U.S. Senate See Full Big Line

(D) J. Hickenlooper*

(R) Somebody

80%

20%

Governor See Full Big Line
(D) Phil Weiser (D) Joe Neguse (D) Michael Bennet
50% 50% 50%
Att. General See Full Big Line

(D) M. Dougherty

(D) Jena Griswold

(D) Brian Mason

60%↑

30%↑

20%↓

Sec. of State See Full Big Line
(D) A. Gonzalez

(D) George Stern

(R) Sheri Davis

50%↑

40%

30%

State Treasurer See Full Big Line

(D) Brianna Titone

(R) Kevin Grantham

(D) Jerry DiTullio

60%↑

30%

20%↓

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

(R) Somebody

90%

2%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

(R) Somebody

90%

2%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Hurd*

(D) Somebody

80%

40%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert*

(D) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Crank*

(D) Somebody

80%

20%

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

(R) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) B. Pettersen*

(R) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(R) Gabe Evans*

(D) Manny Rutinel

(D) Yadira Caraveo

45%↓

40%↑

30%

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

5%

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
February 09, 2009 11:16 PM UTC

Limbaugh Takes Command

  • 29 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

The Los Angeles Times profiles one of our favorite open thread quote machines–prominent like never before? The “unofficial leader” of a leaderless GOP?

While the GOP’s star has fallen, Limbaugh’s has soared. As party leaders struggle to find their voice, Limbaugh’s baritone booms loud and clear three hours a day, five days a week on 600 radio stations across America. If a $400-million contract and the title of most influential talk radio personality — as voted by industry pros — aren’t sufficient proof, consider President Obama’s decision to pick a fight with him three days into his presidency…

By his own account, he is the most prominent voice of conservative thinking — “the last man standing” — now that Republican lawmakers have decided to, in his judgment, bow before the president. Indeed, Limbaugh seems more energized than ever. “Things just keep flying out of my fertile mind,” he said during a recent reckoning of how “Obama the Unifier” had sprinted to the liberal left.

Limbaugh’s listening audience is relatively narrow — it is predominantly white, male and politically conservative — but highly motivated. Many of the 20 million or so who tune in each week are willing, even eager, to pummel their opponents with letters, phone calls and e-mails to make their voices heard.

They can make a difference. Among their achievements, talk radio listeners helped kill President George W. Bush’s immigration reform effort. Recent polls suggest that, despite Obama’s high approval ratings, public support has declined for his stimulus bill since Limbaugh and his broadcast peers began railing against it.

Limbaugh has plenty of critics, not all of them liberal or Democrats. Some Republicans worry that the 58-year-old AM radio icon, highly effective at rallying disenchanted conservatives, may be turning off the less ideological voters whom Republicans need if they hope to again become a majority party.

“The question is: Are we going to have an all-white-man litmus test under the Republican Party? Or is there room for diverse opinion on environmental issues, on the issue of right to life, the issue of taxes and spending?” said Rich Bond, a GOP strategist and former chairman of the Republican National Committee…

Tweet
Share

Comments

29 thoughts on “Limbaugh Takes Command”

  1. I don’t remember during the last administration there being such a concerted and planned effort being made to marginalize or somehow silence through goofy legislation any media critics.

    2. You mean except for the constant drumbeat against the entire “liberal media”?  But reallly, LB, who cares?  Rush is a dinosaur with a demo still big enough to make him very rich but unable to, say, prevent the nomination of McCain or the election of Obama.  

      As far as I’m concerned Rush is a big yawn. And the only people who keep talking about the Fairness doctrine are all righties except for a very few lefties.  Again, big yawn. Considering the average age of his listeners, O’Reilly viewers, etc. it will be quicker to just wait for them to die off then to get any legislation passed.

        1. He reminds us of the schoolyard blowhard and bully. His act is as bad as Ann (a vote in every district) Coulter’s.  With gross intellegence and lots of frothy mouth they turn out hate, lies and ignorance by the bucket load.

          So, it is fun to list their daily dumps.

