The New York Times has just laid virtually all of talk radio’s top conservative punditry naked to their enemies by revealing a coordinated effort, between them and top DC politicians, to “tamp-down” opposition to comprehensive immigration reform, and “gaslight” the national republican audience. A brutal expose’…
We already knew the aspect of Fox News via Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ailes, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly meeting with Chuck Schumer, Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio capturing promises to deliver favorable opinion for immigration reform. – Outlined HERE – We also knew, and wrote about how Fox Executives manipulated program content (including the blacklisting of amnesty critics) to support the collective agenda.
However, we did not know how far the scope of the influence was extended, nor did we know Rush Limbaugh was a direct participant. We also did not know that Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin were lobbied to participate.
How would we know? How would anyone know? They never told their audience.
None of the aforementioned pundits ever disclosed the nature or content of the lobbying, nor their own independent determination whether to go along with the agenda, or remain willfully blind thereby benefitting the legislative agenda by omission.
In hindsight we can only accept silence as willful blindness.
However, now we do know, many things make a lot more sense about how reactionary all the “conservative” pundits were, notably the Fox Group, when candidate Donald Trump announced his immigration platform to include a border wall, deportation and strict enforcement of immigration law. Now we know why most pundits reacted with such disdain.
Their opposition, heck, their knee jerk attacks upon Trump for proposing immigration enforcement, seemed stunning in June/July 2015; but now takes on an entirely new light.
Via New York Times […] The dinner at News Corporation headquarters — which has not been previously reported — and the subsequent outreach to Mr. Limbaugh illustrate the degree to which Mr. Rubio served as the chief envoy to the conservative media for the group supporting the legislation.
The bill would have provided a pathway to American citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants along with measures to secure the borders and ensure that foreigners left the United States upon the expiration of their visas.
[…] Details of the dinner, and a previous one in 2011, were provided to The New York Times by an attendee of one of the meetings and two people with knowledge of what was discussed at both get-togethers.
None of the attendees agreed to be identified for this article because the conversations were supposed to be confidential.
[…] As early as March 9, 2011, Mr. Schumer joined Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and another eventual member of the Gang of Eight, at the Palm restaurant in Manhattan, where they made their case to Mr. Murdoch, Mr. Ailes and Mr. Limbaugh in a private room. The senators argued how damaging the word “amnesty” was to their efforts, and walked Mr. Limbaugh through their vision for an immigration overhaul.
[…] Mr. Rubio also reached out to other conservative power brokers, including the radio hosts Mark Levin and Laura Ingraham, telling them that the legislation did not amount to amnesty. The Fox anchors Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly became more supportive.
At the time, The Washington Post reported that Mr. Rubio’s advisers were monitoring to the minute how much time the hosts devoted to immigration, and that “they are heartened that the volume is much diminished.”
Mr. Rubio publicly and privately worked to assuage the fears of Mr. Limbaugh, who on air called him a “thoroughbred conservative” and assured one wary listener that “Marco Rubio is not out to hurt this country or change it the way the liberals are.” (read full article)
I highly doubt Rush is part of anything for DC. He is very pro guns, pro life, etc.
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I’m going to step-in right here at the top and state Limbaugh is on here. In his 1st hour (now) he is addressing this issue! So far, he is stating Rubio was not at their meeting, it was Grahamnisty and Schumer. I’ll get the transcript this afternoon.
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I will add, which I missed earlier (which is why I will wait for the transcript, I’m a Rush member and will get an email when it’s up) Rush just said Ailes, and Murdoch were (I think, cause he’s talking fast) at that dinner with Miss Lindsay and Schumer.
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Rush is the guy that lied and called Rubio a full-throated conservative.
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Have you all failed to notice that the meeting behind all this took place in March of 2011????? Five freaking years ago????? Rubio and gang were trying to get talk radio and Fox behind them before they started the big push to pass it. Of course they would try to influence the big guys on the right. Do any of you remember that neither Rush or Mark endorse this BS legislation? (I can’t speak of Sean or others because I don’t listen to them). They both condemned it right from the start. Rubio and company did not win over Rush or Mark. They’ve done nothing wrong. Lots of you people need to settle down and put things in perspective.
And as far as Trump goes, Rush never said an ill word against him until Trump started in with the liberal type attacks on Cruz. Even then Rush only cautioned him to tread carefully. Rush still doesn’t criticize Donald. Never has. Seriously, you people need to chill.
