Rush Limbaugh - Barbara Walter's 10 most fascinating people

Barbara Walters recently included influential pundit Rush Limbaugh as one of her 10 most fascinating people of the year. The show aired December 4, on the ABC network.

Watch Barbara Walters' Rush Limbaugh interview


Rush mentioned the appearance on his radio program, commenting particularly on how the media have pounced on statements he made during the interview.

Rush's Interview with Barbara Walters Fascinates the Drive-By Media
Barbara Walters has her Ten Most Fascinating People of the Year special... I am one of the ten. I didn't realize this. The first time she did this show in 1993, I was one of the twelve. There were twelve most fascinating then, and since then it's been reduced to ten.

It is a interesting interview because Rush rarely grants TV interviews, largely because his considerable influence is not dependent on TV exposure or mainstream acceptance.

Rush expressed why he prefers his radio format to TV:

Recap: The Barbara Walters Interview
...one of the reasons, ladies and gentlemen, I am not enthusiastic about television is that it drives me nuts getting feedback every time I'm on television. When I had my own show, I would go home, I'd check the e-mail, whatever, and nobody was ever satisfied. Everybody always had a complaint. I never get complaints about this radio show. I never have people say, "What you shoulda said was... and why did you let 'em ask that? You shoulda thrown it right back in their face." I said, "What's the point? What's the point?" Nobody is ever satisfied with television because all that matters is how you look and nothing else matters. Nobody remembers what anybody ever says on television. I give you Obama. It's how you look; it's how you come off.

Eric Boehlert on the Huffington Post comments how Rush has managed a warm relationship with the "liberal media" he often famously derides:

Of course Barbara Walters Thinks Rush Limbaugh Is "Fascinating"
...those were complete failures and only highlighted Limbaugh's growing political irrelevance. But for celebrity journalists like Walters, the Limbaugh script was written long ago--he's fascinating. Anxious for his right-wing seal of approval (and spooked by his liberal bias charges), the mainstream press corps has for years treated Limbaugh with undeserved respect, worked to soften his radical edges, and presented him as simply a partisan pundit.

Family dynasties, pro wrestling and Politics

A big tradition in pro-wrestling is the dynastic family. Many of today's popular and successful wrestlers have come from a lineage of storied families. Families who have spanned generations, often with mixed fortunes from tragedy to controversy adding further mystique to their name.

While wrestling has a long list of families from the Harts to the Guerrero's who have held Championships and carried their franchises through Generations. American Politics has similarly cultivated it's share of families who've held Presidencies and played senior roles in Government for decades - the Bushes, Clintons and The Kennedies. The closest America has to royalty.

In recent days, these political families have been in the news. Caroline Kennedy, the only surviving child of US President John F Kennedy has been mentioned as a possible appointment choice for the soon-to-be vacant Senate seat for New York. Interestingly the seat was held by Hillary Clinton who has been tapped as Barack Obama's Secretary of State.

Michelle Malkin spoke of this on a recent episode of Fox and Friends

...Governor Patterson is starting to feel the heat here. He's damned if he does appoint her and he'll be damned if he doesn't. He'll have the wrath of one royal family - The Clintons or the other - The Kennedy's no matter who he chooses.

The Republican dynastic family, the Bushes have also been in the news. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, brother to the outgoing President and son of former President Bush is considering running for the recently vacated Senate Seat in Florida. Whilst he is a credible choice there are doubts about his chances amongst the electorate, as conservatives have become disillusioned and the populace fatigued by the Bush reign.

Below are a sample of comments from posters at HotAir.com

Will Jeb Run?
He can run, but he can’t hide.
No more Bush politicians — it’s not really their strong suit. No doubt he’s as honest and well-intentioned as 41 and 43, but I think many Americans are a bit sick of family dynasties and the attendant cronyism.
In fact, let’s broaden the scope: No more career politicians, anywhere.

- mr.blacksheep

Ed, your analogy is off target. Jeb Bush may have worked for his place, but his brother’s true heir is Barack Obama. Both men by-passed the traditional game to grab the Brass Ring. Today, the entire American political scenery is becoming too ‘Peyton Place’. We have professional politicians ensconced in their comfortable offices, parents bequeathing their political machine to their children and a growing sense of hopelessness amongst the general population.

This is NOT what the Founding Fathers had envisioned. We’ve corrupted the system and have no one to blame but ourselves for the outcome. Caroline Kennedy will inherit her uncle’s Senate seat, Jeb Bush will use his new Senate seat to campaign for President (a’ la Hillary) in 2012.

