Me? Agree with Rush Limbaugh? Never, except on Michelle Wie

Paraphrasing Al Franken? Tim if you lined up Rush Limbaugh's listeners each day they would stretch from New York to Chicago. If you lined up the few idiots who listen to Al Franken each day they wouldn't get out of Manhattan.

It is easy to see you like swimming upstream against the current in turd infested waters. Welcome to the World of Liberal Media. I'm sure cnn Al-Jazeera will be calling you soon for that interview.

"the Third Reich radio commentator" Tim, good thing you had to prove your a stuck up bigot before you would admit to agreeing with Rush. Wouldn't want your fellow bigot friends to criticize you! You just insulted 50% of the country and you’re too bigoted to know it.

Tim, there are some very serious Nazi and Communist sympathizers in the U.S., not unlike youself, who don't take to free speech unless it's their type of speech, not unlike yourself.

Let's look at the respective careers of Al Franken and Rush Limbaugh. Al Franken has recieved 3 Emmy Awards, was the head writer for arguably the most ground-breaking and influential show of it's era(SNL), has written 5 New York Times best sellers and has a hugely succesful nationally syndicated radio talk show.

Rush Limbaugh illegally bought and consumed 4350 OxyContin, Lorcet and Hydrocodone pain killers in a 47-day period.

I rest my case. Franken=talented, popular moderate satarist
Limbaugh=fat, drug addicted right wing slob

I didn't realize they changed the name of ABC News radio to the Third Reich radio network.

How kind of you to inform us!

Geez Tim, first you get knocked by a neocon, then a lib?

I have to agree with you and (yuck) Limbaugh. I'm a Wie fan, but lets face it she needs to win eventually.

I believe she will. In the meantime, her followers need to take a chill pill (or a cold one).

"Comment from: Dylan [Visitor]
Let's look at the respective careers of Al Franken and Rush Limbaugh. Al Franken has recieved 3 Emmy Awards, was the head writer for arguably the most ground-breaking and influential show of it's era(SNL), has written 5 New York Times best sellers and has a hugely succesful nationally syndicated radio talk show.

Rush Limbaugh illegally bought and consumed 4350 OxyContin, Lorcet and Hydrocodone pain killers in a 47-day period.

I rest my case. Franken=talented, popular moderate satarist
Limbaugh=fat, drug addicted right wing slob"

The World according to Dylan....

Al Franken is a comedian/comedy writer and as such should not be taken seriously.

Liberals buy books to if they can have someone to read them out loud or they contain pictures.

People become addicted to various things including John Kennedy a liberal Hero who was addicted to pain killers, along with Elvis and many others. Franken just prefers nose candy over pills.

Popular Radio Show Host? You obviously don't follow the ratings or have any knowledge of the financial difficulties Air Amerika is having. Put a fork in them, they are done.

I would like to see Michelle Wie win, and I am sure she would like to win--but she doesn't HAVE to win. I seriously doubt that a failure to win will mean that she will have to go hungry. She should probably not even think about winning--but just concentrate on playing her best.

Maybe Limbaugh is looking for a job with Golf Channel, hoping he will have better success critising asian female golfers than black quarterbacks. I can't believe anyone would take him seriously about golf (or anything else for that matter).

Hey Timmy,

When's the last time you got invited to play the Pebble Beach Pro-am? :)

I think perhaps you just made a fair number of enemies among the conservative golf set, which includes about 90% of the pga tour. Pretty smart career move.

Your comments not only show a lack of judgment, but demonstrate an inability to think and write clearly. One thing you did manage to demonstrate quite clearly, however inadvertent it might have been: you are ignorant.

I think he graduated (I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt here.) from his correspondence course,Journalism for Idiots. It's been a loss leader for IDG Books for years.I heard they were giving that volume away and Tim got his course free, I'm sure.

paul w needs to review what rush actually said about a black quarterback....his comments were about the media assessing the black quarterback, not ABOUT the black quarterback. Mr Limbaugh has the most listeners in this country (and world, for that matter)than any other political commentator because he is CORRECT in his analysis, us "dittoheads" know it, and the liberals know it, thats why they hate him. And if you will notice, the only comments about rush are always personal attacks, NEVER does anyone attack his ideas or analysis of events..........

