Obama's sledging strategy of intimidation

"This incident is sure to raise his profile, though for all the wrong reasons," writes a Telegraph sports guy re Sri Lankan left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, above, one of five players injured yesterday when Islamist terrorists — delicately termed "gunmen" by the Telegraph — opened fire on their team bus in Lahore, Pakistan. According to Wikipedia, "Sangakkara has won a certain degree of admiration for his clever use of sledging," AKA "mental disintegration." AFP photo.

"Sledging is a term used in cricket to describe the practice whereby some players seek to gain an advantage by insulting or verbally intimidating their opponents":

There is debate in the cricketing world as to whether this constitutes poor sportsmanship or good-humoured banter.The purpose is to try to weaken the opponent's concentration, thereby causing him to make mistakes or underperform. It can be effective because the batsman stands within hearing range of the bowler and certain fielders; and vice-versa.

'Sounds a lot like the current Administration's Alinksyesque, divide-and-conquer, anti-Limbaugh jihad — not to mention the earlier eight-year Soros-seeded anti-Bush campaign and the whirlwind anti-Palin assault last fall. Rush explains the Rahm-Emanuel-choreographed reaction of White House and media allies to the Rush phenomenon in general and his "first televised address to the nation" at CPAC Saturday in particular:

Well, I don't hurt. I am not hurt by any of this. What this is, though, is cruel. It is cruel because it is a game of manipulation emanating from the Oval Office … In that speech were not just illustrations of what's wrong with this administration and liberalism. There were solutions, solution after solution after solution, because conservatism is a solution … None of the things that I said in that speech are being repeated by the Drive-By Media which I knew would be the case, because face-to-face discussions and debates are not going to happen. Instead, Alinsky's Rules for Radicals number 12 has been employed: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it."

Rush relishes being in the crosshairs of his ideological adversary in the White House. The importance of being noticed and all that. Besides, it's good for business. But the real target of Obama's sledging strategy of intimidation is the Republican Party, beginning with the opening shot last January when the President thuggishly warned his critics that "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done."

“I do think he's an intellectual force, which is why the Republicans pay such attention to him," Rahm Emanuel told CBS News's Bob Schieffer on Sunday in a rare moment of truthfulness before spinning off to repeat the big lie that Rush wants Obama the President of the United States — as opposed to Obama's socialist agenda, the real object of Limbaugh's critique — to fail.

Taunting GOP party leaders who may have been watching Face the Nation on Sunday, the Commander-in-Chief's unctuous, take-no-prisoners hitman Rahm Emanuel volunteered that Rush is “the voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party." [We're no Dittohead, but El Rushbo's CPAC keynote Saturday was a warm comforter of common sense and wisdom that fell gently on our shoulders, making us glad he's on our side, unlike those fuddy-duddy Northeast Corridor Republicans who, in Charles Krauthammer's words, can't "tell the lion from the lamb."] We were horrified to find ourselves watching LIVE on CNN Saturday night as our own "Energizer-in-Chief," RNC Chair Michael Steele took the bait in response to a dig from Rahm Emanuel fellow traveler D.L. Hughley, host of a relatively new "comedic news show." When Hughley referred to Rush as "the de facto leader of the Republican party," Steele dutifully followed the MSM narrative, dismissing Rush as an "entertainer" whose show is "incendiary" and "ugly." He offered Limbaugh a lame apology next day, but Rush wasn't buying. Meanwhile, Chris Matthews and his fellow bottomfeeders were off and running down the cricket pitch.

"Rush will turn his enemies' thrusts to his advantage," we wrote in the comments to Ann Althouse's post on the subject this morning:

My only concern is that Northeast Corridor Republicans afraid of losing their invitations to the best Beltway parties and independents who aren't paying attention will be taken in by Rahm Emanuel's Alinskyesque maneuvers.

As Glenn Beck said with disgust this evening re Michael Steele's performance, "At least have the balls to stand up and say what you believe. I'm tired of the game playing."

Update: "Obama WH Secret Phone Conferences Bear Fruit With TV Media’s Limbaugh Attack," writes Warner Todd Huston of Stop the ACLU [via Little Green Footballs]:

Back on January 29, we discussed the daily strategy phone call engineered by Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel for friendly TV commentators and “reporters.” Politico reported that Emanuel has a daily phone conference call with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, and CNN’s James Carville and Paul Begala …

As soon as the sun rose on the day after Limbaugh’s CPAC appearance, three of the four of the phone call participants attacked Limbaugh with the same talking points. It seems obvious that they coordinated their attack together in the Obama secret strategy session. It is amazing that a president’s staff can have such power over major media figures without a peep being heard from those that only months ago bashed former presidents over a perceived undue, even “dangerous,” control of the media.

