Rush Limbaugh Dropped From Group Bid To Buy St. Louis Rams: Bookerista Perspectives

Plenty of commentary about conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh being dropped from a group bidding to buy the NFL team:

Frances Rice: "The Attack On Rush Limbaugh - An Anatomy Of Fabricated Racism"

The conservative head of the National Black Republican Association, in a statement posted on Yahoo! Black Conservatives: "Fear is as effective in enslaving us as iron shackles. One more nail was hammered deeply into America's freedom coffin when a group of private sector entrepreneurs were intimidated by race hustlers into ousting talk show host Rush Limbaugh from the consortium formed to buy the St. Louis Rams. Armed with nothing more than demonstrably false charges of racism, fabricated to destroy Limbaugh, several black NFL players claimed publicly that they would never play for a team owned by Limbaugh. Into the cauldron of racial slime jumped the usual race mongering suspects, The Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton - aided by the liberal media, including CNN, MSNBC and their ilk. The phony charge of racism is continuously used as a weapon to silence conservatives who dare stand up for our nation's traditional values and oppose the radical socialist agenda of Democrats and the Obama Administration. Limbaugh deserves our gratitude for showing no fear of the race-baiters, fighting back and helping to preserve the freedoms that have made this country great."

Robert A. George: "Blocking That Rush"

The moderate-conservative Republican blogger opines about why Mr. Limbaugh's NFL dream died: "Conservatives will be livid over Rush Limbaugh being dropped from the group seeking to buy the NFL's St. Louis Rams. Consider the seeming hypocrisy: The league includes players either implicated or found guilty in vehicular homicide (current Rams player Leonard Little and suspended Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth), stabbing deaths (Baltimore Raven Ray Lewis who pleaded out of a murder charge), animal cruelty (yeah, you know who!), drug usage (too many to mention) -- and various other ethical and legal transgressions. So how can Rush Limbaugh be deemed persona non grata among owners? Foul-mouthed rappers like Jay-Z can get ownership shares in basketball teams without a peep of protest. Yet, any ownership group that includes Limbaugh may be unable to get the necessary two-thirds approval from owners. To understand what is going on, realize that Rush and the NFL are unique in their respective fields. The NFL passed baseball as America's national pastime years ago. Limbaugh dominates too: No one comes close to his weekly audience of 20 million. Unfortunately, their brands are almost mutually exclusive. The NFL is about conformity, control and image. Controversy is neither desired nor tolerated. Indeed, Commissioner Roger Goodell has made discipline his watchword. Suspensions for inappropriate off-field behavior have been swift and unsparing. The reason is obvious: He is overseeing an $8 billion business and he will not allow a bunch of spoiled 20-something athletes to ruin the public image of this golden goose. Limbaugh, meanwhile, courts controversy. His image is big, bold and brassy. He sees himself as the truth-teller against a left-wing media, and he adopts a 'bring it on' attitude when critics demonize him."

He continues his commentary: "Limbaugh brought race to the fore in his ill-fated stint as an ESPN analyst in 2003, infamously declaring that Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media and the NFL wanted to see 'a black quarterback doing well.' As it happens, Limbaugh was wrong on both counts -- his estimation of McNabb's talent and on the level of racial 'boostering' in the media. It's not a coincidence that Goodell zeroed in on Limbaugh's 2003 incident Tuesday when he made it quite clear that Rush's role with the ownership groups was exceedingly problematic. McNabb isn't just a good player; he's also a good person -- someone who's never been in trouble on or off the field. He is, yes, a role model -- the opposite of the bad boys that Goodell has been forced to discipline over the last few years. If Limbaugh could make race a feature of commentary on his first NFL go round, what could the league expect if it partnered with him? Goodell could immediately envision weekly politically-charged comments from Limbaugh, who earns millions for not holding his tongue. The radio host's bomb throwing would be attributed to 'NFL owner Rush Limbaugh' if he was allowed in the club. The Limbaugh-NFL union ended before it even began, a victim of each party's outsize success. No need to cry for either one, because they both remain No. 1, and quite profitably."

