plan without offering up any sound ideas of their own. They're quick to criticize Obama regarding the floundering economy and dropping stock market even though he has only been in office less than 2 months and the stimulus bill only recently passed. Most Americans view Obama positively and know it will take time for the economy to react.

Only time will tell who was on the right side of the debate in solving our country's economic crisis, but today was a good day among several bad ones.

Limbaugh, Hannity, and the GOP: an iron triangle of stimulus misinformation

On any given day during the current congressional debate over the economic recovery plan, chances are good that Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity will say something false about the administration's or congressional Democrats' efforts to pass a bill.

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GOP Crossroads

The Republican Party is at a fork in the road and recent events have propelled two of it's leaders into prominent positions as it gets ready to choose a path forward.

On one side stands Michael Steele, the newly elected party chairman, who is charismatic, conservative, media savvy and a person of color. On the other side of the road stands Rush Limbaugh, a crude and mean-spirited individual who gets rich by playing to base fears and likes to joke about "negroes."

Following the recent exchange between Steele and Limbaugh, it's obvious the party is in disarray. Some Republicans are hardcore Rush supporters and want the GOP to adopt Limbaugh's extreme views and continue confrontation with the Democrats. Others, including Michael Steele and Newt Gingrich, think it's time for new ideas and fresh policies:

Michael Steele:
"We're going to say to friend and foe alike: We want you to be a part of us, we want you to with be with us."
"..."apply [conservative principles] to urban-suburban hip-hop settings."

Newt Gingrich:
"It's not our job to be the opposition party. It's our job to be the 'better solutions party'"

Rush Limbaugh (and Limbaugh wannabes Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter & Glenn Beck) wants to continue the divisive politics that have been a mainstay of the Republican party for the past decade... perhaps longer.

Rush Limbaugh:
"I want Obama to fail."

"one thing that we can all do is stop assuming that the way to beat them is with better policy ideas right now."

Moderate conservatives like Ross Douthat and David Frum argue that the Republican party’s Limbaugh obsession “guarantees that the GOP will become a powerless rump party only for conservative true believers.”

What's good for Rush Limbaugh is bad for Republicans

In closing, moderate Dennis Sanders offers up three paths for Republicans - confrontation, accommodation or adaptation:

How to be a Republican in the age of Obama