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3/2: El Rushbo In The Spotlight

March 2, 2009 12:58 PM by Ian Faerstein | |

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The big topic in the blogosphere this weekend was the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), and specifically Rush Limbaugh's fiery keynote speech. Conservative bloggers loved Limbaugh's speech, describing it as the "highlight" of the conference and predicting that it "will be talked about for years and even decades." RedState's Erick Erickson echoed Limbaugh's uncompromising message by urging his readers to sign a pledge that reads: "I want Barack Obama to fail and I want to help ensure he does." Meanwhile, other righty bloggers are hitting RNC Chair Michael Steele for calling Limbaugh's style "ugly" and "incendiary" (Steele should have learned by now that it doesn't pay for GOPers to criticize Limbaugh). Liberal bloggers, on the other hand, think GOPers are foolish to take Limbaugh's advice.

What else is happening in the blogosphere?

LIMBAUGH: Rush Rocks The Hizzouse

Conservative bloggers are gushing over Limbaugh's keynote speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC):

  • Townhall's Matt Lewis: "Rush Limbaugh rocked the house at the Conservative Action Conference (CPAC) today. [...] Clearly, Limbaugh's speech was the highlight of the 2009 CPAC."
  • Townhall's Hugh Hewitt: "Rush gave a speech at CPAC today that will be talked about for years and even decades. The CNN commentators called him 'angry,' -- did that description ever attach to [ex-VT Gov.] Howard Dean or any of the leading Democrats in opposition to President [George W.] Bush? -- but what he actually was was passionate about freedom. And completely and utterly contemptuous of conservatives urging accommodation to the agenda of President Obama, especially those conservatives ashamed of the grassroots and their attachments to pastimes such as NASCAR and issues such as the dignity of every human life and the importance of marriage. [...] Long may he prosper."
  • RedState's Erickson: "[T]his guy provides excellence on the radio day in and day out. He speaks without a script, from the heart processed through the head (a key step liberals miss). CPAC attendees recognize just how excellent he is -- they named him the most popular conservative out there. He is with reason. [...] Rush said the other side will never like us because we are conservatives. To be liked, we must not be conservatives. He's absolutely right. Our ideas are about freedom and liberty. They do not grow stale. And they only grow as weary as we do. We must fight on."

Conservative bloggers are also criticizing Steele for saying: "Rush Limbaugh, his whole thing is entertainment. Yes, it's incendiary. Yes, it's ugly."

  • Townhall's Carol Platt Liebau: "Has Steele ever listened to Rush's show? How about trying to encourage [D.L.] Hughley's viewers to tune in and hear for themselves, rather than simply turning over and agreeing with unfair criticism of Rush? Whatever the way out of the wilderness is for Republicans, it doesn't come from bashing Rush Limbaugh. Let's hope the newly-elected chairman figures that out, and fast."
  • AmSpec Blog's Wlady Pleszczynski: "Perhaps nothing captures the down-and-out condition of the GOP better than its having RNC chairman Michael Steele as a spokesman. On the one hand he trashes Rush Limbaugh. On the other he talks of withholding campaign funds from the [Arlen] Specter-[Susan] Collins-[Olympia] Snowe trio. If Republicans are lucky, Steele will revert to his Senate campaign tactic of never mentioning his party affiliation."

Meanwhile, Erickson is urging his RedState readers to sign a pledge declaring their desire to see Obama fail: "I want Barack Obama to fail and I want to help ensure he does. If Barack Obama is successful in implementing his stated agenda, America will fail and the American dream will die for millions. We already know Barack Obama's economic policy will fail, but it will hurt millions of hard working Americans. I will join the RedState Army of Activists and fight for freedom by working to undermine Barack Obama's agenda and helping him fail."

Power Line's Paul Mirengoff is also opposed to compromise, at least on domestic issues: "Conservatives must be equally single-minded in the defense of our country's way of life. There is no cooperating with Obama on domestic issues, and to the extent that Republican Senators like Arlen Specter cooperate, conservatives must do whatever we can to end their public careers."

