April 16, 2009

Is Rush Limbaugh really that hard to understand?

Some perfectly intelligent folks just don't see where the jokes are.

137 comments:

Jeremy said...

RUSH: "They were kids. The story is out, I don't know if it's true or not, but apparently the hijackers, these kids, the merchant marine organizers, Muslim kids, were upset, they wanted to just give the captain back and head home because they were running out of food, they were running out of fuel, they were surrounded by all these US Navy ships, big ships, and they just wanted out of there. That's the story, but then when one of them put a gun to the back of the captain, Mr. Phillips, then bam, bam, bam. There you have it, and three teenagers shot on the high seas at the order of President Obama."

Oh...

Jeremy said...

Everybody going to jump on Rush now?

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure I subscribe to your theory that intelligent folks aren't getting it.

Jeremy said...

rocketeer67 said..."I'm not sure I subscribe to your theory that intelligent folks aren't getting it."

Really.

Rush the intellectual.

Bissage said...

(1) It's too weird that I read this post right after making this comment. And no, I don't believe in telepathy.

(2) Anyway, Rush Limbaugh is not my cup of tea. I simply cannot convince myself his is self-deprecating humor. To me he comes off as an immense blowhard. Jean Shepherd he ain't.

My two cents.

Jeremy said...

RUSH: "You know what we have learned about the Somali pirates, the merchant marine organizers that were wiped out at the order of Barack Obama, you know what we learned about them? They were teenagers."

Eric David Harris
Dylan Bennet Klebold

Anonymous said...

Rush the intellectual.Oh, I'd never claim Rush was an intellectual. Well, relative to you, yes, but otherwise? No.

Jeremy said...

I loved “Napoleon Dynamite."

Sorry.

Jeremy said...

Rocket-Dick - I just assumed YOU DIDN'T think he was.

But just jump right in with the attacks.

I'm used to it.

Daryl said...

The Moderate Voice is not "perfectly intelligent."

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

You have to want to get the jokes.

Jeremy said...

John Lynch said..."You have to want to get the jokes."

Can you point out the joke here?

"That's the story, but then when one of them put a gun to the back of the captain, Mr. Phillips, then bam, bam, bam. There you have it, and three teenagers shot on the high seas at the order of President Obama."

former law student said...

Some perfectly intelligent folks just don't see where the jokes are.

Yeah, it's a shame that kids these days don't dig bombast the way we useta.

And it's not that the thought of shooting three black teenagers intrinsically lacks humor.

But there is a fine American tradition of kidding on the square.

John said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
John said...

You have to consider the joke in context. The left does a lot of screaming about teenagers. Everytime someone who committed a crime, no matter how horrible, and is executed for it the left screams about how America kills children. The left screams constantly about how there were "children" being held at GUITMO. Why constantly hear about how 19 year olds shooting each other in gang wars count as "child victims of gun crimes".

So now BO comes to office and a bunch of teenage Somali pirates take a sea captain hostage in the Indian Ocean and Obama oks blowing their heads off. Does Rush object to that? No. But it is pretty funny to point out how the left, who is normally so concerned about teenagers, no matter how vile, doesn't seem to have a problem with BO killing three teenagers in cold blood on the high seas.

That is the joke and it is a pretty funny one.

Anonymous said...

It's not an attack, Jeremy/LOS. It's an observation.Like this one: you think about dick a lot, don't you?

blake said...

Maybe "moderate" in this case refers to intelligence?

former law student said...

That is the joke and it is a pretty funny one.Ah, many thanks. In order to appreciate the humor of El Rushbo, you have to carry a number of strawmen about the Left in your head.

Jeremy said...

John said..."You have to consider the joke in context. The left does a lot of screaming about teenagers."

Where?

When?

You're actually defending this asshole with this drivel?

Rocket-Dick - I have a dick. Why are YOU so interested?

John said...

Maybe the people who hate Limbaugh really are just stupid and think that he is serious about everything he says. Anyone with a tripple digit IQ and pays attention to politics pretty quickly listens to this and understands that it is making fun of the Left's faux concern over teenagers. But I guess if you have a low IQ or don't follow politics, you think Limbaugh is being literal and don't get it.

Jeremy said...

This is the first time I've ever heard the argument that Rush is just too smart for some people to understand.

Rush Limbaugh.

Smart.

Now THAT'S funny.

SteveR said...

To answer your question, no. But his success is largely due to the fact that people who hardly ever listen to him think that commenting on him makes them look smart. Its not about understanding.

John said...

"John said..."You have to consider the joke in context. The left does a lot of screaming about teenagers."

Where?

When?"

Teenagers at GUITMO. People executed for crimes committed while teenagers. Teenagers who are killed in gang violence called "children".

Look at it this way, if the Navy had caught the pirates and were trying to hang them or give them life sentences, no doubt many on the left would be screaming that they were only children and it is terrible that we are doing this to them. But somehow it is ok just to shoot them?

Jon said...

While channel surfing the other day I came upon Olbermann attacking Rush over this. Olbermann was doing so with a guest, and both either didn't get that it was satire, or pretended not to.

TosaGuy said...

John hits the point completely.

If a minority teenager in this country is shot by the police while committing a crime, there is all sorts of handwringing on how racist our society is, etc. Rush simply applied that to a different level.

John said...

"This is the first time I've ever heard the argument that Rush is just too smart for some people to understand.

Rush Limbaugh.

Smart.

Now THAT'S funny."

You are the one who didn't get the joke.

