Back when right-wing radio talker Rush Limbaugh was facing a criminal investigation into his prescription drug abuse, he found an unlikely ally: the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Limbaugh’s position that his medical records should not be subject to government seizure.
Limbaugh hadn’t exactly been the ACLU’s biggest supporter. Okay, let’s be honest: There was a specific level of white-hot hatred that he reserved for the ACLU and … oh, I don’t know… the Clintons. But as soon as the group was in a position to help him get what he wanted, it was suddenly all smiles and nicey-nice and mega-dittos. Whatever the heck those are.
Four years later, Limbaugh is grasping at straws, trying to hang something negative — anything, really — on Barack Obama. He doesn’t like the President. He’s already on record saying, famously, “I hope he fails.” And in the week when the biggest news story coming out of the White House is the arrival of “Bo” the dog, along comes the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), offering Limbaugh the chance to one-up the President. Dangling it right in front of his smoke-tickled chompers, really.
So amid a sea of accusations that the Obamas committed a mortal sin by getting a purebred Portuguese water dog from a breeder (instead of a “rescue” dog from a shelter, as the President promised during his campaign), Limbaugh recorded two strong endorsements of HSUS this week. And just like that, he must have thought, he out-”Humaned” the Obamas. Point scored. Or maybe not.
HSUS, for the uninitiated, is anti-fur, anti-meat, anti-circuses, anti-hunting, anti-this, anti-that. You get the picture. It’s basically what PETA would be if it had a secret reserve of gold bullion. Not that I have strong feelings about HSUS’s agenda, mind you. (Except on this one little area of raising money for violent groups, where they’re completely bonkers.) But my point is that they’re an animal rights group, just like PETA.
And Limbaugh is the “the All-Knowing, All-Sensing, All-Everything Maha Rushie,” now posing as a kitten-hugging humaniac. (I didn’t invent that honorific. It’s on his website’s “about” page, right next to that photo of Limbaugh in a leather jacket.)
Flash back to when TIME asked him about the ear-pounding cognitive dissonance in his rescue at the hands of the ACLU. Limbaugh flashed his best toothy, nothing-to-see-here-let’s-move-along grin — and whitewashed the whole thing.
TIME: The A.C.L.U. has supported your legal fight to keep the medical records in your drug case private. This is not a group you’re a fan of. Do you welcome its support?
Limbaugh: In a situation like this, I think it’s safe to say I welcome its support, and I don’t find it hypocritical at all, because I am not anti-A.C.L.U. If the A.C.L.U. wants to go after, say, Nativity scenes or this sort of thing, I may take issue, but there are other areas where I’ve supported things it has done.
Such as? (Cue the sound of crickets.)
Blogger Keith Berry has a neat little collection of Limbaugh’s wisdom on the ACLU. And it ain’t pretty. But don’t take Keith’s word for it — or mine. Just click here and type “ACLU” in the search box on Limbaugh’s own website.
And then type “animal rights.” Now that’s some good readin’. Especially if you like over-the-top parodies of the “Born Free” theme song, complete with the sound of rifles and shrieking wildlife.
Limbaugh sums up his feelings about the movement that HSUS leads by calling its members “animal rights wackos.” He breathlessly reported just a few weeks ago, as we have in the past, on the bizarre hypocrisy of PETA killing adoptable animals by the thousands. One of his biggest sponsors — and I’m not making this up — is the Allen Brothers mail-order steak business.
I’m guessing they’ll soon be a former sponsor, now that he’s endorsing the vegetarian supremacists at HSUS. I’m also guessing the entire redneck-hunter segment of his audience will sniff the hypocrisy and turn the dial to someone whose philosophy is a little more predictable — like Michael Savage.
I know, I know. Don’t start with me. If Limbaugh can endorse animal-rights groups, Al Franken might jump into bed with the Heritage Foundation. Then Nanci Pelosi will start recording robo-calls for Americans for Tax Reform. And Al Gore will do a few “Clean Coal” ads, just to keep us guessing.
It’ll be anarchy. I’m simply not ready.
Bonus: Moxy Früvous singing “The Greatest Man in America.”
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What won’t Rush do to keep his name is the press.
Rush had successfully attracted the attention of the White house and Nanci Pelosi. After that, the whole doggy thing is quite lightweight.
I wasn’t aware that there was a struggle going on to hang negative things on Obama. I thought negative things kind of were growing off of him at this point.
Hey Rush, it’s nine o’clock. Do you know where your sound-bite writer is?
