Rush Limbaugh has declared war on Fox News, and is attacking the network for using liberal talking points and not supporting Ted Cruz.
Audio of Limbaugh trashing Fox News:
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Limbaugh said:
Since it came on the air, Fox News has been entirely, totally, thoroughly, excitedly, and eagerly supported on this program. And people there defended countlessly and endlessly, and yet, and look, I don’t expect that to purchase anything. Don’t misunderstand. I don’t expect to buy like minded treatment, but I really don’t expect the kind of, I don’t even know how to characterize it. Brit Hume actually picked up liberal talking points about me, the Republican Party, and people being afraid of me.
(Audio clip of Hume saying, ‘I’m not sure they’re calling the shots but make no mistake about it, Bill. These — some of these radio talk show hosts have real influence. They have a huge following, particularly in very conservative areas where they are most popular and where the many members of congress who inhabit those areas are not worried about being reelected if they can get nominated. But they are worried about a primary challenge that could deny them the nomination…So they’ll go a long way to avoid it and keeping radio talk show hosts off their back is one way of doing that.
Fox News has once again fallen in with this idea that Republican elected officials are afraid of this show. Note, that they are apparently not afraid of Fox News. Whatever that means.
Audio of Limbaugh continuing his attack on Fox News and GOP leaders:
LIMBAUGH: In these 21 hours, even the hours leading up to it, the criticisms of Ted Cruz from his own party. The attempt to ruin him and mock him in his own party and from the so-called conservative media. And then of all places Fox News trashing all over this, and Fox News essentially blaming me and other conservative media for making Ted Cruz what he is.
Brit Hume, of all people, essentially said that Ted Cruz is who he is because he’s being pressured by people like me. And left to his own devices, Cruz might not be doing this, is the implication. He didn’t actually say that. I was literally stunned watching this. The fact that even after 21 hours, even at the beginning of it, they cannot at least admit that this is who the man is. He doesn’t need any advisers here. He doesn’t need any pressure. The man is not a coward. Ted Cruz isn’t afraid of anybody. The real question is, what is the Republican establishment afraid of? What are some of these conservative media types at Fox News afraid of? What is the Washington establishment on the Republican side afraid of? Government shutdown, losing elections, what do you guys think you’ve been doing?
Did you look at how many Republicans didn’t show up to vote for Mitt Romney in 2008? Do you realize that if the Republican Party base had turned out, Obama would have been defeated? Why didn’t it happen?
First off, Limbaugh is wrong. By total number of votes, Republican turnout was virtually the same in 2012 as it was in 2008. The problem for Republicans is that the same narrow of white men keeps turning out, while Democrats are adding women, Hispanic, and African American voters.
Sen. Ted Cruz has restarted the full blown civil war in both the Republican Party, and right wing media. Fox News and Limbaugh are two of the three biggest players in conservative media. (The Drudge Report completes the un-holy trinity of right wing propaganda.). When they start going after each other, the foundation of the Republican propaganda machine is cracking.
What is happening here is that the Republican Party is literally tearing itself apart from top to bottom. House Republicans are fighting with each other. Senate Republicans are split in two. The party leadership is trying to stop a far right rebellion that will destroy the economy, and party’s top two propagandists are now at each other’s throats.
The Republican Party is crumbling before our very eyes.
The intra-party warfare isn’t really about Obamacare and funding the government. This is the same power struggle that has been going on for nearly six years. Republicans aren’t unified at all, and even their ability to dominate the media with a unified message is on the verge of complete collapse. Right wing media has been driving the Republican Party for years. If they can no longer agree on a message and direction, it’s pretty much over for the Republicans.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
