Barack Obama Supports Rush Limbaugh

News? Not really.

Rush Limbaugh, no longer the new kid on the block, received great support last week from President Barack Obama.

"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," Obama said.

Just a few words caused great interest in Rush Limbaugh. Presumed a silly has-been by many liberal supporters, Obama's nonpaid endorsement is bound to spike Limbaugh listenership.

The question was, "Does Rush Limbaugh influence politics?"

The answer? President Barack Obama thinks so.

Lemmings in an Era of Individuality: Limbaugh, Coulter, Colbert, Colmes, Stewart

Is there a Limbaugh factor? I could not say. I avoid all talk radio. The liberals and conservatives alike are filled with gassy self-righteousness. Some try to be funny, others are so serious that only bran cereal will fix their problem.

Rush Limbaugh, maybe the best known of all political radio hosts, is smart, but his agenda is not about focused, objective analysis. He is all about being against whatever the Democrats are scooping. One recent campaign was to cause chaos in the Dems primaries, to skew the numbers by convincing Republicans to vote Dem, then switch back. This isn't playing fair, but it is legal.

Easy toss out arguments against Limbaugh influence, "He's been busted for drugs," "He's arrogant," "He's conservative and stupid." Sorry, that just means you dislike him. Just like when Bill Clinton was playing with Monica Lewinsky's cigar, people ignore personal lifestyle choices.

A few days ago, I asked about which celebrity bamboozled you into voting for their guy. The most notable celebs to announce were not Republicans, but two very wealthy Hollywood Democrats.

Say what you will about extremist right-winger Limbaugh using his celebrity voice to influence to impact an election. Look at the highly publicized Jack Nicholson and Tom Hanks endorsements.

We are lemmings.

The Limbaugh Factor (story paste from the Washington Post). Interesting thoughts.

Our Readers Who Comment have also expressed special interest (or disgust) with a story that asked if conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos" -- in which he urged Republicans to vote for Clinton in the Democratic primary -- actually held down Obama's totals. Limbaugh called off the operation yesterday, Alec MacGillis and Peter Slevin report, saying he wants Obama to be the party's pick, because "I now believe he would be the weakest of the Democrat nominees."

Limbaugh is a polarizing figure and has supporters in the comment string today, but most of those who bothered to write are not fans; many remind us that Limbaugh has had drug abuse problems, and several wonder if my colleagues at WaPo have lost their way in even bothering with the story, which I really liked.