For some reason–I can not figure out why–Michael Stickings’ post, “How can McCain Win in November? Bigotry” reminded me of the feature article in today’s New York Times Sunday Magazine starring Rush Limbaugh and written by Zev Chafets.
It is a good article on the right-wing radio talk show host who just signed a new contract with Clear Channel Communications that will bring in for him about $400 million over the next eight years.
It has also a couple of excellent, large, black-and-white photos of the talk show host, both of them, of course, portraying him in his favorite cigar-smoking poses. The cover photo, in my opinion, shows a rather intense, sinister looking face holding a cigar between tightly-puckered lips. The other inside, full page photograph shows Limbaugh blowing smoke up somewhere.
I heard that Limbaugh is very pleased with the photos, but I don’t think the Magazine did the kind, gentle, “cuddly teddy bear” any favors.
As to the story itself, I don’t think there are any surprises or new revelations. Here are some of the “so-what-what-else-is new“:
Limbaugh is very wealthy and proud of it. Chafets seems very impressed by Limbaugh’s black Maybach 57S, “which runs around $450,000 fully loaded;” his “half a dozen similar rides on his estate;” his five homes on the estate including the big 24,000 square feet house where Limbaugh lives with a cat; the massive chandelier in the dining room, “a replica of the one that hung in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel; and of course “a life-size oil portrait of El Rushbo“ himself. There are other very impressive and expensive amenities, such as a salon “meant to suggest Versailles,” and his main guest suite “designed as an exact replica of the presidential suite of the George V Hotel in Paris.” At the time of his visit to the Limbaugh estate, Chafets also noticed, “on the table…a brochure for Limbaugh’s newest airplane, a Gulfstream G550,” that Limbaugh said cost $54 million.
Chafets tells us about Limbaugh’s tough and long struggle to broadcasting success; his hearing loss episode; his 2006 drug bust, “ after years of addiction to painkillers,” and his subsequent treatment and rehabilitation.
We also read of Limbaugh’s disappointment that McCain is the GOP presidential candidate (during the primaries Limbaugh called McCain “a phony conservative and apostate Reaganite”). But “of course, his problems with McCain won’t prevent [him] from trying to defeat Obama or from trying to push McCain toward his views.” And, Limbaugh tells us that he will “approach Obama with fearless honesty,” while denying accusations that he started “scurrilous rumors about Michelle Obama.”
And we know of Limbaugh’s intense “dislike” for Liberals, and their mainstream, drive-by liberal media, feminazis, tree huggers, Michael Savage, NPR, environmental whackos, gays, etc., etc.
We also know of Limbaugh’s intense liking of and admiration for Ronald Reagan, Antonin Scalia, Matt Drudge, Clarence Thomas, Ann Coulter, Dick Cheney, Mary Matalin, Camille Paglia, Karl Rove, Thomas Sowell, etc.
As to Bill O’ Riley, Limbaugh calls him a “Ted Baxter,” and, according to Chafets, Limbaugh has “a deeply conflicted attitude toward Sean Hannity…He speaks of the younger man with the same condescending affection that Muhammad Ali once showed Jimmy Ellis, a former sparring partner turned challenger.” But he wanted Chafets to remember “I have no competitors,”…“Hannity isn’t even close to me.”
Finally, back to Obama. According to Chafets, Limbaugh feels that attacking and ridiculing Obama “will be delicate work.” …“There is nothing worse than being branded a racist,” he told Chafets, and “If they successfully tar you as a racist, you are David Duke.”
Chafets recalls a May 16 Limbaugh monologue on what you can’t say about Obama:
With Obama we started out, we couldn’t talk about his big ears ’cause that made him nervous. We’ve gone from that to this: Not only can we not mention his ears, we can’t talk about his mother. We can’t talk about his father. We can’t talk about his grandmother unless he does, brings her up as a ‘typical white person.’ We can’t talk about his wife, can’t talk about his preacher, can’t talk about his terrorist friends, can’t talk about his voting record, can’t talk about his religion. We can’t talk about appeasement. We can’t talk about color; we can’t talk about lack of color. We can’t talk about race. We can’t talk about bombers and mobsters who are his friends. We can’t talk about schooling. We can’t talk about his name, ‘Hussein.’ We can’t talk about his lack of experience. Can’t talk about his income. Can’t talk about his flag pin. This started out we can’t call him a liberal. It started out we just couldn’t talk about his ears. Now we can’t say anything about him.
Yes, it is going to be tough for Limbaugh to “delicately” attack and ridicule Obama. But, I am sure he will manage.
Recently, one could hear on the Rush Limbaugh show a “cute” musical parody, “Barack the Magic Negro,” sung to the tune of “Puff the Magic Dragon,” by an uncanny Al-Sharpton impersonator. The idea for the song came from an op-ed piece by a black commentator, David Ehrenstein, in The Los Angeles Times.
Sharpton commented to Chafets, “I despise his ideology, but Rush is a lot smarter and craftier than Don Imus. Limbaugh puts things in a way that he can’t be blamed for easy bigotry.”
Rush Limbaugh shouldn’t have any problem.
