If a blowhard smears the troops in a forest...
By Steve Benen Thursday Sep 27, 2007 7:25amDemocrats and their allies acted with unusual efficiency yesterday to condemn Rush Limbaugh, who smeared U.S. troops who support a withdrawal policy in Iraq, calling them “phony soldiers.” The next question is seeing which traditional media outlets picked up on the story.
According to searches on Lexis-Nexis and Google News, the only MSM outlets to pick up on this story were MSNBC (Keith Olbermann mentioned the story on the air last night) and the Chicago Tribune’s blog (not the paper’s print edition). That’s it.
But that’s not to say that the story won’t get picked up at all. When Bill O’Reilly was shocked to find civility in Harlem, it took a few days, but traditional news outlets eventually noticed the story and gave it quite a bit of play. There’s no reason Limbaugh’s smear won’t follow a similar media trajectory.
It’s just going to take a little effort. I think Faiz has the right idea.
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Rush using the word phony???
Kettle & Pot time...
could this be the beginning of the end for them?Billo and Lush's days are going to end..................................................................................wishfull thinking.
Oh, we're so good ad condemning those who transgress by blaspheming the holy Troops. Praise Jeebus, no phony soldier He.
How does a college dropout and a drug addict get the nerve to talk like this?
It's a double-edged sword -- start hacking, Dems.
Free speech for all,let the people with brains figure it out.I want congress to end the war now,not spend one minute deciding who's speech is right for us to hear.Slippery slope ahead
Compare the reaction to Rush in the press versus the reaction to the MoveOn ad! A double standard. The difference is that the Republicans or politicians themselves made MoveOn and issue to detract from the real story of the surge and the failed policy in Iraq.
I actually like the idea that nobody is paying attention to Limbaugh. If no one is picking up this story, no one is listening to his lousy show.
You're not a real republican unless you win all the time, I suppose. The only way Baby Rushy can win an argument is by lying to himself. Hillbilly heroin probably erases the memory and subsequent guilt...what a pathetic chump.
The moveon ad was something tangible that all the repubs could hold up and show the world the reason for their "anger". Rush's comments are on tape so it's harder to display the evidence. This may be one reason there is not the same flurry as there was with the ad.
If you gotta work that hard to make people listen to a story, maybe it's not really a story.
Could someone ask Rush What's more honorable fighting and dieing for a war you don't support, or fighting and dieing for a war you do?
I feel both are honorable.
But fighting and dieing for a war you don't support. WOW!
Rush Limbaugh never ever served in the military. What gives him the right to judge these soldiers?
Send his fat ass to Iraq and let him do a few hair-raising patrols. Then he can judge. Until then, he needs to shut the fuck up and the world needs to call him out for what he is - an irrogant, ignorant prick.
Don Imus' comments were on tape and the got him fired. What's the difference? Is it because folks consider Rush too big of a cash cow to let go?
I heard that Rush went to Sylvia's yesterday and was all like, "Yo! Gimme a M-F'ing 40oz. hot chocolate. With marshmellows, beeyotch!"
dennis @ 11:
OH.it's a story all right...the repug hypocricy should be the real story...Lush Rimbaughlls story should be the lead in story.
General Petraeus = phony general
anyone that consistently listens to his program is a phony american
McDuff @ 4:
Probably from the drugs he gobbles.
Time for the people to show some solidarity and bombard the news media and scream for coverage of this hypocrisy. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
maybe the house and senate should vote on a resolution condemning his comments as unpatriotic....
think that would ever happen?
Rusty Shackleford @ 19:
You've hit the nail on the head: Limbaugh's brain (or whatever low level intelligence he innately had to begin with) is TOTALLY fried! He's a disgrace and an embarrassment to patriotic americans.
maybe the house and senate should vote on a resolution condemning his comments as unpatriotic...
what are the chances of that happening..
Rudh Limbaugh should be deported!
What about mass calls to his radio show?
What time and what's the number?
Rush must be silenced!
He has no right to speak!
OK LET'S PUT THIS ONE TOGETHER, SHALL WE:
It's friday, news ambush day, when all the shit happens and is done so it will hit Saturday, the slowest news-cycle day of the week.
Then there's the sunday talkies, where demonization of Dems, the left, the progressives ,et al is the order of the day, along with the usual ambush of progressives, Dems, the left by the host/moderator and the reichwing 'guests' who usually outnumber the progressives, 3-1 or higher.
the 'newstainment' complex will find some brangelina, OJ, or edwards' haircut story or rehash the moveOn condemnation or attack the dems for not condemning MoveOn enough.
THE SHORT FORM: nothing happened and you won't hear about it from msm.
