The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

28 October 2009

Rep King Grills NFL Honcho Over Phony Rush Smears

PERSONAL FOUL

Goodell Called To Account For Anti-Rush Smear Effort





*** UPDATED BELOW ***


BREAKING: Rep Steve King has held NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's feet to the fire over the dishonest smear effort that cost Rush Limbaugh the opportunity to own the St Louis Rams.

Watch as Goodell weasels out of the grilling, deflecting questions and playing dumb.

Goodell also distorted Limbaugh's comments about Donovan McNabb, when it should be clear by now that Rush merely said he was an overrated (by the media) quarterback, not a bad person.




Here's the clip:





UPDATE: Rush has released a statement on Goodell's remarks:


Of course, Goodell's a total weasel. He had no answer about the Dolphins' owners so wouldn't even address the question, and he got on his high horse about how McNabb is a fine player and a fine person and it has nothing to do with the color of his skin, when I (a) never said he was not a fine person; (b) never said he was a bad QB -- just that he was overrated (which no one should deny); and (c) said the MEDIA was obsessed with the color of his skin (which is also undeniable), not that I was. -- Rush Limbaugh


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Libtalkers Deflect Shift Blame Away From Obama, Onto Cheney

SICKENING

Libtalk's Hate Speech Reaches New Extreme







In the race to
demonize conservatives, libtalkers are competing against one another to see which one can cook up the most extreme rhetoric.

But who really has a chance at beating Mike Malloy, anyway? He's the undisputed king of hate talk.

Here, he shifts the blame for Obama's rudderless wartime policy back to Cheney and demonizes the latter all at the same time.

Does Dick Cheney really eat Muslim and Jewish babies? Of course, simply because Mike says it is so.

Tim Graham has the story here, while our exclusive clip is found below:







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26 October 2009

Favored Libtalker Suddenly Claims Presidential Disapproval

BARACK WHO?

Partisan Talker Schultz Now Seeks Distance From Obama





*** CAUGHT-ON-TAPE ***


The same libtalker granted special access to the White House for front-row seats at press events is now working feverishly to distance himself from the president.

Hot-headed Ed Schultz, perhaps the only lefty host with direct ties to the Democratic Party, now even claims Obama dislikes him.

Schultz is heard in syndication and seen daily on MSNBC's Ed Show. This clip, featuring an unusually angry (even for Ed!) Schultz, is from the radio broadcast:






SCHULTZ (21:29): So, DAMN YOU if you think I'm on some cheer team, Rob. I take offense to that!

I'm FOR the people! I'm FOR the little guy! I'm FOR those who don't have a voice.


Considering the way Schultz has adamantly supported Obama so strongly and the depth of the political ties between the two, this rant has special significance. Is it a sign Schultz sees breaking from Barack's sinking poll numbers necessary for career survival?


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23 October 2009

MSNBC Libtalker Blames Balloon Incident For Ratings Struggles

POP GOES MY RATINGS

Schultz: Balloon Boy Did Me In, I Need Your Help!







With its ratings in the toilet, MSNBC's future has never appeared more uncertain, particularly if NBC itself is broken off from parent company GE and sold.

That kind of shaky environment has cable talkers taking different approaches to career preservation. Chris Matthews, for instance, ducked a Boston Herald reporter's question earlier this week:


“Let’s just drop all the conversation about my network,” the “Hardball” host huffed the other day. “I’m not a media critic.”

It could be that Matthews got a little hot under the collar because his left-leaning network has been losing viewers.

During the recent third-quarter ratings period, Fox News averaged about 2.26 million total viewers in prime time and was up 2 percent from the same time last year. CNN had 949,000 viewers and was down 30 percent. MSNBC averaged 795,000 viewers and was down 10 percent.

In the coveted 25- to 54-year-old demographic, Fox News averaged 589,000 viewers and was up 5 percent. CNN had 288,000 and was down 39 percent. SNBC had 275,000 and was down 21 percent.

Mediaweek television analyst Marc Berman says Fox News is well above the competition.

“There’s bleeding everywhere except Fox News,” Berman said. “The rich has gotten richer and that’s Fox News.”


Fellow MSNBC libtalker
Ed Schultz has taken a different, if amusing approach: pleading with his radio audience to watch the TV show. From his syndicated program:






SCHULTZ - TUESDAY (04:52): We are trailing CNN for the month of October so we gotta get after it, Ed heads. We don't want to lose, do we? Come on now. That's the, the balloon boy really screwed me up. You know, it's what happened! They cook up this balloon thing and we gotta cover it and everybody runs to CNN to the tune of 3-, 400,000 more people.

Now I gotta bust ass here to the end of the month to make sure we win this thing again! That's what happens! That's just the culture of it! I couldn't find a political angle on the balloon thing, so that's what hurt me, I guess, I don't know.


SCHULTZ - WEDNESDAY (07:00): Thank you for being there, listeners, thank you. And I'm a little bit behind CNN this month because of that damn balloon story. That psycho who made, wanted to get a reality TV show, he's screwing everything up. I don't know what the deal is, it's a goofy business.

Every time some big story happens, people that aren't watching news, they end up going to CNN when they don't have to, we got the same coverage, because CNN's branded for 30 years. And all of a sudden the ratings go wacko and it takes me three or four or five or six nights to catch up with 'em and beat 'em.



Thanks Ed, for coming up with one of the craziest ratings excuses ever. Next time, try blaming it on a dingo.