Dark Eden said...

Awhile ago in my mixed up youth I hung around a big group of Goth kids, back when that was the thing to be. They had this fun game they'd play called "Squick the Mundanes." They really didn't act that oddly most of the time, they just dressed a bit oddly.

Anytime they were around non Goths (the Mundanes in question) they would go out of their way to act as bizarre as possible, play to all the Mundanes stereotypes, etc. The Mundanes would react, treat them like freaks, run away scared, or generally just not know what to do. And the Goths would laugh and laugh and laugh.

Rush doesn't play Squick the Mundanes. He plays Squick the Libs. Ann Coulter does too. And they do it very very well. For those of us in on it, its really quite funny.

John said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jeremy said...

John - "Teenagers at GUITMO. People executed for crimes committed while teenagers. Teenagers who are killed in gang violence called "children"."

You think only "liberals" are concerned about teenagers in the categories you mention?

You know that's a crock.

Steve - I've listened to Rush for years and he's not hard to understand. He's a right wing blowhard who will say literally anything to satisfy his wingnut audience (and about 75% of it's made up of people over 65 years old).

TosaGuy said...

DTL: "Ah, many thanks. In order to appreciate the humor of El Rushbo, you have to carry a number of strawmen about the Left in your head."

You should understand the concept of strawmen very well, the current President is a master of that form of argument, except he doesn't use it for humor, he uses it as a way to push policy.

Peter V. Bella said...

Gee,
Jeremy is getting as immature and crazy as hdhouse, Alphaliberal, and DTL. If you do not agree with him he calls you names- like Rocket Dick.

Now that is Un-American and not patriotic. No true American would treat people who adisagree with them in that manner; especially over some political humor.

John said...

"You think only "liberals" are concerned about teenagers in the categories you mention?"


Whoever they are liberal or not, if they are concerned about teenagers in those cicircumstances why are not concerned about the teenagers Obama just whacked?

Are you really this dense or are you just being obtuse? Good God even former law student got it after we explained it to him.

Jeremy said...

John - WHAT joke?

The part about "a gun to the back of the captain, Mr. Phillips" or "three teenagers shot" or "at the order of President Obama."

Which part is the funniest to you?

And do you think the Captain's family thinks it was funny?

former law student said...

the current President is a master of that form of argument, except he doesn't use it for humor, he uses it as a way to push policy.Stop it, you're killing me. My sides are splitting.

John said...

Jeremy,

You are just being obtuse. You know the joke and you get it. Stop being stupid.

Unknown said...

If you have to explain why something's a joke, then the joke's not funny.

former law student said...

John - WHAT joke?

Jeremy, you don't understand. You liberals are all like, "Don't shoot the black teenage criminal," see? But then here's a black liberal saying, "Go shoot the black teenage criminals." See?

Now that's some prime humor.

Jeremy said...

Mike said..."If you have to explain why something's a joke, then the joke's not funny."

You and others are merely trying to defend your wingnut hero and can't explain yourself.

Let's pretend nobody gets the "joke."

Tell everybody what it is and why it's funny.

Take your time.

Peter V. Bella said...

Jeremy,
"You are just being obtuse. You know the joke and you get it. Stop being stupid."

He is being Un-American and un-patriotic.

Dark Eden said...

If Bush had done exactly what Obama did, it would be yet another sign he's Just Like Hitler. Since its Obama though, the usual suspects have nothing but praise for the cruel murder of these poor African teens who were driven to piracy by the cruel economic policies of the West.

traditionalguy said...

Rushbo continuously tries to use humor and exaggeration to expose the hypocracy of the liberal beliefs canon. He does it so well that he has become a pleasure to listen to for most people who admire that degree of talent. Now that talent is not in anyway funny to the exposed persons. To them Rushbo is insane and evil. That's their story and they are going to stick to it. Let the games continue.

John said...

"Jeremy, you don't understand. You liberals are all like, "Don't shoot the black teenage criminal," see? But then here's a black liberal saying, "Go shoot the black teenage criminals." See?"

It is prime humor. You just don't like it because it is at your expense. If three black teenagers in LA had taken a hostage and the police gunned all three of them down, you don't think Al Sparpton and company wouldn't be up in arms?

How is this any different? Do Somali lives just count for less than American ones?

former law student said...

Tell everybody what it is and why it's funny.

Jeremy unfortunately lacks the set of "Those crazy liberals" stereotypes needed to grasp the Limbaughian humor.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Rush doesn't play Squick the Mundanes. He plays Squick the Libs
Dark Eden gets it. Funny isn't it?

Ann Althouse said...

It doesn't really matter whether the joke is funny. It's just dumb not to perceive that it was supposed to be funny.

SteveR said...

I wasn't talking about you. You obviously don't care if anyone thinks you are smart or not.

John said...

"Jeremy unfortunately lacks the set of "Those crazy liberals" stereotypes needed to grasp the Limbaughian humor."


No one can be so unself aware as to not understand what the point of the joke was. You may not like it or think that it is funny, but you knew exactly what he was talking about. If you didn't, then you just have a very poor grasp of satire and the spoken English language.

Henry said...

Jeremy you've convinced me. Rush must have changed. He's turned into a pro-defendant liberal. Who knew that a bunch of young pirates could touch the heart of an old bastard in such an unexpected way. It's a made for TV movie, it is.

Jeremy said...

Well, it's finally happened: Many here have officially jumped the shark.

