Why It's "Limbaugh Redux" Time

(CBS)  As Congress nears its annual August break and the outcome of President Obama's health reform proposals still remain undecided, this much is clear: you can declare the presidential honeymoon to be officially over.

Some might argue that Barack Obama never truly enjoyed the political grace period that new presidents traditionally enjoy early in their first terms and that Rush Limbaugh's "I hope he fails" soliloquy in January was a telling harbinger.

"I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what's gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here," Limbaugh said on his radio talk show.

At the time, his comments kicked up a mini-controversy on the blog and cable gabfests with commentators on the left dunning him for being unpatriotic.

But Limbaugh's was an honest reflection of conservative suspicion about a decidedly liberal administration taking power in the midst of one of the worst economic and financial crises in the country's history. When Congress approved the administration's $787 billion the following month, the grumbling started in earnest. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R., Ohio) predicted in a statement that "the flawed bill the president will sign today is a missed opportunity, one for which our children and grandchildren will pay a hefty price."

In one shape or another, Republicans have been making that argument ever since. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, William McGurn concludes that, contrary to the advance billing, Obama is not a "post-partisan" politician.

"It may be because on almost every big-ticket legislative item (the stimulus, climate change, and now health care), Mr. Obama has been pushing a highly ideological agenda with little (and in some cases zero) support from across the aisle," writes McGurn.

But now, as the opposing sides sharpen their arguments about how to deal with health care, there are emerging signs that the verbal pounding of Mr. Obama by the right is resonating beyond the Beltway. A Washington Post-ABC poll released this week found that while most Americans still like President Obama personally, public support for his policies is dropping.

The timing was purely coincidental, but only a few days earlier, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said during a conference call organized by the group, Conservatives for Patients Rights, "If we're able to stop Obama on (health care), it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

The president didn't waste an opportunity to paint a bulls eye on DeMint.

"Think about that. This isn't about me. This isn't about politics. This is about a health care system that is breaking America's families, breaking America's businesses and breaking America's economy. And we can't afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time, not now. There are too many lives and livelihoods at stake."

In other words, let's get it on.

Former Clintonites in the Obama administration - including Hillary - are experienced enough not to label this as the second coming of the great right wing conspiracy. But they don't run away from the suggestion that Republicans have made a political calculation. The GOP's best chance for a good showing in the 2010 elections rests upon the failure of the president's agenda (Call it "Limbaugh redux.")

Further ammunition was supplied courtesy of the Huffington Post which published details of an internal Republican National Committee memo outlining the script the party plans to follow to derail Obamacare. To wit:

* President Obama and Democrats are conducting a grand experiment with our economy, our country, and now our health care.

* President Obama's massive spending experiments have created more debt than at any other time in our nation's history.

* The President experimented with a $780 billion dollar budget-busting stimulus plan and unemployment is still rising. The President experimented with banks and auto companies, and now we're on the hook for tens of billions of dollars with no exit plan.

* Now the President is proposing more debt and more risk through a trillion dollar experiment with our health care.

* Democrats are proposing a government controlled health insurance system, which will control care, treatments, medicines and even what doctors a patient may see.

* This health care experiment will have consequences for generations, but President Obama and Democrats want to ram this legislation through Congress in two months.

* President Obama's health care experiment is too much, too fast, too soon. Our country cannot afford to fix health care through a rushed experiment.

* Americans want health care reform that addresses, not increases, cost or debt.

* Government takeover is the wrong way to go - health care decisions should remain between the doctor and the patient.

There's nothing here that should make Republicans blush. It's what they believe. And if, as New York Times' columnist David Brooks suggests, the Democrats have fundamentally misinterpreted the 2008 election results, then the "liberal suicide march" won't need much of a helping hand to reach its inevitable denouement.

We'll only know the real answer six to twelve months from now. To be continued.


By Charles Cooper

[jamo59]

I consider myself a Republican but that Rush Limbaugh. I thing most decent Republicans consider him a joke. He does not speak for me or any other decent Republican. Its time the next three an half years to work with each other. That includes with the Democrats. Cause we all in this together. It will be time to be at each others necks at the end of 2011. Lets get our crap together an show the world why we are the best an most resourceful country that we are.

[lakelizardholmes]

Q: What's the difference between Rush Limbaugh and the Hindenberg? A: One's a flaming Nazi gasbag, and the other is a dirigible.

[xlib]

grainofsalt-since you don't appear to post anything on your own I would like to respond. I would like to think of myself as a Michele Malkin if you don't mind. You, why, guess, you could be compared to al franken.

[excoachken]

There is a difference between Free Speech and Sedition. What Limppaugh did, in this case, was an act of an enemy and he should be face charges of because he has incited insurrection against our lawfully elected leader. With any justice, he will get to see Guantanamo from the inside. Do they still waterboard drug addled gas bags there?

[xlib]

Sedition, you say, so let's see, when members of your party stood up and said "this war is lost" that's ok? When the General Petraeuos came to give his report and your party's owner, soros, took out that full page ad in your NY Times calling him a liar, that's ok? When murtha called the Haditha marines murderers even before any investigation or hearing, that's ok? You want to talk about sedition!
As for the drug comment, you really want to go there?? Do you think Rush and your thug ever did blow together???HuH.
There is a big difference between a guy who says he is an entertainer than one of your politicians who are on record saying the things they said.
And don't give me that "he's the head of the GOP", that idiotic statement came out of a left wing mouth.

