Rush Limbaugh and the Baiting of the Deep-Red Base

By now, we've all heard what famous blowhard Rush Limbaugh said about Georgetown Law Student Sandra Fluke (rhymes with "look" by the way).  And certainly, we've also heard the outrage raining down upon those who would still dare to use Limbaugh's popular radio show to advertise their products.  Of course, there has been "the apology" and then the "second apology" and the "questioning of the sincerity of the apology."  To paraphrase Louis from Casablanca, "I'm shocked... SHOCKED to find out there are insincere public apologies going on here."

Obama's campaign?  Well, you might think they would be sitting back and enjoying watching this conservative pundit get his "just desserts" for saying such offensive things.  But let us consider the political landscape with a bit more of a fine-toothed comb...

Consider, first, the consequences of this main-stream-media blitz upon Mr. Limbaugh.  Has it endangered his career?  Despite what Lawrence O'Donnell might hope, no... it has not.  And some analysis has already demonstrated that attacks on Rush result in a more popular Rush - at least with the deep-red base.  So, if you want to make the deep-red base buzz with anger, what better way to do it than to attack Mr. Limbaugh?  Now why, we might ask, would Obama's people wish to make the deep-red base buzz with anger?

Consider, second, that Mr. Limbaugh does not support the presumed Republican nominee.  Rush may be, as famous comedian and politician Al Franken says, "a big fat idiot," but he is also an important cultural spokesman for the right.  When Rush speaks, millions listen, and it matters.  Perhaps Rush is not quite the "kingmaker" he would want to be, but his criticism of Mr. Romney is certainly one of the reasons why Mr. Santorum is enjoying his current popularity.

Consider, finally, how those first two points intersect - and the consequences for the presumed Republican nominee.  The deep-red base has no love for Mr. Romney.  He is very rich.  He embodies the 1% that the deep-red base mistrusts.  He is a patrician elitist.  The deep-red base doesn't like those elites.  And when they are buzzing, they are usually railing about those elites.  That only galvanizes their mistrust of the presumed Republican nominee.  So, ipso facto, attack Rush and fire up the base, they will listen to Rush (who attacks Romney as a phoney), and poof! attacking Rush becomes a perfect shadow-tactic to turn the deep-red base against the presumed Republican nominee.

Why even Bill Maher, the beloved Lefty pundit who called Sarah Palin a "cu**" on HBO (and no, I don't remember the outrage about that either), might call that sneaky politics...