Defending Rush Limbaugh (who most here constantly say they NEVER listen to) as being, not a right wing blowhard, but actually an intellectual that ONLY certain people understand and appreciate.

Especially his humor.

I swear, you can't make this stuff up.

hdhouse said...

Ann Althouse said...
It doesn't really matter whether the joke is funny. It's just dumb not to perceive that it was supposed to be funny."

It does however matter if there is really a joke there or not. I read the link several times and i can't find it...or was it Mr. Chubby's vocal inflections that I missed?

Roger Sweeny said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
garage mahal said...

What's not funny about picking on people less powerful than him. Single moms. Blacks. Gays. Lesbians. Haha. Black can't swim. Haha. Oh you didn't get that? That was a joke!

John said...

"Well, it's finally happened: Many here have officially jumped the shark.

Defending Rush Limbaugh (who most here constantly say they NEVER listen to) as being, not a right wing blowhard, but actually an intellectual that ONLY certain people understand and appreciate.

Especially his humor.

I swear, you can't make this stuff up."

Who said he was an intellectual? I suppose he might be to you since he tells jokes that go over your head, but no one else is claiming that. Further, whether you like Limbaugh or not doesn't change the objective fact that he was obviously satirizing liberals here and did not mean what he said to be taken literally. Is it your position that some people should never be defended even when the attacks against them are false? Yeah, that some real level headed fair thinking there.

Dave TN said...

"the hijackers, these kids, the merchant marine organizers."

LOL

Come on people - "merchant marine organizers"!

Does everyone need emoticons these days to recognize sarcasm?

Rush is having too much fun.

ShadyCharacter said...

I just read through the comments on TMV and here and I am blown away by the willful stupidity on display.

The writer of the TMV piece and then Jeremy and most of those leaving comments on TMV simply reacted to the "story" in a Pavlovian knee-jerk way and missed the joke.

Unfortunately, once the joke is explained they can't simply go "oops, my bad". They need to stick to their guns and dig deeper - mustn't look foolish now!

Did you know that in 1729 the 18th century equivalent of Rush Limbaugh, Jonathan Swift, odiously proposed that the Irish address their hunger by eating their own children!?! I thought that was the most vile horrible thing anyone could ever suggest. But now, I realize, Rush is even worse than Jonathan Swift.

;)

What's sadder than seeing a known moron like Jeremy/Michael/LuckOldson miss the joke is to see one of the intelligent progressives on the board, Former Law Student, join in and intentionally pretend not to get the point.

FLS, are you so insecure that you would rather pretend to be too stupid to get the point of this satire than actually acknowledge the point and debate it directly?

Does the reaction of liberals applauding the pirate shootings reveal a double standard on issues of race and class and crime? Would you guys be applauding Bush in the same circumstances? Will you admit that progressives often discuss the "barbarism" of America for executing "children" (i.e. 25 year olds who committed horribly gruesome murders when they were 17 - the age of these pirates)?

Do liberal hyperventilate whenever a black teenager is shot by the police?

Al Sharpton at least has the integrity to be consistent. He refers to the teenage pirates as the "Somali coast guard", just as he lionizes any given black street thug shot by police.

Won't you show at least as much integrity as Al Sharpton? Surely you can rise to that low threshold!

AlphaLiberal, if you stop by you should reflect on how being a knee-jerk partisan got Jeremy into trouble here. Kind of like your post about the NY shooter being a Rush Limbaugh spawn. Hey, I just realized something. In both cases derangement about Rush Limbaugh was a proximate cause of the beclowning....

John said...

"It does however matter if there is really a joke there or not. I read the link several times and i can't find it...or was it Mr. Chubby's vocal inflections that I missed?"

Read my post above at 3:26 pm. It explains the joke and its context in small words and simple sentences you can understand. With your apparent limited understanding of the English language, it might be tough going. But Former Law Student managed to get it, so I think you can to if you try hard enough.

Roger Sweeny said...

Years ago, when Ireland was really poor and England was oppressing it, there was this guy named Jonathan Swift who wrote something called, "A Modest Proposal." It said babies were really tender and the Irish had too many so they should fatten them up and sell them to the English to eat. Lots of people say he was a brilliant satirist but I think he was just plain mean.

I mean, where's the joke? What's funny about that?

Prolixian said...

Is the reaction on the left really that hard to understand? Some perfectly intelligent folks just don't see that the jokes are perceived, but that they present an irresistible opportunity for spin.

Jeremy said...

Really FUNNY stuff from Rushie:

"He is exaggerating the effects of the disease. He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act. ... This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox."

"Too many whites are getting away with drug use...Too many whites are getting away with drug sales...The answer is to go out and find the ones who are getting away with it, convict them, and send them up the river, too."
(Now THAT is FUNNY)

"You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray [the confessed assassin of Martin Luther King]. We miss you, James. Godspeed."

"They’re 12 percent of the population. Who the hell cares?"
(And we all know who "they" are)

The Dude said...

HD - you are the fucking joke. We laugh at you all the time. Look in the mirror, douchebag, if you are not amused, then you are truly without humor.

And pay your taxes, you leftwing unpatriotic shirker.

John said...

Jeremy,

You don't give any links to those quotes. How are we to know they are legit or just figments of your limited imagination? I find it difficult to beleive that Rush Limbaugh praised James Earl Ray.

Peter V. Bella said...

Rush uses humor and satire. He states that his show is entertaining and entertainment. He is castigated and demonized roundly.