P.S. the US official report will claim car bombs and other chaos caused blaKKKwater to go ill on the locals.
cin @ 23:
:lol:
great question!
Wew must silence Rush!
Let's get organize and take him down!
Contrarian views must not be tolerated!
LEAVE RUSHIE ALLLLLLOOOOOONNEEE!!!!
Don't you BASTARDS know that he couldn't go to Vietnam because he had a CYST on his ASS!?!?!?
Pleeeeeaaase!!!!
Rush Limbaugh
Letter from Wes Clark
Dear Janet,
Rush Limbaugh recently labeled all Iraq veterans who want a change of direction in Iraq as "phony soldiers." But will he say this to Iraq war veteran Jon Soltz's face?
Email Limbaugh and urge him to invite Jon Soltz to his radio show!
You've heard a number of times from Jon Soltz of VoteVets.org. Do you consider him a phony soldier?
According to Rush Limbaugh, Jon Soltz, an Iraq war veteran, is a phony soldier. Today, Media Matters reports that Rush Limbaugh said that those troops who come home and want to get America out of the middle of the religious civil war in Iraq are "phony soldiers."1
The question is, would Rush make these outrageous and offensive comments to Jon's face?
Take action now. Email Rush Limbaugh and urge him to invite Jon Soltz onto his radio show!
http://ga4.org/campaign/rushlimbaugh?rk=G7SAbOM1ZViHE
Rush Limbaugh has never worn the uniform in his life, yet he's got the moral standing to pass judgment on the men and women who risked their lives for this nation?
Polls have shown that the majority of troops on the ground in Iraq, and those who have returned, do not back the President's failed policy.
Does Rush believe, then, that the majority of the US Armed Forces are "phony?"
Major Generals John Batiste and Paul Eaton left the military and have spoken out against the Bush Administration's failed policies. These are former commanders in Iraq, and they have challenged the Administration for its stubborn refusal to listen to those commanders on the ground who have sent up warning after warning.
Does Rush believe that highly decorated Major Generals are "phony soldiers?"
Finally, recall the members of the 82nd Airborne in Iraq who wrote a New York Times op-ed, urging for a change in course in Iraq, and suggesting it was time to figure out the exit strategy. Two of them just died.
Does Rush believe these young troops are "phony soldiers?"
My challenge to you is to force Rush to invite Jon Soltz onto his show and say all of this again, right to the face of someone who served in Iraq.
Democracy demands discussion, disagreement, and dissent. It is the natural expression of our freedom. To dishonor the service of our troops because they have a different viewpoint is unconscionable. Thank you for speaking out.
Could someone ask Rush What’s more honorable fighting and dieing for a war you don’t support, or fighting and dieing for a war you do?
I feel both are honorable.
But fighting and dieing for a war you don’t support. WOW!
I just called my Rep's office in DC. My Rep, Bart Stupak of Michigan, voted to condemn MoveOn.org, so I called his office. When I spoke to the young male page he lisened until I mentioned that Stupak could lose his job over this, to which he SNORTED into the phone and said, "Sir, if you have anything else further to add..." What a snotty b*tch! If you're a Michigan resident, call Stupak's office and give him hell for voting like a Republican!
Stupak's DC Office:
(202) 225 4735
Here's to the thousands of "Phony Soldiers" that get more speaking engagements than the real ones....Ahhh that's too bad "real soldier" nobody wants to hear what you have to say. Oh well, I guess we "phony soldiers" will keep on speaking!
www.ivaw.org
mudshark @ 2:
The only way that will happen is if their ratings hit rock bottom... otherwise, they can say whatever the fuck they want as long as it brings in ad dollars. The only reason why Imus got fired over a racial remark that was far tamer to Bill O's week long racist tirade, is because his ratings weren't that stellar.
pissed off patricia @ 10:
Exactly.......and WHEN did this asswipe serve his country?? (sah..USMC)
This coming from a man who didn't go to Vietnam because he couldn't stop shitting his pants. Nice!
As I read both threads on this subject, it occurred to me that some progressives are probably too optimistic that Rush Limbaugh's effect on our culture is declining. Yes, it is true that his ratings are down from the peak he enjoyed during the late 90's, but don't rejoice yet. Limbaugh's fans remind me of a cult-like group; they love, worship and adore him. Even if they don't listen to him with the same regularity that they once did, they still revere him and his comforting presence is important to them. Both of my parents, now in their 60's, retired and living comfortably, simply think he is wonderful. It's sad and pathetic, but Rush's ugly messages are protected from criticism because when his fans know that he's gone a little too far an any topic, they'll say something like this: "Don't you know he's just an entertainer?! Oh, lighten up." This is the defense that my parents use every single time. It allows Rush Limbaugh to connote broadly with impunity.