LIMBAUGH II: Keep Digging, GOPers

Liberal bloggers think GOPers are foolish to elevate Limbaugh:

  • The Reality-Based Community's Mark Kleiman: "Rush Limbaugh, albatross."
  • Daily Kos' Jed Lewison: "Rush Limbaugh is like a drug to the GOP: he makes them feel better about themselves. But his advice for them is truly terrible. The last thing they need to do is stick with the same old ideas that have failed this country for the past 8 years, and the second-to-last thing they need to do is spend all their energy trying to destroy the Democratic Party. The way to win is by helping the country win. Rush Limbaugh's strategy for victory is to have the country fail. That's stupid, and it will lose every time."
  • The Washington Monthly's Steve Benen: "The more Limbaugh talks, and the more he actively roots against the United States, the more Democrats like [WH CoS Rahm] Emanuel will be exploiting this for all it's worth. [...] Limbaugh can't wait to jump in front of the cameras and share his twisted ideology with anyone who'll listen. He is, in other words, making the Democrats' job easier."
  • digby: "I'm watching the leader of the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, give his speech at CPAC on CNN, live and in its entirety, without commercials. If you doubted that he is the leader, you won't doubt it after you see the reception he's getting. He says his heart is broken that Obama is using his great talents to punish earners and portray America as a soup kitchen in a dark night. And it saddens him that the president of the United States wants to destroy America. I wish this were in prime time."

The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan: "I'm actually sympathetic to the broad argument that government is usually not the solution to our problems, and I'm leery of the massive spending this president has proposed in a depression -- just as I was leery of the massive spending the last president accomplished in a bubble. But what I heard most of all from Limbaugh was the demonization of libruls, again and again and again. Limbaugh is attacking the motives and good faith of more than half the country -- and of a president just elected in a landslide. Limbaugh takes us right back to the 1980s and 1990s -- the old red-blue paradigm that has led to massive GOP losses. But Obama has reframed his opponents as the vested interests resisting reform. Who do you think will win on that battlefield?"

IRAQ: Someday This War's Gonna End

Liberal bloggers were delighted when Obama announced on Fri. that he plans to "remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011":

  • Think Progress' Matthew Yglesias: "This is huge."
  • Al Giordano: "Another day, another promise kept..."
  • AMERICAblog's John Aravosis: "So, basically, all combat forces are out by August of next year, then a year later, everyone is out. This is very good."
  • Obsidian Wings' hilzoy: "I find it hard to express how happy this makes me. [...] This horrible mistake of a war has cost so many people so much. It should never have been started. It will not be over for the Iraqis in 2011. But it will, at last, be over for us."
  • Mother Jones' Kevin Drum: "[T]he bottom line is simple: all combat troops will be out within 18 months, and all troops will be out within 34 months. That's probably not as quickly as I'd like to see it done, but it's probably about as quickly as it was ever likely to happen given the inherent instability of the political situation. Keep your fingers crossed."
  • Open Left's Chris Bowers: "This is what I have been waiting for: a commitment to end the residual force operation by the close of 2011. [...] Now that President Obama has made this pledge, in public, it will be difficult for him to go back on it. This is especially the case since turning back on a promise with a deadline of December 31st, 2011, means violating a pledge during 2012 -- the year President Obama will be running for re-election. Anti-war proponents need to be prepared to raise holy hell during 2012 if this promise is not kept."

SEBELIUS: So Much For That Kansas Senate Seat

Most liberal bloggers approve of Obama's decision to tap Gov. Sebelius as HHS Sec.:

  • Benen: "Sebelius is a fine pick who will likely be easily confirmed. She's known for her strong managerial skills, has broad credibility with both parties, and has a background on healthcare that will no doubt serve her well."
  • Daily Kos' DemFromCT: "Sebelius brings excellent credentials as former insurance commissioner and a Governor's perspective on where HHS should be spending its money. Kansas is no stranger to natural disasters, so that's a plus as well (anyone with that kind of experience has an innate appreciation for public health and government intervention where needed.) [...] Added: the fact that this takes her out of consideration for the Senate seat in KS vacated by Sam Brownback says volumes about this administration's commitment to health reform."

However, other lefty bloggers were disappointed that Sebelius won't be running for the vacant KS Senate seat in '10:

  • MyDD's Todd Beeton: "There goes our best chance at the Kansas Senate seat."
  • Ezra Klein: "Many people could have served admirably at HHS. No one but [Sebelius] could turn Kansas's 2010 Senate election into a Democratic pick-up opportunity. Moving to Washington this year makes that less likely. You wonder whether [NY Sen.] Chuck Schumer wants to throttle the White House this morning."

