Rush Limbaugh calling for boycott of GM products
As if things weren't bad enough. Rush Limbaugh used to love GM, at least the company's gas-guzzlers. Now that the General has become "Government Motors," Limbaugh is rallying his Dittoheads to boycott GM products. Limbaugh is joined in his quest by fellow rightwing pundit Hugh Hewitt and, for now, a smattering of conservative blogs and writers.
Limbaugh, who thinks global warming is bogus, says the boycott is meant to stop people from "patronizing Obama" (which is kind of funny if you're a word geek) and to make sure that Obama's policies fail. Limbaugh says he doesn't have anything against GM, but added that, if the government needs to come in and run it, "could we just admit that it's failed?" At least one caller to Rush's show approved of the boycott:
I just want to say, what you were just talking about there about not buying GM products because of Obama, it's exactly how I feel. I just... I have felt this way now for weeks. I have driven a Chevy Tahoe for several years. In fact, right now I've got about 150,000 miles on it. I won't even look at another one right now, and I just want to say thanks. At least somebody understands what's going on here.
GM is a complicated, global company that is doing an awful lot of work to develop cleaner, greener cars. It's next to impossible that this boycott will have an impact on the work the company is doing to bring vehicles like the Chevy Volt to market, but if the government hadn't stepped in to bail out GM, where would the Volt technology be? Maybe sold off to someone, maybe floundering along. At least, for now, Government Motors has a chance to survive and sell us a few before the end of the decade. Maybe Limbaugh's call is really a suggestion to get more Republicans into hybrids. Just a thought.
UPDATE: Rush says "Nope"
[Source: TPMDC]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Mark 7:13PM (6/08/2009)
I hope American factory workers are listening.
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Lad 7:46PM (6/08/2009)
He only allows people who agree with him on his show by screening them and using a 10 second delay. His fans pride themselves as being lemmings...believing all he says is true. And, there are about 12 million of them; this is a true phenomena: a brash outspoken announcer who has 12 million plus right wing Republicans hanging on his very words. He must laugh all day knowing he has taken advantage of that many suckers with his stick...who was it that said a sucker is born everyday? I'll bet he never thought there would 12 million wasted conceptions!
polo 9:28PM (6/08/2009)
Rush, like most rethuglicans, wants America to fail. Of course he wants a boycott of American built product.
democratsarefascists 3:04PM (6/09/2009)
Nice try, but he did no such thing.
j 7:13PM (6/08/2009)
Limbaugh lost his lucrative advertising contract with GM. This is his way of getting even. Follow the money.
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Patrick 8:23PM (6/08/2009)
Lately rival Sean Hannity has been pimping for GM. Lots of radios ads with him touting GM products.
No doubt Limbaugh is unhappy he's not getting paid to do those ads. But that's radio. Endorsements come and go. It's one thing to be unhappy about it. It's another thing to call for a boycott of the company. He's totally off his rocker on this one.
murc 7:19PM (6/08/2009)
I consider myself a rush listener...although I only listen to a combined 2(ish) hours of him per week...usually lunch break.
I was pretty suprised to read this...considering GM has been a sponsor of him for so long....I assume they no longer are...
While I'm not on board with him on this, I will say...it does make a little sense.
If you buy from GM your essentially supporting the company...and all of its baggage.
In my eyes, the Ford brand is the only one that I respect.
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GoodCheer 9:55AM (6/09/2009)
While I'm not particularly a fan of GM, I will say this:
I think we all want GM to get off the dole (even as a pretty far left guy, I don't think the government should not be in the business of building cars). The only way that that's going to happen is if it becomes a profitable company that can buy back the government's investment. The only way for that to happen is if people buy GM vehicles.
The Volt is the only GM I'd look at, but for those of you who were looking at GM products before the BK, I would think there would be that much MORE incentive to buy from GM now.... to get the government out of it.
Mike!!ekiM 7:21PM (6/08/2009)
Since the US Taxpayer is the majority shareholder now, he seems to be saying "Every body, go screw yourselves." How does this guy come up with his cock-a-mammy scheming, and wacko-crackpot-logic? He truly is the "nut behind the wheel".
Is he for the workers or against them?
Is he for the management or against it?
Or, is he trying to save his STINKING RATINGS.