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21 October 2009

Media Matters Admits Rush Didn't Make Key Racist Remarks

NOW THEY TELL US

Damage Done, Frisch Now Says Key Racist Remarks Not Made





*** EXCLUSIVE TO THE RADIO EQUALIZER ***
*** CAUGHT ON TAPE ***


With Operation Smear Rush now (largely) complete and the damage done, "progressive" sleazemeisters are apparently ready to come clean with the truth: Limbaugh never made two key racist statements.

Those alleged remarks, which were never sourced despite being repeated on MSNBC, CNN, in many newspapers and evening newscasts, ultimately cost Rush an opportunity to bid on the NFL's St Louis Rams.

And yet, despite the candid admission by Karl Frisch (right image, right side) of Media Matters during today's Stephanie Miller Show that no evidence could be found to support the claims, his organization's website appears silent on the matter.

In fact, when there was an opportunity to address the point here, his group said nothing, focusing instead on what it calls 28 "racially-charged" comments that weren't at issue during the Rams flap.

Here's Frisch on the air today:





MILLER (3:36): He (Limbaugh) made a big deal out of you know that people had gotten those two quotes about what was it, slavery and James Earl Ray? (Miller laughing) And so those two out of a lifetime of documented racist comments he didn’t say.


KARL FRISCH: You know, in fairness to Rush, those two out of literally dozens of racist things were not necessarily accurate. We were never able to find them. We’ve had people call us trying to find it. We don’t know where they came from. They could just be Internet apparitions. But you know, that being said, anyone who wants to know how racist he is, we’re happy to give them other examples.


MILLER: In fact we always send people to you guys because you guys are obviously the most reputable around, in terms of you always make sure everything’s sourced. So, if it is on there you know it’s true. So, you know but hilarious isn’t it how Rush is whining about this?


Here, Media Matters had another opportunity to set the record straight, but failed to do so:


And of course Limbaugh's still steamed about a couple race-baiting quotes that were attributed to him and which he claims he never said. Limbaugh conveniently believes they're the entire reason the NFL told him to get lost and frankly, Rush is dismayed:

I never said I supported slavery and I never praised James Earl Ray. How sick would that be?


This would be a great place to indicate that an exhaustive search by the Media Matters team had failed to turn up the quotes that were used to hang Rush (which Frisch now admits in front of a liberal radio audience), but that would mean being honest with its readers, wouldn't it?

And sadly, that's more than can be reasonably expected from partisan smear merchants.



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20 October 2009

Lefties Far From Finished With Rush Limbaugh

NOT DONE YET

Lefties Look To Build On Limbaugh 'Success'







After their successful, yet smear-filled pressure campaign that scuttled his bid to buy the St Louis Rams, could we really believe the left is finished with Rush Limbaugh?

Of course not, they're just getting started.

With this rare victory scored after years of frustrating attempts to get El Rushbo off the air, "progressives" now recognize that cultural marginalization and isolation is the key to hurting Limbaugh and by extension, conservatives as a whole.

Their real objective: bolster Obama's sagging fortunes by destroying the opposition.


In the first phase, already completed, Limbaugh's Rams purchase was nixed. Second, using the legal system to put him out of business is being considered by Al Sharpton and perhaps others involved in the dishonest smear effort.

Another component of the campaign is to use partisan talking points to undermine his credibility by asserting that the "free market" system simply exercised its right to exclude Limbaugh. Here, the usual left-wing suspects are joined by resentful liberals inside the broadcast industry.

In the first example, Talkers Magazine Publisher Michael Harrison uses both this technique and then acts as though the false statements attributed to Rush were actually uttered on his program. From the Ed Schultz Show:




HARRISON (03:55): It's been a PR home run for him. As far as him being treated fairly, oh my heart bleeds for him. I mean, I can't buy the Rams, most people I know can't buy the Rams, so Rush can't buy them either.

Look, freedom of speech, Ed, guarantees the government's not going to stop you from saying what you have to say. But that doesn't mean you can't get into trouble for what you say, it doesn't mean that people may not like you, it doesn't mean private enterprises can't pick and choose who they want to buy into their organization, and Rush is a private citizen in that regard who has to live with the consequences of his very, very, very widely spread opinions.

So I do not feel sorry for him, I don't think he was treated unfairly, we should all have his problems.


Because they have
long resented his success, libtalkers and those in the industry who prop them up make natural allies for this effort. In the second example, the AP quotes a "conservative" host who uses the same suspect approach:


All franchise sales must be approved by 24 of the NFL’s 32 teams — an ownership group that is overwhelmingly white, conservative and focused on the bottom line, which could have suffered if fans or advertisers were angered by Limbaugh.

"There’s an argument that says the very principles Rush espouses — the free market — are what did him in," said the conservative radio host Michael Smerconish. "This IS the free market. These are private businessmen who made a decision about what was in the best business interest of their thriving venture.

"It’s definitely ironic. There’s a bit of hypocrisy here as well," Smerconish said, citing a study that showed 70 percent of NFL owners’ political contributions went to Republicans. "Through their dollars they are very supportive of the sort of politics that Rush talks."


But Smerconish is
no "conservative": he's tied closely to the Obama Administration, especially after publicly backing him last year. Further, the Philly-based host is syndicated by a libtalk outfit.

These are sleazy operators who now smell blood. Are they really about to give up, just as they begin to experience a rare taste of success?

