FReepers Still Freaking Out Over Letterman/Palin Feud

Image (not endorsed by this blog, only displayed to show the level of "humor" and/or vitriol the FReepers posess) from source, Free Republic*

I wasn't kidding when I said that the wingnuts in right-wing world are still gunning for David Letterman for daring to joke about their beloved Caribou Barbie. It's still a mystery to me why that particular series of jokes turned into such a firestorm, and why Sarah Palin chose that particular time to go after a comedian.

One thing it confirmed was the near-unanimous support Palin garners in some of the darker regions of politics. The denizens of internet outposts like FreeRepublic are exactly the people that the term "drinking the Kool-Aid was invented for. The term comes from the Rev. Jim Jones suicide cult, and I've gotta say, the reaction to everything Sarah by these folks resembles nothing more closely than a cult.

Check out some of the remarks about last night's Late Show with David Letterman. Notice that the things they accuse Letterman of are exponentially worse than anything he ever said about Palin. And then remember, these same people are excited that Palin might sue members of the media for "defamation." Oh, I forgot to mention that FR is an irony-free zone. Or rather, they don't understand or recognize it.

"The pathetic rude washed up unfunny comic is starving for attention and ratings, so he tries to ride Sarah’s coattails."

"Kind of appropriate to say Letterman’s a PUKE!"

"Do not bother calling the network — CALL THE SPONSORS...! Activism 101: no sponsors = no show...."

"You are precisely correct. Letterman's audience is aging rapidly and he isn't attracting any new blood.His show won't last too many years longer, maybe a handful, at most."

"He will probably want to rape her 15 year old daughter, the old perv."

"Do you expect anything else from libs. They are hateful drones, they elected Obama and look what he has done to this country"

"Our country is lost."

"We need to stop being so polite by calling them liberals, and get a little more accurate in our description. Terms like: Anti-Americans, Fascist vermin, Home-grown-Nazis, Domestic enemies, etc should be ascribed daily to these vile left-wing propagandists."

Source: FreeRepublic

*Incidentally, I'd like to point out that nowhere in Letterman's original jokes were any mention or implication of rape. This can only come from the fact that if Letterman's jokes were about Willow Palin (rather than Bristol), it would be (in most states) statutory rape. The FReepers have elevated this to flat-out rape, and have cast Letterman as a predator. Which shows they can't understand a simple straightforward joke, and that they will inflate faux outrages to insane proportions.

Rush Limbaugh's Disturbing Hold on His Listeners

Image from source, RushLimbaugh.com

I've commented previously that Rush Limbaugh creeps me the hell out. He is--by far--more than merely a right wing radio bloviator. He fancies himself as an entertainer, Keith Olbermann refers to him as "the comedian." My preferred designation is cult leader. The thrall he holds over his listeners is downright frightening.

Now, you might dismiss me as paranoid, or just biased against right-wing pundits in general. And you might be just a little correct, but that's not all there is to it. I've reported earlier on this blog about how Rush often tells his fans that they don't need to get their news anywhere else, he'll do the work for them. On his website, he gives his listeners marching orders. And today, in a facetious ramble about supporting Sen. Barack Obama for President, he said the following:

"So, using their guidance and using their thought processes, how about, ladies and gentlemen, if I were to announce today and use my powers as a pied piper over all of you mind-numbed robots to declare our support for Obama, for this reason: Some of the key issues that our candidate supports are signature issues of McCain."

Now, you might claim that Rush is just being funny. . .jabbing at liberals like me, who think of him and his dittoheads precisely as he described in the bold letters above. And you might be right, unless you heard the phone call that followed shortly after that:

RUSH: What are you going to do?
CALLER: Well, I'm a member of -- I'm an op for chaos.
RUSH: And so what are you going to do?
CALLER: Well, I'm going to do whatever you say, basically, I just can't bring myself to vote for McCain.
RUSH: A-ha. Well, what if I told you to vote Obama?
CALLER: That's classic. If you were serious, I'd do it. . .

Now really, how far is it from that kind of talk to the big drum of special kool-aid?

Source: Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh Treats Listeners Like Fools

Before John McCain became the Republican nominee for President, Rush Limbaugh assailed him. He came very close to saying he wouldn't even vote for the guy. After McCain was in, Limbaugh shifted gears, and started his dubious Operation Chaos, an attempt to confuse and corrupt the Democratic primaries, and help Hillary Clinton stay in the race, because he believed her to be the easiest for McCain to beat.

Now that his efforts in that endeavor have proven to be negligable at best, he's flip-flopped. He's saying he "now believes" that Barack Obama is the weaker candidate. Mmm hmmm. And no matter what he says, or how he behaves, his lock-steppy listeners fall right into line. Rush obviously possesses a powerful charisma that completely elludes me, I can only say that his listeners are lucky he hasn't decided to become a cult leader. Or, I suppose, you could argue that he already is. He regularly ladles out the metaphorical Kool-Aid, and his ditto-heads greedily drink it up.

Just check out this screen grab from his site (top of post). Can you even imagine if MoveOn.org or Michael Moore had a campaign like this, with "official orders?" This is not an isolated example, or something out of character for Rush. He regularly tells listeners that they need no other source than him. One of his popular items for sale is a "Rush is Right!" bumper sticker. How far is it from metaphorical to literal Kool-Aid?

[Excerpt]

Limbaugh comes out for Obama

He has publicly urged Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton to keep the divisive Democratic nomination fight alive, but talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said Wednesday it's Barack Obama who he really wants to be the party's nominee.

"I now believe he would be the weakest of the Democrat nominees," Limbaugh, among the most powerful voices in conservative radio, said on his program. "I now urge the Democrat supereldegates to make your mind up and publicly go for Obama. . ."

Read more at: CNN