OBAMA RADIO ADDRESS: No More Mister Nice Guy

Liberal bloggers loved Obama's 2/28 radio address, in which he vowed to defend his budget proposals:

"...I know these steps won't sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they're gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this: So am I."

The netroots were delighted by Obama's populist tone:

  • Salon's Joan Walsh: "I'm thrilled to hear President Obama ready for battle. I don't think anything has made me happier than what he said yesterday in his weekly radio address."
  • Open Left's ai002h: "[T]he President has taken a decidedly more populist tone. When I first saw the budget outline I was completely shocked in how it was so different to Obama's approach to the stimulus. It was actually bold and shockingly consistent with his campaign promises and his rhetoric. [...] Whatever the reason, I'm happy for it. It's been more than 40 years since we saw 1600 Pennsylvania Ave as a threat to the status quo and special interest. Well that day may be here, and its a beautiful thing."
  • BooMan: "Obama has dropped the nonconfrontational, bipartisan language he used to open his administration. This is not a bug in the system. His early, conciliatory tone was necessary to teach the American people lessons that would allow them to accept the ambitious and uncompromising tone he is taking now. The Republicans did him a favor by slapping away the olive branch and adopting a harsh, paranoid, dishonest, and delusional stance in opposition. Few people can still see any merit in an inclusionary, bipartisan approach."
  • Benen: "The 'so am I' rhetoric is less than subtle. There's going to be a fight over the direction of the country, and the president is signaling his intention to mix it up a bit. This is a different message than the one preceding the debate over the economic stimulus, and may reflect the White House's judgment that the administration was not as aggressive as it could (should?) have been in mounting a defense."
  • Giordano: "[H]ere's what I think just happened: The President has reframed the narrative from the stale dysfunction of Democrats demonizing Republicans and Republicans demonizing Democrats and stepped over that puddle of slime to create a more authentic narrative: The American people vs. the special interests (and note that the ones he mentions are universally from the corporate sector). [...] This is is quite huge. It hasn't been done by a president since FDR. And the populist campaign rhetoric by [John] Edwards, [Hillary] Clinton and even Obama in 2008 aside did not rise to this level of clarity by a longshot."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Socialization Of The News?

The Reality-Based Community's Michael O'Hare has an idea for how to save newspapers:

"There is a model, much underattended, originally designed for recorded music by Terry Fisher and described in his book Promises to Keep, with a lot of useful commentary in Lawrence Lessig's essential Free Culture. The key idea is an appropriation to the copyright office of the whole cost of newspapers, adjusted annually (for music, taking the entire sales of the music industry, it's about $30 per capita). When a page or article is hit, a counter clicks in the copyright office (without recording who caused the click) and at the end of the year, the appropriation is divided in proportion to clicks. This takes page hits as a proxy for value created; not perfect, but not too bad. It's government funding, in a sense, but with any bureaucratic or political judgment excluded; if you post something on the web and you get hits, you get paid; more hits, more pay. I could not make a living from this blogging, but Paul Krugman (yes, and George Will) will do nicely...and a lot of ink-stained wretches in between will put food on the table and see very good incentives as to what to write about, and how to write better.

This is a revolution, of course, and will definitely leave a lot of Darwinian debris. But I haven't come across another way. Weird and scary as it sounds, it's time for (mechanistic, bureaucratic, judgment-free) socialization of the news."

LEST WE FORGET: Buttons Just Don't Disappear, Reports Woman On Hands And Knees

From The Onion:

"ANN ARBOR, MI -- Although there is a slim chance the darn things might have rolled under the stove, Michigan resident Irene Sullivan, 50, stated conclusively Sunday that buttons, like the nice red ones on her favorite sweater, cannot simply vanish without a trace. 'I know they don't just sprout legs and walk away, that's for sure,' Sullivan told reporters from her position on all fours below the kitchen table. 'Oh, for crying out loud, is that a baby carrot under the fridge?' The mother of two could not provide any further information as to why these things always happen right before church, but did refer back to an earlier declaration that if it's not one thing, it's another."