The Axis Of Drivel

From Three Blind Mice by Charles M. Blow:

The Republicans have reached a new low, literally.

According to the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, the percentage of Americans who view the Republican Party positively is at an all-time low. Meanwhile, President Obama’s positive rating is at an all-time high, and the Democratic Party’s positive rating is near its high.

Why? Because the Republicans have dissolved into a querulous lot of nags and naysayers without a voice, a direction or a clue, and we are not amused.

And who has surfaced as their saviors? Bobby Jindal, Michael Steele and Rush Limbaugh — the axis of drivel.

Read the rest here.

“The axis of drivel” is a great phrase. I wish that I had thought of it.

Failure?

What would Rush do? Unfortunately he won’t shut up, so we all know what he does. Nothing but talk. And all of it is destructive, none of it is constructive.

Rush wants Obama to fail. He now has clarified his statements to include the word policies. He wants Obama’s policies to fail.

What would Rush say to someone who said that they wanted George W. Bush to fail and that they wanted his policies in Iraq to fail? Unpatriotic and treasonous come to mind.

Is Rush Limbaugh unpatriotic and treasonous?

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“That’s the nature of this job, baby” cracks me up.

Why does Matt Lauer not question Michael Steele when Steele says: “I don’t think that Republicans, Democrats, or Independents, or anyone wants policies that redistributes the wealth of this country, wants policies that nationalizes our health care…” Steele is basically lying here, and Lauer is complicit in the lie. Many people do want a progressive tax (something we have had for a very long time, even Bush didn’t completely get rid of it; yes, Bush redistributed wealth!) and many people support universal health care.

Once again Steele perpetuates the lie that Republicans think of the small business owner as the saviour of the country. Once again I will ask the question: if the small business owner means so much to the economy, why do the Republicans only offer tax cuts to the wealthy as a solution? Small business owners are not wealthy, big business owners are.

“One of the challenges that is presented to the minority party is to get heard.” Really? Rush Limbaugh is on the radio every day, Republican Congress members are on television whining all the time, and Michael Steele is on the Today Show. I’m listening. The rest of America is listening. You are heard. We just don’t like what you have to say. We don’t want America to fail. Why does Mr. Limbaugh?

The polices of George W. Bush have failed us. The policies of the Republican Party have failed us. The policies of Rush Limbaugh have failed us. At least give Obama a chance.

Perhaps Rush Limbaugh is part of the problem. I really don’t see him as the solution.

Ugly

Does Rush Limbaugh actually have the power to make Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele “bend over” (one of Mr. Limbaugh’s favorite phrases) and apologize?

From Angry Rush Limbaugh Strikes Back at RNC’s Steele:

Limbaugh also accused the RNC chair of disloyalty, since he'd appeared as a guest on Limbaugh's show during his failed 2006 Senate run in Maryland.

"My parents taught me when I was growing up that you always stood behind people who defended you, that you never abandon people who stood up for you and defended you against assault," Limbaugh said.

Steele, for his part, is backing down on his comments.

"My intent was not to go after Rush – I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh. I was maybe a little bit inarticulate . . . There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership….," Steele told Politico Monday

He added: "I went back at that tape and I realized words that I said weren't what I was thinking. It was one of those things where I thinking [sic] I was saying one thing, and it came out differently. What I was trying to say was a lot of people … want to make Rush the scapegoat, the bogeyman, and he's not."

Asked by Politico if he was apologizing to Limbaugh, "I wasn't trying to offend anybody. So, yeah, if he's offended, I'd say: Look, I'm not in the business of hurting people's feelings here . . . My job is to try to bring us all together."

Much of the dust-up between Rush and some Republicans came after his rousing CPAC speech in which he railed against the Obama administration for spreading fear in order to promote a liberal, big-government agenda. In the speech he repeated his controversial remarks from January that he hoped Obama failed.

"What is so strange about being honest and saying I want Barack Obama to fail if his mission is to restructure and re-form this country so that capitalism and individual liberty are not its foundation?" he asked an enthusiastic crowd at CPAC.

Does the Constitution mention capitalism? Did the founders debate the merits of capitalism? When has Barack Obama ever said that he wants to destroy capitalism and individual liberty? Why does Rush Limbaugh have so much power and why is Michael Steele such a wimp? We got rid of George W. Bush. Why can’t we get rid of Rush Limbaugh? Wouldn’t the Republican Party be better off without him? Wouldn’t the country be better off without him?