Oh dear. Now you beginning to get me awfully confused about the nature of things. Perhaps you can clarify.
If the "old money bags" biggest bet is to win the White House for Republicans by using Rush, then they are wasting their money.
What "old money bags" are you talking about? Are you confusing the Rush Limbaugh Show with Air America? Or are you talking about something else altogether?
All has failed for Limbaugh, from attacking McCain to his calling for riots (dreaming of course) at the Democratic National Convention and "operation chaos"...
Naturally, some of this has yet to play out. You are right in that Limbaugh has been very vocal about his reservations concerning John McCain. Of course this plays havoc with the accusations of Limbaugh being a "tool" of the Republicans. You can't have it both ways. Oh wait. Yes you can; you're a liberal. You can hold to mutually exclusive ideas in your head at the same time and believe both of them simultaneously.
"Calling for riots?" Rush Limbaugh has simply brought attention to the far-left radical who are the ones with the "let's riot in Denver" web sites. e.g.
http://www.recreate68.com All Limbaugh has done is tell the radicals they have his permission to riot if that's what they want to do.
As for "Operation Chaos" we haven't even seen the conventions, yet. Might be a little early for any definitive conclusions about what has been effective and what hasn't.
In other words, people are tuning in, giving him their box office support and like watching the fictional Wall-E, going back home and not taking him too serious!
Really? Liberals seem to take him VERY seriously. How else would you explain the sudden popularity among Congressional Democrats to re-install the "Fairness Doctrine?" (which is an oxymoron in itself since its intent is to shut down any dissenting opinion from the political right)