Rush not doing Raese a favor

Renowned conservative radio pioneer/provocateur Rush Limbaugh may have driven the candidacy of John Raese, running for Senate in a donnybrook of a race in West Virginia, into another bunker today. On Rush's much listened-to and dissected radio program today, he gave Raese a strong endorsement against Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin, and mentioned his personal connection to the Republican nominee.

"Full disclosure, I happen to know John Raese," Limbaugh said (audio here). "He is a part-time resident here in Palm Beach and he has a locker right across the, right across the bench from me at a prominent local club. I've never played golf with him, but I've met him."

The image of Raese rubbing elbows with Rush at a swank Palm Beach country club is not one that the Raese campaign must welcome right now, as it's busy fending off attacks that he's a wealthy carpetbagger with a pink marble driveway at his Florida home.

Limbaugh then goes on to praise Raese for a remark that's drawing controversy: his opposition to the minimum wage.

"He wants to eliminate the minimum wage. He actually said it's been counterproductive. Now that's the kind of thing most Republicans are afraid to go anywhere near because the minimum wage is actually seen as a welfare program for the poor and if you talk about eliminating it they can say you're being cold-hearted and mean-spirited to the poor, but the bottom line is that, to tell you the truth, it hasn't helped. Fifty years of evidence, how's it helping now? Minimum wage, what's it doing? Is it helping the unemployment problem? Not a whit."

Rush, why don't you just go ahead and play through.