Deneen Borelli: "Jackson & Sharpton Effort Against Rush Limbaugh Is An Effort To 'Get Whitey' and a Racist Act"

Asserts the member of Project 21, a black conservative group, in a statement emailed to Booker Rising: "The left-wing jihad against Rush Limbaugh is un-fair and un-American. Rush is being targeted simply because he is a conservative and a leading critic of President Obama's wealth redistribution policies. With conservative blood in the water, it's predictable to see the 'race card duo' – Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton – circling the victim. Since the election of the first black president, they have been searching for some white meat to feed on and Rush just happens to be a juicy target. Whipping up unjustified black anger is their specialty. Frankly, I see their effort as 'get whitie' – an inherent racist act. It's outrageous that the 'race card duo' are worried about Rush buying a football team following a graphic example of black on black gang violence in Chicago – Jackson's home town. As so-called black leaders they should be putting their time and effort in dealing with the human tragedies in the urban community: crime and failing schools and not a conservative exercising his right to play in the free market."

Ripclawe: "The High Tech Lynching Of Rush Limbaugh By The Media"

The conservative Republican blogger in Florida writes: "When the media starts to just blurt out quotes with no evidence but then do some CYAing by putting the onus on Rush to deny it, we have stepped into bizarro world. Some idiot blogger on CBS Sports and of all people who should know better Jason Whitlock gave that excuse to slander Limbaugh because of his interest in being part owner of the St Louis Rams. TVNEWSER has some of the reactions via Anderson Cooper (got the post title from here) and O'Reilly. What was shocking was how brazen the slandering was and there is a lesson for conservatives to take from it. I said it before that liberals have zero standards and will sink to depths you thought they would not dare to 'win' and in this case derail Limbaugh's bid. You have seen the Alinsky methods and now you saw what they will do their big lie method. You can get pissed off and fight back or just sit there doing nothing."

Clifton B.: "Limbaugh Out Of St. Louis Rams Bid"

The conservative blogger opines: "Basically this was a concerted effort by the left to get back at Rush. Picking up bogus racist statements and treating them as truth had poisoned many of ill informed minds. Add to the fact that many in the NFL feared the racist charge especially given Al Sharpton’s involvement and Rush’s fate was sealed. What I find ironic is that the NFL has taken such a high tone. How many of their players were involved with real scandals and were still allowed to play. Michael Vick shoots to the top of the list. So it seems funny that the NFL is all of a sudden shying away from controversy. As far as Rush’s true controversial statement from back in the day about Donovan McNabb:

"I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well."

One has to wonder just how controversial it really is today, given how the media went head over he[e]ls over the idea of the first black president. For those in the media color has very often taken precedent over skill."

Kevin Jackson: "Limbaugh Said To Want Slaves"

The conservative Republican blogger in St. Louis, Mo., writes: "Why all the hoopla over Limbaugh wanting to buy part of the Rams? It is based mainly on two things. First, he is a Conservative Republican. And because of his politics, Limbaugh is being attacked, one Democrat saying that Limbaugh can’t wait to 'own a team of black slaves.' There it is…slavery! Democrats having the nerve to bring up slavery…their institution! I always find the irony funny when the Left demonizes Republicans, they always choose things of which THEY are guilty. For the record, Republicans FREED the slaves that Democrats OWNED. But the Left doesn’t care about the facts, as they like keeping silly Negros stupid! It’s just make them both feel good. Speaking of silly Negros, the black players on the Ram say they won’t play for Rush Limbaugh, should Limbaugh buy the team. With the Rams 0-fer record, I contend the black players are not playing for the current owner either. Black players have no clue about the politics of their current owners, yet they are happy to accept their paychecks. I have worked for many companies, and in the interview process, I never asked, “Is the owner of the company a racist?” How would I know, unless he declared himself or herself a Democrat?! Moreover, even if the company owner was a racist, I don’t care! Just make sure my check clears!"

He continues his commentary: "Next, black players are supposedly angry with a comment Limbaugh made about McNabb years ago, when Limbaugh implied that if McNabb were not black, there would have been little discussion of his abilities as a quarterback. Limbaugh opined that McNabb was an average quarterback, unworthy of the big deal being made about him at the time. Nothing racist there; just an observation, and one I and likely millions of other football aficionados — black and white — agreed with. Limbaugh went on to say that the NFL needed a black quarterback darling, which is why McNabb got press he got. This may or may not be true, but was the opinion of Limbaugh. The comment was in no way racist, unless you suffer from a victim mentality — or if you are a race-baiting Liberal, i.e. a racist!"

