"And I would have gotten away with it too,

if it wasn't for you meddling kids."



Last week, Republican uber-messager Frank Luntz gave a speech at the University of Pennsylvania in which he said some very mildly not good things about Republican poober-messager Rush Limbaugh. Why would he do such a thing, knowing that even the mildest past critique of Limbaugh has sent powerful Republicans back to Limbaugh, begging for forgiveness, soon afterwords? Because he demanded that the entire audience turn off all their recording devices beforehand and go "off the record" before he said it (thus further proving Luntz is well aware of Limbaugh's power, I suppose).

But one student didn't turn off their recording device, because political people speaking politics in a public settings of a hundred or so people cannot simply demand the whole conversation be "off the record", and provided that tape to Mother Jones, which promptly published it. Now Luntz is in trouble. How will he diffuse this delicate situation? Will he apologize on bended knee to Limbaugh? Or will he instead respond by being a total asshole to all involved?



Following Mother Jones' publication of remarks GOP message man Frank Luntz made to University of Pennsylvania students about conservative talk radio, Luntz has decided to withdraw funding for a university scholarship named after his father that sends students to Washington, DC, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian, an independent student newspaper at the school. While Luntz is scheduled to speak on a panel at the University during graduation weekend, he said that he would never return to speak after this incident, and would discourage others from speaking here.

Luntz's response to one student recording his speech and getting him in trouble with Rush Limbaugh is not only to vow to have nothing to do with the university again, but to cut off a fund intended for other students as punishment. It's very Republican—almost Bushian, in fact. It's no invading the wrong country, mind you, but a solid AA-league effort.

Anyway, if you ever had doubts as to whether Republican message-crafter Frank Luntz was just as big an ass as his preferred clients, there's your answer. No word yet on whether Limbaugh will be satisfied with the revoking of a student scholarship program as satisfactory payback for being ever so freaking mildly disrespected, but I'm sure Frank Luntz is sweating bullets as he waits to hear either way.