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Jeff 11:33AM (6/09/2009)
What should have happened is that a signifigant fraction of GM's capacity should have been liquidated in BK and labor, pension and healthcare obligations should have been repudiated so that GM could emerge from chapter 11 and operate as a profitable company with a 15-18% share of a 6-7MM car market. Instead, the government took a huge equity position in a company where there is no chance of ever recouping the investment, let along turning a profit. If you disagree with this assertion, try a little back of the envelope math and see what sort of assumptions about profitability per unit, size of the car market and GM's share of the market you have to make for the .gov investment to work out.
Indeed, the government didn't so much invest in GM as it took a huge chunk of taxpayer cash and gave it some of its political supporters, and in the process made the government the owner of one of the largest industrial companies in the US. This is a horrible precedent and it will fail miserably.
Nick P. 7:27PM (6/08/2009)
"...and to make sure that Obama's policies fail."
Stopped reading right there. The guy wants to see his president fail. That's so petty and ridiculous, it's hard to believe.
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Jamie R 8:01PM (6/08/2009)
Was it petty and ridiculous when you wanted Bush's policies to fail because you didn't think they were right for the country. So now Limbaugh disagrees with the policy and has the audacity to say as much and that's beyond your comprehension?
For the record I hope the president fails to: further erode confidence in the dollar with his fiscal policies, increase our debt with his social domestic policies and weaken our allies through his bumbling foreign policy. See how this works I don't like the outcomes of the policies, so I don't support the policies, so I therefore want the president's plans to fail. That's called disagreement and rational thought. In the past that didn't require I be put on an FBI watch list, now I'd be marked for the gulag if Kos and Garafallo had their way. I used to like her, but now I know she reviles "my kind" I don't find her too funny.
Jamie
Dave 11:14PM (6/08/2009)
"Was it petty and ridiculous when you wanted Bush's policies to fail because you didn't think they were right for the country." - Jamie R
In this case (as in most cases, actually, even though they would never admit it), it appears that Obama and W. are on the same page. The Bush admininstration dumped 10s of billions of dollars into Fannie, Freddie, and the banks as well as GM and Chrysler. The dye was cast before Obama arrived.
Personally, I'd reccommend giving Obama the benefit of the doubt - this mess was not of his making. Time will tell if he can handle the end game.
Chris M 11:56PM (6/09/2009)
Jamie R, I never wanted Bush to fail, I didn't want the Iraq war to turn into a fiasco, I didn't want his economic policies to trigger a 2nd great depression.
But due to his incompetence, Bush failed anyway.
Ken 2:30PM (6/10/2009)
The fact is that we can still say what he want and air it. Right or wrong is for us to figure out. I would lay my life on the line to defend that mans right to speak for what he believes in or we are all doomed. I like Rush but he's not always right.
Change we can believe in .14 dollar pay check hikes, 40 years of pork spending in one shot, bows to the Saudi's, takes 30k rides to parties, Can't stop lay offs 15 million and climbing.
murc 7:40PM (6/08/2009)
Mike!!ekiM - He is not against any workers at the plants. Its more of a management thing. They "managed" the company into the ground. THEN Obama swoops in ans offers to bail them out...with all of our money of course.
Capitalism works! let them Fail, and it wont be long until they are replaced.
And BTW, Rush's rating have never been better then they are now.
Nick P - Yes he has said that numerous times. I personally dont agree with that, although his policies are laughable, I still want the US to constantly be better, and having a president fail, is not good for the country.
And BTW...he said he wants Obama's POLICIES to fail....Bush haters wanted the man killed for christ sake.
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Mike!!ekiM 9:25PM (6/08/2009)
I don't remember anyone hoping Bush policies would fail. Even in Iraq, the wrong country to invade, which did not contain Osama, I heard no one on the left hope Bush policy would fail. They wanted a different policy, but they held their breath and hoped Bush's policy in Iraq would work even if they thought it would fail. But, if your a Rush listener, I'm sure he told you different, typically with no proof.
spence 7:50PM (6/08/2009)
If we could just find a way to capture the gas that fat drug addict emits, we could power a fleet of CNG vehicles.He and his Canyonero can both go flying off a cliff.
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jamie 8:02PM (6/08/2009)
Wow more tolerance from the left. Positive points for the Simpsons reference though.
Nick P. 7:58PM (6/08/2009)
Global warning? Solved!