Arianna Talks Rush Limbaugh, Politics On The Rachel Maddow Show (VIDEO)

Arianna joined comedian Hal Sparks on The Rachel Maddow Show last night to discuss the fallout from Rush Limbaugh's controversial speech at CPAC and whether Republicans are secretly hoping for President Obama to fail.

[WATCH]

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Comments

[indy girl]

10:17 AM on 03/05/2009

For ideas about how to get Racist Rush off the airwaves, read this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/casey-ganemccalla/operation-chaos-ii-get-ru_b_171565.html

[Diane Reid]

08:03 AM on 03/05/2009

Again Arianna is so articulate and informative when it comes to issues and answers. Rush should debate her, Naw sorry my bad, what was I thinking LOL

[saltpeter]

12:19 AM on 03/05/2009

I love how the best neo-cons have to hope for is the failure of the other guy. That just shows how uninspiring they are. They don't want to best success because that would require them moving from their already failed policies and devising workable solutions for America. Their own fascination with the wished for demise of Obama allows them to ignore the overwhelming collapse of their entire ideology that they spent forty years building only to have it all slip away in 8 short years. Sorry OBAMA already succeeded. He succeeded by beating McCain, he succeeded by passing ALL his legislation thus far and he succeeded by articulating that legislation to the people. If the neo-cons would wake up from the fantasyland that makes them believe that they are still relevant, they would realise that focusing on his "failure" allows him to succeed more and more because he doesn't have to contend with any actual viable sound opposition, only juvenile school yard taunts from bitter losers..

[golferman]

05:55 AM on 03/05/2009

Well said.

[Abraxas79]

10:15 PM on 03/03/2009

I love how Arianna calls him "Limbo" . I wonder if that is be design ?

[zest]

07:42 PM on 03/03/2009

W,s presidency failed because it was faith based.

[coolmessanger]

05:50 PM on 03/03/2009

Arianna is right. Rove is way more dangerous than the radio entertainer.
By the way shouldn't Rove be in jail already or at least prosecuted???

[Dr. Sam]

05:34 PM on 03/03/2009

The corporate media has mostly become reactionary, from Chris Mathew to CNN. They are not only promoting actively reactionary forces in society against the progressive agenda of Barack Obama but refusing to challenge these reactionaries in their false pontifications. Karl Rove is now also on ABC's Sunday morning program This Week. Rush Limbaugh has dominated the news for many days now and no one is really challinging his claims. Of course Limbaugh is running the Republican Party! Steele is a disgrace and lacks the spine to stand for anything, inluding principle. More alarming is that the corporate media is lapping up everything Limbaugh says without challenge. Under President Bush, personal freedom was radically assaulted (e.g. wiretapping of private citizens and fearmongering) and the first step was taken to take over Banks and financial institutions. What did Limbaugh say about that? Yet he now shouts that Obama is against individual liberty and capitalism! What a joke.

[TheSnarkingLot]

04:55 PM on 03/03/2009

I have to agree with Ms. Maddow when she brings up concerns about a weak Republican party.

Isn't a vital opposition essential to formulating better policy? Much as I'm delighted that Obama will be getting his way on a lot of things, I'm less delighted that he's going to be getting them from the Democratic Congressional leadership...these guys were kind of disastrous in the two years leading up to Obama's election...

The Republican party, it has become clear in the past few weeks, is not merely the minority party. They are not merely weakened. They are paralyzed, hobbled, near-fatally wounded. Again, it makes me giggle on one hand, shudder on the other...

http://TheSnarkingLot.blogspot.com

[smag]

06:39 PM on 03/03/2009

You heard it on the view.

[golferman]

06:00 AM on 03/05/2009

Having a 1 seat advantage and the other side opposing anything you tried to get done would be considered disastrous. I call that statement the dumbing down of America.

