(no subject)

[torasama.livejournal.com]

Rush Limbaugh challenges Obama to a Debate.

Quoth the Rush,
If you can win at this, then come here and beat me at my own game, and get rid of me once and for all, and show all the people of America that I am wrong.


I feel like nothing would come out of this at all. Rush would just be ranting at Obama the entire time, and be unwilling to listen/change his mind. It'd be incredibly unproductive and a waste of time.

Comments

[bord-du-rasoir.livejournal.com]

http://community.livejournal.com/talk_politics/54722.html

[torasama.livejournal.com]

My bad.

[reality-hammer.livejournal.com]

Then why did Obama start it?

[bord-du-rasoir.livejournal.com]

I believe the justification is something to the extent of I know you are but what am I.

[reality-hammer.livejournal.com]

Obviously it's "I'm rubber and you're glue"! :D

[jellomarx.livejournal.com]

Were you one of those kids you kept yelling about their siblings "Mommy he started?"

Did FDR debate Coughlin?
Did Nixon debate Rather?

It's time to govern the nation. No matter what he does you're going to say 1) he associates with terrorists; 2) he's a socialist; 3) you can take him in one on one basketball; 4) he wasn't born in this country. Did I leave anything out?

Limbaugh appeals to a minority audience of passionate nut cases.

They call themselves "Dittoheads." Think about that word. Whatever that bigoted, hypocritical, pill-popper has to say, they will act like lemmings and agree.

He already won the debate. It was called the election.

[paris-of-priam.livejournal.com]

"Did Nixon debate Rather?"

Sort of. Rather was in the White House Press Corps, so every time Nixon held a press conference he and Rather would usually fight three rounds of a miniature pissing contest, which had the effect of making them both look stupid, thin skinned, and childish.

But a better analogy might be the fact that George W. Bush never debated Hugo Chaves or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, both of whom challenged him to a debate, and Ronald Reagan never debated Fidel Castro, who challenged him to a debate. Nor should they have. If presidents started sticking their tongues to the frozen flagpole every time some kid tripple-dog-dared them to, I'd say it was proof they weren't fit for the job.

[jellomarx.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you're right. I knew that that was a bad example when I wrote it, but I was rushed. Thanks for calling me on that.

[vacant-thomas.livejournal.com]

Ahmadinejad vs. Bush would be an amazing thing to see.

[evil-admiral.livejournal.com]

Is it bad that I can only think of a Street Fighter type of situation here?

[vacant-thomas.livejournal.com]

I was thinking more along the lines of Jerry Springer, but your scenario works, too.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Except that stating he doesn't need to debate Limbaugh because he won the election is the equivalent of stating "He who has the Oval Office makes the rules." A better argument would be to say "How is it that criticizing the last POTUS was treason against the state and criticizing this one is a patriotic duty?" Hit their arguments, don't use semi-authoritarian Might Makes Right arguments.

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

Dismissing anyone as a nutcase because you don't like their opinions or beliefs just makes it that much easier to dismiss you. Keep it up.

[reality-hammer.livejournal.com]

You didn't answer my question.

And...

When did Obama run against Limbaugh?

[debergerac.livejournal.com]

to divert attention away from the economy.

[xforge.livejournal.com]

I find it eminently hilarious because Limbaugh does not debate, cannot debate, and has anyone who even remotely disagrees with him screened from ever speaking to him - not unlike former president Bush or former president Cheney.

[hunterkirk.livejournal.com]

First I would be amazed if such a debate too place and your right it would most likely devolve in to a shouting match. But it would be interesting to see what kind of person Obama becomes when pushed that far. Such a thing can show character traits over hidden from viewer by politicians.

Now I don't expect Obama to take up the challenge. Obama seems to like controlled environments in which his statements are written well before he even takes the stage. You can tell when he isn't in such a environment, he resorts to "huh" and agreeing with the other person with no real agreement in a effort to win them over. That is why I say he "listens but does not hear".

As for Rush ranting, I would expect Obama to be ranting as well and be unwilling to listen/change his mind.

interesting to see what kind of person Obama becomes when pushed

[bord-du-rasoir.livejournal.com]

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[dwer.livejournal.com]

That is why I say he "listens but does not hear".

Oh, the irony...

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Limbaugh's a real life Internet Troll. He's best ignored and is a great comedian...for me to poop on!!!

Oh, no, I just referenced Triumph. I have been defeated.

[torasama.livejournal.com]

Limbaugh's a real life Internet Troll.

That's the best analogy I've ever heard re: Limbaugh.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

And what's the first rule of the Internet, class?

Don't feed the fucking trolls, teach!

Very, good!

[torasama.livejournal.com]

*applause*

[torasama.livejournal.com]

You mind if I metaquotes this?

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Not at all.

[torasama.livejournal.com]

Awesome (http://community.livejournal.com/metaquotes/7064788.html).

[paris-of-priam.livejournal.com]

I've got another one for you. You've heard of Godwin's Law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law)? The rule that states, as an internet discussion thread grows longer the probability of somebody making a comparison to Nazis or Hitler becomes one? Well, we've got to modify Godwin's Law for the new economic discussion threads. As a discussion thread about the economy grows longer, the likelihood of somebody bringing up hyper-inflation in the context of the 1923 Weimar Republic, and people going to the store to buy bread with a wheelbarrow full of money approaches one. (The probability of flashing that silly image of a Zimbabwe check for a quadrillion dollars (http://2.media.tumblr.com/4hYJJXo8Zdlt9fi9WNYqCnhJ_500.jpg) also approaches one.)

[jlc20thmaine.livejournal.com]

So much for transparency.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

I want Rush to come debate me on my territory (I keep a nice little dungeon, it's very tidy, has all mics and stuff; and I can listen to an opponent - after tying him up and beating him with a stick of course). I give him a deadline until tomorrow noon. Unless Rush comes to debate me, I'll have to assume he doesn't respect freedom of speech, is against transparency and is a jerk.

Oh, by the way my dungeon is on the top of the Dragon Mountains. (Don't laugh, such a mountain does exist, it's 200 km from my city).

[jlc20thmaine.livejournal.com]

Off point, as usual.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

So you didn't notice my point? OK I'll spell it out for you.
1. Rush wants Obama to accept his challenge for a debate.
2. Rush is a talkshow host.
3. Obama is the president of the country.
4. The president of the country seldom debates with talkshow hosts. Actually, never.

Clearer now?

Now, as for myself, I'm very active politically. I even have a party membership. Am I eligible to challenge a talkshow host for a debate or not?

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

And what did you mean by 'as usual'?

[weswilson]

I haven't read Hyperion in a long time. Did you make this icon for the upcoming screen version?

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

I hope it'll come soon.

[savagemind.livejournal.com]

This has been addressed before, but Rush has been challenged to debates several times that I am aware of and he's refused them all.

Additionally, if he wanted to debate Obama he should have offered to do so during the campaign. Something tells me that Obama might have even accepted back then. This is why Rush didn't challenge him to a debate then.

So clearly it's a stunt. I don't believe for a second that Rush would ever make such a challenge if he believed that the President would accept it.