Olbermann froths, foams, snarls, and spews pure unadulterated hatred. He is as psychotic as a serial kiler. People think he is intelligent and serious. He is praised for his wit and humor.

I do not get it.

jayne_cobb said...

Yeah, Dark Eden is pretty much right on here. That a great many people don't seem to understand this speaks more to willful ignorance and not actual idiocy. As to whether he's funny, well......


On a side note I'm sorry I missed the Goths in high school as they at least seemed to have a sense of humor about themselves.

Unfortunately by the time I got there the Goths and Freaks were on the way out and emo's had taken over the outcast role. There have never been a bigger bunch of whiners than those damn Emo kids.

Fritz said...

Just another example that the Left has no sense of humor. Rush was just being facetious. If this had happened during the Bush Administration, the second guessing, cowboy diplomacy and 3 DEAD BLACK TEENAGERS would be the meme.

John said...

Oberman does a daily worst person on earth segment. He means it. He is not being funny or trying to be funny. He really seems to want it to be taken literally. Yet, no one calls him a hatemonger or seems to have a problem with him.

former law student said...

It's just dumb not to perceive that it was supposed to be funny.

Was the "Your Business Card Is Crap" youtube supposed to be funny? Or serious? That is how Limbaugh presents himself to the non-regular.

John said...

Rush is nothing but a conservative version of Jon Stewart. They both have large audiences of loyal sycophants, both are totally one sided, and both more entertainment than substance. If you live in Williamsburg and shop at Whole Foods you watch the Daily Show. If you drive a truck and shop at Wall Mart you listen to Rush.

jayne_cobb said...

Nobody calls Olbermann a hate-monger because next to nobody takes him seriously; those who do tend to agree with his jackassery.

John said...

"Nobody calls Olbermann a hate-monger because next to nobody takes him seriously; those who do tend to agree with his jackassery."

True enough.

ShadyCharacter said...

FLS, keep digging!

I'm guessing you had never heard of the business card guy before?

I bet you'd heard of Rush before though. I bet if we search the comments we'll find previous discussions of Rush where you pissily whined "that's not funny!" when your liberal ox was gored...

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

I am incredibly tired of the tendency to find what a critic wants to hear in a quote rather than what the speaker intends.

If you want confirmation that Rush is a racist right wing idiot, you'll certainly find it if you ignore every other explanation.

It's just confirmation bias, and it's disappointing to see so much of it.

Dark Eden said...

If you live in Williamsburg and shop at Whole Foods you watch the Daily Show. If you drive a truck and shop at Wall Mart you listen to Rush.You are only half right. I do not drive a truck but I do love me some Walmart.

former law student said...

I bet you'd heard of Rush before though.

Oh, I knew it was supposed to be funny. That's an important distinction that the professor clarified. But for me, Rush is like watching a Bulgarian stand-up comedian: You know it's supposed to be funny, but you just don't get the humor.

rhhardin said...

That's deadpan humor, not sarcasm.

Rush is never sarcastic.

I gave sarcasm up myself around age 13.

There was an amusing BC cartoon around 1960

BC: Meet Smiley, master of sarcastic wit.

X: Oh yeah? Say something sarcastic.

Smiley: Pleased to meet you.

but you have to notice that that isn't sarcasm, and wouldn't work as sarcasm. I'd call it deadpan too. It's an imitation of some sincerity or other.

Unknown said...

I get that Rush thought he was being funny. I mean "3 Dead Black Teenagers," obviously a kneeslapper.

The difference between Rush and Jon Stewart is the presence of the other side of the argument. Stewart is a liberal, although he makes fun of everyone. He also sometimes has conservatives on his show. Rush is smart, but often gets away with dealing primarily in straw men. He only talks to a liberal if one sneaks through his call screener.

LouisAntoine said...

I loved how in that segment Rush tossed off a diss of the International Maritime Bureau, the agency that keeps tabs on piracy statistics, as "another useless bureaucracy that does nothing but watch." Come on!

I don't get it-- in Rush's ideal world, men of action run around acting, presumably using violence mainly, without information or the interference of liberals to help them determine where to act. I am thankful I don't live in that world. It would be a world of a billion Amadou Dialos, where the government such as it was would consist solely of the pentagon, with some Rush-like figure as dictator, presumably. Not a pretty scene.

Jeremy said...

Here's John's explanation of Rush's "joke":
"So now BO comes to office and a bunch of teenage Somali pirates take a sea captain hostage in the Indian Ocean and Obama oks blowing their heads off. Does Rush object to that? No. But it is pretty funny to point out how the left, who is normally so concerned about teenagers, no matter how vile, doesn't seem to have a problem with BO killing three teenagers in cold blood on the high seas."

Absolute nonsense...and he knows it, too.

LouisAntoine said...

also, how the hell do people like Rush and Glenn Reynolds know what the reaction of people would be "if this was the Bush administration", and when will that schtick die?

John said...

"I don't get it-- in Rush's ideal world, men of action run around acting, presumably using violence mainly, without information or the interference of liberals to help them determine where to act. I am thankful I don't live in that world. It would be a world of a billion Amadou Dialos, where the government such as it was would consist solely of the pentagon, with some Rush-like figure as dictator, presumably. Not a pretty scene."

First, I assume you are angry at Obama for just shooting the pirates. Second, what is your alternative to men of action defending you? Calling the UN? What is your ideal world? A world were piracy, a scorge of civilization that disapeared for over a 100 years now returns? A world were countries routinely commit genocide in places like the Sudan with no consiquences? A world where a terrorist who hides among the civilian population and specifically targets unarmed civilians for murder is entitled to more due process and protections than a uniformed soldier abiding by the laws of war?