[MNLadybug]

04:41 PM on 03/03/2009

Arianna is correct. It is ROVE not RUSH that is the dangerous one. Rush is the distracting shinny object -- obnoxious but only marginally important. Do not be distracted by him! He needs to be ignored. She is also correct when she wonders why so many main stream media outlets are giving Rove a forum. It might be different if the Bush administration had left office with high popularity, and/or on a successful note. I don't get it. Why ask those who raped and pillaged a country their opinion of those who follow -- you know, the ones who have to clean up the mess and care for the wounded?

[obamagal]

05:46 PM on 03/03/2009

I absolutely agree with you. Let's just think back to the 2004 election and the swiftboating of Kerry. It was Rove; it's always been Rove. He was the architect for Bush and he is dangerous.

[paulcanning]

03:26 PM on 03/03/2009

I looooove Hal Sparks (he was so so good in Queer as folk) but please don't talk over the ladies :{

[wm1066]

04:22 PM on 03/03/2009

Ya, he totally took over when Arianna was talking, but she was able to get back to the point she was making.

[obamagal]

05:47 PM on 03/03/2009

I agree. I thought the same thing.

[BuffaloBayouBoy]

02:58 PM on 03/03/2009

In Southern India, cows roam the street causing havoc, wandering into traffic and occasionally into homes and public buildings, but there's not much that the people in Southern India can do about it. Why? Because in Southern India, Cows are literally seen as sacred religious objects (hence the term "sacred cow") which are protected from being touched, molested or killed, even if their actions wreak havoc in society.

In the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh plays the part of the "Sacred Cow"--frequently offending people and causing trouble with his radio rantings, but, since he has been declared a "sacred object" by Conservative Republicans, there is basically nothing that anyone can do about it. Like the cows in India, Limbaugh can't be touched or criticised in any way without running afoul of "Conservative P.C. beliefs". (This latest group of Republican Politicians who have been forced to apologize to Limbaugh are but the latest illustrations of this point). So like the sacred cows of India, Limbaugh, the Republicans' "sacred cow", will go on offending people and generally wreaking havoc with his radio program while the Republicans stand back unable to do anything to stop him.

Meanwhile, the Democrats, in this case, are like the people who live in far Northern India--they kill cows and eat their meat!!!

[cdsister]

03:43 PM on 03/03/2009

Great comment.

[obamagal]

05:48 PM on 03/03/2009

Excellent analogy. Thanks.

[estreya]

02:29 PM on 03/03/2009

We need to see more of you on the main stream news shows, Arianna. Bravo!

[obamagal]

05:48 PM on 03/03/2009

Yes, Arianna is excellent.

[Publicdoug]

02:28 PM on 03/03/2009

I strongly agree with prior comments requesting that comedians not be part of interviews where anything substantive is to be discussed. It would be a complete coincidence if the comedian has any authority to comment on the subject of the discussion, and the presence of the comedian (especially this guy who kept interrupting Arianna) prevents any serious discussion of the issues.

[ediva75]

02:14 PM on 03/03/2009

I missed this last night but didn't sweat it since I knew it was gonna be up on HuffPost (but of course). Very good interview. Arianna was killing me with the pimp comment but Hal had me rolling on him being more of the client than the pimp (LOL)!!!

[Peter Wu]

02:03 PM on 03/03/2009

Rachel mentioned that she would love to see "two parties" if we are to have a "two party" system. That is one of the major problems, no 3rd or 4th voice. Ron Paul had to run as a Republican just to get his msg out. His msg was one of fiscal responsibility, ending the illegal/immoral war in Iraq, bringing our troops home from ALL over the world (135 countries and counting) and getting rid of the IRS. What other politician is even close to presenting such a radical and truthful msg? NONE.

The Founding Fathers warned against having political parties because they foresaw that the parties would end up fighting for control instead of what is best for the people they represent. This is what we have now in Congress and the completely irrelevant "Red vs Blue" debate. It's no longer what is good for American, but what is good for their party, and both sides are part of the problem.

I hope Rachel sees that and the mainstream media begins to let alternative voices be heard. I like Rachel a lot and love her left of center pov. Sometimes, we have to examine our assumptions; like "two party system."