        2. When such a flaming squirrel has the microphone and an audience. Always.

          So yes, he gets a lot of attention from bloggers and the more attention he gets, and the more the republican party is associated with him, the longer they will remain in the minority.  

        3. That Limbaugh couldn’t get anyone he wanted  nominated or elected in 2008?  That I find him a big yawn? That only a few lefty bloggers are keeping him prominent in blogs like these?  

      2. http://www.alleyinsider.com/20…

        There’s also this famous moment:

        http://archive.salon.com/polit…

        It’s understandable that Republicans wouldn’t remember this sort of thing, because any criticism of Dear Leader was treason, but it did happen.

        This, on the other hand, is responding to a fierce critic by, um, criticizing him. It’s far from a threat, or intimidation, and substantially more civil than Dick Cheney’s jokes about Keith Olbermann.

    3. The last administration openly outed an underdover CIA agent, used the FBI and US attorney’s office to pursue it’s political opposition, and sought to deregulate the media to the point wher monopoly by individuals such as Murdoch were permitted to corner markets. Michael Powell made it clear that murder on television is fine, while a bared breast brought massive fines.

      This says nothng about the attacks on Michael Moore–(IRS, and State Department)

  2. “The question is: Are we going to have an all-white-man litmus test under the Republican Party? Or is there room for diverse opinion on environmental issues, on the issue of right to life, the issue of taxes and spending?” said Rich Bond, a GOP strategist and former chairman of the Republican National Committee…

    hmmm, so self-described “all-white-man” automatically equates with anti-enviro, pro-life, anti-tax and spending? that’s funny.  

  3. Rush Limbaugh needs to step into the deliberative limelight where his propagandistic jive has more limited appeal.  By which I mean, he needs to be interviewed and pinned to the wall with questions and challenges outside the cozy confines of his pre-screened, scripted talk machine.  I mean, if he can’t hold his own…  

      1. There you go demonizing again. You really are intellectually bankrupt.

        Read The Conservative Mind…I forgot that would take concerted effort for you to educate yourself.

        1. The last administration openly outed an underdover CIA agent

          False.

          used the FBI and US attorney’s office to pursue it’s political opposition

          Example?

          This says nothng about the attacks on Michael Moore–(IRS, and State Department)

          What?  Michael Moore?

          1. Armitage admits leaking Plame’s identity

            Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage acknowledged Thursday that he was the source who first revealed the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame to syndicated columnist Robert Novak back in 2003, touching off a federal investigation.

            …

            Novak has never revealed the original source of the information about Plame. However, he has confirmed that President Bush’s chief political strategist, Karl Rove, confirmed the information and was the second source cited in the column.

            David Iglesias:

            The report concludes that Iglesias was removed as a result of complaints brought to DOJ by New Mexico GOP members of Congress and party activists, and shows that Karl Rove knew in advance of the decision. It reveals that at a meeting on November 15, 2006, Rep. Heather Wilson told Rove: “Mr. Rove, for what it’s worth, the U.S. Attorney in New Mexico is a waste of breath.” Rove’s response: “”That decision has already been made. He’s gone.”

            Don Siegelman and others

            Mr. Siegelman’s lawyer, Doug Jones, said the investigation of the former governor was very limited until it turned around “180 degrees” in late 2004, after Washington officials told local prosecutors “to go back and look at the case, review the case top to bottom.” That is consistent with the account of Dana Jill Simpson, a Republican lawyer who says she was on a phone call in which Republican operatives said Karl Rove was involved in the prosecution.

            What a squirrel.

            1. 1. Armitage.  Bush hater.  Not Rove, not Cheney, not Bush.

              2. Say this to yourself over and over:

              “Pleasure of the President”.

              He should have fired all of them like Clinton did right off the bat.  Shame on Bush for not being smart enough to do that.

              1. That’s, um, a weird attitude to have. Armitage worked quite happily under Bush for a long time.

                Plus I never quite figured out how the fact that Armitage leaked 15 minutes before Rove and Fleischer and Libby did made him the only bad guy among this crowd.