Rubio is the real sh!tball here by trying to manipulate everyone back in 2011.
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Dear Sir, this is why Trump became aggressive towards Cruz, and not before. Cruz commented to his donors that no one wants to see Trump with his finger on the button of Nuclear Weapons as Commander in Chief, and how he was just going to hug Trump waiting for Trump to fail, and all Trump’s supporters would flock to Cruz. Ted is an idiot.
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Really well said. Somebody asking you to do something is not the same as doing it. Rush is going to get a lot of listeners today.
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If a sitting Senator votes for authority to be transferred from Congress to a treasonous President for a fast-track trade agreement that will decimate American workers, he is not fit to serve in the Senate or the White House.
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No, he does worse. He sets up callers who ‘question’ all and any Trump motives, and Rush agrees with them that ‘well this seems to be a recurring issue with other callers.’
All a set up!
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Bingo! And he puts out questions like…what would you do to stop Trump? Then he’ll say, “I’m not saying I want to stop Trump,I just want to hear what people think could be done.” Then he’ll take call after call of Trump haters explaining what can be done to stop Trump (futile, but whatever). It’s all very calculated. He’s subtle, but it’s there if you listen carefully.
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He just did it again a few minutes ago! I just emailed him and asked the following,
” Rush I find it so ironic that you seem to have only Cruz supporters call in. That is somewhat like the 6 coin tosses for Hillary. According to the current polls, that would be a million to one shot!”
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I find this impossible to believe. IMPOSSIBLE
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So…we can’t trust FOX, CNN, MSNBC, OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS…
And people wonder why we want Trump!
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you have to remember, these talk show hosts job is to sensationalize or satirize whatever to get listeners… nothing more. they all are radio prostitutes and would sell their soul to the devil to get ratings..if you listen to anyone of them on a particular subject, then turn to another one, the subject is the same, the monologue is the same, they just re-arrange the words. just like saturday morning cartoons when you was a kid, you listen to them for some fun, then get out in the real world and move on….
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Dr. Savage would not do that he has been with Mr. Trump since day zero.
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Are you kidding, look at the money these people generate and are degenerated by. Oreilly couldnt be more disconnected from working people today. Arrogant nothing more. You want to see who is real see who talks about this story and gets to the truth. I dont see this story anywhere, get it out.
Hold these people accountable. They complain about politicians for all the years we watch and listen and now they dont like trump…hmmmm! Wake up politicians are criminal period.
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Rush commenting now. NYT piece absurd!
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29 February 2016; 12:30 ET; Rush is addressing this story as I type this. He admits to meeting with Schumer and others, (Rubio was not present); but denies that there was any request or an attempt to have him parlay support or speak favorably for Amnesty. Claims Chuckie Schumer reiterated that the Republican Party would never win the White House again, unless they supported some form of Amnesty. (I believe Rush! Schumer is a snake!)
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Also! Why did Rush just recently describe Rubio as a “legitimate full throated conservative?” That is one of his biggest lies.
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He sounds panicked trying to explain himself out of his treachery.
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THIS …. He is begging people to buy his spin. – Rush = Full throated LIAR
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Rush is “friends” with Roger Ailes at Fox who is out to take Trump
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Limbaugh paid a cool million to Elton John to bless his fourth serial union….. enough said…
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Well, isn’t the /wife/ more-or-less in charge of wedding planning?
If that’s what she wants, that’s what she gets. And EJ is a good entertainer.
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Hi all, just my 2 cents…. The only reason I can figure about these so called “conservative” radio hosts is that if we have a good President, good government, and all is well is that they don’t have anything to rail about the next 4-8 years…. All of their shows are based upon the premise that the other side is bad. They can’ t talk for hours about happy things, no one to criticize…. Their bread and butter…..
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No, that’s not it. Rush (et al.) did just fine in the Bush 43 administration, and he grew strongly in the Bush 41 administration. I was a listener even back then, and he had plenty to talk about!
Do you think there’s any lack of stupidity or malfeasance in the Government for them to run out of material, now or in any foreseeable future? Short of the Second Coming?
/Really/?
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My recollection of the “Gang of Eight” endeavor includes Laura Ingraham railing against it like crazy almost every morning. My recollection of Limbaugh’s position at the time is nil, but “outreach” by one party does not equal cooperation by the other.
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