Indiana: Don't 'Rush' to conclusions

Of course, the ultra-liberal media is going to say this. Could we possibly expect anything different?

Could you imagine Chicago Trib., USA Today, WaPo, NY Times leading with a headline: "Rush Limbaugh influences the outcome in Indiana, NC races"?

Not in a million years. Not even if there was overwhelming evidence that he threw the election to Clinton. They'd spin, and divert, and ignore, and do everything humanly possible to deny him his due.

"U.S. Operation Chaos,''

The "great" Americans march on. Their war on America strikes Indiana no doubt to the glee of the pompous man himself. Whether he made a difference or not, he is a ledgend in his own mind. I wonder if the other republicans who were running for other offices last night enjoyed his games. I find the name "U.S. Operation Chaos,'' somewhat funny. These military wannabes, who didn't have the guts to put their lives on the line have found a way to feel manly.

Notice who the reporter DIDN'T talk to for this article on "Operation Chaos"?

Mr. Limbaugh. Or anyone involved in "Operation Chaos".

Because Swamp writers, being Democrats, don't talk to Republicans--even when they write about Republicans!

If talked to, Mr. Limbaugh would point out the obvious--that many "Operation Chaos" Republicans wouldn't tell the exit-polling media the truth about how they voted. That's part of "Operation Chaos".

He's an impotent gasbag and recipient of JohnD's mushiest mash notes.

Yawn, non-story. The power of talk radio has waned. People think for themselves.

Thank you Mark Silva for this post of SANITY!
i merely 'lurked' last night on the blog--and I can't imagine the number of crazy entries you must have received!
Rush aside--Hillary and Barack NEED one another.
I do hope that you can, in the future, keep us from reading bloggers who call her or Bill Clinton names.
Okay--that will never happen.
Maybe posters can show some restraint--because the only road to the White House is through many of the states where Clinton won over REAL Democratic party voters from the Repubs for the Fall
--and this is from a former Edwards supporter.
I JUST WANT TO WIN IN THE FALL!

Don't talk to Rush too loudly, it will just cause him to pop another pill.

People still listen to Rush Limpbaugh?

That drug addled comedian? He's like the Howard Stern of political entertainment

Brucie:

Knowing the idiocy of most Limbaugh listeners, they would probably gladly tell anyone how they followed his "orders" and voted like he said.

And why talk to Limbaugh himself?? What would his overblown ego add to this??

Face it Brucie - he has failed to do what he wanted - get Hillary nominated. Now he will have 4 years to rail against the Obama presidency.

Oh, and Rush? I don't dress up in tie-dyes and flip-flops. Nor do many of my liberal friends. But we can sure tell who YOUR listeners are by their mullets and Confederate flag t-shirts.

Remember everyone, that when you think of John McCain, think of Rush Limbaugh. John McCain is no different than the typical Republican, he's just less honest about it. He'll make use of the whole Republican talk radio hate and fear machine just like any other Republican.

Irritate Rush Limbaugh, think for yourselves.

Your analysis doesn't hold because it assumes that, sans Operation Chaos, the Republican vote would have been split. For all we know, it could have been 90-10 Obama, excluding the dittoheads

Jeff,
I just returned from a road trip to northern Montana. For seven hours, the only AM stations that came in had Fox Radio, The Laura Ingraham show and Rush Limbaugh. I would like to believe people think for themselves, but you can bet they are influenced by the media, especially when these are their only options. I tried to listen, objectively, but my wife shut it off when the Glenn Beck show turned unbearably racist.
I doubt Montana and Idaho are unique in their limited AM options.

If Limbaugh had any real power, John McCain would never have been the Republican nominee.

When Texas had it's open primary, Rush Limbaugh encouraged his listeners (social conservative Republicans, one might assume) in the state to vote for Clinton.

Analysis done after the election showed districts that were normally heavily Republican had cast a majority of votes for Clinton thereby enabling her to win the popular vote by a small margin.

Obama's supporters were in the majority at the caucuses on the evening of the election. Given Texas' election process, getting a significant majority of the caucus delegates allowed Obama to get a majority of the total delegates for the state.

It would not be a surprise if Limbaugh's appeal to his social conservative constituency did result in votes for Clinton that she might not have received otherwise.

Rush is and has always been a fool. Not to mention a drug addict. Why would any one with an IQ above 10 even consider a thing he states?

