Split Emerging Between Conservative Media And GOP Leadership On AIG Mess
Here’s an interesting subplot developing amid the AIG mess: The emerging split between leading conservative media figures and GOP leaders over how to respond.
GOP Congressional leaders have roundly condemned AIG and its executives, as part of a strategy to position themselves as heroic defenders of the taxpayers and to paint the Obama administration as weak and ineffectual. Mitch McConnell recently blasted AIG’s bonuses as an “outrage.” John Boehner said that the “American people are rightly outraged.” And Eric Cantor bemoaned the “stunning lack of accountability” on AIG’s part.
But increasingly, leading conservative media figures are moving in a different direction: Defending AIG.
Rush Limbaugh recently said: “I am all for the AIG bonuses” and attacked the Obama administration for trying to undo them. He also blasted Dem efforts to get the names of the AIG bonus recipients as “McCarthyism.”
Fox News followed suit, also comparing Dems to “Joe McCarthy.” And Sean Hannity has now derided efforts to tax the execs by saying: “In other words, we’re going to just steal their money.”
There’s not really a direct contradiction between the GOP leaders’ professed outrage over the bonuses and the conservative media’s condemnation of efforts to recoup them. But the conservative attack on Dems is rooted in free market orthodoxy, which GOP leaders have implicitly ditched in order to get outraged.
This split could muddy the GOP message and even compromise the party’s efforts to use AIG to damage Obama. After all, GOP leaders are now mulling whether they should call for Tim Geithner’s head over the bonuses. If leading conservative media figures keep suggesting to rank and file Republicans that there’s nothing wrong with the bonuses, how will that mesh with the claim by GOP leaders that we should hold Geithner accountable for them?
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As if Republicans cared about consistency and fairness in their criticism. Remember the debate during the stimulus: the GOP complained that $750 billion cost too much and would create a too big deficit… while their own plan was over $3 trillion in tax cuts!
All they want is get on TV and bash Obama for a random reason every day. It looks like the presidential campaign never ended.
At least Limbaugh is consistent. GOP politicians are too busy looking to put the screws to Obama than standing for anything. And even if they walk back their talk now, they’ve given the Dems quotes that can be used against them when Obama puts forth new regulations on the industry.
The Republicans, the party of Big Business, have been arguing for executive salary caps for crying out loud. Up is down, black is white.
Limbaugh is saying Obama is fanning the flames in order to institute new socialist rules and regulations, but in reality it’s the GOP who is running with this story. Why isn’t h calling out Boehner and McConnell?
Given Obama’s remarks today about fast tracking regulation legislation, I wonder if this is another case where he gave the GOP just enough rope to hang themselves with.
The GOP is learning that it is tough to be pro-business and populist at the same time during a recession that was created by Wall Street.
Finally, poor, dumb Americans are realizing that pro-buisness isn’t the same as Pro-American. But they are now more confused than ever because the word “Socialism” is still burnt into their tiny brains from the cold war era.
Hey, wasn’t Joe McCarthy a…..Republican?
So, the right-wing media are now insulting Dems by comparing them to a Republican, while Michael Steele is insulting Obama by comparing him to Richard Nixon. How deliciously pathetic they are! It’s recess time in the grade school playground…..and this is all they can do with all of the problems we face: “NO, NO, NO I won’t do go back to the classroom and by the way, you’re just as dumb as that Joe McCarthy!”
Does anyone remember Republicans like George Aiken, Ed Brooke, Chuck Percy…..Geez, even Dwight Eisenhower and Gerald Ford were flaming liberals compared to these clowns.
More and more evidence is coming to light that the AIG Financial Products division knew that what they were doing was shady. Be sure to check out this story and this story about how Joe Cassano blocked a proper audit of the risky junk they were selling.
Now I don’t know how financial firms work, but if I committed fraud at my company and cost them a boatload of money, I’d expect to be fired and to not receive my bonus. Of course, Limbaugh and Hannity have spent the last 8 years getting rewarded for covering up incompetence and lies, so I can understand why their sympathies lie with the failed execs at AIGFP.
Didi/Gogo:
You are right, Rush is consistent. Consistently bigoted, pro- rich white man.