"Maybe Limbaugh is looking for a job with Golf Channel, hoping he will have better success critising asian female golfers than black quarterbacks."

The thing that gets tiring about all the Limbaugh haters out there is their complete ignorance of who he is and what he says. For example, Rush never criticized Donovan McNabb. He criticized the media and the NFL for judging McNabb as a BLACK quarterback rather than just a quarterback. He argued against an agenda where race blinds people to facts and figures. Subsequent events and commentary have vindicated Rush. Yet the media ignores such news because it doesn't fit in with their belief that Rush is a racist. I know myself well enough to know that I would never listen to, agree with or admire anyone who was even remotely racist.

Didn't mean to offend Limbaugh fans. I am not a "Limbaugh hater", I have little interest in him one way or another no matter how many listeners he has. My point was I don't think he should be taken seriously as a commentator on golf.

Bill and Ted: I have friends who are Limbaugh fans and in the past they've urged me to listen to him. They said basically what you guys said, that liberals attack Limbaugh personally, not his ideas, that his analyses are insightful in non-politically correct ways, etc.

So, in point of fact, I have listened to him extensively, and here is just a sample of my personal conclusions:

He's a hate-monger in so many different and subtle ways. He exploits people's fears and prejudices, making them seem like reasonable ways of looking at things and therefore justified.

His "analyses" are generally flawed and obstreperous.

As far as personal attacks, I think you may be referring to his illegal drug use. If he had been forthright and honest, I think nobody -- or at least not as many -- would have ever criticized him. It is his hypocrisy that I and others find reprehensible.

Let me point out that I cannot be considered a dyed-in-the-wool liberal. I have many conservative viewpoints. But, Limbaugh is one of those people who, I believe, spews forth poison that serves only to polarize people in this country and take us backward, not forward.

I find it funny that Rush's strongest supporters on this site are named Bill and Ted...Wooo dude, must be time for your excellent adventure. reading this blog one would think that all of golf and 90% of the United States are conservative. Thank God, President Bush's approval rating of 30% gives me hope for the future of our country.

Fact: Rush Limbaugh is a blowhard
Fact: Blowhards can be right sometime
Fact: Al Franken is a comedy writer
Fact: Comedy writers can be wrong sometime
Fact: Golf blogs strive for more readers
Fact: The fastest way to get more readers is to mention Michelle Wie
Fact: Rush Limbaugh is right about Michelle Wie
Fact: Rush Limbaugh is wrong about a lot of other things

First of all, What liberal media?

Second, there was a time not so long ago (historically speaking) when nearly 100%of people thought the sun orbited the earth. Just because a lot of people believe something or agree with someone, doesn't make them or him right. How many hawks agreed with Rush that Saddam had WMDs about 3 years ago?

Third, many Rush fans deride ad hominem attacks on him, yet that is basically all his show consists of. Nevertheless, the idea that just because he has a large audience he is somehow above criticism or necessarily more insightful, knowledgeable, or "right" than someone else with a smaller audience is basically a reverse ad hominem argument. The utter lack of reason displayed by such an argument, I believe, is indicative of the feeble narrow-mindedness of both him and his listeners.

Tim wrote:

"...here is just a sample of my personal conclusions:

He's a hate-monger in so many different and subtle ways. He exploits people's fears and prejudices, making them seem like reasonable ways of looking at things and therefore justified."

Well, you may conclude that, but I simply don't agree. Here is just a sample of MY personal conclusions:

He defends people and ideas that he sees being attacked on a daily basis. He's an optimist who sees the great potential of everyone to succeed in America. If he "hates" anything, it's the destructive way Liberalism brainwashes people into feeling powerless, hopeless, victimized and totally dependent on the "compassion" of the government. Millions of us are encouraged and motivated by his ideas. He expresses pride in our country and reminds us of our great contributions to the world. He expresses pride in our fighting forces and reminds us of the honorable and heroic work. He expresses confidence in our ability to win in Iraq.

