Courting the Jester: The Slippery Right's Love Affair With Limbaugh

When George W. Bush was campaigning for President, I thought there was no better man he could have in his corner than Rush Limbaugh. After all, who could understand the political aspirations of a privileged, party-going, service-avoiding, C-average candidate better than a privileged, two-and-a-half semester college flunk-out, with a penchant for Oxycontin and bombastic talk, who got out of the service altogether for having a hairy butt boil?

They were a match made in a spinning, blinders-on Republican heaven, where the faithful still believe that conservative politicians and their pundits, with a little bit of faith and a lot more charm, can transform failures and shortcomings into delusory gold, and rebirth multimillionaires into everyday people who really care about the plights of their Joe Six-Pack and Soccer Mom peers. Operating under the premise that if something is said often enough it will become accepted as the truth, they tend to blame the mythical devil of the Liberal Media for their public embarrassments, and don't find it odd at all when their counterparts wave off abuse-of-power reports and even court convictions as if they were the conspiratorial fantasies of an unpatriotic public. Behind the thick cigar smoke and carnival mirrors of such political propaganda, Limbaugh isn't just a barker, but a godhead with a loyal legion of followers hailing from the furthest backwoods shacks to the hallowed halls of Washington. Those followers are called, appropriately enough, dittoheads.

The slippery, delusional thought processes of dittohead candidates and their lobbying groups were never as transparent as they were during the 2008 election. In the midst of a economic crisis, with the highest national debt in the history of the nation -- after eight years of iron-fisted Republican domination -- millions of Americans were bombarded with political slogans like these:

* Who can fix our economy? Only one party will fix the damage and prevent another crisis. Vote Republican.
* Jobs lost. Spending up. Economy down. Energy prices Up. Vote Republican to end America's economic crisis.
* Vote Republican & Restore Balance to Our Economy.
* Republicans will eliminate wasteful spending, balance the budget and regain the trust of the American taxpayer.

Of course, Rush Limbaugh was there to lead the charge. And in the foggy realm of Republican obfuscation, Limbaugh is not just a college dropout with an inflammatory radio show, but an authority on capitalism, economics, defense, domestic policy, world relations and more. Never mind that Limbaugh has not passed so much as one college course in business, law or political science -- he has a$400M dollar contract with Clear Channel Radio, and a show that reaches an estimated 20 million viewers a week between 600 stations. According to figures obtained by Forbes, Limbaugh's eight-year contract is only $87M short of what Hollywood's 10 best-paid actors earned in the year between June 2007-June 2008, and $155.5M more than what the 10 best-paid actresses earned in the same time.

$400M can buy a lot of prestige in Washington, but a charismatic personality is worth much more, particularly when it comes attached to a substantial base of fans. Just ask James Dobson or Pat Robertson. Like Limbaugh, Dobson and Robertson managed to hold political sway based not on their intellectual credentials or objective reasoning skills, but on the basis of their Arbitron ratings. They were given credibility by Washington politicians not because they were giants of integrity, ethics, or reason, but because they were media giants -- willing to excuse even the most beleaguered Republican politicians, and deliver official but truth-bereft messages to their audiences, in exchange for Washington-sanctioned political standing.

Without that sanction, it is unlikely that personalities like Limbaugh, Dobson, and Robertson would have ever been considered newsworthy outside of the entertainment or religion pages. Certainly, without the sanction of Washington politicians, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal would not be doing what amounts to PR for Limbaugh.

Instead, thanks to Washington and the slavish capitulation of congressmen like Phil Gingrey-R (who backed off of his justified criticism of Limbaugh after fans inundated his office with complaints), Americans who would not normally tune in to hear the opinions of an unschooled political shock-jock, are being inundated with his ridiculous, uninformed messages.

Businesses need tax cuts. The US corporate tax rate is obscene. It is the highest of all industrialized nations. It's 35%. Cut it. Cut it in half. - excerpt from Rush Limbaugh's stimulus plan.

Taking his cue from dogmatic Republicans who can't stop repeating the mantra of corporate tax cuts long enough to address the truth, Limbaugh used his PR opportunity to mislead more Americans than usual. The 35% tax rate is born from a paper figure that has little to do with the reality of what corporations actually pay. At the risk of repeating information that seems to bounce right off the collective conscience of the dittoheads, the fact is that despite the high bracket tax rate on paper, many corporations pay no taxes at all, and those that do pay, don't pay anywhere near 35% after deductions, incentives, and loopholes.

America has known many charismatic media personalities but Republican politicians, perhaps still impressed by the number of conservative evangelicals thought to be delivered by television and radio preachers in the Reagan and Bush years (as if they would have voted otherwise), seem especially inclined to lend credence to Rush Limbaugh, even at the expense of their own reputations outside of the Republican party.

I don't think President Obama was being flip when he told congressional leaders that "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done." Rather, it seems he might have been responding to the lack of original thought and leadership within the Republican party, and the seeming eagerness of Republican politicians to hand the intellectual reins of their platform over to whatever colorful pundit they think can best deliver them voters in the next election. If it's a strategy, it would seem to be one as disastrous as the Palin pick, and if it's a habit, it's one that surely needs breaking if the Republican party is to recover from the Bush years with any integrity.