No, they've only just begun.


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17 October 2009

Al Sharpton Considering Lawsuit Against Rush Limbaugh

COURT SNORT

Sharpton Lawsuit Against Rush Hilariously Counterproductive







Thanks in advance, Al "Voluntary Coast Guard" Sharpton, for what could prove to be the trial of the century. Just imagine the Tawana Brawley huckster placing himself in the position of having to be deposed by Rush Limbaugh's attorneys and the hilarity that would ensue.

That's why Sharpton's threat of litigation against El Rushbo based on the latter's assertions made in a weekend Wall Street Journal Op-Ed ultimately won't amount to much.

But what it does point to is the extreme ideological warfare emerging in this country today, where everything has been politicized, even football. Sharpton and Friends have had a real taste of victory this week by thwarting Rush's St Louis Rams bid and are now looking to build on it. Winning a mere battle isn't enough while war rages.


Here, legal analyst / law professor Ann Althouse spells out precisely why Sharpton must be bluffing:


I think Limbaugh was baiting Sharpton. Sharpton now has to talk about those old riots and the way he acted back then. If he sues, it will draw intense attention to the details of what happened, and we'll have to debate about the precise language Limbaugh used and how close to accurate it was.

The question of the damage to Sharpton's reputation will be put in issue, and there will be discovery and factfinding relating to Sharpton's reputation and how much money it is worth. That's pretty risky for Sharpton, who likes to pose as an elder statesman nowadays. Meanwhile, Limbaugh, who may not want to begin any litigation, will have the opportunity to counterclaim, accusing Sharpton of defamation.


At the same time, however, Sharpton's threats give the state-run, Obama-supporting Associated Press additional opportunities to take shots at Limbaugh (which might be the former's real goal):


Limbaugh wrote that Sharpton played "a leading role in the 1991 Crown Heights riot" and the "1995 Freddie’s Fashion Mart riot" in a Wall Street Journal column published Saturday. Sharpton called both allegations false.

Sharpton was not present for or involved in the rioting in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights section in 1991. And he wasn’t present during the 1995 massacre at Freddie’s Fashion Mart, where there was no riot.

A Sharpton spokesman says that if Limbaugh doesn’t apologize or clarify his remarks, the reverend will sue.


If Limbaugh were off the mark here, there's simply no way those sentences would have been spared the editor's axe in the Wall Street Journal, where both editorial standards and legal liability is at stake.

But we certainly don't want to get in the way of Al's litigation and the inevitably counterproductive result. Sue away, "Reverend", America can't wait.



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16 October 2009

Libtalkers Repeat Phony Limbaugh Quotes Even After Others Retract

WHO NEEDS FACTS?

Even After Networks Retract, Libtalkers Continue Smears







Audio? We don't need no stinkin' audio!

Even after several media outlets have retracted the phony Limbaugh racist "quotes" that were used in the successful attempt to destroy his bid for the St Louis Rams, some libtalkers have stubbornly continued to repeat the smears.

In this inexcusable instance from the Stephanie Miller Show, a number of fabricated statements were read on-air today, even after a producer cautioned them that the source is suspect. Earlier in the program, Miller and her assistants laughed as a caller requested actual proof that the audio exists.

Here's the transcript and clip (featuring both segments together):








WARD (48:00): Um really? (sarcastic tone) Should I read some of the racist quotes again?

MILLER: Yes Jim! Yes read some of the racist Rush Limbaugh fun facts.

WARD: I’ll see if the computer will let me. Well, he talked about the slavery thing

LAVOIE: Well, we need to be careful about that one came from a book 101 People Who Are Really Screwing Up America by John Huberman and none of the quotes in that book were sourced.

WARD: (concerned because he apparently already read from the book in segment 1) Ohhhhh.

LAVOIE: So we need to be careful about the merits of slavery quote.

MILLER: Well, there’s lots of other ones. Trust me I’ve heard lots of other ones.

LAVOIE: Right I know I know.

WARD (not paying heed to Lavoie’s warning) (imitating Limbaugh): Do you know who deserves a posthumous medal of honor James Earl Ray! With Mr. James God speed.

WARD (in his own voice): He’s the you know murderer of Martin Luther King. Nice.

WARD (imitating Limbaugh): Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?

MILLER: Where’s his Rush music Chris? Ah go ahead.

WARD: The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies my friends. The NFL often looks like a game between the bloods and the crips without any weapons. (Limbaugh theme music begins) There I said it! They’re twelve percent of the population. Who the hell cares? Take that bone out of your nose and call me back!

WARD: You know that the ah. I don’t know where they get these racist allegations?

MILLER: Yeah, those are the ones I’ve actually seen the clips and heard the clips on television. Yeah.



[...]


MILLER (9:34): No actually, there’s actual audio.

WARD: There were actual recordings.

MILLER: All of the things he was quoted they backed it up with the actual audio and video from Rush’s show.

[...]

MILLER (10:28): What we’re saying is that our show and many others on TV have posted actual audio and video, so we’re not…Rush claims that this has all been made up. But, how do you dispute things that he’s actually said that are (pause) we’ve played back on this show or people have played back on television?


MALE CALLER (12:44): No one has proven to me that he’s racist. (Lavoie laughing in the background)

MILLER: Really? Saying slavery wasn’t that bad, that at least it built this country, you don’t think that might be offensive?