Dark Eden said...

It would be a world of a billion Amadou Dialos, where the government such as it was would consist solely of the pentagon, with some Rush-like figure as dictator, presumably. Not a pretty scene. Funny you should mention this. Earlier today Rush did two solid hours on his Pentagon-only government model, and on his qualification for being God Emperor For Life. You truly have your thumb on the pulse of the Rush Limbaaugh Show.

Unknown said...

Well the real tragedy is that we executed three members of the Somali volunteer coast guard.

John said...

"also, how the hell do people like Rush and Glenn Reynolds know what the reaction of people would be "if this was the Bush administration", and when will that schtick die?"

Because we saw 8 years of it. When Bush used a preditor drone to kill three terrorists in Yemen, the same people who now are saying nothing about this, had a fit. That schitke won't die unless and until the left starts holding Obama to the same standards that they held Bush to.

RightThinker said...

Closed minded people tend not to understand satire. It is a hazard of those who can't look at themselves and see the humor and inconsistency in their own positions.

Jeremy said...

A few days ago damn near everybody here said Obama really didn't have much to do with the Seals taking out the pirates, it was the military...but now, since Rush has entered the fray, we get this drivel:

"BO killing three teenagers in cold blood on the high seas..."

Now Obama didn't just issue the approval...he actually did the killing.

Unknown said...

also, how the hell do people like Rush and Glenn Reynolds know what the reaction of people would be "if this was the Bush administration",

8 years of evidence.

and when will that schtick die?

When it is acknowledged by those who deny it. Doyle's comment on the torture thread is a great start. I'm headed over there to praise his consistency.

Unknown said...

Now Obama didn't just issue the approval...he actually did the killing.Why do I have such a strong sense of deja vu?

Jeremy said...

RightThinker said..."Closed minded people tend not to understand satire."

You're confusing satire with right wing bullshit.

Point out the "satire" in Rush Limbaugh's statement.

Was it the "gun to the back of the captain, Mr. Phillips" or the "bam, bam, bam" or the "three teenagers shot" or "the order of President Obama?"

Rush is suddenly trying to defend the indefensible and many here think he's being "satirical."

If George W. Bush had ordered the Seals you would be screaming to high heaven about what a great leader he is...and how American doesn't take no shit from these fucking pirates...and I don't care how old they are.

And you all know it.

DKWalser said...

Oh, I knew it was supposed to be funny. That's an important distinction that the professor clarified. But for me, Rush is like watching a Bulgarian stand-up comedian: You know it's supposed to be funny, but you just don't get the humor.There's no problem with not getting Rush's humor. We all have different tastes. Some didn't like Bob Hope's humor; others didn't get The Three Stooges.

What's wrong is pretending that what Rush said as a joke should be taken literally and on that basis to condemn him. Rush, being satirical, says, "If Obama is right, we should do X" and his opponents criticize him for wanting X. On today's broadcast, for example, Rush was "arguing" that each of us should borrow as much from our family and friends as possible -- far more than any bank would reasonably lend to us. Then, when we found it difficult to meet our debt obligations, we should go ask the Chinese government for a loan. As a final resort, we should go door-to-door in our neighborhood and ask (with a gun if necessary) for those who hadn't borrowed to excess to help us pay off our debts.

I didn't find the riff funny, but I didn't for a moment believe Rush intended anyone to borrow one dime based on his "advice on how to get out of financial difficulty". It would be wrong to paint Rush as wanting American families to incur more debt based on what he said on today's program, yet that's exactly the type of argument you see with his comments taken out of context.

None of this is to say it's unfair to criticize Rush (or anyone else) for making a bad joke. Nor is it to say any topic can be dealt with as long as "you're joking". Some jokes are just in bad taste and some jokes are not funny. Yet, Rush is not being accused of the minor crimes of bad taste or being a poor comedian; he's being tarred as evil because he "wants" evil things to happen.

LouisAntoine said...

Right-wingers talk about people like Al Sharpton as grievance artists. I tend to agree with that, but that's the same category I put Rush in. He's there to stroke grievances. He can talk for three hours at a stretch in beautiful stentorian tones, because none of it has to add up to anything logical in the end. That's why he doesn't need a teleprompter. It's all knee-jerk. I point out he throws in a criticism of the International Maritime Bureau. It's an organization that tracks and coordinates the countering of fraud and piracy. Presumably this helps various countries' law enforcement bodies work in concert. But I don't know and neither does Rush. To Rush it's just "another bureaucracy that watches." See, it doesn't make any sense-- it doesn't have to. He doesn't have to actually know about anything to talk about it-- it fits into some preconceived notion that bureaucracy is ineffective. Are all organizations the same? Should humans no longer organize themselves for various ends? Questions of logic and rationality have no bearing to him or his listeners. They just want to feel superior to straw men. That's why it's entertainment, like masturbating to porn, doing drugs, shopping, or the movies. It just allows you not to think for a while.

rcocean said...

Stupid people don't get satire - its too complicated.

Liberals don't get satire.

Therefore, Liberals are stupid.

Q.E.D

Unknown said...

See, it doesn't make any sense-- it doesn't have to. He doesn't have to actually know about anything to talk about it-- it fits into some preconceived notion that bureaucracy is ineffective.