Because a PSA is a terrible thing to waste.
Remember, only you can prevent synaptical fires.
This is your PSA. And this, *crack, sizzle* is your PSA after the 2 minute 40 second mark.
Urgh……….I’d rather step on a slug barefooted than to hear any more garbage coming from this guy any more.
Something tells me that your guesses are a bit optimistic; his fans looked the other way when he got caught with a couple dozen jars of pills, and they actually believe him when he informs them that he’s right. Barring Rush coming out and saying that he’s secretly a black woman (my guess is he’s actually Oprah in disguise), I don’t think his numbers will drop no matter what he does.
As a flawed individual and a Viet-Nam veteran, I simply won’t be preached at by a druggie draft-dodger.
Rodrigo the Magnificent, Scourge of the Portuguese Main
You, sir, have the best screen name ever. I salute you.
As for Rush, well, I think he is a hypocrite but, as reflected in his ratings, he is giving the people what they want. NAMBLA would welcome his endorsement because it would help their cause tremendously.
2 things.
1. Rush’s adverts are in support of faith outreach program by the HSUS and about HSUS anti-dog fighting efforts. Everyone’s always talking bipartisanship and “big tent” so the leading object of derisiveness on the right says some words in support of programs he thinks are viable and there’s something wrong?
And what about HSUS posting adverts from a guy who endorsed Palin who of course supports “anti-animal” helicopter borne wolf shooting?
2. People talk about Rush’s addiction to painkillers with a degree of scorn and mocking while all but ignoring the hardcore drug use of the current President, somewhat respecting the alcoholism of the former President and making light of the marijuana use of the President from two Presidents ago.
Well done on point #2 Rocko.
Addiction to pain killers usually starts with a painful medical condition and inadequate medical supervision.
Unlike recreational drug addiction, which is usually due to a combination of stupidity, boredom, and a messed up set of priorities.
It’s very interesting which public figures get crucified forever & a day, and which we conveniently ignore.
Then again, my limbic brain is squeezing my frontal lobe, so what the hell do I know?
I don’t think Rush Limbaugh hung the moon, but I’m with Rocko 100% on this one.
Actually, I mock all who use drugs recreationally, but that’s only because I’m not nearly so much fun as the blue pills are. I also mock those who use painkillers, due to the fact that I’ve never used them myself. That actually might have more to do with my crippling fear of hospitals than my pure, rugged machismo (don’t know why I’m stuck on THAT subject today), but still, I can say that I have been coated in my own blood and never taken so much as an asprin, which therefore mystically gives me the right to sound like a prick whenever the subject is brought up.
Besides, we don’t crucify our current president for his drug use because we’re too busy nailing him up for daring to bow in front of a guy in a robe. The fella two presidents earlier? Yeah, we were busy slamming him for not knowing what “sexual relations” meant. I guess Rush could take it as a compliment that we’re focusing on more than one fault at a time; apparently, they’re not bad enough on their own.
“recreational drug addiction…is usually due to a combination of stupidity, boredom, and a messed up set of priorities.”
Really? I usually cite chagrin, broken heart and failed ambitions in my 12 step questionnaire…
Beige and Habanada said it perfectly (and thus, through Beige, Rocko). Probably not the wisest decision he’s ever made. Not something I would have done, because I can’t separate the individual efforts from the whole.
However, since for some reason it’s being discussed (not sure what drug problems from half a decade ago really have to do with these PSAs)… while watching my dad suffer through what is probably Gulf War Syndrome, yeah, I’m a little more understanding of being addicted to pain killers. Guess I’m just ignorant.
Actually, I’m an alcoholic with (almost) 14 years of sobriety. (That’s not a call for applause; by this point, frankly, the craving has almost entirely died down, so it’s not exactly a Herculean effort to stay off the Absolut. It takes more effort not to use swear words in reference to Nadya Suleman than it does to avoid alcohol.) My point was that I can’t rip on Limbaugh because I’m not exactly standing on a plateau high above him, my hair rippling dramatically in the wind of righteousness. Hee.
Rush is great radio. His ratings prove that. Overseer obviously believes that those magazine covers of Obama and halo are not trick photography; but they are trick photography. Listen to Rush, Overseer. He will disabuse you of your delusions. If you listen to Rush for one month, I think you will come to the opinion that if Obama couldn’t read a teleprompter, he would be illiterate.
“Addiction to pain killers usually starts with a painful medical condition and inadequate medical supervision.”