MALE CALLER: You’re also twisting the words that I heard that apparently he did say. But, the ting is (Miller interrupts)

MILLER: No, we played the actual audio, saying to an African American caller take the bone out of your nose and call me back.

MALE CALLER: What I heard he did not say slavery wasn’t bad, he said slavery built the south and that is a fact.


[...]


JIM WARD (15:33): You want to hear what Limbaugh said about slavery? (Ward reading) He says that “Let’s face it, we didn’t have slavery in this country because it was a bad thing, quite the opposite, slavery built the South. I’m not saying we should bring it back. I’m saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark.” That’s not racist?


Hey Steph, where's your evidence?


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15 October 2009

Al Sharpton Revels In Obamist Victory Over NFL, Limbaugh

'AS WE WANTED'

Al Sharpton Pleased To See Partisan Takeover Of NFL





*** UPDATED WITH SECOND CLIP: SHARPTON TAUNTS RUSH, CALLS HIM 'DELUSIONAL' ***

*** WHO FUNDS SHARPTON? CORPORATE AMERICA ***


Using today's radio program to declare victory over Rush Limbaugh in the battle for partisan control of the National Football League, the Reverend Al Sharpton couldn't contain his glee after the talk titan's bid was thwarted.

The result means ideological control over the NFL (based primarily on support for Obama) and a likely de facto ban on future team ownership by conservatives.

Here's the caught-on-tape reaction:






SHARPTON (4:11): Well, I’m sure as many of you have heard that yesterday after going off the air, Rush Limbaugh who we had started our campaign on Monday was withdrawn by those trying to buy the St. Louis Rams.

His name withdrawn, he is effectively out of it as we wanted. He’s bellyaching and he’s making all kinds of attacks on National Action Network and I, but that’s the screeching of the defeated. Defeated not by me, not by National Action Network, not by other civil rights groups other left or other liberals.

Defeated by his own words that he said against NFL Players and probably to his surprise the NFL Players stood up and said you cannot disparage us and want to be an owner in our world. It’s just that simple.


Later, in Sharpton's third hour, he followed up by taunting Limbaugh and calling him "delusional":







SHARPTON (12:15) (mocking tone): You know I’m told now through e-mails that Mr. Limbaugh now is saying that this is a conspiracy with the President Obama and me and George Soros and everyone.

I really think he’s having delusions Britney I mean (Brittany Sharpton giggling in the background) his partners dropped him I mean what is he talking about? They withdrew his name, he was exposed for what he said and now the whole government and me an everybody’s conspired against him? I mean you know this is he’s not well.


BRITTANY SHARPTON: He’s way too old to be crying like a baby. Ha ha ha.


SHARPTON: Yeah, this is making less and less sense. (Britney Sharpton continued giggling in the background)



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Limbaugh Explains Obama's Takeover Of The NFL

'SAD FOR OUR COUNTRY'

Exclusion From NFL Underscores Anti-American Trend







Coming out swinging against the dishonest smear campaign that derailed his NFL bid, talk titan Rush Limbaugh told listeners today he feels "sad for our country" in light of what appears to be a partisan political takeover of the football league by left-wing Obamists.

An organized smear campaign led by sleazy "progressive" websites, the Reverend Al Sharpton and state-run media outlets successfully created a new standard for team ownership based on political beliefs. Opposition to Obama is now grounds in itself for exclusion from team ownership.

Limbaugh also dropped a bombshell during today's show: that far-left currency-killer George Soros may be among those bidding for the Rams.

Regarding the group bidding for the St Louis Rams, Limbaugh revealed, "I did not seek them out, they sought me out." He called the move to block him "a very slippery slope."

"It's already happened to Wall Street, it's already happened to the auto business," Rush noted, pointing to government takeovers of private sector businesses under the Obamist regime.

"The end result of this folks, (is that) I have lost nothing... but our country has lost a great deal," he added.

Summing it up, Rush said, "what I'm now going to be known as is the mirror that showed what the country is becoming... those people who enabled this event for their own racial reasons, for their own ratings... will be just as unhappy as they were before."

Echoing the sentiments of many others, he added, "I'm more sad for our country than I am for myself."


Meanwhile, the National Legal and Policy Center has revealed a list of the corporate sponsors who helped Sharpton and others engineer their dishonest smear campaign:


Sharpton’s Corporate Sponsors Funded Anti-Rush Limbaugh Campaign

Submitted by Peter Flaherty on Wed, 10/14/2009 - 21:38

Al Sharpton’s platform for his assault on Rush Limbaugh’s NFL ownership bid was the National Action Network (NAN), which is bankrolled by corporate America.

The following companies were identified this year by NAN as “sponsors”: American Honda, Anheuser Busch, Colgate-Palmolive, Comcast, Entergy, Ford Motor Company, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, Macy’s, PepsiCo, Pfizer and Wal-Mart. Sponsorship reportedly cost $50,000.

NLPC is asking these companies to end their support for Sharpton and NAN.


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14 October 2009

WaPo's Oben Admits: Limbaugh NFL Opposition Based On Obama Criticism

OBAMIST LITMUS TEST

Flack Toward Barack Grounds For NFL Ownership Denial





*** CAUGHT-ON-TAPE EXCLUSIVE ***


Thanks to the Washington Post's Roman Oben, we now have complete clarity on the new rules for potential NFL team owners: Obama critics need not apply.