Comments

[Nishnabe]

Enjoy reading your posts and you did a great job with a tricky subject. Consider also that as America creeps below a 70% rate of functional literacy, more and more people seek slogans for complex problems. I come from a large and extended Native American family where less than half of my generation graduated from high school and few go on to college. As a college level educator I am truly disturbed that many of my students can barely read and write and fewer still can think critically. One other note. What would you do if you knew that there were more than five hundred countries receiving federal aid and had no freedom of the press? And leaders of those countries were engaging in corruption that contributed to high infant mortality rates, violence and abuse against women, and denial of other basic civil rights? You would be outraged. Yet we cannot get a single major newspaper or media outlet to address the lack of freedom of the press in Indian Country here in the United States. In your own state, Minnesota, with all its reservations not a single free tribal press. Be well and stay warm.

[BillAnthony]

Limbaugh appeals to his audience on a level beyond ideology. It's an authoritarian personality relationship. Some people are psychologically prone to fall into lockstep with the biggest blowhard they come across.

[Jane Devin - Huffpost Blogger]

I agree with you, Bill. Right wing radio succeeded not because of the value of the message in my opinion, but because many people were drawn to the brash cockiness of the hosts, and the black & white viewpoints, which makes it so much easier to name the enemies. In talk radio, the enemies were, of course, "the liberals", which came to mean at one time or another anyone who had an independent thought that was outside the far-right platform.

[NJmikeV]

Let's not forget this about Limbaugh:

http://newsone.blackplanet.com/obama/top-10-racist-limbaugh-quotes/

Does the GOP really want to line up behind this guy ?

[Wiserone]

Let's not forget something here. The message problem for the RNC is Rush because he only has a microphone - he does NOT have a vote in Congress for anything to do with the stimulus package. Rush is nothing more than the Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton of the RNC.

[LMPE]

Al Franken said it best in his book title: Rush Limbaugh is a Big, Fat Idiot.

And to think that this mass of lard makes more money than the top 10 highest paid actresses.

I'd like to see Pres. Obama and Congress pass a law to target Limbaugh personally.

;)

[rasit]

What is wrong with America?

Valuing ignorance over intellect,
Valuing unity over divisiveness.
Valuing despair over hope,
Valuing greed over fairness,
Valuing uncaring over caring,
Valuing dishonesty over honesty....

And the "Jester" is a promoter of "all that is WRONG" with America......

[Einstein44]

If only the Republicans in Washington, can break away from their delusional relationship with Limbaugh.

[Virginia Plain]

Limbaugh thinks he is a great wit, but he's only half right!

Rush Limbaugh. The Pied Piper of the Republican Party!

[linseylou]

It is high time we start screaming for the fairness doctrine to be reinstated.In my state, Indiana all we can hear is right-wing radio 24 hours a day unless we have satalite radio or listen online.I guess it was the internet that turned our state blue in the election.

[AussieJim]

Thank you
occasionally I stumble across an article that reaffirms my faith in the American people.
Rush and his ilk are the bane of the American political landscape. Vindictive self obsessed & self aggrandising parasites.

[BGraham]

You nailed it! Here's what McCain said about Rush in an interview yesterday:

McCAIN: I don’t know why he would do that. Mr. Limbaugh is a voice of a significant portion of our conservative movement in America. He has a very wide viewing audience. He is entitled to his views, and he has a lot of people who listen very carefully to him. I don’t know why that the President would take him on. He’s part of the political landscape, and he plays a role.

Unbelievable how these people pander to a talk show host!

[smilodon1]

Perhaps I've discovered a problem here. McCain said, "...a very wide viewing audience." I thought Limbaugh was on the radio. Hmmm...

[BGraham]

Here's what McCain said about Rush in an interview yesterday:

McCAIN: I don’t know why he would do that. Mr. Limbaugh is a voice of a significant portion of our conservative movement in America. He has a very wide viewing audience. He is entitled to his views, and he has a lot of people who listen very carefully to him. I don’t know why that the President would take him on. He’s part of the political landscape, and he plays a role.

Unbelievable how these people pander to a talk show host!

[Wiserone]

Let's not forget something here. The message problem for the RNC is Rush because he only has a microphone - he does NOT have a vote in Congress for anything to do with the stimulus package. Rush is nothing more than the Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton of the RNC.

[NJmikeV]

Amazing to see Johnny Mac kissing Rush's butt after Rush trashed him during primary season.

If Rush jumped into a Jacuzzi, half the GOP would drown.

[Pamela Harper]

Rush knows how to do one thing! Abuse his right to free speech!! Obama is in office get over it Rush. We are all trying to come together and make this country better. My opinion the American public is getting tired of listening to your spew..have you helped anyone in your neighborhood. You are a negative "nilly" and it would really be a better thing don't you think to be an American where both parties can live. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. I use to think the Republican Party was the way to go but you have all shamed us. I hope you treat your knew republican leader better or are you going to start attacking him too. This article truly inspired me thanks!!

A very concerned American

[radiclib]

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Pretty good analysis.
And let's hope Limbaugh gains influence and power. More and more and more.
With his help, the Republicans and the right wingers and the ``conservatives'' seem increasingly shrill and wrong-headed, a fringe group that is fundamentally un-American (if you believe in good government) and anti-Christian (if you believe in the beatitudes of Jesus). More power to Rush! Mega-dittoes! Keep shouting into the echo chamber. And we'll watch a minority party shrink.
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[kris D]

is ignorance considered a strategy or a habit?

and how much more do i love Obama for making that comment?

i cannot, no matter how hard i try, wrap my head around "The slippery, delusional thought processes of dittohead candidates and their lobbying groups". this makes it difficult to reach across the isle, so to speak. that doesn't mean i don't have a certain fondness for the average Limbaugh listener. they are the boys in wrangler jeans that drive pick-up trucks and share a common BROmance fantasy about Toby Keith. i grew up with those boys.

great article Jane....as always :)