When the left gets Limbaugh off the air...

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Bann

My bigger point is that they wont silence Rush. (or others like him) He is a very wealthy person with a huge audience base.

They may kick him off the airwaves, so to speak. But there are other forms of media. They won't silence him.

Ok, but bob's point is that the world has been tossed on it's head; up is down, war is peace. The unthinkable is not only possible, it is happening.

Here's the nightmare; Limbaugh is prosecuted for hate speech.

That opens Pandora's box in the same way that TARP I did; it makes ANYTHING possible.

[Bann (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

Ok, but bob's point is that the world has been tossed on it's head; up is down, war is peace. The unthinkable is not only possible, it is happening.

Here's the nightmare; Limbaugh is prosecuted for hate speech.

That opens Pandora's box in the same way that TARP I did; it makes ANYTHING possible.

Ok. I can see his point. And yours. I just don't subscribe to it.

I feel that Limbaugh and the others are big enough that they won't back down, won't go quietly into anywhere, AND have the power of the American people who listen to them behind them.

I just don't believe the listener bases of Rush, Hannity, Levin, Boortz, et. al. would stand by quietly. An uprising would be putting it mildly, Larry.

I'm sorry, no matter what scenario you present, I don't see the doom & the gloom of it all. I see the POWER of the American people -(if oppression from the government happens as we are discussing) - overcoming any of that. We have survived as a country for this long and have overcome much more.

I don't think the American people will stand by and let the government take away one of our most basic freedoms - one of the first ones we fought for as a young nation - in the first place. I just don't.

Yes, there are things are happening, trying to set the stage for it, and the current administration is diligently trying to chip away at various freedoms, etc. I see that. But I also see the slow churning & rumbling of discontent by regular Americans. It reminds me of a slow boil. I think the 2010 mid-term elections may well show the big slap down on congress from those American people. That's the power we have. IF we use it, and I think we will.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Bann

Ok. I can see his point. And yours. I just don't subscribe to it. You will...you wiiilllll...

I feel that Limbaugh and the others are big enough that they won't back down, won't go quietly into anywhere, AND have the power of the American people who listen to them behind them.

I just don't believe the listener bases of Rush, Hannity, Levin, Boortz, et. al. would stand by quietly. An uprising would be putting it mildly, Larry. We'll see. Many of their listeners are 'lesser of two evil' types that will simply make the best of it and resign themselves to trying to get the top bunk at the Gulag

I'm sorry, no matter what scenario you present, I don't see the doom & the gloom of it all. I see the POWER of the American people -(if oppression from the government happens as we are discussing) - overcoming any of that. We have survived as a country for this long and have overcome much more.

I don't think the American people will stand by and let the government take away one of our most basic freedoms - one of the first ones we fought for as a young nation - in the first place. I just don't. Fairness doctrine. McCain/Feingold. Limits on free speech. One of those two is law.

Yes, there are things are happening, trying to set the stage for it, and the current administration is diligently trying to chip away at various freedoms, etc. I see that. But I also see the slow churning & rumbling of discontent by regular Americans. It reminds me of a slow boil. I think the 2010 mid-term elections may well show the big slap down on congress from those American people. That's the power we have. IF we use it, and I think we will.

When chipping away, sometimes, giant hunks suddenly break off. Erosion of liberty.

[Bann (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

When chipping away, sometimes, giant hunks suddenly break off. Erosion of liberty.

Yes, but I have humongous faith in the American people.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Bann

Yes, but I have humongous faith in the American people.

Actually, so do I.

I'm not one of the "Everyone else is an idiot"/Nothing can be done/the media is on charge types. If I was, I sure wouldn't bother posting about this stuff.

[vraiblonde]

Originally Posted by Bann

I just don't believe the listener bases of Rush, Hannity, Levin, Boortz, et. al. would stand by quietly. An uprising would be putting it mildly, Larry.

We have stood by quietly while it got this far. It's unlikely that the removal of a radio personality would provoke an uprising.

I don't think the American people will stand by and let the government take away one of our most basic freedoms - one of the first ones we fought for as a young nation - in the first place. I just don't

Many of them are standing by and allowing the government to take away our 2nd Amendment rights. They stood by and allowed Congress and the Obama administration to take over banks and auto makers and throw us into massive debt. We've stood by while the media brainwashes people with lies and distortions.

The problem is that we have jobs and lives. Cushy ones that we enjoy. So most of us will go along to get along.

[vraiblonde]

Originally Posted by Bann

Yes, but I have humongous faith in the American people.

The people who elected Barack Obama? Nancy Pelosi? Harry Reid? John McCain?

I have no faith in the American people - zero. They've pretty much proved that they're more interested in cyberporn and Kim Kardashian than they are their basic liberties and rights.

[This_person]

Originally Posted by vraiblonde

I have no faith in the American people - zero. They've pretty much proved that they're more interested in cyberporn and Kim Kardashian than they are their basic liberties and rights.

I think I have a new sig line......

[Tilted]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

Of course you're being critical! :




However, there's nothing wrong with that, at all. There is a large downside to what Limbaugh does, as you've pointed out. Which is to say how he does it, not the counter points or pointing out of hypocrisy or taking exception to ideas, etc.

It seems to me there is a HUGE market out there for someone who can make intelligent and entertaining points and political analysis without all the vitriol and hostility. This person would, I think, have to have the credibility of being able to take issue with both sides, offer better solutions and still be fun and entertaining.

I'd be curious what would happen to his audience if Rush lost some of the venom he has for the left.

But again, there are shows like Olbermann on the other side that are PURE venom in addition to the onward march of the folks who claim to be objective who are nothing of the sort.

Pretty tough to put down your gun when 10 are pointed back at you.

I guess in the strictest sense I was, but that certainly wasn't my point or intent (unless you mean 'critical' in the general sense of the word - merely evaluating something, but not necessarily in a negative way). I wasn't trying to point out that something is wrong with what he does, only trying to identify what it is a little better. Viewed in a context where we posit that influencing others is the goal - then yes, I don't think what he does is effective to that end. But, absent that presumptive goal, what I'm saying isn't criticizing him, other than to say what he is not. And, if he is not trying to be that, then there is nothing negative in asserting that he is not that. I don't presume that that (i.e. influencing people) is his goal - I believe his goal is to impassion people who tend to agree with him. He seems to be effective to that end. I would add to that, that I believe that is a very worthwhile goal. I think that more than half of politics is impassioning your supporters.

On another note, I've always assumed (and I certainly hope I'm right - god help us if I'm not) that Olbermann is perceived as much as partisan as Rush is. He may not own it as readily as Rush does, but it is certainly overt enough that he shouldn't need to (or it was the last time I saw him at work).

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Tilted

On another note, I've always assumed (and I certainly hope I'm right - god help us if I'm not) that Olbermann is perceived as much as partisan as Rush is. He may not own it as readily as Rush does, but it is certainly overt enough that he shouldn't need to (or it was the last time I saw him at work).

As I say in another post, Rush has ALWAYS made clear he is a partisan and that that is how he approaches issues, as a Republican.

Olbermann and Mathews and Stewart and some of the others approach issues sanctimoniously as that are NOT partisan, they are simply RIGHT.