[imprisoncheney]

Rash Limpballz and his mentally disturbed fans, are nothing more than a bunch of irritated bullies who expect to get their way in every situation, and rely on hate as their favorite aphrodisiac.

And the basic premise of their whole message depends on the rest of society accepting them as being completely "normal" and "rational" in their way of thinking.

So, when the Rash-y One feigns surprise! that he's not taken seriously when he issues forth with one of his ridiculous pronouncements, he really is surprised! -- surprised that anyone should not think as he does -- ! -- which is the usual manifestation of someone whose brain isn't wired for cognitive dissonance . . .

Which is the problem to begin with.

But you can't communicate with someone who's determined not to, can you?

I say, fuhhhhh* 'em -- evolution will eventually assign them to the cesspool where they belong. And good riddance.

[shedhouserob]

I am 74 years old. I voted for Ike and Reagan. I think Pelosi is a disgrace to the democratic party- Get this- I think the republican party itself is a disgrace. I'm going independent. Anyone that votes party only is a traitor to the United States of America. ( I don't care what Ronnie says ( 11 commandment)

[xlib]

Good for you, you are the difference between the dems. They are just running on the hate stirred up by this thug and his thug administration.
Me, I campaigned for johnson and was a screaming, flaming liberal, then I grew up. Something the present dems haven't done.

[mnbrant]

Yeah abortion and health care. I can think of 2 people I know who have had abortions. Both had them because they were allergic to the latex in condoms so refused to use them. One had had two abortions and was pregnant a third time and had a moral dilemma. I told her in no uncertain terms that abortion was a sin and she was going to hell. She came back and told me that she decided to have the baby after all. The second one was a prostitute with aids. Hmm She wasn't currently pregnant but still I did not tell her to not to have abortions any more. Finally, with the health care bill approaching, I would like to say do not allow abortions to be provided in hospitals on the public dime. There are too many good pro-life doctors that would have to quit practice because of that. That has already occurred in previous administrations. Please let them have their abortions in abortion clinics. Hey if abortion was so wonderful why don't they just move their clinic into the Mall of America right next to Camp Snoopy. Then every teen would want one.

[revlin1]

It's about time that the MSM got the message and got out of the way of the perceived HONEYMOON THEY HAD with this guy. NONE of the rest of us ever thought much of the guy. Even LESS now. (And that staff and the czars?) I call that the worst wedding party and long extended that I've ever had the occasion to be a part of. In fact; we can only hope the LICENSE wasn't legit...Then, CAN WE HAVE A DO OVER? PLEASE. Never heard a Limbaugh program, but am inclined to think the guy is a GENUIS compared to most in the White House or Congress of the USA. That's my word.

[palmflood]

Yes you have heard a Limbaugh program.

[xlib]

Wow, you libs can't take it can you? You have a thug in charge that is the most arrogant, petulant, spoiled child.
It is so interesting to watch this wailing, moaning "conspiracy" left wing meltdown.
Funny that when Bush brought up the issue of allowing us to invest a small amount of our SS taxes you libs went on a virtual rampage. You had organization such as AARP ripping and roaring about how he wanted to privatize SS. Lies, all lies.
And now, when we have a voice that is telling us what is really going on. I read the posts and what you libs do not get is that this is about rationing, pure rationing

Your thug in charge has poll numbers lower than jimma carter's at the same time in his administration.
As usual, the way you people handle any kind of questioning or criticism is to attack, attack, attack and then destroy. This is straight out of alinsky's rules for radicals.
There is no debate, no discussion with you people. Everyone either tows the party line or is destroyed.
Now, your thug in charge and his media are in full attack mode.

[dagrandma]

Just as there's nothing worse for a smoker than an ex-smoker, it is apparently true that there's nothing worse for a liberal than an ex-liberal. It amazes me that you characterize our president as a "thug." Did you likewise characterize Georgze W. Bush as a thug?

[palmflood]

Brainwash complete. The enemy is within. Fairness Doctrine banished. Information is now corrupted file.

[misands]

I think allowing our citizens who are poor and sick to go without healthcare is the modern version of throwing the sick and poor over a cliff. My prediction is that nothing will happen, and that Obama will be ripped apart like tissue paper for trying to do the right thing and cover all Americans.
Let's be honest here - and I think this is what Obama is about to figure out - the majority of the American people would much rather continue to let the poor and sick die (as long as it's not them) if they think for a second they would have to pay a dime more in tax. Obama's problem is he puts too much faith that American's care enough about one another to do the right thing. Americans will continue to toot their own horn as some great Christian society while in reality, their policies and actions prove otherwise. In the past I've had people tell me I was too harsh and negative in my assesment of the majority of Americans, but I think things like the cruel healthcare system just continues to prove me right. This country will invade two countries because 3000 people were killed on 9/11 but could care less that that many people, who could be saved, die every month do to lack of health coverage.
If it's true that a society can be judged on the way they treat their most vulnerable citizens, then Judgement Day for the USA will not be pretty.

[dagrandma]

Very, very well said.

[shmowry1]

You could not be more wrong. There are problems with every system in the whole world. There is no such thing as a perfect system where everyone gets the same coverage and everyone gets everything on time and perfectly and lalalalalalala. It doesn't exist. If you think that the judgment day will be harsh on the U.S. you could not be more wrong. Why is it you think we have the longest life spans in this country? Have you even ever seen pictures from most of the world. It's easy to look at any system individually and see the flaws but it's a whole other story to say that in comparison to everything else it is that bad. You need to wake up and read a national geographic or something.