RUSH TO JUDGMENT
Not for the first time, Rush Limbaugh spent the last week at center stage. One story about the radio personality and GOP caudillo, "Limbaugh: Negro-in-Chief Obama Wants Reparations for Darkie Pals," racked up more comments than any other: 324. It also generated 54 props, 13 drops, and some harsh divisions of opinion. Said metavirus (who also posted the story): "It really is quite sad that leaders in the GOP let blatantly racist comments like this just slide by. Until they start getting ahead of patently offensive stuff like this, they are going to lose more and more young people and minorities." PsychoHosebeast agreed: "The man has sold any shred of dignity he's ever had for a buck. He's the consummate Ugly American." And even tanglang, who's often locked horns with Propeller's left-leaning cadre, called him an irrelevant eyesore: "Limbaugh represents no one. I'm so sick of people saying he represents the right and their views. I'm tired of being associated with him. And to be honest, if y'all would just ignore him, he would go away."
There were, however, a few members who thought that Limbaugh was being unfairly pilloried. Said Klarissa: "Today's liberal instructions: bad-mouth Rush, we want to shut him up, this will help to bring back the fairness doctrine." And Hhussk defended the premise of Limbaugh's original comments: "Rush suggested that these socialist policies are like the policies of reparations, where wealth, or assets, are redistributed to people who believe they deserve them but did not earn them. I agree. All we are seeing is redistribution of wealth."
But AbuAmirah wasn't buying: "What Rush does is continue the canard that all 'Blacks' sit on their asses collecting food stamps and welfare checks and think that the government owes them something. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I was growing up, my old man (who was 'Black') told me that no one owed me [anything]. It was up to me to get whatever the hell I wanted and to support my family."
Love him or hate him, Limbaugh landed several other stories in our Top Twenty. "Cheney backs 'Entertainer' Limbaugh over Patriot Powell" earned 99 props, 11 drops, 230 comments, and a blunt assessment from GWHayduke: "El Rushbo garners the support of the previous vice president and chief hawk. Cheney is becoming more of a fringe nutcase each time he opens his totalitarian mouth." And a related story, "Colin Powell/Rush Limbaugh War Rages On," generated 79 props, 4 drops, and 215 comments. There was a final, somewhat confusing defense of Limbaugh from mrdelta: "I am a staunch Rush fan and wish to leave the Republican party myself, for the party that will finally stomp liberals like [Colin] Powell out of existence." To which StevieGee replied: "Powell is a moderate. I'm a liberal. Want to come and try stomping me?
PELOSI IN THE HOT SEAT
Meanwhile, it appears that Nancy Pelosi may have some explaining to do. "Records suggest Pelosi, others were told of harsh interrogations" generated 103 props, 3 drops, and 231 comments. For cowboygrandpa, who posted the story, the House Majority Leader's record on torture was looking pretty suspect: "Me thinks there could be fire where this smoke is coming from. Never have cared for Pelosi or her scurrilous ways." There was a similar response from bruhaha: "I've never been a fan of Pelosi's and I think she's horrid as Speaker. All those who knew what was going on, especially those who are feigning outrage now, need to go. [They should] either resign or be voted out."
BB64 took it one step further: "I love Nancy. She's the perfect Democrat. She lies regularly but is never called on it by the media. She loves to do things that aren't her responsibility, but doesn't do her own job. She loves taking union funds, yet none of her businesses ever employ union staff." But sinophil49 thought this was painting Democrats with too broad a brush: "If you had talked in specifics about Pelosi and her failings, I would be in complete agreement.... All that is fair game and valid opprobrium. I do not approve of any of that. But when you use broad strokes implying all Democrat politicians are liars or greedy, then you have crossed over into excess and you lose credibility."
Spadecaller also took a whack at the Pelosian piñata: "Pelosi is an opportunist and her lack of convictions and integrity are beginning to show. She knew about the torture and she has been covering that up for too long." But rimbaud thought the folly was more widely distributed, and had a novel solution: "Me thinks there is plenty of guilt, and regret, to spread pretty thickly... A truth commission, with liberty and immunity for all, might be just the thing to bring all of these things to light. But let it be conducted by the news media (or a reality TV producer), not the government, far away from Washington--in, say Casper, Wyoming."
