Matthew Sheffield asked me to crosspost this. He said it would be perfect for Newsbusters. You can listen to the audio of Rush Limbaugh's reaction here. Following is a roundup of reactions from bloggers.
Wow! Now this is gonna have to sting, at least a bit. There may not be many conservatives in Iowa that read the blogs, but I know there are plenty that tune into talk radio. As Jammie Wearing Fool says:
If you're now a top contender for the GOP nomination, the last man you want to alienate is Rush Limbaugh.
"Honestly, because Rush doesn’t think for himself. That’s not necessarily a slap because he’s not paid to be a thinker—he’s an entertainer. I can’t remember the last time that he has veered from the talking points from the DC/Manhattan chattering class. If they were praising Huckabee, he would be too."
Of course his campaign is backpeddaling like crazy!
CALLER: Yeah, Romney after that debate, the last debate, said he was in favor of expanding entitlements, which is anything but conservative.
RUSH: Yeah, that’s why I haven’t endorsed anybody. I’m waiting. I don’t know how else I can do it. I realize that there are a lot of you out there: You got a candidate, and you think that if I got behind your candidate it would put ‘em over the top, and you might be right. But, at this point, it’s just an age-old belief that I have, and I remain true to my beliefs and principles. Now, some people have written me, “I hear you say this, but you’re full of it. What about 2000 with Bush and McCain in South Carolina?” Special circumstance. You had a two-man race, and what was happening in South Carolina, McCain was going so far off the conservative reservation, so far off of it, that it was necessary to step in. Huckabee is getting close, I’m going to have to tell you. Huckabee’s getting close to the same stuff. Huckabee is using his devout Christianity to mask some other things that are distinctively not conservative. He is against free trade. He’s really doesn’t believe in free market. Well, let me read what George Will wrote today. This is when I go along with “the DC-New York axis.” But I just want to read from George Will’s column, a paragraph today. “Huckabee’s campaign actually is what Rudy Giuliani’s candidacy is misdescribed as being — a comprehensive apostasy against core Republican beliefs. Giuliani departs from recent Republican stances regarding two issues — abortion and the recognition by the law of same-sex couples. Huckabee’s radical candidacy broadly repudiates core Republican policies such as free trade, low taxes, the essential legitimacy of America’s corporate entities and the market system allocating wealth and opportunity. [C]onsider New Hampshire’s chapter of the National Education Association, the teachers union that is a crucial component of the Democratic Party’s base. In 2004, New Hampshire’s chapter endorsed Howard Dean in the Democratic primary and no one in the Republican primary. Last week it endorsed Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary — and Huckabee in the Republican primary.” It likes Huckabee on education.
Holy Crap at the blog reactions!!!!: Allahpundit:
Huck’s people have already begun kissing ass to mitigate the damage. The more the conservative world comes out against him, from Will to Peggy Noonan to NRO to Rush to Sean Hannity, the more he’ll be forced to pitch an “us against them” campaign to his supporters. He’s too far left on too many issues to tack right credibly, so the only way to keep them in the fold is to try to build on that religious and economic populism he’s peddling and make this a full-blown Cause against the conservative establishment. The trick is keeping the few truly big players like Limbaugh neutral, since they really do have the chops to tilt this thing in a two-man race. Sounds like it might already be too late.
My instinct is to say, “no way, a thumbs down from Rush is fatal,” but a guy on another campaign cautions me. “An Iowa pastor who has been talking up Huckabee isn’t going to change his mind because Rush Limbaugh doesn’t like him.” He points out that a pastors and religous leaders deal with people who fall short of their ideals all the time; hearing that Mike Huckabee was too merciful in dealing with Wayne Dumond is not going to be a dealbreaker for them. They’ll probably go, no pun intended, “there but for the grace of God go I.”
So… if a certain significant chunk of Huckabee’s supporters back him because he’s the most vocal Christian in the race, not because of the conservatism of his record or policy stances…. if the moment comes where the race needs a Huck Slayer (as social conservatives thought the race might require a Rudy Slayer)… can anybody in the race go after Huckabee on that ground? Can anyone make the argument to that Republican plurality, “Okay, nevermind conservative policy choices - he’s not the good Christian leader you think he is”?
I was in the car listening to Rush Limbaugh responding to the Mike Huckabee campaign’s attack on him. What an unbelievably knuckle-headed move by Huckabee’s minions. Casting Limbaugh as part of the Beltway-Manhattan elite? Those who’ve been tuning in and listening closely know that Limbaugh has scrupulously avoided playing favorites with any of the GOP candidates. He’s been an equal-opportunity scrutinizer. What possible benefit could accrue from going after one of the conservative moment’s most popular figures?
