It's Limbaugh versus The One

The bout is on.

Last Friday, President Barack Obama advised Republicans to stop listening to Rush Limbaugh, whose entertaining radio commentaries earn him $50 million a year.

“You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” Obama said to Republican leaders who met with the president to talk about the pending stimulus/pork bill.

Limbaugh returned the blow, saying he doesn't want to get things done; he wants Obama to be stopped. “If I wanted Obama to succeed, I’d be happy the Republicans have laid down," he said. "I don’t want this to work. So I’m thinking of replying to this guy, say ‘okay, I’ll send you a response, but I don’t need 400 words, I need four: 'I hope he fails.’”

Now, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched an online petition encouraging readers to express their outrage at Limbaugh.

The Democrats could easily pass the stimulus bill wihtout any Republican votes in the House, and also could pass it without Republican votes in the Senate unless the Republicans filibuster. To overcome a filibuster, the Democrats would have to pick up two Republican votes.

The Democrats may be reluctant, however, to ramrod the stimulus without any Republican support. If the measure fails to produce the intended results, as is likely, even a little Republican support would give them cover.

The back story, however, reaches beyond the stimulus legislation. While Limbaugh and a number of other conservative hosts have prospered, liberal talk shows have failed repeatedly and dismally. As a result, Democrats have threatened to restore the "fairness doctrine," which would require radio stations to balance conservative programming with liberal slants.

It is widely believed that this would destroy conservative talk radio, since stations would scuttle talk radio rather than add unpopular, money-losing liberal talkers.

Given the feeble state of the Republican Party, this would allow the Democrats free rein to purge America of the last vestiges of Reagan conservatism and make America a vast playground for Chicago thugs and Hollywood liberals.

The Democrat campaign against Limbaugh serves as a reminder that Obama got his foothold in politics by systematically eliminating all of the other candidates for the Illinois Senate from his Chicago district, leaving him alone on the ballot on election day.

If you're the only one still standing, you win.

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