Rush Limbaugh (10/18/10), holding a photo montage from Drudge up to the “Dittocam,” went off on a bizarre rant that suggested that Obama was possessed by supernatural evil (Mediaite, 10/19/10):
Folks, these pictures, they look demonic. And I don’t say this lightly. There are a couple pictures, and the eyes, I’m not saying anything here, but just look. It is strange that these pictures would be released…. It’s very, very, very strange. An American president has never had facial expressions like this. At least we’ve never seen photos of an American president with facial expressions like this.
It’s not the first time that Limbaugh has literally demonized a Democratic politician; in 2001 (FAIR Press Release, 11/22/02), he gave Senate majority leader Tom Daschle the nickname “El Diablo,” going on at length (7/20/01) about his diabolical tendencies: “How many different versions of Satan, the devil, have you seen in your life?… We’ve seen the comic devil of TV shows. We’ve even seen the smooth, tempting devil in Hollywood movies. Is Tom Daschle simply another way to portray a devil?”
When Daschle complained that after such attacks, “the threats to those of us in public life go up dramatically, on our families and on us, in a way that’s very disconcerting,” Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz (WashingtonPost.com, 11/21/02) stuck up for Limbaugh, saying, “Sure, he aggressively pokes fun at Democrats and lionizes Republicans, but mainly about policy.”
In 2010, it’s hard to deny that hate-filled rhetoric can move unstable individuals to violence–though Limbaugh seems to be playing catch-up here with his rival on the right, Glenn Beck. Both hosts know full well that there’s a large segment of their audience for whom demons and devils are not Halloween costumes but all too real supernatural threats.
It’s nice that you don’t want human beings to be hurt, but I’m thinking that perhaps the very best-defended human beings on the entire planet are a bit less in need of your defense than you might think.
And yet, how many times will we hear about Hugo Chavez referring to George Bush as the devil without once hearing this about Limbaugh? This is certainly the first I’ve heard about it.
What! You mean to tell me no Jersey Devil exists. This of course is the lowest type of slander, which can cause other slightly off center groups to take awful actions. This type of speak is slander and belongs in a court hearing!
And this wouldn’t qualify as “hate speech”? Or Glenn Beck and his Tides Foundation tirades?
Nice unintended ironic touch with the “Penis pills” spam in an article about the lying blowhard Limbaugh. “Male erection clips?” ” . . . Make her orgasm like crazy?” You listenin, Rush? You’ve got the money, so hop to it, boy!
I sympathize with all of you who still believe in the Democratic Party as a bastion of hope for the lower middle class and the poor. It is a forlorn hope. Why is it that we of the “great unwashed” are most likely to stay home on election day? One thing you can say about the Republicans is that they come through for their constituency: they cut taxes for the wealthy, they try to put christianity back into the public schools, they fight to return abortion to the proverbial “back alley”…they are proud of all the evil they espouse…In my humble opinion the difference between the Dems and the Reps is like the difference between a kindly slave owner who neither beats nor sexually abuses his human property as opposed to a cruel slave owner who boils a disobedient slave alive for not bringing him his tea and crumpets on time.
Only a complete political and social revolution will bring freedom and justice to this benighted land.
I get a kick out of the people that think that Rush is anything other than entertainment. Hard to believe, but true. Some people actually think he is giving them news or information. If we lived in a world where he was in charge, I’d have to either do him in or kill myself. One of us would have to go.
Heard that bit on Rush.Funny as hell.He was goofing you…..goofs
ps Was that a threat Michael?Hell I get a kick out of people that think Obama is anything more than bad entertainment.Hard to believe but true.
Then you don’t seem to understand just how much pull Limbaugh has with his legion of “ditto heads” on that as does Beck who also half jokingly (which half?) concerning the Lord of the Flies & other vermin and the obtuse relation to President Obama last month. [The flies and mice etc…] plenty of their listeners are fanatics looking for a target for their wrath and the mouth pieces of the oligarchs do just that. Considering that the death threats against our first black president have gone up 444% should let everyone know the danger he is in. If they want to kill you they will.
Nightgaunt
Rush and Beck have never said anything in any way shape or form that would ask anyone to commit violence.Or in their absolute belief in the firm protection of this man who holds our highest office(very different from the lefts treatment of Bush may i add)They are clear in the way to remove this man.It happens at the ballot box.Are their fanatics?Yes their are on both sides.We can’t tamp down the strength of our opinions to pander to the mad among us.Rush has a good sense of humor and it was no more than a passing joke,…really.
I’m still amazed as how beck and rush’s hate speech defenders ALWAYS claim those guys are “just jokin’.”
Since Jim Naureckas has responded splendidly to Michael e’s content let me do M.e. the favor of parsing his paragraph:
michael e Says:
October 25th, 2010 at 9:53 am
Nightgaunt
Rush and Beck have never said anything in any way, shape or form that would ask anyone to commit violence. Or in their absolute belief in the firm protection of this man who holds our highest office(very different from the left’s treatment of Bush may i add). They are clear in the way to remove this man. It happens at the ballot box. Are there fanatics? Yes, there are on both sides. We can’t tamp down the strength of our opinions to pander to the mad among us. Rush has a good sense of humor and it was no more than a passing joke,â┚¬Ã‚¦really.
Yes, I know that Donavan McNabb is still chuckling over the droll remarks made by Rush during his color commentary on Monday Night Football–no pun intended. Well anyway, Nightgaunt, the above is a more readable renditions.
Who was that fool that edited my entry? Nobody with a lick of sense would end a sentence “…the above is a more readable renditions.” Fire the intern immediately!
Dennis let me put you straight
Philly’s QB was talked about for weeks in their sports press in way Rush found comical and in many ways politically incorrect.He spoke about it many times and at length in a chiding way.When he mentioned it on national Tv of course the press ran with it.He was remarking on “remarks”made by the philly sports press.Remarks like….. we have the first black president.How many times have we heard that?And how many times has Rush said -“does that mean they see him as different”?You see Rush sees the lefts compartmentalization as wrong headed.And he often makes fun of these fools.They are not even close to being color blind world.Kieth Obermann has done monday night football.Nuff said.Different standards as always.
Jim…..That load of rubbish in the article.Little guys sitting in their moms basement trying to parse somthing beck says over 4 hours every day.So weak!
You libs need to lighten up…when Beck said “Barrack Obama has a deep-seated hatred of white people,” true hearted Americans recognize that as a real kneeslapper….
Actually, Keith did Sunday Night Football…and incredibly enough never made “funny” on-air racial comments…”Different standards, as always.”
@Jim…Hey, you should know by now that accurately quoting Beck is “a load of rubbish.” How dare you bring facts into a conversation….??
“Little guys sitting in their mom’s basement ”
ach! mikey e. is projecting again….i zuggezt therapy!