Preconceived notion? The Somalis are currently holding something like 300 seamen hostage, many for months now. Isn't it reasonable to concede that there is some ineffectiveness here?

The Exalted said...

i get that this is an attempt at a joke, though not a funny one.

what i dont get is why anyone with "a triple digit iq" would ever listen to rush.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Well, that is something that requires a triple-digit IQ to understand.

Franco said...

Now al Qaeda is telling Somali pirates to attack American Merchant ships. Great. Obama just got us involved war with pirates of the Horn of Africa. These pirates have no WMD's and are teenage thugs, but since O had to go all cowboy on them to prove his manhood (he gave the order!) we now have to spend money fighting an unnecessary war.

Brilliant. This all could have been solved by the State Department or the UN.

LouisAntoine said...

I get Rush... he's a gadfly. Classic role. But if he had to make policy, it would be incoherent.

Jeremy said...

rcocean said..."Liberals don't get satire."

Yeah, people like:

Lenny Bruce
Larry David
Mort Sahl
George Carlin
Stephen Colbert
David Letterman
Bill Maher
Jon Stewart
Albert Brooks
Carl Reiner
Chris Rock
David Chappelle
Dana Carvey
Dick Gregory
David Brenner
David Steinberg
Gary Shandling
Jerry Seinfeld
Kathy Griffin
Steven Wright

And of course, Monty Burns...for those of you who actually do have a sense of humor.

Synova said...

"Well the real tragedy is that we executed three members of the Somali volunteer coast guard."

Best comment. :-)

DKWalser explained very well what Rush is doing. To take what Rush said at face value, as if he was making a serious statement, a person has to be stupid or else lying.

Rush really is NOT that hard to understand.

As a serious comment on the ages of the pirates... they were by no means children, but they weren't possibly in a position to undertake this on their own. Someone got them the weapons and someone got them a boat... in the end, that is who killed them. Yes, killed them with US Navy bullets, but killed them just the same.

dbp said...

Jeremy said...
rcocean said..."Liberals don't get satire."

Well, they do get satire when they want to.

When they don't want to get the satire, they will think the guy is being serious and this will, of course, add to their belief that Rush is a moron.

cryptical said...

Synova said: As a serious comment on the ages of the pirates... they were by no means children, but they weren't possibly in a position to undertake this on their own. Someone got them the weapons and someone got them a boat...Sounds like another reason to close that gun show loophole and ban assault weapons again...

Maybe add on an assault boat ban as well, just to be safe.

Bruce Hayden said...

"You're confusing satire with right wing bullshit.

Point out the "satire" in Rush Limbaugh's statement.

Was it the "gun to the back of the captain, Mr. Phillips" or the "bam, bam, bam" or the "three teenagers shot" or "the order of President Obama?"

Rush is suddenly trying to defend the indefensible and many here think he's being "satirical."

If George W. Bush had ordered the Seals you would be screaming to high heaven about what a great leader he is...and how American doesn't take no shit from these fucking pirates...and I don't care how old they are.
"

You are starting to get it. Keep trying. I have little doubt that Rush applauded the vanquishing of the pirates. For him, it was really irrelevant that they were teenagers. They had guns. They threatened to use them. On sailors on a U.S. flagged ship. They died.

It was the hypocrisy that he was aiming at.

Steven said...

Jeremy, did you know Jonathan Swift proposed eating Irish babies? And yet to this day his writings are treated seriously in our colleges! We need you to lead the courageous charge against these anti-Irish, pro-anthropophagy institutions!

Jeremy said...

Synova -"Rush really is NOT that hard to understand."

No shit?

I have a 7 year old niece who's not hard to understand either.

That doesn't make her a satirist.

Steven said..."Jonathan Swift proposed eating Irish babies?"

Steven, I'm well aware of what satire is. I just don't think your buddy Rush is satirical. I think he merely throws out whatever he can to keep the wingnuts howling.

As for the comment being discussed, if you actually think Rush was taking a shot at satire, opposed to taking his usual cheap shot at Obama...say hello to your fellow dittoheads.

Steven said...

Well, Jeremy, if you're bound and determined to demonstrate you're a moronic jackass, I guess there's no way to stop you. Those of us with IQs above room temperature will just have to pity you.

Jeremy said...

Steven, the fact that I don't think Rush Limbaugh is a satirist doesn't make me or the 60% of American who also thinks he's really just a right wing dick...a jackass.

As for I.Q. if you think those with reasonable intelligence spend a minute of their time listening to Rush Limbaugh you're dumber than I thought...and that takes some doing.

Explain why anyone with an ounce of sense or independence would refer to themselves as a fucking "dittohead."

Jeremy said...

Steven - "Those of us with IQs above room temperature will just have to pity you."

Barely above.

former law student said...

Combining two posts: Could Sullivan just have produced satire too subtle for Althouse to grasp?

Does he have to put smiley faces after each post? :)

DaLawGiver said...

Explain why anyone with an ounce of sense or independence would refer to themselves as a fucking "dittohead."Maybe they do it just to piss off people like you Michael. As you have stated numerous times the only reason you post here is that you enjoy irritating people. Go figure, moron.

mariner said...

Jeremy:
"This is the first time I've ever heard the argument that Rush is just too smart for some people to understand."Jeremy, we're making the argument that Rush is just too smart for YOU to understand.

tim maguire said...

