MRC Hates Crossover Dems In GOP Primaries — But Loved Limbaugh’s ‘Operation Chaos’

Media Research Center executive Tim Graham devoted a June 14 post to complaining that not enough attention was being given to Democrats supporting extremist Republicans in GOP primaries in the hope of having an easier candidate for Democrats to defeat in November:

We’ve seen the liberal networks and the top liberal newsmakers lament at great length about the deadly grip that Donald Trump has on the GOP. So let’s put this story on the desk for CNN and the rest: Why are the Democrats funding Trump die-hards in GOP primaries? 

Sophia Cai at Axios reports under the header “Democrats play with fire in GOP primaries”: 

[…]

Liberal journalists were highly agitated when Rush Limbaugh ran an “Operation Chaos” campaign in 2008 urging Republicans to vote in open primaries for Hillary Clinton to drag out the primaries. So they should at least report on this. 

Kevin Tober similarly grumbled about the tactic in a June 30 post:

On Thursday night’s Don Lemon Tonight, Lemon and two of his guests CNN commentator Nia-Malika Henderson and Republican political strategist Scott Jennings discussed anti-Trump Republican Liz Cheney’s primary challenge and whether she can survive it, or if she will be ousted on August 16. 

“Liz Cheney is doing well in terms of raising tons of money but we all know that that doesn’t necessarily translate to votes” Henderson claimed adding that “she’s essentially kind of pleaded with Democrats to cross over and help her win this primary in August because she knows that the writing is on the wall for her.” 

Lemon jumped in and cut her off to claim “that makes sense” and asked “why wouldn’t they do it? I mean if they really cared they should do it!” 

[…]

Lemon is now using CNN’s airwaves to lobby for Democrats to sabotage the Republican primaries in Wyoming. Keep in mind the leftist media melted down when conservative talk radio legend Rush Limbaugh launched “Operation Chaos” and encouraged his listeners to switch parties and vote for Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic Primaries to prolong the process.  

There is a double standard here, of course (this is the MRC, after all): Graham and Tober didn’t mention that their employer approved of Limbaugh’s operation in 2008. Graham himself was upset when one writer suggersted drossover voting was illegal, and Matthew Balan complained that one news report “brushed aside the possibility that Rush Limbaugh’s ‘Operation Chaos’ strategy to meddle in the Democratic primaries might be a partial explanation” for why Republicans were becoming registered Democrats. P.J. Gladnick similarly demanded that Limbaugh get credit:

I have to give the Christian Science Monitor credit for at least discussing Rush Limbaugh’s Operation Chaos which is his plan for Republicans to register as Democrats in order to vote for Hillary Clinton so as to cause yet more disorder in the Democrat party [sic]. One can search in vain in Google News for dreaded term “Operation Chaos,” but with the exception of the Christian Science Monitor, the mainstream media shuns any mention of it despite the fact that registrations of Democrats in Pennsyvania are at record levels due to “mysterious reasons.” Often when reading or watching media outlets describe the record number of Democrat registrations in the Keystone State without giving credit to Operation Chaos, I feel like channeling the late great comedian, Sam Kinison, who was famous for yelling: “Say it! SAY IT!!!” 

Graham, ghostwriting for his boss Brent Bozell, declared in April 2008 that “Mrs. Clinton’s situation is so dire she’s relying on Rush Limbaugh’s “Operation Chaos,” calling on his multitudes of listeners to vote for Hillary to keep the race going.” Gladnick returned to cheer how “Rush Limbaugh’s ‘Operation Chaos’ has caused disarray among the Democrats” and that, again, he should be given credit. Matthew Sheffield hyped somebody’s rap video “inspired in part by Rush Limbaugh’s Operation Chaos. 

Finkelstein himself noticed how then-MSNBC host Chris Matthews “mused about the potential impact of Operation Chaos on the upcoming primaries — but he did not criticize it like he did Democratic crossover voting. Warner Todd Huston whined that CBS wouldn’t give Limbaugh his deserved credit for “egging on these crossovers.” Again ghostwriting for Bozell, Graham endorsed the operation by claiming that “Voting for Hillary in the primaries through Operation Chaos is about as naughty as they are willing to be” (years before the Capitol riot proved this benign interpretation of right-wing radio listeners wrong). Noel Sheppard pondered: “Are ‘Totally in the Tank for Obama’ media members focusing on Rush Limbaugh’s ‘Operation Chaos’ in order to force Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton out of the race?” Sheppard later gushed at the idea a “second phase” might be “in the works” if Clinton challenged Obama at the Democratic National Convention.

Graham reprised his hypocrisy by complaining in a 2012 post that the head of Daily Kos urged followers to ape Limbaugh by adding chaos to the Republican primaries. And Gladnick cheered a possible return in a 2016 post:

Oh you rascal!

Rush Limbaugh today announced that he might launch Operation Chaos 2. For those of you who have forgotten, the original Operation Chaos was launched by Rush during the 2008 primary season in order to help Hillary Clinton with the goal of prolonging the Democrat primary season.

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Keep in mind that for Operation Chaos 2 to work, a Republican candidate will need to be the obvious winner of the primary season early on so that voters can cross party lines, where permitted, in order to cast their votes for Bernie. At the very least this could help make the Democrat primaries more fun to watch as they stretch on and on and….. 

Graham and Tober don’t get to accuse people of hypocrisy when they and their employer have exhibited the exact same hypocrisy. Sit this one out, boys.