From his show today:
RUSH: It is on the record -- thanks to Politico.com -- since last fall, the White House, led by Rahm Emanuel, the chief of staff to Barack Obama, has been targeting me, your host, your harmless, lovable little fuzzball. Their standard operating procedure: they need a demon to distract and divert from what their agenda is. They need a demon about whom they can lie so as to persuade average Americans that they're the good guys, the benevolent good guys, and the mean SOBs are their enemies trying to stop this great young little president from doing miraculous and wonderful things.
...
But I have an idea. If these guys are so impressed with themselves, and if they are so sure of their correctness, why doesn't President Obama come on my show? We will do a one-on-one debate of ideas and policies. Now, his people in this Politico story, it's on the record. They're claiming they wanted me all along. They wanted me to be the focus of attention. So let's have the debate! I am offering President Obama to come on this program -- without staffers, without a teleprompter, without note cards -- to debate me on the issues. Let's talk about free markets versus government control. Let's talk about nationalizing health care and raising taxes on small business.
Let's talk about the New Deal versus Reaganomics. Let's talk about closing Guantanamo Bay, and let's talk about sending $900 million to Hamas. Let's talk about illegal immigration and the lawlessness on the borders. Let's talk about massive deficits and the destroying of opportunities of future generations. Let's talk about ACORN, community agitators, and the unions that represent the government employees which pour millions of dollars into your campaign, President Obama. Let's talk about your elimination of school choice for minority students in the District of Columbia. Let's talk about your efforts to further reduce domestic drilling and refining of oil. Let's talk about your stock market. By the way, Mr. President, I want to help. Yesterday you said you looked at the stock market as no different than a tracking poll that goes up and down.
There's no "up and down" here. We have a plunge. The president yesterday suggested "we're getting to the point where profits and earnings ratios are approaching that point where you want to invest." Uh, Mr. President? There is no "profits and earnings" ratio. It's "price and earnings" ratio. He's the president of the United States. He doesn't know anything about the stock market. He's admitted it before. Let's talk about it anyway. You want to maintain it's a tracking poll? I'd love to talk to you about that. Let's talk about all of these things, Mr. President. Let's go ahead and have a debate on this show. No limits. Now that your handlers are praising themselves for promoting me as the head of a political party -- they think that's a great thing -- then it should be a no-brainer for you to further advance this strategy by debating me on the issues and on the merits, and wipe me out once and for all!
Just come on this program. Let's have a little debate. You tell me how wrong I am and you can convince the rest of the Americans that don't agree with you how wrong we all are. You're a smart guy, Mr. President. You don't need these hacks to front for you. You've debated the best! You've debated Hillary Clinton. You've debated John Edwards. You've debated Joe Biden. You've debated Dennis Kucinich. You've debated the best out there. You are one of the most gifted public speakers of our age. I would think, Mr. President, you would jump at this opportunity. Don't send lightweights like Begala and Carville to do your bidding -- and forget about the ballerina, Emanuel. He's got things to do in his office. These people, compared to you, Mr. President, are rhetorical chum.
I would rather have an intelligent, open discussion with you where you lay out your philosophy and policies and I lay out mine -- and we can question each other, in a real debate. Any time here at the EIB Network studios. If you're too busy partying or flying around giving speeches and so forth, then send Vice President Biden. I'm sure he would be very capable of articulating your vision for America -- and if he won't work, send Geithner, and we can talk about the tax code. And if that won't work, go get Bob Rubin. I don't care. Send whoever you want if you can't make it. You don't need to be leaking stories to Politico like this thing that's published today. You don't need to have your allies writing op-eds and all the rest. If you can win at this, then come here and beat me at my own game, and get rid of me once and for all, and show all the people of America that I am wrong.
The chances of the President accepting are essentially nil but I see the potential for a lot of entertainment value here. As Ed Driscoll said Rush can hire a chickne mascot to appear at Obama rallies. He can do a countdown on air of how many days since he made his offer, he can even go on the cable shows and lament the fact that the President won't debate him and since the White House has elevated him to the position of leader of the GOP hethe President will look weaker for it.