AND DON'T OVERLOOK....
Enough, you say, of these personality-driven sideshows! Let's talk about some actual policy. Well, "Senate Considers Federal Tax On Soda" rang up 50 props, 1 drop, and 111 comments. CarinEising was all for dropping the dime on Pepsi freaks: "This is a great idea. If cigarettes and booze are 'sin-taxed', then why not junk food?" Responded libsRfunny: "No. It's not a great idea. In fact, it is a wholly terrible idea that will fall on the lower and middle classes, just like the $38 billion federal cigarette tax hike." And JustTrollKing agreed: "This is what you get with leftists in charge. I used to think Bush's 'borrow and spend' was bad, but compared to Obama, the Shrub was Jack Benny. Now we will get soaked with more taxes on top of that. Pretty soon we will be envious of the peasants of Nottingham."
Let's end on a harmonious note. Here's a video of Crosby, Stills and Nash (looking remarkably spry for 2007) performing "Long Time Gone." The Propeller post notched 118 props and 17 comments, many of which focused on the charms of the mid-Sixties Ford Mustang. "I remember listening to this song regularly with my old eight-track cassette deck that I had in a '65 Mustang," said Spadecaller. Added cowboygrandpa: "I had a '66 with a built 302. Roller bearings and cam, solid lifters, holly 4 barrel, hooker headers with glass packs, and an 8-track player. I had to play the music loud to be heard over the car."
But at least one member, mark-stevens, had a more jaundiced memory of the mustachioed, roly-poly Crosby: "I met Crosby years after that group's fame. [He] had done time for drugs, than turned state witness. My friend knew the back-up musicians for Crosby when he performed at a bar in Seattle. Dave was unbelievably paranoid and refused to talk to any strangers... Long live rock and roll!" Couldn't have put it better myself.
Not for the first time, Rush Limbaugh spent the last week at center stage. One story about the radio personality and GOP caudillo, "Limbaugh: Negro-in-Chief Obama Wants Reparations for Darkie Pals," racked up more comments than any other: 324. It also generated 54 props, 13 drops, and some harsh divisions of opinion. Said metavirus (who also posted the story): "It really is quite sad that leaders in the GOP let blatantly racist comments like this just slide by. Until they start getting ahead of patently offensive stuff like this, they are going to lose more and more young people and minorities." PsychoHosebeast agreed: "The man has sold any shred of dignity he's ever had for a buck. He's the consummate Ugly American." And even tanglang, who's often locked horns with Propeller's left-leaning cadre, called him an irrelevant eyesore: "Limbaugh represents no one. I'm so sick of people saying he represents the right and their views. I'm tired of being associated with him. And to be honest, if y'all would just ignore him, he would go away." There were, however, a few members who thought that Limbaugh was being unfairly pilloried. Said Klarissa: "Today's liberal instructions: bad-mouth Rush, we want to shut him up, this will help to bring back the fairness doctrine." And Hhussk defended the premise of Limbaugh's original comments: "Rush suggested that these socialist policies are like the policies of reparations, where wealth, or assets, are redistributed to people who believe they deserve them but did not earn them. I agree. All we are seeing is redistribution of wealth."
But AbuAmirah wasn't buying: "What Rush does is continue the canard that all 'Blacks' sit on their asses collecting food stamps and welfare checks and think that the government owes them something. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I was growing up, my old man (who was 'Black') told me that no one owed me [anything]. It was up to me to get whatever the hell I wanted and to support my family."
