In all the depressing news about the economy, I’m at least enjoying the hilarious political satire of John Stewart and especially Steven Colbert. Almost as diverting is following the debate between Rush Limbaugh and, supposedly, the Obama administration. Some commentators have said it’s unfair to label Limbaugh the spokesperson for the Republican party, but a long list of Republican leaders have lined up behind him.
Even Michael Steel, chair of the RNC and a leader who has often put his foot in his mouth, had to back away from criticisms of Rush. If Limbaugh isn’t the anointed leader, who is? Steel himself? John McCain? Sara Palin? Bobby Jindal? John Boener?
John Kerry made the mistake of not reacting fast enough to the outrageous claims of the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth. They weren’t the official voice of the Republican party, but they probably did more than any Republican officials or the Bush campaign to defeat Kerry. Should the Obama administration just stay quiet about a guy who makes equally outrageous charges and has the support of sixty percent of Republicans and a huge national audience?
I’ve been listening to a little of Rush and Sean Hannity on AM radio when I’m out in my truck running errands. Somebody in the administration needs to respond to this nonsense.
And it’s not like the Republicans haven’t done the same thing in the past. In an article in today’s Washington Post, Howard Kurtz points out that “Mark McKinnon, a top adviser in President George W. Bush's campaigns, acknowledged the value of picking a divisive opponent. ‘We used a similar strategy by making Michael Moore the face of the Democratic Party,’ he said of the documentary filmmaker. ‘That's why we gave him credentials to cover the 2004 convention and then turned the spotlight on him.’”
And further, “For nearly two decades, the radio host has masterfully inserted himself into political disputes by pushing the usual boundaries. In last year's Democratic primaries, he tried to derail Obama with what he dubbed Operation Chaos, urging his followers to cross over and vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton.”
If Republican leaders don’t like the White House responding to Rush Limbaugh, they need to distance themselves from him publicly.
Don’t hold your breath.
No comments:
Post a Comment