Limbaugh: "Riot In Denver!"
Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh called for Democrats to riot in Denver at the Democratic National Convention in August. Local news outlets were understandably appalled.
I can't imagine the media firestorm if an Obama supporter advocated violence at a political convention or at any other gathering. Fox News would be playing that nonstop, Hannity would have a field day.
So, should we start holding all politicians and media blowhards to the same standard?
I want to know whether John McCain or any of his people are regular Rush Limbaugh listeners. I want to ask the people in his campaign: "How could you sit and listen to that show for 20 years, knowing that these were the types of views that Mr. Limbaugh subscribed to?"
Limbaugh will of course get a pass because he's conservative and he's white. He can incite violence and use emotional or shock rhetoric to make his point and the country either gives him a pass or pats him on the back and asks him onto the Sunday news shows to expand on his "ideas."
Meantime, the media waits for another gotcha story on Obama or Hillary.
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The alarmed Denver ABC affiliate reported on the story Thursday morning:
[Limbaugh] said the riots would ensure a Democrat is not elected as president, and his listeners have a responsibility to make sure the riots happen. "Riots in Denver, at the Democrat Convention, would see to it that we don't elect Democrats," Limbaugh said during Wednesday's radio broadcast. He then went on to say that's the best thing that could happen to the country. Limbaugh cited Al Sharpton, saying the Barack Obama supporter threatened to superdelegates that "there's going to be trouble" if the presidency is taken from Obama."
But neither Sharpton, nor any Democrat, has advocated violence.
Limbaugh later backpedaled from his statements when callers to his show complained. "I'm not inspiring or inciting," he said, "I am dreaming of riots in Denver."
He also then tried to foist his idea of rioting at the convention onto Democrats. "There won't be riots at our [Republican] convention," he said. "We [Republicans] don't riot. We don't burn our cars. We don't burn down our houses. We don't kill our children. We don't do half the things the American left does."
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"We don't kill our children."? Oh, yeah, the 4,000 plus dead Americans in Iraq/Afghanistan are someone else's kids. The over 1,000 Iraq war vets who committed suicide last year are someone else's kids. The hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi's are someone else's kids. The thousands dying each day in sub-Saharan Africa are MOST DEFINITELY someone else's kids.....
What a bullshit comment for him to make anyway, but you make a very astute counterpoint, sir.
...and all those mothers who killed their kids because Jesus told them too probably weren't straight-ticket Dems, either.
Where's the ditto heads? I guess they do have shame!
Limbaugh and the Right are sowing the wind.
I am not promoting Limbaugh
Here are the clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjwE-kJpyts&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbjOrdojVOo
Everyone that reads this needs to file complaint to the FCC
Rush is trying to hurt our Democracy... This has gone beyond politics. He has gone too far. He is calling for violence. He can't apologize... He can't take back what he has said on the air. But we can take him off the air. Call your Senators . Contact your Congressman/woman. Contact the FCC.
Every American should be angry about this... the sad thing is that some of his listeners may be stupid enough to follow his commands. I claims he'll continue "Operation Chaos" from his jail cell if he has to.
How does Limbaugh stay on the air, year after year? He scoffed at the torture in Iraq as being like college hazing. He has said openly racist things about football players, politicians, and others. He is a bigot, not just a conservative. Yes, he earns the radio stations significant ad dollars, but when is enough ENOUGH?
I truly hope this incident is the straw that breaks the camel's back, and Limbaugh is terminated. I live in Denver and work near the convention site, so have a stake in no riots happening. IF riots do occur, can a class-action suit be effective against a man like this? Maybe a lawyer out there would care to opine.
Not a lawyer yet, but he can't be held vicariously liable for the actions of others in such a circumstance. For a class action suit all the causes of action would also need to have a common binding thread and his urgings via the radio would be too attenuated to link him to the violence that ensued later.
He's also protected by the First Amendment.
Actually, even joking about threatening a candidate for president (just like the President) can be charged as creating a disturbance. Any number of unsophisticated dolts have been dragged in by the Secret Service just for writing clumsy letters intended to criticize the President, but were unintentionally ominous. When someone does it publicly they usually make them do the "perp walk."
And the courts say it's not protected speech, akin to yelling fire in a crowded theater. You can say candidates should be fired, but not fired upon.
Also, Hillary's tactics are straight out of Rove's playbook. How is she different from the Republicans who hate her? I listened to her push poll in NC. Reminds me of Rove's push polls against John MCain in NC in 2000. I cried when they did that to an honorable man, but today I was angered by her on-going deceit.