In a candid moment during today's Al Sharpton radio show (probably not intended for the rest of us to hear), Oben admitted that Rush's political views regarding Obama were key to the opposition that appears to have derailed his bid to purchase the St Louis Rams.

Were the fabricated racist statements and overall smear campaign simply added to camouflage the real (partisan political) agenda?

Oben's revelation comes a day after news that Barack-tart Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas was given the green light to purchase a portion of the Miami Dolphins.


Here's the exclusive
clip and transcript of Oben's statement heard on Sharpton's program:





ROMAN OBEN (14:48): Sports brings this country together and it does not separate and when you have a guy like Rush Limbaugh who's made a living and made a lot of money doing it and has made a living tearing the Clinton Administration, or whether it was the Obama Administration, and now, you know all the quotes, you heard everything he said whether we have to grab our ankles and bend over because Obama’s dad was black. All the things that he said. Now he wants to be a part of an NFL ownership.

Now, he’s not going to be a minority owner. He would assert himself on some of these committees and it would be just a matter of time before he said something on a bigger platform than what he said about McNabb. Now he’s going to say something that’s going to negatively reflect the Rams organization and the NFL as a whole and that something I think Roger Goodell and the NFL PA (Players Association) should pay attention to.


Just hours later, it was announced that the smear machine championed by Oben, Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and others had succeeded in derailing Limbaugh's NFL bid.

Welcome to America circa 2009, where loyalty to the ruling class determines private ownership of assets. Sound more than a bit like Chavez's Venezuela?


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13 October 2009

Pop Star's NFL Bid Underscores Media's Hypocrisy

FERGIE'S FREE PASS?

NFL's Ownership Litmus Test May Hinge On Political Views





*** EXCLUSIVE - WAPO'S OBEN ADMITS IT'S REALLY ABOUT OPPOSITION TO OBAMA ***

*** NEW: RUSH- 'I'M SAD FOR THIS COUNTRY'


After nearly two weeks of fabricated anti-Rush Limbaugh smears from the news media, what kind of scrutiny can be expected now that trashy pop tramp Fergie has also indicated an interest in bidding for a NFL team?

No, we're not making this up.

At least from the league, we already have an answer: while Limbaugh is judged and potentially blocked based on fabricated, phantom "quotes" from his program, the outspoken left-wing Black Eyed Peas performer instantly passed with flying colors.

According to the AP late Tuesday evening, Fergie (real name: Stacy Ann Ferguson) has been pre-approved at a meeting of team owners before even placing a bid:


MIAMI — Fergie may soon be on the Miami Dolphins [team stats]’ bandwagon as a limited partner.

NFL owners meeting in Boston this week approved the Black Eyed Peas singer as a part owner, but the team has yet to complete an agreement with her, Dolphins chief executive officer Mike Dee said in an e-mail Tuesday.

Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas already have a marketing partnership with the Dolphins. She wears a pink Dolphins jersey in a campaign this month for breast cancer awareness.

[...]

Fergie, whose real name is Stacy Ann Ferguson, is a Grammy-winning singer and also an actress. Ross has said his celebrity partnerships stir excitement and reflect the vibrancy of South Florida, and he envisions the Dolphins as a glamour team.



Hey, why shouldn't Fergie pass the NFL's political litmus test? As an outspoken Obama supporter who appeared at his nomination acceptance speech in Denver last year, she's got the credentials they're looking for (even if parents are horrified). She also visited with the man whose oratory skills she finds "amazing" at the White House earlier this year.

Never mind the fact that she sings about "her humps" or chats about wild sex and drug sprees in her past, it's about the integrity of the game, right? Of course, it's Fergalicious!


At the same time, Rush's bid continues to run into trouble, thanks to a dishonest smear campaign. One team owner has vowed to vote against Limbaugh's acceptance, while players continue to be manipulated:


NFL union chief urges players to speak out about Rush Limbaugh

By Jim Thomas


ST. LOUIS — Not only has NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith complained to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about the potential sale of the Rams to an ownership group that includes conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, he has urged NFL players to speak out on the issue as well.

"I have asked our players to embrace their roles not only in the game of football but also as players and partners in the business of the NFL," Smith said in a statement. "They risk everything to play this game. They understand that risk and they live with that risk and its consequences for the rest of their life. We also know that there is an ugly part of history and we will not risk going backwards, giving up, giving in, or lying down to it.

"Our men are strong and proud sons, fathers, spouses, and I am proud when they stand up, understand this is their profession and speak with candor and blunt honesty about how they feel."


Here, watch as the Reverend Al Sharpton misrepresents, distorts and fabricates material (he has the McNabb story completely wrong, for starters) to build his "case" against Rush:





How can the NFL overlook the a sleazy pop diva's questionable background while holding Limbaugh accountable for comments he's never made?


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EQ Follow-Up: 'Morning Joe' Canned In DC

THE BELTWAY BUMP

'Morning Joe' Loses Key Affiliate







So much for 'Morning Joe' Scarborough's dreams of a Rush Limbaugh-sized radio contract. His syndicated program, launched after news of El Rushbo's unprecedented nine-figure signing bonus rocked broadcasting and sent a fresh round of pundits searching for their own timeslot, is in deep trouble today with the loss of a key affiliate.

WMAL-AM's cancellation of the midmorning program is a double-blow for the MSNBC talker, as the station is owned and operated by his syndicator, Citadel Communications.

