MSNBC's Dan Abrams: Rush Limbaugh Is 'Un-American'

On Wednesday’s episode of Live With Dan Abrams on MSNBC, Abrams lit into Rush Limbaugh as "un-American" for encouraging Republican voters to cross over and vote for Hillary Clinton on Tuesday. In his "Beat the Press" segment, Abrams attacked Limbaugh mocking him for a segment on Monday night’s Abrams show on Limbaugh’s "Far Right Dirty Tricks." On Wednesday, Abrams associated Rush with the "radical right" and attempted to describe a Limbaugh radio show snippet:

He was upset that I said he was perverting the process by encouraging Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton in open primaries in an effort to quote, "bloody up" Obama....When you encourage someone to vote for a candidate that they don't want as president, I believe it is actually un-American, and they are willing to increase the chances of what they consider to be a bad candidate winning in the hope they may slightly increase their candidate's chances? It is shameful.

From Rush's website, here’s how Limbaugh addressed Abrams:

ABRAMS (clip from Monday): Rush Limbaugh and others on the far right, now trying to pervert tomorrow's results, calling on Republicans in Ohio and Texas to vote in the Democratic primary for Hillary Clinton -- not because they like Clinton, but because they want to keep the Democrats in disarray.
RUSH: Perverting the Democrat process? What did you guys do to our process? All you Democrats and independents crossing over, not only in 2000, but here in 2008, nominating and voting for Senator McCain. What, you guys are going to vote for McCain in November? You think we don't understand what you were doing here? You're trying to choose our nominee, why can't we try to choose yours?

Limbaugh's clip was a promo for the Monday segment. Abrams began the actual segment by suggesting conservatives were out to damage the democratic process:

The right-wing media’s hatched a new plan to damage not just the Democratic party but perhaps the democratic process. Conservatives like Rush Limbaugh now urging Republicans in the open primary states of Ohio and Texas tomorrow to cross party lines and vote for Hillary Clinton. Rush and his cohorts want to keep the Democratic primary going as long as possible so Obama will be quote, bloodied up politically, and presumably Clinton as well.

The Abrams guests were Democratic strategist Laura Schwartz and conservative talker Lars Larson, who quickly took issue with Abrams putting conservatives on the extremes:

LARS LARSON: Why is it that Rush and I end up being the far right? Does that make Obama the far left?

ABRAMS. No. Because -- I'm not going to debate with you that now. For you to question whether Rush Limbaugh is on the far right is laughable.

LARSON: Rush and I are reasonable Republicans.

ABRAMS, with a sneer: Oh yeah. All right. Okay.

LARSON: We are reasonably conservative.

What's really amazing in these transcripts is that Dan Abrams considers Keith Olbermann a model TV anchorman, but Rush Limbaugh is the "radical right."