Contrast this with people like Al Franken, whose constant mantras are: "America sucks!" "Bush is Hitler!"..."Our soldiers are torturers!"..."Americans hate Blacks, Muslims, Gays and the environment etc.!"..."Everyone hates America for good reason!"..."We've already lost in Iraq so let's throw in the towel." Bla bla bla.

And you call RUSH a "hate-monger"?

Incidentally, Todd,

Fact: Calling someone "a blowhard" is not a fact. It's an opinion.

Wow, man, you are a dick, Mr. McDonald. I'm sorry, I didn't even finish reading your piddly little article because you ruined it in the first half. You proved to me that you are trashy and I don't waste my time on trashy people. I don't care what your political persuasion, which isn't that important in the big scheme of things, to cruelly bash someone you don't even know in such derogatory terms shows you to be a very small person. Not to mention that you malign countless numbers of people that appreciate his talents, normal people whom you'd probably like if you were to meet. You probably already do have such cordial aquaintances, unbeknownst to you that they think Mr. Limbaugh is an alright guy. So, grow up. Also, before I even read what any of the hate-filled commenters wrote, I already discounted them. To come on a golf blog and trash someone (as you did)...sorry, you're so irrelevant you're not even worth a second thought, ya losers.

Comment from: Michelle Wie [Visitor]
Wow, man, you are a dick, Mr. McDonald.
***********************************
You Michell Wie imposter !
Don't use a fake identity, use your real name and be a real man(!). The real sweet Wie wouldn't call someone a 'dick'.

Ted, I understand you feel that Limbaugh defends people under attack. Those people he is defending are most likely Republicans or conservatives under attack by Democrats. Just like vice versa, because that's the way the country is these days.

It's polarized, and I believe it is because of people like Limbaugh. Remember, his was basically the first well-known conservative radio talk-show. And please don't try to tell me that Limbaugh does not attack people; I've listened to him extensively and he is extremely aggressive in his attacks on liberals.

Air America was a response to that. It is Limbaugh's tone - and that of others like him -- that I think is responsible for much of the hard feelings in the country today. Now, you may say well, all the liberals in Congress, etc. do nothing but complain about the administration. That's been true throughout history; it's one of the few tools the minority party has.

Your other ideas about liberalism are just off base, and it's apparent the words you attribute to Al Franken are either misquoted or completely taken out of context.

Conservatives seem to have this enormous blind spot when it comes to dissent. Dissent is as American as apple pie, yet any time someone disagrees with Bush or Rush -- particularly on the Iraq war -- they are branded as unpatriotic. This notion that conservatives are somehow more patriotic than Democrats is contrived and counter-productive.

"Patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings."

Basically, I'm saying that the vitriol that Limbaugh, O'Reilly, et al spew has the effect of blocking any sort of reasoned debate in this country, which has sustained us for more than 200 years.

notice how todd didnt specify what things mr limbaugh is wrong about?

Tim,

First of all, patriotism is not relevant. Attacking Bush or disagreeing with him is not relevant. "Dissent" is not relevant. Partisanship and a "polarized" nation are not relevant. The issue is the claim that Rush Limbaugh is a racist and a "hate-monger". My point is to say that he is definitely not either of these things. I would not listen to him if he was.

You wrote,

"And please don't try to tell me that Limbaugh does not attack people..."

I never said he didn't attack people. He does that, sure. But so does Al Franken. It comes with the territory. I don't begrudge anyone the right to make their case by "attacking" the opposition. The question is, is their case strengthened or weakened by such "attacks". In my opinion, Rush, more often than not, strengthens his case. His growing audience is proof of that. I do admit that he crosses the line when he makes fun of people on a personal level. I don't see this as "hate-mongering", though. I see it as lame humor. And I don't like it.

And what's this nonsense about being called "unpatriotic"? I never said that. In fact, I read something recently that people on the Left are far more likely to question a person's patriotism than a person on the right. My point was to show how optimistic and positive Rush was about our country, our people, our military and our ability to win. That's a fact. And I contrasted it with people on the left like Al Franken (or Richard Belzar who made some foul-mouthed attack on our American forces, characterizing them as uninformed idiots who were too stupid to get real jobs.) Is he being "unpatriotic"? No. Are his words clever and inspiring? Not to me. But when the Left comes out with that kind of rhetoric all the time, it seems pretty ridiculous that Rush is the one who gets accused of hate-mongering.