                But OK, I guess that’s what you have to believe to make outing a CIA agent cool.

              2. How did such a Kool-Aid drinker wind up voting for Obama?  Was it really only because you thought the next President had no chance of succeeding with all the dire problems to be faced and so wanted it to be a Dem so your Rs could get it back in 2012?  Are you one of those who only hope for Obbama to fail no matter how much America has to suffer?

              3. First, you accuse somebody of not telling the truth. When contradicted with facts, you resort to ad hominem attacks.

                Then, you request examples, implying more falsehoods. Provided examples, you shrug, implying that it’s OK for the president’s chief political operative to decide who the justice department prosecutes for political corruption and who it doesn’t.

                and as I recall, the U.S. attorneys in the Siegelman and Iglesias cases were Bush appointees. Iglesias just didn’t drink the Koolaid.

                Apparently, you did.

                1. Nobody’s attacking anyone.  Ad hominem or otherwise, so lighten up.

                  The attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President.  End of story.  He could fire them for wearing red if he wants.

                  IMO, Plame and her jackass husband had it coming.  No love for those two.  She outed herself long ago, wasn’t undercover, and he’s the one that printed classified info (wrong, btw) in an Op-Ed in the NYT as a political hit job.

                  Old news, though.  We have a new President, and I’m hoping he has great success, but my belief is that Democrat-style spending celebrations are not the way to get out of this recession.  DO a clean stimulus bill, or don’t cry about not having Republican fingerprints on it so you can cover your ass.

                  To BlueCat’s point, in a way, yes.  I wish him success, but if he fails, it will help bring back a style of Republicanism that I prefer.  Not the limp-spined, make nice with Dick Durbin McCain style, but the non-corrupt, contract with America style that we seem to have lost.

                  I know I play a part here, and even though we go around and around, we’re al Americans.  I have much more respect for the office of President than most on the far left ever showed W., and I have a tremendous respect for most of you, as those of you I’ve been able to meet in person hopefully realize.

                  I’ll be snarky, and overstate my point, but I hope nobody ever takes that as a personal attack or lack of respect, unless I make it clear that’s what it is.

                  1. Ad hominem refered to the “bush-hater” non-rebuttal.

                    What’s this:

                    used the FBI and US attorney’s office to pursue it’s political opposition

                    Got to do with this?:

                    The attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President.  End of story.  He could fire them for wearing red if he wants.

                    And if Plame wasn’t undercover, why did Rove and Libby lie about it?

                    As for the rest, I realize you play a role here and without the 10-20% conservative posts, this board would devolve into another kos or huffpost – just a lot of tiresome whining, IMO. But when you don’t have your facts straight, I’ll call you on it. And having received one of your more vulgar personal attacks, I don’t see much reason to be nice about it.  

                  2. What color is the sky on the planet where you live and that was ever a reality, LB. Jeesh!  Had no idea you were so hopelessly naive.  I suppose you think Gingrich is a great Christian family man, too.  Him and  Rush.  And O’Reilly.

  6. i don’t care whether it is jay Marvin saying that Udall is not welcome on his show or the dirt jocks on KHOW and KOA…the radio is being used in a way that is contrary to the best interests of the constitution and this democracy.

    I have had it with the wall to wall crap…and that includes Limbaugh…who derives his power from monopoly control…

      1. No government licensed commercial enterprise should be able to control which elected officials can speak on the public airwaves, PERIOD. BTW. Jay marvin is a flaming “lefty.” he is the only “lefty” broadcasting locally.

        this week on KOA, Bob Beauprez is on for gunny bob….that is 15 hours of free air time…hell, I bet he is even paid…tell me LB, how many state senators and legislators from the majority party, the democrats will BB have on????

        Nice little present to the repubs if beauprez decides to run for anything…

        Do you think this is fair. If so, why?

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments


Posts about

Donald Trump
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Lauren Boebert
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Gabe Evans
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado House
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado Senate
SEE MORE

143 readers online now

Newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!

Colorado Pols