If anybody listens to Limbaugh's "rants" then they're on "drugs" too. How can we keep people like this off the air - more agitation and negative politicking!

The American people are tired of the dirty politics! He'll learn just as Hillary is learning today!

I love that you make the assumption that the 53/47% vote based on polling is accurate. I receive calls all the time for polling. I lie every time. It is no one's business who I support and I will flat out tell them the opposite of whatever or however I will vote. I have little doubt that 1000s of republicans voted for Hillary because she is the weakest possible candidate for the Democrats in November. Operation Chaos was no doubt a resounding success. Ask me yesterday who I voted for when leaving the polls, I would have said Barack Obama... and would have voted for Hillary, IF I were an Operation Chaos operative.

Worse than that Bruce. Swamp editors don't even acknowledge any more that Republicans exist. It's 24-hour Pro-Obama coverage. Republicans and Libertarians be damned.

Sure, there may be some old Republican leftovers hiding in the hinterlands of Apalachia or something. But certainly not enough for the Liberal Elitisist newspapers to acknowledge.

If Rush was so insignificant as this article and many posters suggest why are you taking so much time and energy bothering to worry about and write about him.
Just a little on the ironic side don't you think.

Rush Limbaugh (Limphog) praised voice of the GOP has been crowned king of manipulating the democratic voting process. Continue to buy into this erroneous and manipulative garbage and follow your pig headed leader you conservative zombies. If the roles were reversed and the democratic party was trying to pull this idiotic stunt the republican controlled and spun media would crucify us! If anyone believes that any numbers suggest that these conservative morons have infiltrated our democratic process and manipulated our election you must be as foolish as these easily persuaded right wing followers are. The Republican party has sunk to an all time low by trying to exploit, manipulate, and destroy what are founders once fought long and hard to design and initiate. This is yet another cowardly scheme set up by the GOP that exposes the fears of an evident democratic presidential victory in "08" no matter who the canidate is. Clinton: Obama in 08'!!!
Sorry For Ya!

Peter said: "If Limbaugh had any real power, John McCain would never have been the Republican nominee."

I agree with that 100%, and I think it's the most sane point that's been made in this discussion. If Rush is all that inflential and important, how in the hell did McCain become an early winner?

What's ironic is that you Ditto Brains don't understand how the Lintball backlash is really helping to build the ranks of the "Liberal Elites" so you keep right on promoting him. Thank you. Rush is the perfect frontman for the Neocon agenda, from a Liberal perspective, of course.

Bubba, you just made my point. Your wife was allowed to turn it off!

And don't discount Peter's point, either. Rush Limbaugh was put squarely in his place earlier this year by we McCainiacs and the REAL heart and soul of the republican party. Now he's just there in the background for our amusement.

I had a similar experience as yours and I'd like to share it. I enjoy talking about this kind of stuff a lot more than the usual "my guy is right, your guy hates [insert class of americans here]" rhetoric that usually goes on here in the Swamp, so I do hope you'll humor me.

The other day I was listening the the Colin Cowherd Show on ESPN radio. Usually I avoid ESPN like the plague because I cannot stand "Mike & Mike in the morning." Other than the fact that they're not as funny and important as they think they are, I'm offended as a journalist that Golic could throw a fellow reporter like Dana Jacobson under the bus like he did because of something that happened at a private event that he and his boy-Friday, Greenberg, incessently plugged on their show and I have no doubt management forced other personalities to attend and provided free alcohol to.

But, I figured it was after 9 and I'd give Cowherd a shot. I'm not kidding, but this is the classist, anti-working class BS that came out of Cowherd's mouth during the five minutes I listened:
"A racist is an uneducated person that thinks his position in society is threatened by someone from that other group moving up. That's what a racist is. A racist is an uneducated person who wants to protect his position by keeping someone else down."

Like your wife, Bubba, I immediately turned the radio off when I heard the classist rant. I just thought to myself how similar that very little, hateful man's comments were to Imus'. I'm not defending Imus and I'm glad he lost his job, but why is it okay to bash working people and people who didn't go to college or anyone else that the almighty Colin Cowherd deems "uneducated?" I wish I could be as "educated" as him and twice get suspended from my job for saying crap like that and not get fired.
When did liberal class warfare against those awful conservatives extend to allowing attacks on the people who make the liberal elite's existence possible? More importantly, why is everyone on this board hearing about his hate speech from my post and not the furor over it?