Love him or hate him, Limbaugh landed several other stories in our Top Twenty. "Cheney backs 'Entertainer' Limbaugh over Patriot Powell" earned 99 props, 11 drops, 230 comments, and a blunt assessment from GWHayduke: "El Rushbo garners the support of the previous vice president and chief hawk. Cheney is becoming more of a fringe nutcase each time he opens his totalitarian mouth." And a related story, "Colin Powell/Rush Limbaugh War Rages On," generated 79 props, 4 drops, and 215 comments. There was a final, somewhat confusing defense of Limbaugh from mrdelta: "I am a staunch Rush fan and wish to leave the Republican party myself, for the party that will finally stomp liberals like [Colin] Powell out of existence." To which StevieGee replied: "Powell is a moderate. I'm a liberal. Want to come and try stomping me?
PELOSI IN THE HOT SEAT
Meanwhile, it appears that Nancy Pelosi may have some explaining to do. "Records suggest Pelosi, others were told of harsh interrogations" generated 103 props, 3 drops, and 231 comments. For cowboygrandpa, who posted the story, the House Majority Leader's record on torture was looking pretty suspect: "Me thinks there could be fire where this smoke is coming from. Never have cared for Pelosi or her scurrilous ways." There was a similar response from bruhaha: "I've never been a fan of Pelosi's and I think she's horrid as Speaker. All those who knew what was going on, especially those who are feigning outrage now, need to go. [They should] either resign or be voted out." BB64 took it one step further: "I love Nancy. She's the perfect Democrat. She lies regularly but is never called on it by the media. She loves to do things that aren't her responsibility, but doesn't do her own job. She loves taking union funds, yet none of her businesses ever employ union staff." But sinophil49 thought this was painting Democrats with too broad a brush: "If you had talked in specifics about Pelosi and her failings, I would be in complete agreement.... All that is fair game and valid opprobrium. I do not approve of any of that. But when you use broad strokes implying all Democrat politicians are liars or greedy, then you have crossed over into excess and you lose credibility."
Spadecaller also took a whack at the Pelosian piñata: "Pelosi is an opportunist and her lack of convictions and integrity are beginning to show. She knew about the torture and she has been covering that up for too long." But rimbaud thought the folly was more widely distributed, and had a novel solution: "Me thinks there is plenty of guilt, and regret, to spread pretty thickly... A truth commission, with liberty and immunity for all, might be just the thing to bring all of these things to light. But let it be conducted by the news media (or a reality TV producer), not the government, far away from Washington--in, say Casper, Wyoming."
AND DON'T OVERLOOK....
Enough, you say, of these personality-driven sideshows! Let's talk about some actual policy. Well, "Senate Considers Federal Tax On Soda" rang up 50 props, 1 drop, and 111 comments. CarinEising was all for dropping the dime on Pepsi freaks: "This is a great idea. If cigarettes and booze are 'sin-taxed', then why not junk food?" Responded libsRfunny: "No. It's not a great idea. In fact, it is a wholly terrible idea that will fall on the lower and middle classes, just like the $38 billion federal cigarette tax hike." And JustTrollKing agreed: "This is what you get with leftists in charge. I used to think Bush's 'borrow and spend' was bad, but compared to Obama, the Shrub was Jack Benny. Now we will get soaked with more taxes on top of that. Pretty soon we will be envious of the peasants of Nottingham."
Let's end on a harmonious note. Here's a video of Crosby, Stills and Nash (looking remarkably spry for 2007) performing "Long Time Gone." The Propeller post notched 118 props and 17 comments, many of which focused on the charms of the mid-Sixties Ford Mustang. "I remember listening to this song regularly with my old eight-track cassette deck that I had in a '65 Mustang," said Spadecaller. Added cowboygrandpa: "I had a '66 with a built 302. Roller bearings and cam, solid lifters, holly 4 barrel, hooker headers with glass packs, and an 8-track player. I had to play the music loud to be heard over the car."
But at least one member, mark-stevens, had a more jaundiced memory of the mustachioed, roly-poly Crosby: "I met Crosby years after that group's fame. [He] had done time for drugs, than turned state witness. My friend knew the back-up musicians for Crosby when he performed at a bar in Seattle. Dave was unbelievably paranoid and refused to talk to any strangers... Long live rock and roll!" Couldn't have put it better myself.
