Rush Limbaugh: Obama Might Benefit From Economic Failure

By: Michelle Levi
Topics: Republicans

(AP Photo/Gary He)

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh rejected reports that he is rooting for the failure of President Obama on his syndicated program Tuesday.

Instead, he suggested that President Obama stands to gain from an economic failure.

"I am an average citizen…I have a microphone," Mr. Limbaugh said. He argued that he has been financially fortuitous in his life and asked why he would want to see the economy fail and his capital shrink.

Mr. Limbaugh also responded to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's comment on CBS' 'Face the Nation' Sunday that Limbaugh "is the voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party."

Limbaugh once again denied that he is the party's de facto leader.

"I have no control…I am not in charge of one political policy," he said today. "Why in the world would I want the economy to fail and destroy everything I am produced …I want just the opposite…I want to get out of this."

Controversy erupted after Mr. Limbaugh said in mid-January that he did not want President Obama's politics to succeed. The flames were fanned this weekend when he made the following remarks at a conservative conference in Washington, D.C.: "What is so strange about being honest and saying, I want Barack Obama to fail if his mission is to restructure and reform this country so that capitalism and individual liberty are not its foundation? Why would I want that to succeed?" The commentator received a standing ovation for his comments.

Chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele told CNN Monday that Limbaugh is not the leader of his party and called his show "entertainment."

"Yes, it is incendiary. Yes, it is ugly," Steele said. The chairman later apologized to Limbaugh.

"No one" is for economic collapse, Limbaugh said on his show this morning, "except maybe Obama."

The president, Limbaugh said, is the "one person who can do something" about the economy "attitudinally," and "he is standing mute." Mr. Limbaugh claimed that President Obama has the ability to give a speech and ease people's concerns, but there is no proof that the economy has been helped by his words or actions.

"Ask yourself, who is benefitting?" Limbaugh said. "Who said a crisis is a terrible thing to waste?…Rahm Emanuel."

Adding a little humor to the heated controversy, David Letterman asked Katie Couric on CBS 'The Late Show' what she thought about Rush Limbaugh's "bonehead" image.
Click here to watch the questioning.

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by ChuckiePie March 26, 2009 8:47 AM EDT: Why Rush Limbaugh Is Toxic For America

1. Rush is Against Labor Unions.
2. Rush is Against Increasing The Minimum Wage.
3. Rush is Against Laws that would Enable Workers to Receive a Greater Share of the Profits They Help Produce.
4. Rush is Against Expanding Medical Insurance to Cover Millions of Uncovered Americans.
5. Rush ridicules Homeless People who own Cellphones.
6. Rush ridicules Homeless People who say they and their families would rather live in a Home than in a Car.
7. Rush believes that AIG executives should keep the $165 million in bonuses they received from taxpayer bailout money, and
he is outraged that the government might try to take these bonuses back.

8. All of Rush's sympathies are with America's wealthiest 2%, and he scorns and ridicules the poor and the homeless, whom he derides as America's "Losers".

9. Rush deceives his Dittohead followers into supporting tax policies that are radically skewed in favor of America's Top 2% and against the financial interests of the Dittoheads. Very few Dittoheads earn over $250,000 a year, or have estates in excess of $10,000,000. Yet, Rush persuades his Dittoheads to vote for income and estate tax policies that favor the Super Rich -- helping the Rich Grow Richer -- while irreparably harming people who earn less than $250,000 a year, which includes virtually all of his Dittoheads. Rush convinces them to vote against their own economic interests by using sly propaganda phrases like the "Death Tax" instead of the "Estate Tax". It's not a tax on Dying -- it's a tax on large Estates. Rush is the Dittoheads' own special Fifth Columnist and Trojan Horse.

10. Rush is a White Racist. Virtually every time he tells a "joke", it is a racial putdown of blacks, Hispanics or some other minority. Deliberately confusing the names of "Barack Obama" and Rush's fictional African leader, "Barack Ogabe", is the latest example. Or, opining that the media gave football Quarterback, Donovan McNab, "a lot of credit he doesn't deserve" simply because he is black (although McNab led his team to two championships in his first three seasons with the NFC).

