Quotes From Around Yon Blogosphere

[T]he one political theory that I truly believe [in is] the Josh Marshall bitch-slap theory of politics, which asserts that in many political arguments, what matters is who is seen as having delivered the bitch slap and who is seen as having received it. It's a Republican specialty and the story usually goes like this: Candidate X says some reasonable thing that sounds slightly awkward. The right-wing talk radio crowd jumps all over it and gets its useful idiots (Jake Tapper, Mark Halperin, Marc Ambinder, etc.) all excited about making Candidate X retract it. Finally after about 24 hours, Candidate X does retract it and looks weak for having done so. That sets in motion a Halperin-Politico news cycle about why Candidate X doesn’t appeal to middle Americans who just want to have a beer with a guy who stands up for what he believes in.

We've seen it time and time again.

And that's why it’s so smart to taunt the Republicans about Rush. Some Republicans (to their credit) will chafe against the notion that they orders from an obese oxycontin addict and protest. We all know what happens next. This isn't just about making it clear that Republicans take orders from El Rushbo, it's about making them look weak and pathetic. And once it's all set in motion, it just keeps going -- it really is a perpetual bitch-slap machine.

-- DOUG J

Yes, he is an entertainer -- you have to be to keep an audience for 3 hours every day -- but he is also a leader in thought. This may make the more nuanced among the right uncomfortable, primarily because he doesn't confer with anyone before making his thoughts known. He's unpredictable. It is because Rush does not confer with others that he is a leader. It is because Rush is independent that he sets himself apart.

-- J. PETER FREIRE

I wasn't sure what I should say about Freire's post, but fortunately I was able to confer with my advisors. Oh, wait, I don't confer with anyone before making my thoughts known, either. I guess I must be a leader, in which case the word doesn't mean very much. Seriously, why do intelligent conservative journalists (and Freire deserved the recognition he received last week) feel compelled to say such things?

If there is one thing Limbaugh is not, it is unpredictable. Maybe that's the smart move for someone in his business. He is very successful at what he does, so I'm sure he knows what the formula is for drawing a regular listening audience, but one thing that you can rely on with Limbaugh is that you can be sure that you know exactly what you are getting when you turn on his show. Is Limbaugh independent? Independent of what? He very reliably serves up ready-made opinions, affirms his listeners’ beliefs, flatters their wisdom and very rarely challenges them.

-- DANIEL LARISON

We've uncovered the secret Republican Apology Machine.

-- DCCC.ORG

A month after Michael Steele became the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee, key party leaders are worried that the GOP has made a costly mistake -- one that will make it even harder for them to take back power from the dominant Democratic Party.

Steadily becoming a dependable punch line, Steele has brushed back Rush Limbaugh, threatened moderate Republican senators, offered the "friggin' awesome" Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal some "slum love," called civil unions "crazy" and promised more outreach to "urban-suburban hip-hop settings" via an "off the hook" public relations campaign.

He even threw a shout-out to "one-armed midgets."

That’s in just 30 days on the job -- and that’s just the PR part.

-- MIKE ALLEN and ANDY BARR

Limbaugh is now calling people "butt boys." This is on top of his adorable comments that Republicans are being asked to "bend over and grab their ankles" because Obama is black. I realize that the term "butt boy" is fairly common in junior high locker rooms as a synonym for sycophant, but when did it become OK to say this on radio? Does the FCC know that it literally means submissive, teenage anal sex (with a strong implication of coercion?)

-- DIGBY

I find the attacks on Rush from the right mostly stupid, cringe-inducing, and wrong.

-- RICK LOWRY

One of the most admirable things about our conservative political culture is our fearless sympathy for the underdog!

Less admirable, though, is our aversion to unwelcome realities. Rush Limbaugh is a seriously unpopular figure among voters conservatives and Republicans need to reach. 45% of independents have a negative impression of him, according to the January Gallup poll.

Rasmussen found that only 16% of Americans would be more likely to support a candidate endorsed by Limbaugh – while 46% would be less likely to support such a candidate.

-- DAVID FRUM

Cartoon by Chris Britt/Springfield (Ill.) State Journal Register