What would you expect of a political culture capable of producing former Clinton aide Paul Begala's obscenely insolent "Stroke of the pen. Law of the Land. Kinda Cool."

Update: "Is that cricket?" quips Professor Reynolds. Thank you sir, for all the eyeballs.

Update II: Rand Simberg of Transterrestrial Musings links: "Is Rush Limbaugh Barack Obama's Goldstein?"

Update III: The Anchoress links with her usual comprehensive coverage and a handy list of links to related essays.

Update IV: The story behind the story goes viral on Drudge — center, all caps, above the fold: "Enemies List: White House Plots Limbaugh Coverage":

Democrats realized they could roll out a new GOP bogeyman for the post-Bush era by turning to an old one in Limbaugh, a polarizing figure since he rose to prominence in the 1990s.

As Jonah Goldberg wrote in "The Tired War on Rush Limbaugh":

Just because the Democrats’ shtick is old and often dishonest doesn’t mean it’s tactically dumb. Limbaugh and other right-wing talkers are popular with a third of the country. Fairly or not, they turn off moderates and self-described independents (and, for the left, conservative talk radio is the font of all evil). Most politicians would prefer to have 70 percent of the public on their side at the cost of losing 30 percent, even if that requires being less than fair to the 30 percent.

It's the demographics, stupid.

Comments

[HNAV]

* great post...

The problem remains, will Conservative Elite Pundits tear down the rest of the sound GOP Representation in Washington, because of the folly of a few?

Have we already forgotten the admirable effort to vote against the Obama Pork Bill, besides only three vapid Rhinos in the Senate?

MR. Steele was sincerely foolish...

But I know why GW Bush was such a great leader, and Mr. Limbaugh could learn a few things about Leadership.

Mr. Limbaugh is top notch, but even he makes mistakes, and his saying he “is the only one” providing a sound Conservative message - advocacy, demeans all of the Millions of Americans who are doing the same.

Didn’t he see Ms. Coulter, Mr. Romney, etc., at the CPAC gathering exposing the same sound insight?

Mr. Romney was outstanding by the way...

Isn’t he supportive of the sound offering of Mr. Boehner, Mr. Cantor, Mr. McConnell, etc. in Washington?

Mr. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin is a proud Republican:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/03/022967.php

The Conservative Celebrities, and their ego, should take a step back as well, for they share the responsibility for today's mess as well. They haven't grown anything in recent memory...

We better get it together before it is too late…

[goomp]

Does freedom of expression hang in the balance?

[AMR]

We used to say in the submarine navy, no balls, no Navy Cross. The Republicans have none. Yes, it is wonderful to be civil and all that, but one can hit back hard without being over the top nasty. I am sick and tired of lies from the left being tolerated and Rush doesn't. He provokes and they react in their nasty way and show their true colors. I love it, So when will the Republicans move away from "the honorable gentlemen from . . ." nice talk and stand tall like the men of old.

[Gayle Miller]

Rahm Emanuel is even more of a p.o.s. than his boss and that's saying something. I'm convinced that within the next six months, the backlash will become so enormous that it will end up destroying the Democratic Party and all its works for many, many years! Bottom line, ordinary Americans love this country and will not allow it to be destroyed by this cabal of Chicago traitors!

[effinayright]

Over at NRO, Ross Douthat ( a supporter of the "Echo not a Choice" Republican capitulationism Limbaugh is fighting against) resurrects the tired Ad Hominem argument that Rush is "just an entertainer" who needs to say what he does to keep his ratings.

Yeah, thanks for the "Argument in Bad Faith", Douthat: Rush doesn't really have principles, doesn't really mean what he says. Naaaaahhhh... Nothing to see here, folks....

Douthout, a Harvard toff, doesn't realize he's committed a fallacy that would get him kicked off a high school debating team.

And, of course, we all know that pandering to your audience is a sure-fire way to get and keep huge ratings. Just look at Air America, or Chris Matthews, or Keith Olbermann -- their ratings are skyrocketing!!! /snark.

Sad to say, NRO is becoming intellectually foppish and far removed from the vision of conservatism espoused by its founder.

You can almost see Douthat, Frum et al sniffing their scented hankies to ward off the stench of "those people", the traditional conservatives they never see or meet at their lib buddies' dinner parties in Cambridge and Georgetown.

Maybe they ought to visit Chris Buckley in the lower circle of hell he presently inhabits, now that he's realized that Obama's not the "centrist" he thought he was, and ask:

"How's that position working out for you, Chris??"