That does not bode well for the show's future in other cities. It's a clear sign of deep concern at the corporate level and may suggest his future removal from WABC-AM in New York City.

Some listeners found Scarborough's positions confusing, especially as he alternated between more liberal views on MSNBC and somewhat conservative takes during the radio program, heard just a short time apart each morning.


During Scarborough's tenure at WMAL, station ratings suffered as the station sunk to 15th overall, despite much stronger showings from Rush Limbaugh (8th), Sean Hannity (10th) and Mark Levin that could not offset greater weakness in earlier dayparts.

In a good sign for local news-talk, WMAL has announced that his replacement will be Chris Plante, who had previously been canned to make way for Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski.



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09 October 2009

Obama-Supporting Libtalkers Confronted By Baffled Callers

THE HEAD-SCRATCHER

Libtalkers Backing Obama's Nobel Met With Puzzled Response





*** DR LAURA: OBAMA SHOULD REJECT NOBEL ***
*** SAVAGE: 'COMIC ABSURDITY' ***
*** RUSH: 'OUR PRESIDENT IS A LAUGHINGSTOCK' ***


For liberal talk radio hosts,
this should have been a great day. After all, their president won the Nobel Peace Prize and with it, the respect and admiration of the world, right?

Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way, thanks to a backlash that had even some of Obama's supporters wondering what could justify such an honor. A Wall Street Journal online poll, for example, currently shows more than 84% of participants saying he didn't deserve it.

Given the backdrop of a planned troop surge in Afghanistan, what can he point to that is compatible with a Nobel?

Media defenders, most prominently at the AP, quickly redefined the award as one of "promise" rather than accomplishment. Later, the wire service also claimed he was "humbled" by the selection.


For their part, libtalkers seemed surprised to take questioning calls from Obama voters. From today's Stephanie Miller Show, for example, here is how two were handled (at one point, even her producers share the skepticism):







CALLER LINDA IN ASHVILLE NC (7:43): A couple things. I’m a strong, ardent Obama supporter. I worked for him more than I worked for any other candidate. I stayed on the phone lines until our polls closed in North Carolina and I think that the Nobel Peace Prize is premature also. I think he had, if he had actually brokered a peace deal in the Middle East, ended the Iraq War. He’s given this prize on the eve of sending forty thousand troops to Afghanistan.


MILLER: We don’t know yet what he is going to do about Afghanistan.


LINDA: He’s probably going to send something in, so to me it’s premature and I was planning on calling you to express my concern about him for other reasons. I feel like he’s not a fighter.

[...]


MILLER (10:24): I’m sick of people who are getting sick of the Obama Administration already. For God sakes!


Question: why didn't compliant libtalkers see the backlash coming? Did they really believe this would be universally celebrated, even on their own side of the fence?


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08 October 2009

EQ Follow-up: Media Pounds On Limbaugh Over NFL Team Bid

TAG TEAM

WaPo, Others Gang Up To Stop Rush's NFL Bid







Since news broke early this week that Rush Limbaugh was part of a consortium bidding on the NFL's St Louis Rams, the state-run media's outraged response remains baffling. Why do they care who owns a football team?

And how many NFL fans are liberals, anyway?

Yet, especially from the print media, the reaction has been both immediate and furious. Can they successfully halt Limbaugh's attempt at team ownership?

Perhaps the problem for left-leaning reporters is being forced to confront Rush's continued financial success, not to mention hundreds of failed attempts by the state-run media to bring him down.


Whatever the reason, there's no question their response has moved firmly into unhinged territory. Yesterday, for example, the Washington Post tag-teamed Limbaugh with everything that could be thrown at him, including the kitchen sink:


(Mike Freeman) Limbaugh is a pungent bowl of stark raving bigoted lunacy. He'd be a dream to cover. But for the NFL, Limbaugh as an owner would be as comfortable as a colonoscopy with a periscope. It'd be one of the great nightmares for the sport.

The league has made significant strides in putting its horrid racial past behind it. The NFL isn't perfect on the issues of ethnicity but it tries.

Allowing Limbaugh, who plays the song "Barack the Magic Negro" on his radio show, a seat at the owner's table would instantly undermine everything the NFL has worked decades to accomplish.

And again, this whole thing is very possible.

Limbaugh is a huge sports fan and football follower which is why ESPN hired him in the first place before he torched the place one day.

I'm still wrapping my head around the words "Limbaugh" and "NFL owner" which is like saying the words "Freeman" and "Denzel Washington" in the same sentence.


(Keenan McCardell)
Rush the Racist?

Rush Limbaugh would definitely hurt the St. Louis Rams if he bought the team. I can only judge what he says on the radio - but the way he talks makes me think he's a racist.

The NFL is a dominant black league and it's tough to say that a guy who speaks his mind as much as he does with a locker room that's 60% minority would get players' respect. If I were a free agent it would be really hard for me to want to play for him. He'd have to show me that he's a different person. The coach would also have to convince me that this was about football and not politics.

All the players would remember what he said about Donovan McNabb - what got him fired from ESPN. It's a crazy thing, but it's hard to change what you said once you said it -- hard to get guys to forget and trust again.


(Jason Maloni) The NFL is not short of controversial owners with big personalities and tragic histories. Al Davis has set a new standard of dysfunction in Oakland and Los Angeles and he eats up head coaches like John Madden eats Turduckens. Art Model can't even fly over Northeast Ohio anymore after becoming the most reviled man in Cleveland history for uprooting the Browns in the middle of the night and shifting the franchise to Baltimore.

