Rush Limbaugh dings Newt Gingrich, Day Two

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[Sub-Driver]

Rush Limbaugh dings Newt Gingrich, Day Two

Comments (5)

By MAGGIE HABERMAN | 1/11/12 5:12 PM EST

Rush Limbaugh spent a second day lacing into Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry over their hits on Mitt Romney about Bain Capital, providing extremely useful cover for the front-runner — a candidate whose praises he has not often sung during the primary:

This is not conservatism. It's the polar opposite of conservatism. It's the language used to take away economic freedom. Vulture capitalism, bleeding companies dry? This is not what happens. Don't mistake me. I'm all for going after Romney or any other candidate and candidates going after each other. I understand that there is (although I don't feel all that confident about it, but there is) something to be said here for this providing an opportunity for Romney to learn how to defend himself against these kind of charges when they come from Obama, because they will. You try to find the rainbow at the end of every pot. It's their duty to go after each other — candidates, I mean.

I'm all for vetting candidates — I'm all for finding out just exactly who they are and I'm all for finding out if they can defend themselves — but I don't think you tear down the engine of freedom or any other conservative principle in the process of doing all this. And that, I fear, is what's happening here. Capitalism already under enough of an assault. It already has too few defenders.

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[colorado tanker]

I suppose Rush is going to be banned now as some kind of Romneybot?

[skinkinthegrass]

jmo...He’s taking “it” to all oef the (active) candidates. :-\

[skinkinthegrass]

jmo...He’s taking “it” to all oef the (active) candidates. :-\

[Utmost Certainty]

People owe it to themselves to actually listen to Newt's explanation. Unfortunately, many Republicans don't seem to understand it, and are projecting it as an attack on capitalism.

But this isn't some kind of Left-tard at all. Newt's case is simple:

1) Romney's vaunted "private sector experience", is of a particular kind that's going to represent a huge liability in the general election. Nobody's asserting that Bain Capital's actions were necessarily illegitimate nor unlawful, but it's obvious that Romney was no white knight of heroic, entrepreneurial capitalism.

2) Questions on business ethics are legitimate inquiries that one should have to answer for, especially if they're running for public office—these are not attacks on capitalism, and it's completely goofy that some are construing it that way. Those advocating a "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" attitude towards private enterprise activity, aren't doing capitalism any favors—rather, they're ironically validating the Left's destructive sophistry against capitalism.

Selling out capitalism in the defense of Romney and Bain

Even ZeroHedge doesn't defend Romney's record as a 'capitalist':

"Lately, Bain founder and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has found himself in a spirited defense of the private equity industry, doing all he can to spin decades of data which confirm, without failure, that PE Leveraged Buy Outs are nothing but "efficiency maximizing" transactions whose only goal is the "maximization" of EBITDA in the pursuit of dividend recap deals, IPOs or outright sales, while loading up the company with untenable amounts of leverage. All this with a 3-5 year investment horizon, which ignores the long-term viability of a company and seeks to streamline (read fire as many as possible) operations as quickly as possible in the goal of maximizing short-term returns. We wish him luck in his endeavor."

Too many wannabe Capitalistas here at FR and elsewhere, who adamantly defend this kind of shuck and jive financial paper shuffling as exemplary acts of free-market enterprise.

[X-spurt]

Rush either is ignorant of the way companies like Bain work or is invested somewhere in that type of very lucrative bloodsucker business.

Where was he when Mitt's pals were slamming Newt with off the scale negative ads?

Come on Rush, please tell us you haven't gone over to the Mitt camp.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Of course, Rush also went off on Myth for defending Zero in the area of the auto bailouts. Pollutico probably doesn’t do such a good job of mentioning that.

[Sub-Driver]

A spinning coin...........

[Longbow1969]

Rush is right. These attacks on Bain Capital sound like something that leftist occutards would say. It is just pathetic seeing two of our own supposedly conservative candidates pulling this nonsense.

Romney is the ultimate RINO with a record that just invites attack from the right, yet Perry and Newt decide to attack from the left - and go after about the only worthwhile thing in Romney’s record which was his time as a capitalist at Bain.

This whole primary has become sad and pathetic.

[Brilliant]

As usual, Rush is right.

[Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!]

Rush needs to say that people need to be thinking about all getting behind Santorum or Gingrich but what is with all of this don’t pick on Romney crap?Romney has been left alone until now.I saw some Romney lover on Greta say this same thing as Rush and Greta tore into him saying it is Romneys turn.If Gingrich or Santorum are not made into one or the other soon we may be stuck with Romney Obama.

I read an article was headlined on Drudge (don’t know how accurate) that Gingrich was going to retreat in Romney attacks?

[svcw]

He is right about the attack on capitalism but he is no romneybot.

[wintertime]

Come on Rush, please tell us you haven't gone over to the Mitt camp.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Are you just now beginning to suspect the Rush is a phony? As for me, I decided that in 2008 when Rush ignored Obama’s eligibility and treated Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution like a wadded up snotty piece of Kleenex.

[ynotjjr]

Wouldn’t miss either one of ya. Rush jumped the shark.

[mamelukesabre]

You guys need to give it a rest. Rush tore into Mitt just as much.

[dforest]

This is Pollutico horse crap. He defended Newt to a degree, but still didn’t agree with this line of attack. Then he went on to cream Romney.

I am sure the left would like nothing better than to get the right to abandon Rush over Newt.

Geesh, what a crock.

[wintertime]

I'm all for vetting candidates — I'm all for finding out just exactly who they are and I'm all for finding out if they can defend themselves ...
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Well...We certainly **know** Rush's record on vetting Obama’s eligibility.

[mamelukesabre]

Actually, its Newt that jumped the shark...and Mitt.

[douginthearmy]

Newt retracted his statement today and said he went over the line. In addition, I supported Newt before and after his Bain attacks. That said...

Too many wannabe Capitalistas here at FR and elsewhere, who adamantly defend this kind of shuck and jive financial paper shuffling as exemplary acts of free-market enterprise.

What would you call it? What would you do otherwise? Perhaps some wise government bureaucrat could decide what ailing companies should succeed and which should fail. Let me make this clear, even if Bain was straight up selfish and squeezed every last drop of life out of dying companies, it was part of the capitalist system. An absence of vultures does not resurrect road kill. This whole leftist populist socialist attack to Romney's left is disgusting.