President Obama Vs. Rush Limbaugh Republicans in a Game of Chicken?
President said he'd make mistakes, and has, but GOP is playing a dangerous game
Is this the winter of President Obama's discontent? Are the defiant Republicans in Congress playing a risky game in the long run? Those two questions dominate the scene in Washington where there are always more questions than easy answers.
For the president, even with his victory in the huge economic stimulus package, his first month in office has been less than stellar.
The vetting process for his team has been seriously flawed. Three potential cabinet members have withdrawn from consideration for tax or ethical problems. The process obviously lacked much depth and ended in embarrassment for all concerned.
Timothy Geithner, the treasury secretary, should have withdrawn his name. As the head of the Internal Revenue Service, a tax delinquent is hardly appropriate. The opposition was handed ammunition for an immediate attack and three dozen votes against confirmation.
Further, Geithner began his difficult task of fixing the woeful banking system with an unconvincing presentation of his plan. The markets plunged in response.
Given the partisan atmosphere for so long in the capital, it was a given that Obama's honeymoon would be brief. He helped out even though he publicly admitted mistakes, something we didn't hear for eight dreary years of the Bush-Cheney team.
True, the president did reach out for GOP support of his nearly $800 billion recovery plan, with little success. But with the Republican thirst for tax cuts and more tax cuts in the package, it was no real surprise. In fact, Republicans in the Senate voted for increased funding in amendments and then voted against the plan on final passage for it being too costly. Go figure.
The loyal opposition tactics in Congress may be smart for the short term but wrong-headed down the line. The GOP leadership must have figured Obama would get most or all of the credit if the plan works, so oppose it and gain the upper hand with voters if it fails.
However, the new president is still a popular figure. Latest polls give him high marks in job performance despite the early mistakes. Republicans have been careful to call him a "nice guy" while savaging his plan.
If the package takes hold along with other pieces of the Obama agenda, the Republicans will be in a poor position for the 2010 off-year elections. The Democrats may increase their current majority in that scenario.
Another concern for the minority is the apparent Republican fear of crossing Rush Limbaugh, who regards himself as the legitimate voice of the party. One Republican member of the House was forced to humiliate himself with an apology to Limbaugh after criticizing him.
If the Republicans follow Limbaugh's lead, they will never be a true national party, as former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida called for in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. Limbaugh's credentials for leadership are simply hot air.
Still, Obama's leadership is a study in progress. He has to demonstrate he can govern firmly and steadily with or without Republican support.
Reader Comments
Rush Limbaugh
What is it Libs hate so much about hearing someone disagree with them. Why would someone like Rush or Hannity go in to government. They have more support where they are and a paycheck that doesnt come from taxing someone. Obama won and they're still pissed off and full of hate. The progressive movement is based upon progressing further from the values that created this country. You have just elected the most radical socialist in our countries history and you dont even know what you did. You make your decisions based upon feeling instead of fact Thats why you can never get a lib and conservative to see eye to eye. If you think what these democrats are trying to do is benefiting the country you are iether ignorant or not paying attention. Spend some time studying economics instead of sitting at starbucks. I havenet figured out how people are proud of being liberals. When I talk to them most dont even know what they stand for. The democratic ticket stands for
abortion
higher taxes
welfare programs
bigger government
pro every religion except christianity
pro every race except caucasion
pro every ethnicity except american
pro every sexual preference except heterosexual
pro every family unit except marriage
being dependent on others hard work for their own gain
enviromental preservation (by changing light bulbs and driving earth scorching battery powered cars, not by building enviromentally friendly homes and nuclear power.)
Against
Business
people with wealth
people of faith
free speech if not their own
improving your own life through hard work
people owning hand guns
military and police
enviromental preservation by responsible progress.
In short get a job, stop depending on others to support you, use your brain, stop depending on the government for all your needs and desires and stop trying to tell others what to think. They have their bible and you have an herb garden. If you hate America and what our forefathers created, go to Europe. I did. I like it much more here.
Hopefully after our president is done printing trillions, devaluing our dollar, creating hyper inflation and government controlled business, the next president will know enough to listen to the economists and not put his ideology before his country.
Maybe he should run for office
From what I've seen, if a person wants to debate the President, they should run against said president. If Rush runs in 2012 and wins the nomination, he'll get to debate Obama, and Obama won't have much of a choice. Apparently Rush has all the answers, so why isn't he running? Because he doesn't REALLY want to debate Obama. If he REALLY wanted to, he'd put his money where his mouth is and run for office.
So why has Rush never run for office? Why will he not run in the next presidential election? Because he has NO CREDENTIALS. He's just a loud guy with opinions, and most of his opinions are as dumb as he is fat. Rush and his opinions are irrelevant. Let us no longer pay him or them any heed.
Limbaugh - Obama
Limbaugh is a conservative voice that most, if not all,
Republicans respond favorably to. He has been doing this
for over 20 years and he worked his way to the top. He
was not made spokesman by a group of foul language using
dummies like Obama was.
Are you aware that the majority of Obama supporters
dont know who the Vice President is. They dont know who
their own representatives are. They dont have jobs and
yet they want us to give them something that they would
not ,or could not, work for. The people that they speak
so poorly of is the same people who work to support them.
Why doesnt Obama just take time out of his party-time
and spend a couple of hours debating Rush. From the loud
protests of Obama supporters I can only surmise that you
are afraid for Obama.
If you really have faith in that looser why dont you
encourage him to stand up like a man against Rush. We
promise not to gang up on him like you did George W. Let
him put up or shut up for once and final time. Quit
protecting the lying socialist traitor.
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