Jeremy, I would ask you to go back and read the Rush excerpt one more time. It's not long. Pause a moment and take note of this sentence:

Now, just imagine the hue and cry had a Republican president ordered the shooting of black teenagers on the high seasThen read the rest and see if any lights go off. (Hint: Rush is imagining the hue and cry if Obama were a Republican. You can't possibly believe that Rush is upset that the Navy killed some pirates so it should not be so hard to consider that he was aiming for something else.)

Peter V. Bella said...

Dear President Obama,
I must commend you for your brave decision to have the teenage Somali pirates exterminated by our brave Navy Seals. Here in the City of Chicago our public school children are being assassinated by similar groups of teenagers. They are called street gangs and dope dealers. They claim to be political activists, legitimate entrepreneurs, tribes, and community activists. They go by the names- Latin Kings, Mickey Cobras, Satan Disciples, Vice Lords, Conservative Vice Lords, Ambrose, Two Sixers, and others.

Our mayor is helpless and incompetent to deal with this situation. Our police superintendent is a stuttering moron. These teenagers are holding whole neighborhoods hostage with acts of terror, mayhem, and murder. Children are being gunned down on the streets everyday; some near your own neighborhood.

Please, Mr. President, I implore you, help us save the children. I will provide you the exact coordinates where these teenage terrorists hide and conduct their affairs. Could you please send the Navy Seals to Chicago to exterminate this teen menace. It would take about three or four sniper teams and about one week to complete the mission.

This is for the children, Mr. President. Their lives are at stake. Please help them.

mariner said...

DarkEden had the best explanation I've ever read of Limbaugh and Coulter.

"Squick the libs".

Unfortunately while we're squicking them they're F&^*ing us.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Explain why anyone with an ounce of sense or independence would refer to themselves as a fucking "dittohead.".
OK. The 'ditto' part came about because every single caller would begin their call with some inane statements about how great it is to be talking on the radio, stupid how are you today statments, praises for Rush etc. All of which took up too much air time. Less time for Rush to talk. So one time it got to where some one said "ditto" what the last guy said, and that sort of stuck. So now instead of the blah blah blah time wasting..... they just say ditto or mega ditto and get on with making a statement

Does everyone who calls into the show agree with Rush. I don't know since I haven't listened to him during the day because I have a job. But I think, yea probably. However, there are a lot of people who call in who don't go lock step with him>

It is like Dark Eden pointed out. Rush is playing Squick the Libs. And they are just dumb enough not to get it.

Thanks Dark Eden....new word squick added to my vocabulary. Love it.

Peter V. Bella said...

"It is like Dark Eden pointed out. Rush is playing Squick the Libs. And they are just dumb enough not to get it."

I thought the Libs were intellectuals and smarter than everyone else.

Who'd a thunk?

Sprezzatura said...

I like that on Monday it was obvious Rush didn't care about the details of the captain rescue.


He was so busy going after BHO and Goldberg that he didn't bother to follow any details of the rescue beyond the initial (wrong) reports of the rescue. He didn't know that the captain had not jumped out as part of the rescue.


It doesn't really matter, but it is interesting that Rush tuned away from the facts of this story early on so that he could focus on his imaginary world in radio land. He didn't even bother to read anything about the facts of the rescue on Monday morning before going on the air. Not that facts are ever the point of his profe$$ional conservatism. But, this was the extraordinary rescue of an American by SEALs, seems like a lot of folks might have a drive to closely follow this heroism. Not Rush.

Sprezzatura said...

DBQ,

Come on.

Nobody who really listens to Rush will deny that there is plenty of Rush worship that often follows the Ditto greeting.

Sheesh.

Revenant said...

Can you point out the joke here?

Sure, that's an easy one. Lefties are famously opposed to harsh punishment of underage criminals (or adult criminals, for that matter). See, e.g., left-wing opposition to capital punishment for teenagers, opposition to trying teenagers as adults, and so on. They are also famously opposed to law enforcement or military killings of criminals and enemy forces.

This brings us to this last week, where Obama has a bunch of black teenage pirates shot.

Needless to say if it had been the LAPD gunning down three black criminals in South Central the left would even now be organizing massive protest marches and demanding prosecution of the officers involved. But since it was their man in the White House giving the orders, they're hailing his grand leadership and praising the decision he made.

The "joke" is that Rush is feigning the kind of concern that the Left WOULD be exhibiting if there wasn't a left-wing President giving the kill order. I've no doubt that in reality Rush, like pretty much everyone on the right, is pleased as bunch that these thugs are dead. :)

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Nobody who really listens to Rush will deny that there is plenty of Rush worship that often follows the Ditto greeting.

My words: "Does everyone who calls into the show agree with Rush. I don't know since I haven't listened to him during the day because I have a job. But I think, yea probably."

Probably you have a reading comprehension problem?

Sheesh.

Henry said...

Apparently Limbaugh can whip up anti-Obama outrage with a totally farcical attack that belies his own past statements and the worldview of most of his listeners. All over America, conservative guys are coming home from work in their pickup trucks all mad about Obama shooting teenage pirates.

Or maybe not. Maybe, in order to take Limbaugh's charge seriously, you have to start at squeamish.

In which case, what Limbaugh is doing, Moderate Voice -- and Jeremy, is yanking your chain. The only reason you consider his shtick outrageous is because you are conditioned to give credence to its inane premise. Maybe that's what happens to your brain when you obsess about illegal wars for 8 years.

What Limbaugh is really doing is distracting his listeners from an Obama success story: that the President defined clear rules of engagement for the Navy that allowed them to act.

If you're going to get pissed at Limbaugh, at least get pissed at him for the right reason.