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Comments
Demonize a highly unpopular and controversial figure and hope to make him the poster child for the opposition. Republicans did it for years with Ted Kennedy.
This ain't new news.
There's a reason Rush doesn't do debates - he's a gasbagging demagogue, not a Great Conservative Mind. Witness how well his arguments go when somebody is dingy enough to post them here.
The Conservative-Movement-At-Large isn't too good at picking leaders lately. It's been less like picking leaders, more like Choosing the Form of the Destructor.
Bill Buckley is dead. All the conservatives have now is Fatass the Right Wing Clown and his Slapstick Sidekick - Mr Steelejeans.
Obama could rip either of them to shreds.
As GW said...Bring It On!
At the moment the White House is using Alinsky's 12th Rule:
RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)
They may have picked the wrong target though. Limbaugh has 20,000,000 weekly listeners which in essence makes him an institution.
He's just jealous of Obama.
Obama doesn't have a dickie do problem like Limpdick does.
You know, when you're so fat your gut sticks out more than your dickie do? Especially in Limpdick's case, or he wouldn't have needed viagra.
Rush only makes this challenge because it is a given it won't be accepted. Rush doesn't debate anybody because he's basically what I said he is, a half wit whose half witted fans don't hold to any standard of intellect.
Love the Saul Alinski reference, but Rush isn't being set up for "isolation," he's being used to make the GOP look like what they've become...a fringe group of clucking aparatchiks. The Obamanians aren't at all afraid of Rush, they are using him as a shepherd might use a goat on a lonely and cold desert night.
Please answer back. Your Rushian autodogmatic transmission isn't complete until you have invoked the name of Soros!
Tony, I'm fascinated that you know so much about Rush's dick. Care to share what must have been a disappointing experience?
Rated for Rush.
You are right though Rush probably does expect Obama to dodge the debate in the same way he did when he challenges McCain to debate anytime anywhere and then when McCain said OK backed out. (For no reason I would say since when they finally did debate Obama won pretty handily) But that expectation may be why Rush went on to say:
I would rather have an intelligent, open discussion with you where you lay out your philosophy and policies and I lay out mine -- and we can question each other, in a real debate. Any time here at the EIB Network studios. If you're too busy partying or flying around giving speeches and so forth, then send Vice President Biden. I'm sure he would be very capable of articulating your vision for America -- and if he won't work, send Geithner, and we can talk about the tax code. And if that won't work, go get Bob Rubin. I don't care. Send whoever you want if you can't make it. You don't need to be leaking stories to Politico like this thing that's published today. You don't need to have your allies writing op-eds and all the rest. If you can win at this, then come here and beat me at my own game, and get rid of me once and for all, and show all the people of America that I am wrong.
As for the Alisnky strategy, I didn't dream that up the Politico reported on it. Isolation is precisely what the Democrats are trying to do.
In Rush's case, I'd say it's the White House Enema list. Pump this Cultish Clown up to get the predictable, spewing response.
Come to think of it...what a creative way of saying Rush's arguments
don't
hold
water.
OK, enough enema references!
Let's just say the Dems are exploiting a crack in the GOP as a way to ensure they continue to be the rump party in Congress.
Damn! Just did it again.
I quit!
There are plenty of very qualified people who would be glad to face Rush in a debate. That he doesn't ever offer to debate anyone, besides this "for the faithful" stunt should tell you that you might want to curb your enthusiasm. Rush doesn't debate anyone, and for very good reason.
Funny, though, that you don't consider this long known reality before you swallow what the Grate One says...
Just for fun, explain why Rush doesn't debate anyone, or show me where he has. I think there's an example in Rush lore where he did, long ago, participate in a debate. He was made to look so foolish and inadequate he never did it again.
He has ample opportunity for debate, so, again, explain why he doesn't.
If Rubin / Clinton / Geitner / Richardson etc. should issue a challenge to Limbaugh and he turns it down then I will conced your point.