Rush Limbaugh is like the Pied Piper of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Watching his mental illness play out on the national stage is both fascinating and revolting. When one considers that many of his followers probably share similar neuroses, the outlook is grim.
Wes Clark jumped on this and started am e-mail Rush campaign. I thought it was well written and I like the quick response.
Also, watch how Clark gets Tucker Carlson on his side and manages to always steer the conversation back to bringing diplomacy and allies back into the Middle East issue. Clark will be a huge asset as Hillary's VP.....
http://securingamerica.com/node/2698
Way to go Jon Soltz and John Kerry!!!
if a dem had said something like this, the headline would read, "Edwards Slams Troops."
but here, we have a headline entitiled- get this-
"Dems Hot over Rush's 'Phony Troops' Comment."
hmmmm!!!!!!
pinhead @ 42:
well, instead of Edwards, i should have tried something like Rosie O'D...either way....
Lets see if the repuKKKan congress will be outrage at rush LIMPbaugh comments about phony soldiers. I hope Reid and Pelosi introduce an amendment to condemn LIMPbaugh comments ....... Oh.. and lets see if BARNEY and his pet get ask about LIMPbaugh comment from bill sammon
To the Sunday Morning News Shows:
After making such a big deal about the MoveOn .org advertisement in the N.Y. Times I think it would be fair toe point out that Rush Limbaugh, who has a much bigger following than the New York Times, is calling troops who support a withdrawal policy in Iraq, calling them “phony soldiers.” Some of these “phony soldiers” have died in combat!! http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/09/28/if-a-blowhard-smears-the-troops...
Email these Sunday Morning News shows.
MTP@NBC.com
thisweek@abcnews.go.com
Comptroller of Planet X @ 26:
He should be able to speak, but he and other like him should be called to task the same way Progressives and Liberals are by Republicans and conservatives.
The more he opens his mouth, the more people realize that he's an idiot.
Of course Rush, Billo, Cheney, Ted Nugent, Giuliani, Sean Hannity etc. all have zero days in the service. Who are they to talk?
Gotta problem. I'm trying to get my take on the story up on our local IMC, but my buddies would like a picture to go with it. We tend not to use copywrited pictures. How do I square the circle here? Where can I find a non-copyrighted illustration that adds to this story?!?!?
Here is a modest proposal:
RESOLUTION
To express the sense of the Senate that Members of the US Armed Services serving in Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemns personal attacks on the honor and integrity of all the members of the United States Armed Forces.
Whereas the Ditto in Chief called US Soldiers serving in Iraq who think we should withdraw from Iraq "Phony Soldiers."
Whereas 3,801 US Soldiers have perished in Iraq.
Whereas 36,943 have been wounded in Iraq.
Whereas over One Million Iraqi Civilians have died since the illegal occupation began.
Whereas Rush Limbaugh has never served in uniform
Whereas Rush Limbaugh is a cyst on the ass of humanity and
Whereas a recent attack on members of the United States Armed Forces: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate--
(1) to reaffirm its support for all the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, Multi-National Force--Iraq;
(2) to strongly condemn any effort to attack the honor and integrity of the members of the United States Armed Forces; and
(3) to specifically repudiate the unwarranted personal attack on the members of the United States Armed Forcesby the Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
Rush must be silenced!
Comptroller of Planet X @ 50:
No, just even handedly dealt with.
will they add the 'barack, the majik negro' to the complaints about rush?
Support Vets running for Congress. I got this email from Sen Webb this morning.
Premiere Radio Networks has to be held accountable for syndicating this troop hater
Many who posted here are wrong. Rush has a HUGE audience. Many ARE listening to him. To say nothing of the fact that he is a respected guest on everyone's MSM show, from Meet the Press to Katie Couric.
As for Democrats wasting time with discussing this: BS. IF the Dems actually DID something about ending this war -- rather than sitting in the corner, hiding their faces, whimpering -- I would say YES. Sadly, they aren't doing much. And they can't even bring up Rush's blather, Boner's troop-insults, etc. The GOP can insult anyone they like -- and Dems will do nothing except censure MoveOn.
Worthless. They have Battered Wife Syndrome.
So when can we expect Congress to vote on condemnation resolutions? Or does that only apply when the so-called "victim" is a 4-star general?
BaScOmBe:)
Something else that is funny..
I just spoke with well known washington post reporter.
He has done much of the reporting on the move on petrayus ad.