And as far as the divisive, polarized country is concerned, you can't be serious. When have we ever been of one mind? And even if it's worse than in the past, you can't pin it on one man or even one party. It takes two to tango. And why is it your side is always worried about polarization? People I agree with think it's fine. Form your opinions and defend them. And if you really are so upset by this polarization, there's a simple fix: just agree with me. There. Problem solved.

I'm not a man, Jay, so I would rather not act like one. No, I'm not Michelle Wie, but I am a girl. As such, I definitely won't use my real name (unsafe), but that's not the point. The point is what I said in my response, and I thought maybe Michelle wie's name might inspire people to tone down the political rhetoric/name-calling. This is a golf blog, remember? I will call Mr. McDonald what I called him because that is how he acted, and it's not really a bad word. I'm sure Ms. Wie would agree, when warranted. Anyway, why am I even responding to you, since you're one of the inconsequential bad-mouthers that I pay attention to? Moment of weakness, I uess. You're still a loser.

Bill's pretty perceptive. This thread has already gotten far, far from the original topic. No need to drag it further into the political sphere.

If one removes all of McDonald's political sniping (oddly similar to Baldwin's Wie sniping), the quote from Limbaugh refers to Wie being more of a triumph of marketing know-how than an actual triumph. And he's right.

For now.

Lets review the comments shall we? Dylan states Mr Limbaugh consumed 4350 pills in 47 days, how he knows this is beyond me but my information is Mr Limbaugh had the proper amount of pills for the time in question. The prosecution stated in open court that he has "no idea" if Mr Limbaugh has broken any laws, but after almost 3 years continues to attempt to find SOMETHING to charge him with. Then one putt repeats the exact number and resorts to what all liberals eventually do, namecalling, referring to Mr Limbaugh as a "slob"..Paul W says Mr Limbaugh critisized a black quarterback, apparently not bothering to actually read what Rush's remarks were. Then Tim starts with the liberal habit of namecalling rather than debating ideas, characterizing Mr Limbaugh as a "hatemonger" that "exploits peoples fears and prejudices" and "spews forth poison"-without once naming any instance or statement that might have to do with that. Then Dylan makes fun of two bloggers names, to what point i have no idea. Then kiel blathers on about Mr Limbaugh without once actually challenging anything Rush has ever said, again, to what point i dont know. Then Tim comes back saying Rush is "aggressive" in his attacks on liberals.------ahhhhhhhh, playing audio of liberals speaking and pointing out when they are lying i would not characterize as attacking. And no Tim, its Rush that is the response, the response to 50 years of the liberals having a stranglehold on the news outlets. Rush is the most listened to commentator in the WORLD because when people hear him they identify with what he is saying. So the point of all this is, if anyone cares to attack Mr Limbaugh, please feel free, but attack him in the arena of ideas, these attacks on Rush are the same used on Ann Coulter, NEVER on her ideas, always personal disparagement. Thats why liberals have lost the last 4 election cycles and will continue to lose until they are honest with the people about who they are and what they believe.

Bill, if I wanted to take the time and effort to point out all the things Limbaugh has said or implied that are either blatant lies, misperceptions or twisted half-truths, I would. But I don't. It wouldn't make any difference anyway to people like you who believe him because they want to believe him.


How about this in the way of examples of his distortions: Just about anything out of his mouth.

hehehe,,,,,,tim just made my point for me, thank you tim.......dont ever say anything that can be checked........hehehe,,,,,,,,liberals are such fun

Bill, I read every comment and didn't see one assertion about Rush backed up with even a quote. Not surprised that I saw plenty of name calling and inaccuracies, though.

Tim. As a journalist you should have a bit more respect for your reader than to refer to people in such immature tones. You assume your reader is as immature and will relate to you. I know you don't have all the time in the world to back up what you say... but just a quote or two would be helpful.