Rick Raw: Rush Limbaugh Lays Down The Gauntlet for Opposing Obama

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net www.rickatnight.com

Well, it didn’t take long for radio talk show pit-bull, Rush Limbaugh to oppose President Obama’s first week’s agenda–specifically Obama’s Stumulus Package. Suddenly, Limbaugh emerged as the lead spokesperson for the ultra-conservative right wing of the Republican party.

Post haste, the blow-hard naysayer began spewing his unsubstantiated opinion to his radio listeners, condemning everything Obama before the new president could trim the Stimulus Package of its pork to get at least some Republican Senators on-board for the final vote.

Of course, Limbaugh is a provocateur--a gadfly. His reason for being is to stir up controversy to get Democrats all riled up with his anti-Obama rhetoric. His on-air diatribes are outrageous, prompting listeners to call his show so he can blast them with his shot-gun mouth. All well and good–it stimulates hard hitting dialogue, making for a lively radio show. Like him or hate him–Limbaugh is the mouth that ate the radio waves and gets paid very well for his bombastic utterances.

Limbaugh’s ascension as the voice of the right wing Republican party, when in fact, Limbaugh is not a politician, was unprecedented. It exposes the Party’s weakened position after the Obama win swept through their caucus like a hurricane, sending the candidates and Party stars scurrying like rats from a burning building.

Indeed, Limbaugh is delighted to be the horn blower for the conservative movement. In a way, Limbaugh has taken the right wing banner to the airwaves and will be its outspoken champion, while annoying the Obama camp every day. It’s Newton’s third law of motion "Where there’s an action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction." Obama’s action–Limbaugh’s reaction. Yin-yang!

Representative Phil Gingery, a Georgia Republican found out that criticizing Limbaugh brought a hellstorm of phone calls from conservatives. He said, "It’s easy for talk show hosts to stand back and throw bricks," The next day, Politico’s headline stated, "House GOP member to Rush. Back off?" Gingery was so bothered by the complaints, he visited four conservative talk-show hosts, including Limbaugh, to apologize. He ended up kissing Limbaugh’s ring, knowing that Limbaugh could bury him.

This hubbub reverts back to a few days before Obama was sworn in. Limbaugh said that he hoped Obama failed because he didn’t believe in the incoming president’s policies. Bingo! His telephone lines lit up like the enemy attack warning buttons at CENTCOM. An anchor on MSMBC asked rhetorically, "Is Limbaugh running the GOP?"

So the battle lines have been drawn and, like it or not, Limbaugh is the voice of the opposition party because he has a powerful listener base and he feeds them what they want to hear with his opinions.

Nonetheless, we must remember that when Limbaugh was having a field day with Bill Clinton’s screw-ups, his pronouncements of disgust had no effect on Clinton’s presidency. Ultimately, Rush Limbaugh hosts an entertaining radio show that stimulates debate and controversy. He has no control over Obama’s presidency. He’s just an irritating voice on the airwaves. Blah, blah, blah!