I asked him if he would do a follow up story, and phone the members of the house, both republican and democrat, the ones that voted to condemn the move on Betrayus ad and see if the would support a resolution condemning the comments made by Rush Limbaugh...
His tone with me was unbelievable. First he said......WHY WOULD I DO THAT?
YOU mean actually call all of them. What would be the point. He was the most arrogant, lazy minded, it was unbelievable. Then I mentioned the hypocrisy thing and the fact that MOVE ON is made up of 3.5 million working class americans giving 15 to 25 bucks a pop, and that we were outraged by the constant hypocrisy...
I was nice and never yelled and he got all offended saying that they...meaning the Washington Post did a stellar job of reporting the conditions in IRAQ,
I guess I should be impressed that he called back, but overall he was way sensitive, and couldn't believe that I suggest he call and get the take from republicans and democrats on this issue. He thought it was pointless..
Now will congress vote to censure Rush as they did the ad in a newspaper or will they prove themselves hypocrites and anti-troops.
arbc @ 39:
This is SO true. Limbaugh uses this "I was just kidding" defense ALL THE TIME! Anyone who calls him on his hate gets the "you just don't get the joke" treatment from both Limbaugh and his listeners.
Back in the day, when Rush was beta testing his show out in Sacramento California, he would have a special Friday show where he explained to all the listeners that his show was in fact a satirical entertainment show not to be taken seriously. I have never failed in taking his advice.
xoites defends Constitution @ 51:
maybe better to wave signs around the local talk radio station that dominates the airwaves with his repeated lies, distortions, and propaganda in behalf of Bush and the GOP.
he and his cohosts on the talk radio monopoly are the ones who got us into this mess- rove couldn't have done it without their help.
and boycott his LOCAL sponsors and let them know.
But that’s not to say that the story won’t get picked up at all. When Bill O’Reilly was shocked to find civility in Harlem, it took a few days, but traditional news outlets eventually noticed the story and gave it quite a bit of play. There’s no reason Limbaugh’s smear won’t follow a similar media trajectory.
I hope you're correct, but, were I going to bet the farm, I put my money on the story dying on the spike.
I really can't fathom the terrible fear most of the msm has when the names O'Reilly, Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh et al are mentioned.
Rush attacks lowly soldiers while MoveOne attacked the almighty Pateaus, which is why the wussy press is not picking up this story.
Arrr maties. It's time to harpoon that great white whale.
MSNBC just did a 30 second snippet on it, playing the audio from the Fat Tub of Goo.
Bret @ 65:
You beat me to it. :)
I demand an act of congress condemning Rush Limbaugh for attacking the intergrity of our soldiers who are serving our country in a time of war.
Any veterans out there who are not offended by the remarks made by Limbaugh should be offended. We may disagree with regard to having troops involved in a civil war but his comments go way beyond that. Particularly since Limbaugh no longer has to use the excuse of having had a persistent cyst on his ass to keep him away from harm, yet suddenly he has found his balls when it will be others who will have theirs blown off.
Rush is just a whore. The more outrageous, the more money he makes!
it took time to get billy's comments noticed by the msm. this will take time too, but it will be worth it.
Great Frybread King @ 63:
Excellent point, GFK!
If Congress doesn't step up and bitch slap El Rushbo, here's the takeway message: Attacking a general is bad. Attacking the grunts? No problemo.
Retired Navy @ 68:
As a Navy vet I find his statements to be obtuse, immature, offensive, destructive, and yet so typical of the anti-military reich-wing.
xoites defends Constitution @ 31:
GREAT STUFF!
Check this out, everyone.
xoites defends Constitution @ 31:
Mike @ 73:
My newest favorite song Xoites! Nice work!
My most newest and most favorite song! The video is amusing too!
Joementum @ 71:
Actually the message is: Liberals attack the integrity of a soldier -- BAD!! TRAITORS! Show them to the Death Kamps! Conservatives attack the integrity of a soldier --- SO WHAT? It's a RADIO SHOW, you beeotches!
tjb @ 6:
Yes they should just to for once use the same dirty tactics as the Republicans and expose them for it.
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/
Here is a Morning Update that we did recently, talking about fake soldiers. This is a story of who the left props up as heroes. They have their celebrities and one of them was Army Ranger Jesse Macbeth. Now, he was a "corporal." I say in quotes. Twenty-three years old. What made Jesse Macbeth a hero to the anti-war crowd wasn't his Purple Heart; it wasn't his being affiliated with post-traumatic stress disorder from tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. No. What made Jesse Macbeth, Army Ranger, a hero to the left was his courage, in their view, off the battlefield, without regard to consequences. He told the world the abuses he had witnessed in Iraq, American soldiers killing unarmed civilians, hundreds of men, women, even children. In one gruesome account, translated into Arabic and spread widely across the Internet, Army Ranger Jesse Macbeth describes the horrors this way: "We would burn their bodies. We would hang their bodies from the rafters in the mosque."
