There is considerable talk about the continuing fights between Obama and Rush Limbaugh. It appears to be a well-coordinated and deliberate move by the White House. The underlying strategy seems to be this:
- Constantly identify and reinforce the notion of Limbaugh as the leader of the Republicans.
- Attack and degrade Limbaugh.
- Severely damage the Republican party as a consequence.
When has attacking Rush Limbaugh ever actually achieved anything?
Limbaugh’s merits and demerits aside, attacking him has never done him a bit of harm. Indeed, he’s experienced his greatest successes in the face of adversity.
President Obama should know this better than most. He was one of the 41 Democratic Senators who signed a letter of condemnation after that whole “phony soldiers” foofaraw. Limbaugh took that attack and spun it brilliantly — putting the letter up for auction for charity. Then he started twisting the knife. He tossed in cigars and a Halliburton suitcase. Then he said he would match the winning bid with his own donation to the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation. Finally, he challenged the 41 Senators to match his donation — either individually or collectively.
The end result? Tons of good publicity for Limbaugh, $4 million for a worthy charity, and Harry Reid pathetically scrambling to take credit for the whole thing — without ponying up a single red cent of his own.
No, attacking Limbaugh has never been a good idea. Whatever else you may have against him, the man is a genius at turning such moves back on his attackers.
