Rush went on a typically deceptive rant that seems to be picking up steam on the internets. In it, he "thanks" President Obama for supposedly causing the economy to tumble, for raising taxes, and for being divisive. (Yes, I know. Pot, meet Kettle)
Normally, I'd dismiss this silliness, except that it provides so many opportunities for satire and teachable moments. This is where I need the help of Kossaks. Please read on...
I would like to create a video in response to the Limbaugh "Thank you, Mr. President". I will keep Rush's words, but intercut graphics, soundbytes, and facts that contrast his fatuous lies with reality. For example: , when Limbaugh says:
"I want to thank you, Mr. President, for driving up the unemployment rate to near double digits for years to come. I want to thank you, Mr. President, for telling everybody that it's going to be double digits as the new norm."
I will post a graphic like this:
I can also intercut quotes from youtube videos of President Bush and Cheney into Limbaugh's rant.
So here is the whole Limbaugh speech. It begins with audio from Obama. Please go through some of Limbaugh's claims and help me find suitable images and video to debunk them, and place them in your responses to this diary. I can do the video work, but not all the research. Please forward this to friends to help bring more people into this crowdsource project.
So read Limbaugh's rant, find a particularly appalling lie, and post a link to a concise response. I mean, how do you respond to a statement like
"I want to thank you for helping to destroy the housing market, Mr. President."
Thanks!
PETRUK
OBAMA: Since today happens to be tax day (laughter) I should just point out that one-third of the Recovery Act went to tax cuts, tax cuts that strengthened the cornerstone of the American dream. I've been a little amused over the last couple of days where people have been having these rallies (laughter) about taxes, taxes. You would think they would be saying thank you. That's what you'd think. (cheers and applause)
RUSH: Ladies and gentlemen, this is a classic illustration of authoritarian mocking control. He hasn't cut anybody's taxes. The Recovery Act, stimulus bill, it's more like loaves and fishes. There are no tax cuts in that. There were some tax credits. It's all bogus. But he wants to be thanked. Okay, I will oblige. Mr. President, I want to thank you for seizing General Motors and Chrysler. I want to thank you for appointing a pervert as our safe schools czar. I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for the generational theft that you have committed with all of this borrowing and spending. You have spent the wealth of two to three, maybe four generations in the future, before they're even born. I want to thank you, Mr. President, for insulting and endangering Israel. I want to thank you, Mr. President, for driving up the unemployment rate to near double digits for years to come. I want to thank you, Mr. President, for telling everybody that it's going to be double digits as the new norm. I want to thank you, Mr. President, for exploding the annual deficit to the level where it can never be repaid.
I'd like to thank you, Mr. President, for targeting and destroying private health insurance companies. I want to thank you, Mr. President, for pushing for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to stand trial in New York City and receive full constitutional rights at a cost of $200 million per year. I want to thank you for that. I want to thank you for helping to destroy the housing market, Mr. President. And, Mr. President, I would love to thank you for your arrogance, because arrogance is part and parcel of an authoritarian leader of a regime. I would like to also thank you, Mr. President, for your divisiveness. I would like to thank you for ignoring the public union pension time bombs waiting to explode out there. I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for mocking and disrespecting the American people. And I'd like to thank you for your never-ending support of the New Black Panthers and for ACORN. I'd like to thank you, Mr. President, for embracing our enemies and snubbing our allies. But most of all, Mr. President, thank you for arousing the sleeping silent majority because we have been asleep too long. November is coming, Mr. President. That is when we will really thank you.