Maybe that shows he has no power, though, as I said before. I have simply added Colin Cowherd to Mike & Mike and the rest of the limousine liberals I'll never listen to again. Even in Montana there's satellite radio, internet radio and thousands of options beyond your AM dial. I had no problem finding a non-classist program to listen to and enjoyed the rest of my morning drive.

The polling statistics seem to focus only on those who self-identify as Republicans. Many Limbaugh listeners call themselves "independents." I have no doubt that many independents who took Democratic ballots yesterday did so to vote for Clinton with the intention of sabotage. Combine those with the Limbugh-ite Republicans and Clinton's miniscule margin is quite likely attributable to such mischief. Chris Matthews nailed it last night on MSNBC: anyone who abused the electoral system in that way should be ashamed. It's a mockery of the American democratic system, it's unpatriotic and destructive of the values embodied in our Consitution.

and would have voted for Hillary, IF I were an Operation Chaos operative.

Posted by: Chgosaint | May 7, 2008 10:18 AM

I always wondered if "US Operation Chaos" members got like a secret decoder ring and everything. Special letters from Rushs' "high" command bunker that you could take to the basement and decode for your next assignment. I also wondered...do you salute each other or is there some sort of "high" sign you all use. You know like a special wink or a finger alongside of your nose. Medals...do they issue medals or something that comes in a cereal box or anything? Most of all I wondered if any of you actually served the country, or are you gutless like your leader?

So Jeff, you're saying racists typically aren't uneducated?

Nothing there attacks the uneducated as a whole Jeff. It's not "classist" to suggest that education combats racism, and that a lack of education is often a precondition for racism.

There is no hate speech there. It's simply a discussion of one of the many problems that can result from not being well educated. I would hope that you too would see educatiuon as a positive, and the lack of ediucation as something to be worked against.

I love these hysterical anti-Rush comments! just shows the great success of

O-P-E-R-A-T-I-O-N C-H-A-O-S !!!!!!!!

*insert evil cackle here*

This is too much fun!

Left-wingnuts, the Obama camp has credited (or blamed, depending on your point of view) Limbaugh-encouraged GOP crossovers for Obama's Indiana loss.

When did liberal class warfare against those awful conservatives extend to allowing attacks on the people who make the liberal elite's existence possible?

Posted by: Jeff | May 7, 2008 11:17 AM

The real class warfare is waged by moneyed elitists who have brilliantly figured out how to make people vote against their own interests. So while Bush et.al. continues to sacrifice national security for corporate interests, an elitist like you is playing the concern troll for the masses. And your boyfriend, McWorse will continue Bush's legacy.

Bobin,Limbaugh is not for Hillary. Operation Chaos is simply to continue having a mucked up Democratic race, which has been the case.
Clinton still won Indiana and even with Northwest Indiana -- Obama country -- not getting votes in til late in the night. Hmmm, could the Northwest Indiana Democrats be taking their cues from Illinois and Chicago Democrats? Democrats nationwide employ this strategy of holding votes back. Is it to see how much fraud they need to commit to get the results they want?

Jeff,
I understand your point about the power to not listen or watch something because it is offensive or against your beliefs or values. You don't have to look any further than Bruce, John D or Eric Dondero to wonder why anyone would continue frequenting a news source they don't agree with for the sole purpose of degrading it's value or to simply complain about it.
I guess my point is that people are influenced by the sources of media they have at their disposal, despite the fact that they can still think for themselves. That said, when you drive for 7 hours in the rural west and the ONLY AM stations that come in are homes to far right wing talking heads, do we really have a "liberal" media in this country? Murdoch and Clear Channel seemingly won't be happy until they own every media outlet in the country.
Plus, all the uneducated, indigent rural hicks out here can't afford Sirius. Just kidding.
Wifey has satellite in her truck, we took mine.
FYI, I stopped listening to The Score in Chicago years ago for similar reasons.

I wouldn’t say that Rush Limp-whatever had any influence on the outcome of the Democratic primary in Indiana, but it seems to me that without him pushing to disrupt the democratic process, that there would be any republic voter out there voting for Clinton. The republic attack machine has been beating on the Clintons for more than a decade, and I just can’t see any of the republic vote for her as anything but an attempt to continue the democratic infighting. On the other hand Obama has been picking up republican crossovers all through this primary.

