Limbaugh: Like Obama, Putin Playing to Low-Information Voters

And, as with Obama, the media fall for it.

Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh discussed the way that both Obama and Putin are playing to low-information voters, using Wolf Blitzer’s reporting of the newest low-information talking point out of Russia—that they had to invade Crimea to protect Ukraine from Neo-Nazis and anti-Semites—as a means of highlighting the leftist media’s glaring political biases.

Limbaugh began the segment by playing Putin’s statement Tuesday morning claiming, “We have neo-Nazis, eh Nazis and anti-Semites in some parts of Ukraine, including Kiev,” and that Russia is simply responding to the desperate cries of the Ukranian people for help. 

After emphasizing how well the absurd claims play to low-information crowd, Limbaugh played a clip of Vitaly Churkin repeating the same talking points.

Churkin (via translator): The center of Kiev and many towns in western Ukraine have been taken over by armed national radicals, under extremist anti-Russian and anti-Semitic slogans being used.

Limbaugh then turned his attention to CNN’s “instructive” coverage of Churkin’s Neo-Nazi, anti-Semite claim.

Limbaugh: So let's go now, CNN, the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. They're coming apart at the seams over this.  Civil war is breaking out at CNN.  In this bite, Christiane Amanpour will scold Wolf Blitzer for repeating the Vitaly Churkin propaganda, propaganda that you just heard Vitaly Churkin and Putin utter, that they're in there fighting anti-Semites, Nazis and neo-Nazis. Here's the bite...

Blitzer:  You heard Vitaly Churkin, the Russian ambassador to the UN Security Council, saying earlier today that at fault for all of this are what he called fascists and anti-Semites in Ukraine right now. To be continued --

Amanpour:  You know, you better be really careful putting that across as a fact --

Blitzer:  That's what Vitaly Churkin --

Amanpour:  He may have done --

Blitzer:  That's what he said.

Amanpour:  But that is the Russian position.  He may have done --

Blitzer:  That's what I was pointing out.

The tense, confused exchange continues on as Blitzer attempts to defend repeating the Russian talking points while Amanpour chastises him. Limbaugh eventually breaks in to make his point:

Limbaugh: Now, that is so instructive.  That right there is so instructive.  Here is Christiane Amanpour, who actually cares what people think of the people of Ukraine, and she's chiding Blitzer for repeating what Vitaly Churkin, and Blitzer said (paraphrasing), "Well, he said it, he said it."  "Wolf, do you actually believe --"  "I'm just telling you what Vitaly Churkin said, he said it, he said it, he said it."  So there's a natural sympathy for Vitaly Churkin, former Soviet Union, whatever he says is.  And you can extrapolate that, "Well, well, you know, Barack Obama said, he just said."  There's no questioning it. There is no curiosity about it, and Christiane Amanpour is chiding Blitzer here for repeating it. 

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