"We [Republicans] don't riot. We don't burn our cars. We don't burn down our houses. We don't kill our children. We don't do half the things the American left does."
No, Republicans go into brown people's country and burn down THEIR houses and kill THEIR children.
Double standards. How do you fight that without becoming one yourself, if you know what I mean? Somebody, quick, think up a good defense. I am waiting for another big speech from Barack....
Ditto-heads (isn't it queer, they call THEMSELVES sheep) come from the United States of I Hate Liberals. They couldn't care less about the USA and they don't give two figs what their leaders destroy or how Rush lies so long as they are given "justification" for hating "libs"....and brown people...and trial lawyers...and the French...and Joe Wilson...and feminists...and environmentalists...and union members...and communists (except the Chinese)...and Muslims...and soldiers who don't like the war...and black people...and gays...and science... and Cindy Sheehan...and abortion doctors...and "Old Europe"... and Canadians...and Mexicans...and whomever else Limbaugh tells them to sick. But especially Bill Clinton...and liberals
With "operation chaos" they show themselves to be what they are: Gutless cheats and proud of it. Now, they're praying for burning cars and deathly violence. Rush helps them hate liberals that much. And guess what, they fancy themselves the "true Americans." They are diseased.
Hear, hear.
And what about getting behind causes that will really make America stronger and invest in our collective futures like EDUCATION and not saddling my children and grandchildren with $3,000,000,000,000.00 worth of debt NOT factored into the budget, which they strive so ardently to "balance?"
Not a chance.
Hmmm.... I wonder, if anyone has picked up on the fact, that inciting a riot is a federal crime in this country and is not protected under free speech.
How about a little accountability?
Ms. Hamilton , your bias clearly show that media will surely not hold Republicans to the same standards. You won't write about what Rush clearly said. He clearly did not call for demoncrats to riot. he called for his "listerners" "ditto heads" to riot and it was their duty to riot at the demoncratic convention. They will be there with their pick-up and shotguns at that convention. proof they show up to soil and difled the primary voting.
This is clearly illegal. Just as illegal as his drug use.
Rush goes on to say by doing this will cause "martial Law" and guarantee no democrat will be elected. At the same time Clinton is running ads in Indiana on Rush show.
When I called the FCC and asked if there is a formal investigation, there response was. "Not at this time, we are only taking public comment". The person I spoke to recommended to go online and file a Complaint Report (form 2000E) Here is the link:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints_general.html
Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly, Savage, Coulter, etc. are ALL scared to death of what they ALL know is going to happen: The Democrats are going to win HUGE in November...and you know why?
Because the VOTER TURNOUT will be H-U-G-E for he Democrats, just as it has been during the primaries. Just look at the numbers versus the Republican primaries. The Democrats have had up to 2-3 times the number of voters turn out versus the 2004 primaries...and it will certainly carry over to the general elections so the pure overall number of voters will turn the tide.
As for the Limbaugh "riot" bullshit...it's just that: bullshit.
The right gets away with extreme comments and the left get pilloried because the right owns the airwaves. There may be left-wing people in the media but it is owned and operated by the right.
Older people tend to get there news on the airwaves, younger people online.
The average FOX viewer is McCain's age. The right today has no shame.
The problem is that Rush Limbaugh's show is broadcast every day, every hour of it,
to our troops no matter where they are stationed OVER OUR AIRWAVES, EVERYONE'S AIRWAVES.
He sits there spewing hate and now advocating violence day in and day out for our soldiers to listen to.
CONGRESS NEEDS TO SHUT HIM DOWN!
It is so completely obvious that Rush and his fellows in the great right-wing conspiracy are holding their Clinton fire, setting a series of bear traps and desperately hoping that Hillary is the candidate in the General Election, at which point the poopstorms will be completely unstoppable, like a Katrina, but nationwide and lasting from July through November.
I mean for years and years, the Travelgate, Vince Foster, Lesbian Myths, Hubbells, Jones, Monicas, and so on were their daily bread and butter. Now nothing? Nothing on Spitzer? Nothing on Burkle, Giustra, Epstein, the billionaires who fly the Clintons around the world for dealmaking, PR, and lectures. There is lots of stuff floating around, like the Clinton "death list" at http://www.lizmichael.com/clintond.htm but Rush and his buddies are not even picking it up to throw it!
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