Anonymous said...

The part about "a gun to the back of the captain, Mr. Phillips" or "three teenagers shot" or "at the order of President Obama."

Which part is the funniest to you?

And do you think the Captain's family thinks it was funny?
So, are you arguing that they WEREN'T killed by order of Obama? Man, it's weird to see the first black youths the Left wanted to see killed...well, since the 1950's, anyway.

...that you'll admit to...

Defending Rush Limbaugh (who most here constantly say they NEVER listen to) as being, not a right wing blowhard, but actually an intellectual that ONLY certain people understand and appreciate.I don't think he's a genius. But I also doubt "smarter than Jeremy" requires genius to any appreciable degree.

As for I.Q. if you think those with reasonable intelligence spend a minute of their time listening to Rush Limbaugh you're dumber than I thought...and that takes some doing.Whoa! Are you calling the Left blogosphere AND the President of the US dumb?

Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...

John said..."You have to consider the joke in context. The left does a lot of screaming about teenagers."

Where?

When?
Here.

Revenant said...

Man, it's weird to see the first black youths the Left wanted to see killed...well, since the 1950's, anyway.

Now that's just not true at all.

Don't forget a lot of young black men were soldiers in Vietnam. Plenty on the left were happy to see them die, too. :)

rhhardin said...

Imus, who is a certified panty-wearing leftie, says Rush is the best radio guy he's ever heard.

rhhardin said...

I credit modern schooling for the inability to understand various ways speech can be other than literal.

For one thing, such speech is unfair to the slow witted, so it's not fair to teach it to everybody.

Peter V. Bella said...

Obama lied. Kids died.

It worked for the anti bush crowd.

Jeremy said...

I've always thought the sucking among the regulars here was insane, but now...seeing the incredible outpouring of support and sucking of Rush's (teabags)...who, by the way NOBODY here ever listens to...is something to behold.

And remember: Rush is Ann's radio hero.

Gag-Spoon.

Peter V. Bella said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Peter V. Bella said...

Hey Jeremy,
You Un-American and un-patriotic liar; if no one listens to Rush, why is he still on the air?

I would bet you would drop trou, bend over, grab your ankles and get infected with rabies if you saw Olbermann walking down the street.

jeff said...

Keep in mind Jeremy under a former name spent most of a day defending drugging and sodomizing a 14 year old girl. Said she "trapped" the attacker. Why people engage him on anything is beyond me. You can search the archives for the thread on Roman Polanski. He has no interesting in swaying you to his POV or hearing your response. He is a monkey in a cage, amusing himself by throwing his own shit.

blake said...

Peter,

I think the issue is that no one here listens to Rush, which isn't true, of course.

A lot of us don't. But in some people's minds, we must all listen to rush and do his bidding.

former law student said...

Lefties are famously opposed to harsh punishment of underage criminals (or adult criminals, for that matter).

Imus, who is a certified panty-wearing leftie, says Rush is the best radio guy he's ever heard.

The first assertion sounds like a strawman argument to me. I don't know anyone who thinks criminals of whatever age don't deserve imprisonment. This thread has taught me that Rush's humor is impenetrable to those who lack familiarity with the full panoply of right-wing stereotypes about the left.

The other assertion makes no sense either, unless Imus was criticizing the college women basketball team of "nappy-headed hos" because they belonged to the Young Republicans.

hdhouse said...

Honest to God there is little funny about El Rushbo unless you enjoy turd in the punchbowl humor and run around asking someone to pull your finger.

The entire world might be one long satirical joke to the gasbag but the sad thing is his audience who believes his endless "facts made up on the fly" harranges are the truth.

When confronted daily by an overweight ego that either lies 100% of the time or tells the truth 100% of the time, it is pretty hard to know which is which. This reduces to one man's fact is another's fancy and reduces Rushbo to Schultz's Jolly Joker.

Kensington said...

"The "joke" is that Rush is feigning the kind of concern that the Left WOULD be exhibiting if there wasn't a left-wing President giving the kill order. I've no doubt that in reality Rush, like pretty much everyone on the right, is pleased as bunch that these thugs are dead. :)"Thank you! That's it exactly! The "joke" is that we on the right get to feign outrage over the deaths of poor, innocent children shot like dogs by evil soldiers the way the Left got to feign outrage over every act of violence committed by police or soldiers, especially over the last eight years.

Of course, the real joke is that the Left wasn't feigning, whilst the Right is. We're thrilled that the pirates were taken down, but it's good to give the Left a taste of its own medicine.

SIM said...

jeremy didn't get the joke

Ofc. Krupke said...

The difference between Rush and Jon Stewart is the presence of the other side of the argument. Stewart is a liberal, although he makes fun of everyone. He also sometimes has conservatives on his show. Rush is smart, but often gets away with dealing primarily in straw men. He only talks to a liberal if one sneaks through his call screener.So, basically, what you're saying is that both men have total control over when and under what circumstances they speak to a member of their opposition on-air.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Eric said...

Well, Jeremy, if you're bound and determined to demonstrate you're a moronic jackass, I guess there's no way to stop you.

Why should this thread be different from any other?

Blue@9 said...

Jeremy, please stop. I too think Rush is an asshole, but it's apparent that you simply have failed to comprehend his schtick here. Is it funny? Who cares? It's meant to be funny, and the fact that you don't understand that is Just Plain Sad. Either you're fucking with us, or you honestly believe that Rush Limbaugh is decrying the shooting of these pirates.