I believe this Rush-bashing incident may turn out to be Huckabee’s Howard Dean scream moment.
I told you attacking him was a bad idea. That would be like Hillary going after Oprah.
You don’t claim to be running against the Washington elites and then pick a fight with the person who makes his living skewering the same elites.
Before anyone knew who Huckabee was, he seemed like a very amiable, conservative Republican. Over the last few weeks, however, he’s burned the bridges with Romney and Giuliani, alienated the not-as-churchy conservative base with his liberal tax policies, ostensibly alienated Rush Limbaugh (and many of his millions of conservative listeners) from his big tent, attacked Bush’s foreign policy which offends the party people, being so out of step with conservatives on illegal alien college tuition, etc.
Yet, he’s still polling well. I’m just baffled at Huckabee’s behavior and statements recently, especially since his recent fronterunner status materialized.
Caution: Watch for falling in the polls. As Bill Quick says:
I Think The Huck Has Gone About As High As He’s Going to Get.
Had Huckabee not gone out of his way to slap at George Bush, people may have believed the denial, because attacking Rush makes no sense at all. Candidates who disagree with him would normally just avoid talking about it. No one needs the figurative 800-pound gorilla in the room stomping on them, and Rush has a much more powerful podium than any of the people in this race.
I'd think that the source will wind up being a lower-level operative with a big mouth. Still, the damage is done. Huckabee will have a hard time living this down, although maybe not so much in Iowa, where the caucusers tend to like populists. Expect this to sting most in South Carolina and the national numbers.
The media is bound to pick it up giving it even more exposure than Rush is. And Huckabee's bound to lose. You don't pick fights with people who buy ink by the barrel, or have three hours of air time every day. As I suggested below, I guess Huckabee really isn't all that bright.
Ace gets the sarcasm out of the bag:
The liberals have a threadworn gag: Don't vote against the Republicans, or else the Baby Jesus cries. But Mike Huckabee is basically really saying that.
I am not a religious guy so perhaps my opinion doesn't count. But you can take this "at least he's sincere and nice" crap and chuck it. Invoking Jesus as a reason to not discuss one's political record while running for office seems to me to be borderline blasphemous, a rather presumptuous inversion of who, precisely, is supposed to be in the service of Whom.
And I don't know if a real, believing, reverent Christian would dare to do that. Has any Christian out there ever gone into an employee evaluation around Easter and Christmas and told his boss, "I hope, out of respect for this blessed season, you refrain from commenting negatively on my performance this quarter. Otherwise you're not giving proper respect to our Lord and Savior."
Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit:
The Huckabee Rush-bashing incident is costing the Arkansas governor dearly.
Raising the ire of Limbaugh is different than annoying elite conservatives. Rush may not live in Cape Girardeau anymore and he may hobnob with a different set, but his millions of listeners emphatically see him as one of them.
Among the ditto-heads are thousands here in Iowa getting their Rush fix from one of nine stations on which he airs in the state. Within this group is a large subset of GOP activists and come-hell-or-high-water caucus goers.
It's these Republican regulars — the phone bankers, envelope stuffers, Lincoln Day Dinner casserole-bringers — who will almost certainly have second thoughts if so respected (and there are few more) a conservative voice as Limbaugh is calling Huck's conservative credentials into question.
Huckabee is running toward a gasoline dump with a lit match and no one appears able to stop him. Rudy is fading.
Huckabee has no chance at winning the nomination. That's no chance. And that, my friends, I can promise you.
I save the best two for last:
Boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy it’s going to be a rather splendid time watching the Huckabomb go down in flames.
We don’t know about you, but somehow it strikes us as rather unwise to choose for the leader of our nation somebody who likes to pick fights with people he can’t possibly hope to win against. Pick a fight. With Rush freakin’ LIMBAUGH???
My support of Fred Thompson is based on the fact that he IS the only true conservative choice in the pack - period.
In listening to the tapes of Rush’s montage today he says exactly the same thing. If we have a choice of choosing someone who holds up the tenants of conservatism, then why not support them? There is no reason not to, except as I pointed out to pick someone ONLY on the basis of whether or not they can beat Hillary in 2008.
The latter is a copout, pure and simple.
My last thoughts….who is this going to help the most? Its obviously going to send Huckabee down in Iowa, and eventually in the national level. Fred has the most to gain from this, as well as Romney. I think Michelle Malkin said it best…it is the Howard Dean moment of this primary. C-ya Huckablunder.