Pro athletes are *rich*.
The guys who sign their paychecks are WEALTHY.
And Limbaugh hobnobbs with the wealthy, while Hannity hopes to some day.
AIG is the countrparty to all the toxic paper held by the criminal banking families who run Wall Street and own the Fed. That is why they’ve gotten all the gub’mint money, and that is why Limbaugh & Pals sing their praises. Hell, Rush is quite possibly holding a few million in toxic paper himself.
I love the smell of corporatism in the morning.
It’s too bad that the Dems are just as worthless; they simply champion Gub’mint power instead of BigMoney power.
Perhaps one day We The People will actually have someone representing us again. Wouldn’t that be neat?!
If the Dems had moved on capping pay, as they wished, the usual suspects would have yelled “socialism” and called for rebellion against totalitarian big government. You know, the “small band of rebels” vs the Evil Empire–via Reagan via Lucas. Amazing that these Ayn Randroids see themselves as puny victims.
The right has just walked into a colossal trap. Shh–they have no idea they’re in it! For the sake of dominating the news cycle (Reagan form) they have sacrificed Reagan content (the deserving rich). Goodbye!
nattering nabobs of negativism
Oh boy!
Thank you Rush Limbaugh! I had to go to my in-laws last weekend and hear them rail against these bonuses. They love Rush Limbaugh.
They are coming over to our house this weekend. Guess what the topic of conversation will be in my house?
One weekend of bliss.
Rush Limbaugh is brain damaged from opium addiction. This is not a vicious insult, this is objectively-verifiable scientific fact. So what does that say about the people who listen to him and the movement that takes him seriously?
busdrivermike, I would like a follow-up report of what your inlaws had to say about Rush Limbaugh backing the bonuses.
Aren’t these the same guys demanding the auto workers take pay cuts?
Gotta love it! Limbaugh, Hannity, Malkin, Glenn Beck all about to go “Galt” on us with the buddies off Wall Street. Off to play real world “Survivor” somewhere in Montana. Wonder which one will be the first to become Soylent Green when they realize that none of them know a thing about living off the land…nobody wants their gold, or their paper currency…and no one takes American Express.
Here’s a quick summary:
Republicans are F**KTARDS!
“If leading conservative media figures keep suggesting to rank and file Republicans that there’s nothing wrong with the bonuses, how will that mesh with the claim by GOP leaders that we should hold Geithner accountable for them?”
Split the difference – there is nothing wrong with paying them now that the Administration has left this to drift for so long. The time to intervene was back when the Administration was arm-twisting Dodd to take a retro-active bonus provision *out* of the stimulus bill.
It’s very easy to thump the Dems for a mixed message since that is what they have delivered.
Eventually, Republicans who don’t normally like taxes are not going to like a tax targeted at the outrage du jour, especially since the Dems find a new one every day.
Trust me. Republicans are just about done and no one is listening. Good luck with 33% of the vote in ‘012.
There isn’t room for all of it here, so let’s start with what the Retardicans are NOT demonstrating to the electorate…
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise..”
http://www.swarthmore.edu/~apreset1/docs/if.html
Av..
I don’t see Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity as republican leaders – any more than I see Michael Moore or Keith Olberman as leaders of the democratic party – I mean – they’re talking heads… and apt to say anything that will cause controversy – therefore driving up ratings & ticket sales & ad revenue.
Term limits for the house & senate! Write your elected officials!
What’s going on here is quite clear. The conservative media can speak their mind truthfully because they don’t have to run for re-election. The GOP leaders can’t say what they feel because they want to keep their jobs come re-election. When the overwhelming view of the voters are highly pissed over the bonuses the GOP isn’t going to commit suicide by saying they are legit and deserved.
Leave it to Rush and Hannity to defend a criminal conspiracy of greedy sociopathic criminals who very nearly wrecked the entire worlds monetary system as they lined there pockets with billions and billions in ill gotten gains.
Be assured there is a warm place in Hell waiting for them all. As you sow, so shall you reap.
Found your blog on Google and was so glad i did. That was a quick read. I have a small question.Is it alright if i send you an email???…
Really enjoyed the post. I too am a tiny bit confused. Are you busy??…