Seriously. Also, I somehow don’t think that the people who make snotty comments about Rush Limbaugh’s prescription drug addiction also make snotty comments about Heath Ledger’s death from prescription drugs.
I don’t have anything invested in Rush Limbaugh one way or the other, but people mocking his painkiller addiction really bothers me.
“…if Obama couldn’t read a teleprompter, he would be illiterate.”
This might be missing the point, but I’m pretty sure if ANY person couldn’t read a teleprompter, they would be illiterate. That’s kind of the definition of illiteracy, the whole not being able to read thing. Although I suppose blind people will get a pass, until they make Braille teleprompters.
“Also, I somehow don’t think that the people who make snotty comments about Rush Limbaugh’s prescription drug addiction also make snotty comments about Heath Ledger’s death from prescription drugs.”
Totally did. When I heard the news, I told my girlfriend (a big Ledger fan) that he was a freaking moron for dying in such a manner. I still think so, too, because it means we’ll never see him play the Joker again, dammit.
Yeah, I’m a jerk.
The White House dog photo op was the secret weapon to be released to bump any mention of Barack Obama’s brother being arrested for the sexual assault of a young girl in Britain out of the headlines.
Apparently Abo Obama’s DNA came up in the investigation of the sexual assault of a thirteen year old girl in Britain.
Patrick: Disliking Rush is not equivalent to Obama worship. That’s an unfair claim to make.
I don’t consider people who preach the hatred of people who share my values (however best done by my *own* former House Rep., Robin Hayes </3) as “good media” of any kind. Nor am I a real big fan of anyone who tells me to be a good Christian, I have to be the bitch of the Republican part (or liberals who tell me I can’t believe in God to be blue).
@Rocko –
Well, then I fully expect Limbaugh to start recording Saturday morning Radio addresses for Obama whenever there’s some small element of his Administration’s programs that the Rush-ster agrees with. Fair is fair. And there’s got to be something Teddy Kennedy has done over the years that the Right didn’t hate. Where was Rush then?
I could care less about the vices of most people. To each his own. However, the hypocrisy here is just so overwhelmingly hilarious because I HATE Rush Limbaugh with a passion. He is an obnoxious turd.
You know who I hate even more than Rush Limbaugh? Jeannnine Garafalo. Just listen to the hate coming out of her mouth and it makes me happy to listen to Rush. Being addicted to pain killers is not a sin in my eyes. To me it is different than taking recreational drugs, like many of our President’s including our Messiah did. Being addicted to painkillers is a horrible thing and a habit even harder to break.
That being said, Rush is a hyprocrite for the HSUS ad, just like Obama is for getting a $1600 dog when there are numerous rescue groups out there that would have loved to give him a dog that needed love.
AAW–the more I think about it, the less I can blame Garofalo. She’s on a desperate quest for relevance. People do crazy things when they’re desperate. And when they’re sitting across from Keith Olbermann. But I guess that’s the same thing.
Rush is great and he’s having a load of fun at the president’s expense, as he should. Another campaign promise down the tubes. And really, a water dog from Ted Kennedy? There are so many jokes here it hurts. There’s no real hypocrisy. He’s taking advantage of the opportunity the group gives him to score a joke or two.
As for his addiction: He does 3 hours a day or the best talk radio anywhere and you couldn’t tell he was on painkillers. The addiction clearly wasn’t for fun. I challange anybody to do what he did during that time.
Rush is great at what he does, and he’s right most of the time, and that is why so many people have such an unhealthy hate for him.
As for a NAMBLA joke- that is just sick. But typical of the Left (or just a Rush hater).
I have to agree with the Rush fans on this one, when you look at the train wrecks on the looney left there really is no comparison. I have hated Bill Maher and Jennie bo Beanie Garpukalo for 15 years now so there is no way I could ever listen to their tainted slant on the News. Add in Chris I will orally pleasure the president at the drop of a hat and Keith Olberman and you top out the reason I could never be on the left of talk radio or TV.
Is Rush right about a lot of things….yes, is he wrong about a lot of things….yes? But in the end his common sense approach to a lot of the garbage we see in pilitics today is refreshing.
I used to be a big listener of Rush and I remember his unsympathetic lambasting of drug addicts. The fact that he later became addicted (and lost his hearing because of it) and did not change his tune makes him a huge hypocrite in my book.
I stopped listening to him when I started thinking for myself and realized he really is nothing but an entertainer. He will say anything that fits his radio persona for the sole purpose of getting attention.