Now, recently, Jesse Macbeth, poster boy for the anti-war left, had his day in court. And you know what? He was sentenced to five months in jail and three years probation for falsifying a Department of Veterans Affairs claim and his Army discharge record. He was in the Army. Jesse Macbeth was in the Army, folks, briefly. Forty-four days before he washed out of boot camp. Jesse Macbeth isn't an Army Ranger, never was. He isn't a corporal, never was. He never won the Purple Heart, and he was never in combat to witness the horrors he claimed to have seen.
These are the "phony" soldiers Rush is referring to, not to the armed forces at large.
Please, no more diversions.Rush was referring to this guy and others like him:
"Fake veteran gets 5-month sentence
Man claimed to have helped kill civilians in Iraq
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/332642_fakevet22.html
Jesse MacBeth never was an Army Ranger, much less a corporal,
never received a Purple Heart for wounds inflicted by a foreign
foe, and neither saw nor participated in war crimes with fellow U.S. soldiers in Iraq and
Afghanistan, claims for which he became a poster boy for the anti-war movement.
So, there was likely no way the 23-year-old Tacoma man suffered post-traumatic stress disorder
from the horrors of war and other injuries. MacBeth was sentenced Friday to
five months in jail and three years’ probation for falsifying a Department of Veterans Affairs
claim and an Army discharge record."
Rush is actually having fun with this on his program today. He gets to play all of the lefts anti-troop comments. Shouldn't have opened this can of worms.
Rush is STILL carried on Armed Forces Radio, folks. Our soldiers get to hear this hate. That's why this is important. When you call and write to complain - mention that fact. At the very least - let's get him off AFN.
urwrong @ 77:
Sure they are. Sure they are. Sure they are. Keep digging, Rush. Keep fucking digging.
scruzman @ 78:
See my comment above for a shovel you may use, to KEEP DIGGING. Next time you call the Doughsbury Pillboy, let him know we've got a great big shovel set aside, just for him. Hydraulic and everything. He can dig himself right down to China if he wants.
Q. How did Rush avoid Viet Nam?
A. A cyst on his asshole.
Any other questions?
I just contacted every news outlet - except FuxNuts of course - to basically scream at them for their bias, making sure I emphasized their constant coverage of the phony RW Rethug outrage against a newspaper ad about a general being used as a political tool by GWB. I have a feeling this is going to get very big and very nasty. I also wrote all of the Dems in power - Pelosi, Reid and the rest - telling them to start representing MY outrage against that fuckbrain Rush. If the Dems can start screaming about this it will be so much fun to watch the Rethugs backed into a corner trying to make up excuses on why they won't condemn Rush for his remarks and why GWB won't come out and condemn him as he did moveon.org. I think I'll get a bag of microwave popcorn ready just in case. This might be the best show since "Seinfeld".
Cartman @ 82:
I actually think Limbaugh was separated from the cyst. He actually went and was killed in combat in 1970, but the cyst came home and started a career in radio broadcasting, assuming his identity.
It's the only explanation. Well, the only one that doesn't make me throw up a bit in my mouth.
"Sure they are. Sure they are. Sure they are. Keep digging, Rush. Keep fucking digging."
The one thing I'm sure about Toadboy is that at the end of the day, Rush will still be on the radio (and the Armed Forces Network), and you'll still be frothing at the mouth
urwrong @ 85:
dittos.
scruzman @ 86:
urwrong @ 85:
Like Tokyo Rose or Seoul City Sue?
I think we should reinstitute the draft, just limit the pool of eligibles to talk show hosts.
[...] who disagreed with the war in Iraq were “phony soldiers.” Well, needless to say, they were wrong. Here’s what Rush had to say from his daily email: On today’s show, Rush [...]
Rush on the Armed Forces Network? Holy crapola, I'm going to upchuck.
But, let's be fair to Rush -- the cyst wasn't on his anus, it was near his anus. Mega dittos to Rush's anus anyway.
[...] in shutting down Rush Limbaugh and taking him off the air. Before lining up next to the folks from Crooks and Liars, FireDogLake, Media Matters, ThinkProgress, Huffington Post, [1boringoldman] and the rest, at least [...]
Rush and the phony soldiers- The truth emerges
Those who read here often may have noted that in many cases, I do not break news often, and quite often the story has settled down before I post commentary. I do this intentionally. There are plenty on both sides who love to scream the...
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