If Limbaugh does make the leap to the owner's box, he will have to restrain his famous impulse to say the first thing that comes to mind. While there are several examples of shoot-from-the-hip owners who impose their will on their coaches and teams, there are also shining examples of owners who make good hires, who honor the game, and contribute to the legacy of what many consider America's true national pastime.


In other words, it's impossible to "honor the game" and be openly conservative. Brilliant.


And not to be
left out of the party, particularly considering his hometown connection, the St Louis Post-Dispatch's Bryan Burwell poured on the vitriol here:


They will all look the other way when it comes to Limbaugh — forgetting his polarizing racial politics, conveniently ignoring (perhaps even quietly agreeing with) all the mean-spirited divisive bile that comes along with his ample financial clout — just like many of you surely will, too. They will look the other way because of his wealth and influence. You will look the other way because to some of you, he is your politically incorrect hero, and the rest might be willing to ignore all of that just as long as he can put enough money on the table to help keep your football team in St. Louis.

I don’t have that luxury.

Though I think it is his right to take a shot at becoming part of a new Rams ownership group, Limbaugh’s American Dream is a potential nightmare waiting to happen for the Rams, the city and the National Football League.


Don't believe for a moment our state-run friends are about to drop this issue and allow Limbaugh to successfully purchase a team.


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06 October 2009

State-Run Media Clearly Upset Over Potential Limbaugh NFL Purchase

RUNNING INTERFERENCE

Will Smear Campaign Derail Limbaugh's NFL Hopes?







While there's nothing more predictable than knee-jerk outrage from the state-run media when Rush Limbaugh is portrayed in a positive (or even merely neutral) light, it's hard to believe they would care about his potential purchase of a NFL team.

But that would be underestimating our media friends, who've never met an opportunity to smear El Rushbo they didn't happily accept. In this case, that means inserting an irrelevant issue from years ago into the mix.

In fact, there was a similar effort last year with the first indication Limbaugh might be interested.

From the Los Angeles Times, here's the first of the latest examples:


Rush Limbaugh says he's trying to purchase Rams

October 6, 2009 | 9:28 am

Rush It appears conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh wants to be an NFL team owner.

In a statement released today, Limbaugh said he's partnering with St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts in a bid to buy the St. Louis Rams. Limbaugh didn't go into details, but said he and Checketts "have made a bid to buy the Rams and are continuing the process."

It's unclear whether Limbaugh and Checketts will buy the team outright or purchase a majority or minority stake in the franchise. Georgia Frontiere's children own a 60% stake in the team, and billionaire Stan Kroenke owns a 40% stake.

Hopefully, Limbaugh's latest foray into the pro football will go a little more smoothly than when he worked briefly as an NFL commentator for ESPN in 2003. Limbaugh resigned after saying Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback do well in the NFL.


And from the AP, another:


Limbaugh is a native of Cape Girardeau, Mo., about 100 miles south of St. Louis. He's so popular among conservatives — fans of his show call themselves "dittoheads" — that he has been called by some the voice of the Republican Party.

Limbaugh, who lives and works in Palm Beach, Fla., once worked for the Kansas City Royals and is an avid sports fan.

In 2003, Limbaugh worked briefly on ESPN's NFL pregame show, but resigned after saying Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.


And here, the Atlanta Journal-Consitution takes it all several steps further:


6. The Rush to misery tour

We go from rap to Rush Limbaugh (sorry for the whiplash.) Limbaugh is part of a group bidding to purchase the St. Louis Rams. I didn’t think it was possible for a franchise to take a step back from once being owned by the late Georgia Frontiere, a former Miami dancer who married Carroll Rosenbloom and inexplicably inherited the team after he mysteriously drowned while swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. She then fired her stepson (Steve Rosenbloom) as the top team executive, ran the Rams into the ground and moved them from Los Angeles to St. Louis. But yeah. This beats that.


5. A drug-abused racist should go over well at owners’ meetings


"Sometimes I can't believe the things that come out of my mouth!"

Rush Limbaugh as NFL owner? Wonderful? He has first-hand knowledge of being criminally investigated for drugs after his abuse of prescription painkillers (OxyContin). He had that great stint with ESPN, during which he basically accused the media of going soft on Donovan McNabb because he’s an African American quarterback (and word of going “soft” must’ve been news to the Philly media). And maybe he can do one of those NFL United Way commercials, given that he accused actor Michael J. Fox of exaggerating his Parkinson’s disease. And finally, he’ll be a real popular guy in the locker room for playing a satirical song, “Barack The Magic Negro” (sung to “Puff the Magic Dragon”) in 2007 on his talk show. Yes, just the kind of good-will ambassador NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is looking for.


Beyond the topic of football, what does Limbaugh's ESPN stint have to do with buying a team? Or the past addiction issue that is so frequently utilized by the left? Unless the goal is to undermine Rush's bid by injecting political controversy into the process, there's no reason to include this irrelevant topic.


Here's what Rush
himself had to say about the McNabb row back in 2007:


CALLER: I appreciate you taking the call. I was just making a comment on the Imus situation. It seems hypocritical from the media that they're bashing him and you were unfortunately released from ESPN way back in the early 2000. The crew from Inside the NFL, HBO, got on the bandwagon and bashed you for supposedly being racist when you were just making a comment on Donovan McNabb.

