Backfire: Obama Declares War on Limbaugh

President Obama and an outside ally are stepping up efforts to ensure passage of the massive economic stimulus package.

Americans United for Change, a liberal group, will begin airing radio ads in three states Obama won — Ohio, Pennsylvania and Nevada — with a tough question aimed at the GOP senators there: Will you side with Obama or Rush Limbaugh?

“Every Republican member of the House chose to take Rush Limbaugh’s advice,” says the narrator after playing the conservative talk radio giant’s declaration that he hopes Obama “fails.”

“Every Republican voted with Limbaugh — and against creating 4 million new American jobs. We can understand why a extreme partisan like Rush Limbaugh wants President Obama’s Jobs program to fail — but the members of Congress elected to represent the citizens in their districts? That’s another matter. Now the Obama plan goes to the Senate, and the question is: Will our Senator"—here the ad is tailored by state to name George Voinovich in Ohio, Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania, and John Ensign in Nevada—"side with Rush Limbaugh too?”

There is little evidence the so-called stimulus package is anything more than a massive Democrat spending budget that would create few if any of the jobs being pitched in talking points supporting its passage.

You can read the details of the bill here and here.

Rush Limbaugh responds:

MoveOn.org and a bunch of unions announced a series of TV ads going up tomorrow in several states aimed at scaring GOP Senators into voting for Obama's Porkulus Bill. The ads pit me against Obama.

Laughing Out Loud here. I am being Alinskied. Alinsky's Rules for Radicals, Number 13: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy.

I am being used to distract from the polls (Rasmussen) showing falling support for the Porkulus bill. Senate Republicans need to understand this is NOT about me. It is about them, about intimidating them, especially after the show of unity in House. It is about the 2010 and 2012 elections. This is an opportunity for Republicans to redefine themselves after a few years of wandering aimlessly looking for a "brand" and identity.