There is one thing you have to realize – he is still on the air and Air America is not. Makes you think about why that is. I listen to Hannity and Glen Beck more than Rush. Yes, I know, I am a looney right-winger, but you have to admit, they are entertaining.
Beige – I agree, with such big hits as Jeannine has had, you know why she is begging for attention. I often snicker at the fact that people like her and Rosie are actually taken seriously.
Aside for Nati: Don’t worry; I laughed.
Beige,
I just read where Jeannine is on “24″. I guess she does not mind getting paid for by the Fox Network. Now, I would love to see John Voight sock her right in the mouth. I would pay to see that happen.
As for a NAMBLA joke- that is just sick. But typical of the Left (or just a Rush hater).
Thanks for the reminder. As a typical liberal, I’m not up to quota on sick jokes at your leaders expenses. I need to think of some really good ones, because nothing gives my life value than taking jokes at the expense of the only moral people in America (possibly the world)!
Golly, or maybe I’ll sit here and be good while he rips my values and anyone or anything that may help those values to shreds. While I’m at it, I’ll let my real neighbors do it, too. I must deserve my real life loneliness because I’m not a good, Republican girl. If I really loved God like I said I did, I would be. But I don’t. So I’ll be on my way to Hell for it, but it’s a little irrelevant since I already am for the mortal sin of not being Protestant.
Speaking of evil liberal quotas, it’s time to run around and have guiltless unprotected sex (who needs protection while abortion is legal?), smoke tons of pot, and set up my altar to Obama.
Blanket statements are always fair and I’m glad you exposed the total immorality and lack of morals every single liberal to ever have lived is guilty of. Appreciated.
Also! Any hypocrisy on the side of the left makes all of the hypocrisy on the right a-ok! Our sins have cleansed yours just because our evil exists in the world. Glad to be of service. ./bow
Any other stereotypes to fling in my face?
How about lefties are humorless shrews?
And then having his flunkies lie about it. Because it’s no big deal, right? And the lie is no big deal either. Go back to sleep.
Amen Pasta
I heard the clip of what Rush said a while ago, and he actually said something like, “…if Obama’s purpose is to socialize America, then I hope he fails.” That’s not the exact quote, but it’s as close as my brain can manage. Waht he said is not really the way that the media plays it, with the beginning cut off, the just play “I hope he fails”.
Having said that, Rush bores me now, there are too many other people who do what he does in a way that I like better.
Why is Rush held up to the same standards as the person who holds the title of President? Rush doesn’t need our tax dollars to pay for his goodies. We can choose whether or not to listen to Rush on a moment-by-moment basis, but until 2012, we’re pretty much stuck with the person who currently occupies the Oval Office. Rush is a radio personality, and can’t hurt us with anything he does or says, whereas the actions of the current White House occupant can and will affect our lives.
Speaking of 24, Go Jon Voight!!! And it didn’t make sense that he would set the bio weapons on flyover country. I would imagine he’d want to take out L.A. or N.Y.
lol, Minnow, that’s a relief. On a serious note, though, I think that when it comes to people becoming addicted to painkillers and/or other prescription drugs, a large part of the responsibility lies with the doctors, nurses and other medical personnel, considering how overprescribed these medications are. The dosage is almost always unnecessarily high and the doctors tend to prescribe really strong medication even when the level of pain experienced by the patient is moderate or even minor. There’s basically “That’s some nasty paper cut you got there, here’s a bottle of codeine” situation in nearly every hospital and doctor’s office. And considering that some people become addicted to the medication very easily (some almost right away), I think one can hardly judge them.
Stonegrigio, I think it’s important that we hold Rush to the same hypocrisy standards as “the person who holds the title of President” because given how much power he wields in the Republican party right now, he could actually help decide who the next person holding that title is. He and others may think he’s just an entertainer, but I can’t think of any other entertainer who can yank political strings the way he can.
Except maybe Oprah. Vagrant Dog, you may have something there in comment #6. Let the Deceiver investigation commence!
@Oversneer
I agree. Rush should commend Obama or Teddy on something if he agrees with it. I’m sure that will happen right after Obama or Teddy commend Rush for something they agree with. Maybe the three of them can get together and sing “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” at a press conference or something. It was a two-way street. Rush may have said the PSA but the HSUS did post it.
Rush wasn’t drafted because he had a medical condition. Yes, it was a cyst, and yes, that sounds like a BS excuse, but I’m not judging him since I don’t know how severe his case was.