RUSH: Making a comment on the media, not McNabb. I made a comment on the media, not McNabb.

CALLER: Right. They misconstrued it as you making a comment on Donovan McNabb.

RUSH: Look, those guys are all liberals. You want to know what the real problem here was? The real problem was -- and I've had a couple people who are big-time sportscasters on the networks tell me this -- "They were laying in wait for you, Rush. They were just offended to no end that you were coming into their world, the world of sports, and they were going to get you somehow. They were going to try to get you no matter what, because they resented the fact that you were entering sports, and you're not a sports guy, and you haven't paid your dues, and you're not a journalist and all that." What you said you saw happen on HBO's Inside the NFL is a classic example. HBO is a very liberal-oriented network, anyway. Inside the NFL has its share of liberal producers and so forth -- and a liberal host, who is obsessed with race, Bob Costas -- and then of course they have got that babe in there Wanda Sykes, who is this black comedian. She can run around and say whatever she wants like a rapper, and of course nobody says a word. They just laugh at that and she's protected because she is a minority. Therefore, like all minorities they can say what they want because they "don't have the power to be racists or bigots" or what have you.


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02 October 2009

Liberal Bloggers Use Fraud To Attack Conservative Talk Radio

'BOCH' VS TALK

Mass Libs Impersonate Car Dealer To Launch Talk Boycott





*** BREAKING: Boch Tells Carr Impersonator Is Beacon Hill-Based State Employee, Will Hire Private Investigator To Identify Him ***

*** Boston Herald: $2000 Reward To Unmask Phony Blogger ***


In one of the left-wing blogosphere's sleaziest moves to date, a prominent liberal site has apparently impersonated a well-known car dealer in order to launch a boycott campaign against conservative talk radio. And now that they've been caught red-handed by a newspaper, little has been done to mitigate the damage.

New England-based Blue Mass Group has been outed by the Boston Herald for its attempt to use the identity of Ernie Boch Jr, a well-known regional businessman, in a campaign to pressure advertisers of regionally-syndicated talker Howie Carr (shown right in Herald image) into pulling their spots.

In Boston, Boch is also known for his involvement in the music industry and until recently owned WXTK-FM, the highly-rated talk radio station on Cape Cod that carries Carr, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and others.

According to the Herald's Inside Track column, the resulting confusion led to angry calls from Carr's advertisers to the real Boch:


“I thought the mob was calling me on my cell phone,” EBJ told the Track after fielding a nasty call from SBLI biggie Bob Sheridan . “This guy, Sheridan, was ranting and raving about my boycott, and finally it hit me.”

Of course, there is no Ernie Boch III. But the fake son of the Automile King has been blogging for more than a year on left-leaning bluemassgroup.com . And apparently some readers believed he was the real Ernie.

But the you-know-what really hit the fan after a Tuesday post that read: “Howie Carr sponsors should be boycotted, not because of Howie’s politics, but because of his over-the-top personal attacks and meanness towards those he disagrees with or stand in his way.”

Well, needless to say, the Savings Bank Life Insurance biggie wasn’t too happy about those sentiments, especially after a few clients called to ask the insurer to pull his ads off Howie’s show. Hence his call to the real Boch.

“Bob Sheridan was upset because his has the utmost respect for Ernie, which is why he called him himself,” said Sheridan’s spokesman, George Regan . “He was pretty sheepish when he found out it wasn’t him. “He values his relationship with WRKO and is a proud sponsor of the ‘Howie Carr Show.’ But there is a bigger issue here - people posing as others on the Internet.”

Other big sponsors on the list were Giant Glass, Amica Insurance and Shaw’s Supermarkets. There were a couple smaller ones, too, like Eastern Standard Restaurant.


But when confronted with their fraud, Blue Mass danced around the dishonesty, according to the paper:


In an e-mail to the Track, David Kravitz, founder of bluemassgroup.com, refused to identify "Ernie Boch III," because he "has chosen to remain entirely anonymous, as our users are entitled to if they wish.

"As far as I know, however, he has no relation to the real Ernie Boch of ‘come on down’ fame," the Web master wrote.

No kidding.


Since being nailed for the impersonation, Blue Mass has done nothing other than add a disclaimer to one of the many posts by "Ernie Boch III". In fact, the name has been used on subsequent updates as recently as today.

For his part, Carr used today's Herald column for this response to the sleazy "progressive" bloggers:


“Ernie” suggests that among those who might want to join the crusade - oh, can’t use that word, it’s Christian - are “the governor, the speaker of the house, the senate president, the mayor and other powerful people who have been targets of Howie’s unique brand of journalism.”

That’ll be quite the organizational meeting, won’t it? The Hands Off Jim Marzilli Committee joins forces with the Friends of Whitey Bulger.

Who else might join, “Ern”?

“Old Dukakoids.”

Go ahead, old Dukakoids, make my day.

The moonbats are also concerned about my “bizarre repetitive attacks on Tom Finneran.” Felon Finneran to you, pal. By the way, I’ve been bludgeoning Roman Polanski this week. I’d like to see him in a cell too . . . right next to Felon Finneran.

I guess they want me out of that AM radio station. Now, that’s funny, because what do these Birkenstock-wearing vegans think I’ve been trying desperately to do for the last, oh, four years?


No word on whether
Boch will consider litigation against these dishonest and intolerant sleazebags.


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