- SeniorD

The latest on the Al Franken / Norm Coleman Minnesota recount

More than a month after the election closed, the Minnesota Senate seat remains up in the air. With more drama, twists and turns than a wrestling, there is certainly no love lost between the two challengers Al Franken (D) and Norm Coleman (R).
Via Politico

Franken grabs lead in Senate recount
Al Franken leads in the Minnesota Senate race for the first time, after a week in which the state's Canvassing Board reviewed more than 1,300 disputed ballots...

But the timeline for certifying a winner is as distant as ever. With more litigation pending and additional absentee ballots still to be counted, the race will not be decided before the end of the year...

Coleman's campaign preached caution in interpreting in the current tally, arguing that it will change before the official count is certified. Its lead recount attorney, Fritz Knaak, argued that the current Franken lead "will be their high water mark."

Franken campaign spokesman Andy Barr said the lawsuit shows that the Coleman's campaign is "panicked" that it will end up behind once the recount is completed...

Merry Christmas readers

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and festive holidays. Hope everyone had a good year and it continuous into a prosperous 2009 in spite of the challenges that await us.

I'll leave you with scenes from the "Colbert Christmas Special" which included performances from John Legend, Toby Keith, Elvis Costello and Willie Nelson.

Stephen VS Bear

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

A Colbert Christmas: Santa Vs. Bear

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Toby Keith on the 'War on Christmas'

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

A Colbert Christmas: Toby Keith Sings

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, speaking of Holidays I've returned from my vacation and will resume regular updates of the blog.

I've just returned from a pleasant holiday at a wonderful place which I'd like to recommend. Guided by a close friend who knew the language and the area, I gained an intimate and ground-level experience of the country beyond the "mega malls" and standard tourist attractions.

It's a country deeply religious, values gun rights and the free market, whose people take great pride in their country but are born wary of government (largely due to its corruption, rarely highlighted internationally). A country who's government values security and it's military and has great relations with the US. A country where there is no shortage of hard work, enterprise and creative expression. Though I will caution that what you imagine on paper might be different to what you experience on the ground.

The country is the Philippines.

There are two glaring realities in the Philippines. The first being pollution, the air is visible and uncomfortable due to the chaotic traffic and street litter. The other notable is poverty, whilst their are well-off folks who live in communities not dissimilar to the richest estates in the West. Poverty is inescapable in the country where it's not uncommon to see orphan pre-teens weaving through traffic begging.

Seeing this site is about American punditry, you might be wondering how well represented it is in this part of Asia. It's surprisingly good. I found several books in the many secondhand bookstores; from Ann Coulter to Al Franken, Rush and Hannity, to Joe Scarborough and Hugh Hewitt. Its an interesting exercise imagining the APF pundits transplanted to the Philippines and how they would tailor (if at all) their rhetoric to appeal to circumstances on the ground.

The Philippines is a wonderful place and worth consideration for your next expedition.

George Bush in Iraq: "Who throws a shoe, honestly"

Still on holidays, but a quick pundit round up of the "Shoe Incident in Iraq" with outgoing US President George W Bush:

Mark Levin courtesy of MarkLevinFan.com:

Monday, Mark spoke about the incident where an Iraqi reporter threw his shoes at President Bush during a press conference in Iraq.

Listen to the Mark Levin audio

Rush Limbaugh: Bush Keeps Cool as the Shoes Fly

You raise an interesting point about this. One of the things that I've noticed, the Drive-Bys are ecstatic with this. The Drive-Bys think it's the coolest thing in the world, wish they'd have done it themselves. They're thankful for this guy who threw the shoe and they've gone into great detail explaining that this is one of the most profound insults in the Arab world is the sole of a shoe, filth and dirt, you stomp on your opponent's face with it and that's cool, and they're wishing they coulda done it. This guy is a hero to them.

Sam Seder: Incoming!

this seems metaphorical..

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates

Hogans and Warrior = Obama and Hillary. Respect angle

The Circle is complete. First the rancorous primary, then together in 'Unity'. and finally a partnership in the State Department.

Republicans seem uniformly happy with Obama.

Wolf Blitzer: I haven't heard a mainstream republican dissapointed with the choices
Stephen Hayes: Republicans are generally happy

Hugh Hewitt speaks of Democrats being on "suicide watch" for Obama's centrist picks.
Click here for the Hugh Hewitt audio