While I have enjoyed Rush's radio show over time, I am not pleased with his recent attempt to thwart the will of the people by trying to make a mockery of the American way of electing our president. It's a sad state when Republicans are recruited to vote Democratic to create havoc among Democrats. It's ugly, it's unfair and it's anti-America...in mu humble opinion.

...so there! :p

JT, I'm saying that the job you do and what level of education you've attained are NOT indicators of whether or not you, as a person, are precluded to being racist. They absolutely are not. Your ubringing has more to do with it than anything.

Racism is north, east, south and west in this country and it's in all socioenomic levels. There are just as many rich and powerful racists who've gone to the finest schools in this land as poor racists whether your narrow view of the world recognizes that or not.

The Hollywood elite in the Motion Picture Association of America, for instance, were decades behind other industries in recognizing black women, in particular, with its highest acting award, the academy award. I don't think their education had anything to do with ignoring black women for so long. I think their racist system of backscratching and awarding actors who've "paid their dues" had EVERYTHING to do with it, though.

As a person with a graduate degree I do see education as a positive thing. But I don't use it as a prejudiced club against my brothers and sisters who also grew up in rural areas and didn't get the opportunities I was lucky enough to have. Without them and their help I wouldn't be where I am today.

The problen, JT, with thinking like yours and Cowherd's is that it's just that, cowardly. You claim to know the way that the "uneducated" think and act. How can you make such a blanket statement about such a varied and large group of people? Do you even know any of them
Pride in the values you instill in your children - including the value of never, ever judging a person by their religion or the color of their skin - is NOT exclusive the north side and monied suburbs of Chicago.

You would do very well for yourself to recognize that you can't make a blanket statement that any whole group of Americans are "uneducated" and precluded to racism because of it. The prejudice that you and Cowherd espouse against working class people is the EXACT same type of prejudice that Martin Luther King fought against just applied to another group. He'd be ashamed to hear it alive and well.

Bubba, I see your point. When there is next to nothing other than Ingraham (ugh) and Limbaugh on the air I could see how you'd have to listen to something.

But that's a market problem that should be easily combatted by the left. The fact that Air America can't stay afloat in the big cities, where it should do great, let alone penetrate the stalwart rural areas that have been the mainstays of EIB for years speaks volumes.

It's always been my view that the broadcast media isn't red or blue, it's just green in its search for ratings.
MSredBC and Faux News are proof that there is a market for news that's slanted to a particular worldview. And let's remember that Rupert is more an opportunist than a "conservative" by any stretch of the imagination. He believes strongly that we should fight climate change, for instance.

Notice that the leftwing sites like Huffpo and Daily Kossack dominate the blogosphere compared to the reactionary conservative blogs, too.

Maybe this just says something about different political mindsets and the ways they prefer to receive their slanted news. In that case the reactionary left may be WAY ahead of the reactionary right. They've already created sdstainable online communities whereas the right is stuck in a '50s technology, AM radio, that's limited to smaller markets.

p.s. I can't stand the Score, either.

Jeff-

Your jumping to way too many conclusions. Neither I or Cowherd as you have quoted him are saying all uneducated people are racists. Nothing of the sort. We're saying most racists are uneducated in some way. (Level of schooling does not equate to being educated. I've know some pretty ignorant PHDs). There are many kinds of education besides schooling.

No one is making conclusions about how the uneducated act as a group. We are making conclusions about what is lacking in the background of many racists, that being education.

You are reading way to much into what has been said.

I agree with Chris Matthews when he said it was disgusting that Limbaugh is cheapening the right to vote, which is a foundation of our democracry and something that people have fought and died to protect. Limbaugh is anything BUT a patriot. He is an ego obsessed, drug addict who could care less about the country, its institutions, or the people who love it. He only cares about his fame.

Anyone who would listen to Rush for more than 30 seconds, much less take his advice is an idiot. Or a drug abusing, lying hypocrite like Rush himself.

Rush Limbaugh has nothin' to do with my gal Hillary's success.

We ALL know why Hillary is successful.

It's 'cause of her husband....me!

Yeeehaaaaa!

Bring on the interns!

Can't wait to git back in th' Oval Office!

you have to remember that exit polling may be incorrect in this case because
limbaugh also incourages people to lie to exit pollsters