Rush Limbaugh Accuses Obama of Promoting Boycotts Aimed at Conservative Media

Rush Limbaugh told his radio audience Monday that President Obama is promoting a "secondary boycott" against those he disagrees with and that the mainstream media is on board with the strategy.

our editor recommends

John Cusack Developing Rush Limbaugh Biopic

Sarah Palin and Fox News Channel Part Ways

Joel Surnow, Rush Limbaugh Defend '24' From Janeane Garofalo (Video)

Karl Rove Returns to Fox News After MSNBC Mocks Election Night Confrontation (Video)

"I would love to take credit for this," Limbaugh said Monday. "I'd love to say that I find myself here because of a brilliantly conceived and flawlessly executed strategy, but one of the reasons that Fox News and I stand out like sore thumbs here is because the rest of the media is gone. The rest of the media is in the tank. The rest of the media has long ago ceased doing their job. They're not reporting, they're not curious, they're not holding Obama accountable. They are on board. They are part of the agenda-advancement team."

STORY: President Obama Engages in Media Criticism, Calls Out Fox News

Limbaugh was reacting to a New Republic magazine interview  conducted with Obama, where the president said bipartisan compromise in the nation’s capital is hindered by conservative commentary.

"One of the biggest factors is going to be how the media shapes debates," Obama said. "If a Republican member of Congress is not punished on Fox News or by Rush Limbaugh for working with a Democrat on a bill of common interest, then you’ll see more of them doing it."

As for the charge that the president is orchestrating a “secondary boycott” against right-wing media, Limbaugh credited the notion to Ben Shapiro, author of Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences Americans, who discussed his thesis Monday morning while a guest on Fox News' Fox & Friends.

"He's talking about silencing members of the media that he doesn't like, and he's done this before -- this idea that Fox News is some sort of evil force in the media," Shapiro said of Obama. "He's gone after Rush Limbaugh. He's attempted to start secondary boycotts of Rush Limbaugh. This is what he does. He's a bully."

Limbaugh ended his segment by comparing Obama to President Richard Nixon, whom detractors derided for keeping a so-called "enemies list."

"Obama has been part of these secondary boycott attempts. There's no question about it,” Limbaugh said. "That's unprecedented for presidents. I mean, if Richard Nixon had endeavored to do 20 percent of what Obama's doing, the roof would blow."

Email: Paul.Bond@THR.com