Uh, that line about Obama promising during his campaign to get a shelter dog is sarcasm, right? He never even mentioned the dog until his Election Night speech in Grant Park. And while he did say at one point that the dog would probably be “a mutt like me,” he also always said that his daughter’s allergies would be the main factor in their decision.
Disagree with Obama all you like, Mr. Oversneer, but please don’t jump on the “OMG Obama got the WRONG DOG and failed ALL HUMANS AND ANIMALS EVERYWHERE” bandwagon.
I just want to throw in one defense for Rush. He did commend Obama (give him credit, etc) for ordering the Marine snipers to take out the Somali pirates. He even went so far as to say that the Marines didn’t follow orders and waited 2 days before they took action. So more or less, I would say Rush is a little more “fair and balanced” than the “progressive” radio station I occasionally listen to. I can’t listen to the “progressive” station for long since those shows just gets my blood boiling within seconds. Most of the time, the conservative radio shows don’t sound downright hateful like the liberal ones do.
I have to agree with Stonegripio on the point about holding Rush to the same standards as Obama. When Rush annoys me, I turn to another station or turn off the radio. Whether I listen to Obama or not, his decisions directly affect my life. And Rush Limbaugh is NOT a Republican party leader. And if Obama is trying to set up a socialist society here in America, then I want him to fail too. You can quote me on that.
SC, Rush Limbaugh may not be a Republican party leader, but he’s certainly got many of ‘em by the shorthairs.
That said, if Obama is trying to set up socialism in this country, I hope it fails too. Although at this point it looks like most of the socialist redistribution is going to large financial institutions, so go figure.
Huh.
I thought the left just christened Meghan McCain as the new Republican leader.
I sure hope they get this settled for us soon! All my prayers and prostrations are practically worthless if I’m bowing towards Palm Beach instead of Phoenix.
Rush hardly has the kind of power over the GOP that Democratic operatives will have us believe. He certainly wasn’t influential enough to keep John McCain off the Republican ticket. Newt Gingrich wasn’t afraid to criticize him publicly for his “Obama to fail” comment (taken completely out of context, as much of everything Rush says is for the purpose of creating incendiary sound bites). And there doesn’t seem to be much love lost between Rush and Michael Steele. The GOP is bending over backwards to appease the MSM and seems to have tossed Rush and his toothless right-wing fringe audience to the wayside.
In the end, Rush is just a hugely successful radio personality, not to be compared with some community organizer who seems hellbent on ruining this country.
I’m surprised you let the “I hope he fails.” quote on here because in context…Rush said he wants his policies to fail….his left wing, socialistic, government run health care, abortion on demand policies. I’m disappointed Deceiver. I thought you would know better than to make it sound like that’s the only thing Rush said. There is far more to the story. Rush ain’t grasping at straws. These are legit concerns of many citizens.
I agree with Christopher and Stonegrigio.
OTOH: WOW, is this ever a right-wing fanatical fringe maniac site. Heh.
D—, Rush got addicted to painkillers because of the conginital medical condition that cost him his hearing, not the other way around.
And I agree, the whole quote was “I hope his policies fail”. And you know what, I will join Rush on that one. If this Employee Choice acts goes through along with so many other scary policies, we will not have much of anything left. GM is now Government Motors. The CFO of Freddie Mac (or Fannie Mae, I forget) just commited suicide and Chrysler is now saying no thank you to more money because they do not want Obama telling them how to run things.
Yes, Rush has many followers but he does not shape how this country is run. He bashes some Republicans as does Sean Hannity. However, what he says will not hurt this country as much as what Obama says will.
Beige, this is a right-wing fanatical fringe maniac site? Aw man, come no one ever told me?
Thanks for the clarification on the limits of Rush’s power, stonegrigio. Sounds like his influence isn’t as strong as some would have us believe.
AAW: “Chrysler is now saying no thank you to more money…”
Just to clarify the point, because it will inevitably cause general public confusion after May 1st, Chrysler FINANCIAL is turning down TARP money.
Chrysler LLC, on the other hand, will likely take their final bridge-loan installment after surrendering themselves, sans pants, to Fiat next week.
Chrysler Financial is loan & finance, like it’s sister firm GMAC. LLC is automotive. Cerberus is a private investment group which holds varying amounts of them all, but each is distinct and seperate.
If Chrysler LLC had told Obama to shove it where even Chris Matthews won’t shine, I wouldn’t be looking at moving to freakin’ Iowa.