Ezra Klein calls a racist a racist here:

I only know what comes out of the mouth of Rush Limbaugh. And comparing an African American president's health-care reform bill to reparations and the Civil Rights Act in the same sentence? Well, that there's some racism, or at least an attempt to play off racial anxieties.

Ezra Klein, WaPo

More commentary from Steve Benen giving Limbaugh the "most-racist-thing-a-major-American-media-personality-has-said-in-quite-a-while" award:

I'm going to go on a limb here and describe this as about the most racist thing a major American media personality has said in quite a while. This is about Limbaugh trying -- with no subtlety at all -- to stir up racial fears and anxiety in the hopes of blocking improvements to a dysfunctional health care system, which has repeatedly screwed over a fair amount of Limbaugh's audience. The racism isn't even restrained. Limbaugh has trashed progressive efforts to improve America's health care system for years, but notice he didn't start talking about "reparations" and comparing reform to a "civil rights bill" until the President of the United States was African American. The nauseating message is about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

Political Animal by Steve Benen

That Rush is a racist is hardly news. Indeed, his entire career has been built on racial hate and envy. Even the conservative National Football League could not stomach him. Remember last October?

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh on Thursday blamed the NFL players' union among numerous others for blocking his attempt to secure partial ownership of the St. Louis Rams, even as the NFL disputed Limbaugh's claim that his potential ownership was "vetted" by the league before controversy broke out over it

NY Daily News

No, it's not news. What it is is a sign of desperation. They tried death panels, they tried they're going to kill grandma, socialism, all sorts of things. Now they are to the bottom of the barrel: Pure, unadulterated racism. It shows we are very close to success.

With the President clearly entering the fray and endorsing reconciliation to fix the Senate Bill if the Republicans filibuster, with growing support for including the public option or a medicare buy-in, and with increasing Democratic Party unity, we are going to see health insurance reform this year!

I've been including the following in my diaries the last week, and it is even more important now that we make the calls tomorrow. We are close and we just need to push the bill over the finish line with popular pressure.

Please help make calls for healthcare on February 24. Our own nyceve and slinkerwink have mobilized an unprecedented coalition of the largest progressive organizations in the nation, including MoveOn, HCAN, DFA, Progressive Congress and SEIU--with others expected to join imminently.

On February 24th, the day before the Presidential Healthcare Summit, we will deliver to Washington DC, a scream they will never, ever forget. 1,000,000 VOICES FOR HEALTHCARE REFORM: A VIRTUAL MARCH ON WASHINGTON We'll do this via calls, faxes, Tweets, Facebook, emails, telegrams, balloon drops and carrier pigeons. Whatever. It. Takes. snip On the morning of Wednesday, February 24th, either slinkerwink or I [nyceve] will post a diary, which we will ask you to please keep alive and on the rec list all day and into the evening. We'll ask you to sign in on Daily Kos, once you do that, you'll be seamlessly directed to MoveOn. On the MoveOn 1,000,000 Voices Virtual March on Washington web site, which will go live early in the morning of February 24th, you'll be able to use their incredible tools to contact Congress and the Senate and to take the action of your choice--call, email, fax or write.

MoveOn, HCAN, SEIU join us for massive Feb. 24th 1,000,000 Voices for HCR mobilization

Disclosure: The funds donated to the Progressive Congress Action Fund, a 501(c)4 non-profit organization headed by Darcy Burner, will be used to advocate on behalf of the progressive agenda, to advance progressive legislation, and may include payments to individuals engaged in fund raising.

Please make the calls. We're almost there. It's another way to take back America from scum like Limbaugh.

Update I: While there are talking points eve or slink or moveon will provide, you can say whatever you want tomrorow. If you want to ask for the public option (and/or a medicare buy-in), go for it, I'm going to do that. But if you want to say "pass the senate bill as it is," go for it. Your message is your own. Just call and ask them to pass a bill.

Update II:

Detroit Mark has more in the comments:

Oh he did more than that. (2+ / 0-) Recommended by:TomP, MsGrin He went on and on about how Obama said "Axed" instead of "Asked" and exclaimed that Joe Biden was right, he CAN "turn his black dialect on and off whenever he wants."

"This Space for Rent" by Detroit Mark on Tue Feb 23, 2010 at 06:19:07 AM PST [ Reply to This | RecommendHide ]

It's desperation. As I said in a comment, they no longer are even taking their Klan robes off during the daytime. They lost. I said last year that the anger we see is a cry of rage as they feel their world end. This is weakness, not strength, on the part of the racists, desparation on the part of the Republican Party, a Party full of cowards who refuse to condemn Limbaugh's racism and racists who privately and sometimes publicly cheer it on.

Update III: A bonus for the lunch crowd: Heather Graham in MoveOn ad: the Public Option is Back!

Big Insurance has been feeling pretty smug, thinking they'd killed the public option. But it's hard to keep down something that a majority of Americans want. The public option IS BACK!

The new spot, a Web video that recasts the footage from the earlier spot with permission from Graham herself, shows reps from the insurance industry feeling smug about having killed the public option, only to be startled when she reappears.

More here: http://www.docudharma.com/...

Update IV: Please cheeck out slinkerwink's diary:

Just ONE DAY LEFT To 1,000,000 Voices On Health Reform!