Limbaugh, Beck assign political motives to response to swine flu

[JonLP24]

Summary: Rush Limbaugh claimed that the Obama administration's response to cases of swine flu in the U.S. "is designed to expand the role and power of governments and schools," while Glenn Beck said the motivation behind the response "could be to move Health and Human Services person into the office rapidly."

Following the confirmation of swine flu cases in the United States, radio hosts Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Fred Thompson purported to detect possible political motivations in the U.S. and United Nations' handling of the situation, with Limbaugh suggesting on his April 27 show that the official response "is designed to expand the role and power of governments and schools" and accusing the media of "fall right in line here with amplifying the nature of the crisis."

Also on April 27, Beck asserted that there are "only two ways to look at" the government's response to the swine flu. First, he claimed that it "could be that because Barack Obama's administration is so incredibly efficient, could be that they know that this is much worse than we think it is." Second, Beck claimed the administration's response to the crisis "could be to move his Health and Human Services person into the office rapidly." He added: "She can be confirmed right out of the gate because of this swine flu. So don't look over here, look at the swine flu, look at the swine flu, look at the swine flu. And she just goes right through the gate."

The website for Westwood One's Fred Thompson Show displayed a poll question that asked: "Do you feel the Obama administration is overreacting to the swine flu for political purposes?"

From the April 27 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: The grand poobah of the United Nations now warning of a worldwide swine flu pandemic -- worldwide. And people in some states are being told to go -- not to go outside, as though that's gonna -- don't go outside. Anyway, ladies and gentleman, I'm -- you're panicked? Well, your daughter's going to New York City this week? What is it, some school trip? Yeah, well, that alone is reason not to let her go; who knows what the school's going to do with your kid once they get them to New York City.

You're worried about the flu up there? They got eight cases of it up there. Yeah, I know, I have to go to Los Angeles tomorrow. Well, no, I -- no, I -- it would not stop me from -- we've got 40 cases. We have 40 cases; we've got the U.N. chief -- I tell you, there's -- the way our culture and society works, I mean, this is being -- "Oh, Christ, it's a pandemic."

http://mediamatters.org/items/200904270039?f=h_latest

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. Well, that explains this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5551080&mesg_id=5551080

This is just irresponsible a**holery.It would just be very unfortunate if many people made light of the threat and possibly died because of these jerks.

[rudy23]

2. More projection--let's remember FEMA's underreaction to Katrina

to push the GOP's anti-government talking points.