11. Rush firmly believes in the Golden Rule: "Them that's Got the Gold Makes the Rules."

12. Rush wants America to Fail. Rush would rather see America fail than to have Barack Obama save the USA by applying Liberal programs, such as stimulus packages for financial institutions and the auto industry, massive government deficit spending, increased government regulation of the financial markets, broader health care coverage, tax breaks for the middle class and tax increases for the wealthy, etc. We have seen the Conservative policies of massive tax cuts for the rich and de-regulation of the markets bring America to the brink of Depression. Yet, Rush's only prescription is more of the same. Rush is a narrow-minded ideologue who would rather see America fail through the continued application of failed Conservative policies than to see the country revived through the institution of Liberal ideas.

http://conservativesarecommunistss.blogspot.com/; Reply to this comment


by Arble March 6, 2009 6:00 PM EST: I'm so happy to see all of these sensible comments. I'm horrified by Limbaugh's words. I just wish a comment like this could finally be a breaking point for this dirtbag's "career". He's a sleazebag of the highest degree...whenever he's caught playing fast and loose with the facts, he always hides behind the facade of "entertainer", despite the fact that the rest of the time he portrays himself as somehow a credible news commentator. Slipping and sliding between these two roles makes him especially dangerous. The problem is that his fan-base just is not willing to see him for what he is. Similar to Anne Coulter who should have been kicked to the curb by Republicans and Dems alike for going too far, after her "9/11 widows are whiners" comment, for some reason these people manage to stay alive, despite the horrific nature of their comments. I'd be less frustrated by this situation if I could feel confident that Coulter's and Limbaugh's constituency is fringe...somehow I'm not so sure anymore...; Reply to this comment


by actornaught March 4, 2009 12:19 PM EST: Posted by ShooShoeBush at 7:56 AM : Mar 4, 2009

The second group, the neo-conned, are food like the rest of us to the neocons. They just fall into that special status of "Shmoo" that happily submit to being devoured, votes and all, against there own best interests.

If you're not nearly a billionaire, your ARE food.

Wiki shmoo...; Reply to this comment


by mKiNsEnSe March 4, 2009 10:51 AM EST: I am so tired of this being a Democrat/Republican back and forth. Your political principles cannot counteract the facts of the situation. STOP MAKING IT ABOUT that. This is a "crisis" and you people sound like children. This is a country of ideas and progression. Let's get some. I am just an average guy with average acumen in economics. My idea is that the market price of goods, services, etc should reflect market conditions. A good example is gas prices. A few months back gas cost $147 a barrel and the price at the pump reflected that. Now that gas is about $40 bucks, you see the price has drastically changed from what is was. What did people do when this happened. They filled their tanks, they got better finance contracts to fuel their homes, buildings, etc. The issue here is prices remain the same when people only want to save. I know in certain areas (selling a home) this seems ridiculous but if you can't sell your home for the profit you wanted, then you either keep it or take the hit. Basically the prices of most services and goods should reflect market conditions.; Reply to this comment


by pensacola8-2009 March 4, 2009 10:22 AM EST: If Rush didn't like Obama or Bush helping the ailing banks, then how did he expect capitalism to survive? Without help to the banks, we would not have a vehicle to practive capitalism, and it would be easily replaced with socialism.

The fact that Obama is helping banks, responsible borrowers, and working people keep their jobs is proof that Obama is a capitalist.

If Obama chose to help no one and shrink government, then it would have invited socialism.

The only controls that Obama wants to impose is how we capitalize. Borrowers who were not properly qualified by lenders was what nearly killed capitalism. It was a very poor business relationship without capitalist integrity.

Obama has said over and over again, he wants capitalist integrity in all the transactions between borrowers and lenders.; Reply to this comment


by cbsnewscomme March 4, 2009 9:47 AM EST: It is a wonder he knows where to speak in that mic. It always sounds like its up his....a$$.

Make a deal with you Flush Limpbog....you have Bush give back the 700b bankbail out and we will do the same.
You started this mess....now clean it up....; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 March 4, 2009 9:39 AM EST: The Republican Party continues to force their agenda by attempting to distract our country while allowing disasters and upheavals to SHOCK the proletariat.

The Republican Party desires more disaster (such as they have already created) like War and Economic Depression to allow the privatization of government and establish a permanent ruling class.

Listen to what Republicans say, but most of all,
watch what they actually do.
Republicans want America to fail.; Reply to this comment


by Brian808 March 4, 2009 7:27 AM EST: Sure...if Obama's plan fails, he has enough money to get by but what about the rest of us who are hoping that Obama's plan saves our jobs. It's his party that got us into this mess and the new administrations job to get us out of it. Limbaugh is a joke. I hope his show fails.; Reply to this comment


by bumpedoff March 4, 2009 2:50 AM EST: The failer will be obama's 36 billion a day spending; Reply to this comment


by cbsantispin March 4, 2009 2:24 AM EST: "Rush: I?m Not Rooting For Failure"

Oh please, cmon, the only thing missing is Rush isn't dressed up in a Cheer Leaders uniform! LOL; Reply to this comment