Limbaugh Defends AIG From "Lynch Mob ... Ginned Up By Obama"

Anger at American International Group knows no party lines. But one top Republican isn't joining in. On Monday and Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh defended the insurance giant and their bonus payouts:

"A lynch mob is expanding: the peasants with their pitchforks surrounding the corporate headquarters of AIG, demanding heads. Death threats are pouring in. All of this being ginned up by the Obama administration."

When one of his own callers said he agreed with President Obama on this one, Limbaugh replied: "Let me ask you a question. ... You have a company -- let's take AIG out of this 'cause they're so emotionally charged. Let's say that the company being bailed out is the XYZ Widget Company. ... We need them to manufacture widgets and sell widgets and so forth. So why in the world -- or how do you get to the point where you're going to bail out the company, but you don't want the employees to get paid?"

The caller protested that the AIG employees were already getting paid plenty, and Limbaugh responded that the only thing stopping him from making just as much was himself:

LIMBAUGH: Do you know what? And I mean this from the bottom of my heart, Nathan -- the only person stopping you is you. There's 250 -- he hung up. Damn it, he hung up. Right?

Nathan, if you're -- there's $250,000 out there for you, Nathan. If you really want it, you really want to earn that kind of money, it's out there. Now, it's going to -- and don't -- I'm not being insulting -- it's going to take hard work.

Read the full transcript at Media Matters.

The AIG defense led MSNBC's Keith Olbermann to name Limbaugh, not for the first time, his "Worst Person In The World" Tuesday night. Watch:

Comments

[Luca]

Follow-up to post. What you need to do is write to the FCC, and use all legal remedies to prevent monopolization of the airwaves by the far right. You need to upend their business by boycotting, and not buying whatever they personally sell, or buy any of the merchandise that is advertised on their media outlets. And be sure to let the advertisers know that you will not support any products they advertise there.

[juzcuz]

very good idea Luca... everyone should do this... boycott Rush Limberger-stinky-cheese - anything he is associated with stinks.

[Mahrion]

Lets not act like repungants, lets not Dixie Chicks him, however boycotting sounds like a good idea.

[Wigelah]

Is this guy ever right about anything?

[WATCHDOG1]

When someone mentions Rush Limbaugh's name it makes me want to pewk.

[Diogenis]

yaaaa, I get that feeling with the name of Palin too! yuchhhh

[Luca]

ALERT. Readers. The enemy is NOT Rush Limbaugh. Don't get distracted by the barking dog named Limbaugh. Your enemy is the corporation and the owner of the corporation that is holding the leash to this dog. Dogs are replaceable. They come and they go. But the owners keep buying new ones to scare, distract and divide. This distracts from who really is behind the messages of hate. You need to refocus and go after these owners. Regain your focus. The people holding the leash are the enemy of the people and of the American way.

[vandegrasse]

Limbaugh (much like Reagan) hasn't met a corporate entity whose butt he wouldn't kiss!

[Irmanator]

Well said. The CEO's and boards that have condoned these outrageous levels of compensation are the root cause of the problem.

CEO's like Lee Scott of Walmart who made $23 million in 2005 while the average nonsupervisory employee at Walmart made $18 thousand.

CEO's like Mark Hurd of Hewlett Packard who used the economic downturn to demand a 2.5% pay reduction for all employees. He took a 20% reduction of his BASE SALARY but all that meant is he made $42.2 million instead of $42.5 million because most of his pay is in bonuses. BTW: Hewlett Packard made $1.9 Billion profit in 2008.

[Grit]

Rush calls his listeners DITTO heads and now calls the citizens of this country Peasants. Then insinuates that if we would stop being lazy we could all be earning 250k a year. Got news for ya Rush to the executes getting these bonuses that much money is not worth getting out of bed for. Its amazing how people of this country will support someone who insults them and their intelligence on a daily basis. Wait I may be stretching it with intelligence concerning his biggest fans. Also very very few people ever make it to the top executive levels in the mega companies without being born rich.

[ladycubsfan]

The president is responding to the people's outrage, NOT causing it, you doofus. And we are right to be incensed! This is more proof that the Republicans only care about getting rich and to hell with the little guy. If Rush's audience would just stop tuning in and, even better, boycott his advertisers so that they pull out, he would feel the sting of losing his money like so many others do. Only masochists listen to him as it is.

[greatlardini]

Every day Rush is starting to look and sound more like his favorite actor, Arnold Ziffel.

[LyleJay57]

In the posted photo, Rush looks like he is about to explode. He is also indicating how many double-meat sub sandwiches he's ordering.

[TrueD]

AIG [As_holes Incorporated by G_d] is just the sort of company that Rush would like.

[jennytaylia]

Oh yeah.. unlike him, who's NEVER "ginned up" anything against Obama, right???

Will someone donate this guy a boatload of Ox.yco.ntin so he'll ove.rdo.se??????????

[Diogenis]

is it tax deductible ?

[FightingTheRight]

Nathan probably does manual labor.

Rush doesn't consider that "working hard" or having any value.

[motodude]

Not a surprise that Rush would defend the misuse of bailout money for rewards on incompetence and failure. Isn't that what the GOP has been all about the last 8 years? Its just welfare for the rich and corporate. Raid the treasury because government is BAAAAAD. Every word of Rush's is another nail in the GOP coffin.

[whatawebb]

Will someone spear him with Ann Coulter already!

[Marklar]

LMAO!!!

[CanuckObserver2008]

And don't spare Ann!

[greymom]

Rush, I think your new found uber-fame has gone to your head. His audience is going to wake up and smell not the coffee, but the agenda of the Republican party and its anointed head, R. Limbaugh. Suddenly, they are going to "get" it and discover that the Republicans are not their friends. Maybe it will take losing health insurance benefits, or having a union busted and losing their homes or having their kids lose jobs move back into the cramped 3 bedroom tract house with their babies that will finally make them aware that THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS USING THEM while they cling to their guns and religion and Rush Limbaugh in a deluded attempt to define themselves as real Americans.

We Democrats are here for you, you soon to be recovering Republicans. You will find out that we have been here all along, looking out for you and protecting your interests. We are the ones who will stand up to big Pharmaceutical companies and Insurance Companies and try to get you a fair shake. Barney Frank, Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi have been looking out for you all along but you have been too deluded to know it. Welcome to the new improved America where the little guy actually has a voice, and is not a mere tool for the Conservative elite.

[Human-Being]

Gee Rush, what you are really saying is that if you work hard at decieving the people you'll get rich.

[mdlw]

"...the peasants with their pitchforks..."

So, that is what Rush thinks about the average American...peasants...and those peasants listening to his venom help him rake in $35-40 MILLION each year. Turn the channel...turn him off, please!

[LeeVing]

He can't seem to help himself. You have to know that more than one Republican has told him to nix the "I'm the uncrowned king of the GOP!" hoopla. But he's just wallowing in it.

I think the worms have finally begun to eat his brain completely.

[mikala]

God Bless the worms and please hurry and complete the job.

[juzcuz]

Limberger makes that much money? All for being stupid and having stinking-thinking? I agree, I think we need to boycott him, his show and all his advertisers.