More: "Limbaugh represents all the things that the Left despises. First he is a Conservative and a Republican, so this by definition is a Capitalist. The Left hates Capitalists. You can further confirm that Limbaugh is a Capitalist, because he wants to BUY the Rams, and not have the government GIVE him the Rams, in the form of a bailout, reparations, or otherwise. He prefers to buy low and sell high, which implies improving the team. A man who has built an empire, and arguably the most successful radio talk show network ever shows interest in your team, and the black players want to paint him as a racist — as if they could actually spot one. Limbaugh is a winner, pure and simple, and an Old School winner at that. Limbaugh has more in common with those black athletes than any owner for which they have played or the white racist Democrats who are always so ready to speak on behalf of blacks. The black players in the league should take a page from The Dixie Chicks…shut up and play!"

Kenneth Durden: "Racial Buffoonery - Liberals Sideline Limbaugh"

The libertarian-conservative blogger opines: "This clip is worth it just for the slam on racial buffoonery. The left again uses black paranoia to achieve a goal that does nothing to benefit black people. They keep us riled up over foolishness. Meanwhile, inner cities crumble and 70% of black children don't know what it means to have a father and mother in the home. Wait. Father? What's that? Yes, I said it. It's a shame and travesty that it's true. If we want to 'advance' our people, we need to address those issues. The loony leftists are celebrating the fact that Rush Limbaugh won't be a part owner of the St. Louis Rams. I'm not a big fan of Limbaugh, but he shouldn't be prevented from making an investment if he has the money to do so. Rapper Jay-Z (Mr. 99 problems but a b__h ain't one) went on a profanity-laden rant that included 'no more white lies, my president is black' but he's still part owner of the New York Nets. What a role model for kids! And we wonder why they're crazy."

More commentary from Mr. Durden: "I hope Limbaugh sues media outlets like MSNBC and CNN that repeated lies rather than reported. I know a little about basic first amendment law, and I think he has a case since he can now prove financial damages. Before running their stories, it would have only taken them a few seconds visiting a site like snopes.com to prove that Limbaugh never said many of the foolish things attributed to him."

Bob Parks: "Why Rush Must Sue"

The conservative Republican blogger in Virginia argues that Mr. Limbaugh has an obligation to himself and to conservatives to sue for libel and slander: "With that, he’d need to go after everyone who repeated the 'slavery' quote, including the man who originally composed it, the media entities who ran it without checking it[s] authenticity, the news and sports punditry who publicly reacted to (and based negative opinions on) the false quotes, the commissioner of the National Football [L]eague and Indianapolis Colts owner who publicly declared Rush Limbaugh guilty before proven innocent, and at least admonish those players (whom he had the most admiration of) who accepted that guilty charge and made their own pre-trial closing statements."

Mr. Parks continues his commentary: "Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson cannot be allowed to continue dictating what good taste and permissible speech in America is. Just the fact he said he was going to talk to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about the situation is laughable. Who is Sharpton to get an audience in the first place, just because he decided to interject himself into a manufactured controversy after the media called their favorite race-issue consultant? And as I said earlier, if Rush doesn’t take these lying slanderers out back once and for all, they will do it again to anyone with a Republican last initial. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism professors (moonlighting as cable news experts) cannot be allowed to go to any old website containing a post with no attribution and use that as a basis for character assassination. Partisan pundits can’t hide behind freedom-of-the-press to repeat false quotes just because they don’t like another persons’ success at articulating an opposing point of view. Race hustlers cannot be allowed to interject themselves into a false controversy and anoint themselves as speech arbiters, especially when they were given a pass on false comments (including ones that cost people their careers. News anchors cannot be allowed to work on a news set after they knowingly read a false quote and their way of apologizing is to ring up other quotes out of context. The very football players, who claim to be this potential victim of a Rush Limbaugh, can’t just go to the media and repeat false quotes because of what could’ve been."