Posted on 01/26/2009 1:20:45 PM PST by lewisglad
I hope he fails. Rush Limbaugh
It is, of course, a calculated outrage.
Meaning, it was spewed by a clown in the media circus to kick a familiar sequence into motion: angry denunciation by bloggers, pundits and supporters of President Obama (the he whose failure is hoped), followed by Rush Limbaugh refusing to retract a word, a courageous truth teller who will not be moved. And, trailing behind, like the folks with brooms trail the elephants in the circus parade, Limbaughs devotees, complaining that their hero has been misquoted, misunderstood or otherwise mistreated. What Rush meant was ... yadda yadda yadda.
A calculated outrage.
And knowing this, knowing how adroitly media are manipulated by self-promoting media clowns who defame conservatism by calling themselves conservative, one is tempted to let the statement pass, to make its way unimpeded to the dustbin like so many other manufactured controversies. But occasionally, its necessary to intercept one of them and hold it up to the light.
This is one of those times. Not because what Limbaugh said on his radio program a few days before the inauguration was an outrage outrage is the point, remember? but rather, because of what the thing he said says about him and his fellow clowns.
I hope he fails.
Do you ever say that about your president if you are an American who loves your country? Would you say it about George W. Bush, who was disastrous, about Bill Clinton, who was slimy, about Jimmy Carter, who was inept, about Richard Nixon, who was crooked? You may think hes going to fail, yes. You may warn hes going to fail, yes.
But do you ever hope he fails? Knowing his failure is the countrys failure? Isnt that, well ... disloyal?
The irony is that Limbaugh and the other clowns would have you believe they are bedrock defenders of this country, that they love it more than the rest of us, more than anything.
Thats a lie. Limbaugh just told us so, emphatically.
Its not the country they love. Its the attention. The ideology, their perversion of conservatism, is but a means toward that end.
Yes, an observer might point out that its counterproductive to give them attention while decrying their love of attention. But, as already noted, occasionally the clowns spew something that cannot, and ought not, be ignored.
Ideological division is nothing new to politics. But has ideology ever taken quite the seat of prominence it now enjoys? Have people ever been quite so prone to regard their ideological identity as more important than their national identity? The last 30 years are rare in that regard, if not unique.
I hope he fails?!
So that, what? The defamation of conservatism Limbaugh represents will stand vindicated? The Republicans will pick up a few seats in the midterm election? Limbaughs side his word will score points?
Is this only a game, then? No lives at stake, no future on the line, no planet in the balance? Just a game?
I hope he bricks this free throw.
I hope he fumbles that pass.
I hope he fails.
And to hell with the country.
The country doesnt matter. The side does. And Limbaughs side seems angry in power and angry out. Its as if anger is all they really have.
Barack Obama was elected in large part on a promise to carry the nation past anger, past the notion that either party has a monopoly on wisdom, past the belief that ideology is identity. He was elected because people want a sense of mission that makes them feel like Americans again.
If he is successful, Limbaugh and the other clowns will face tough sledding in a radically different world. Small wonder he is so eager to strangle this presidency in its infancy. And need it even be said?
I hope he fails.
In June 2007, Pitts was the subject of a campaign of death threats and harassment by neo-Nazis angry at a column he wrote about two whites raped and murdered in Knoxville, Tennessee. In his column addressing the murders, Pitts stated “for the crackpots, incendiaries and flat-out racists who have chosen this tragedy upon which to take an obscene and ludicrous stand. I have four words for them and any other white Americans who feel themselves similarly victimized. Cry me a river.”
Like him or not he addresses problems that need to looked at and he has a large audience. Who else do you suggest?
And there is the problem: the GOP and conservatives now live in fear.
I don't. And you don't get more conservative than me.
More than Reagan?
At least as much.
You got it.
“Because Rush is exactly that: an entertainer.”
He reaches and influences millions of voters daily. That makes him a political entity. He makes a lot of money because he is the most successful radio talk show host in the country. There’s nothing obscene about that. It’s capitalism at work.
Actually, based on Pitts past, I think his editor changed the article. I think he changed out the word ‘honkies’ with the word ‘clowns.’ It originally read like this:
Meaning, it was spewed by a honky in the media circus to kick a familiar sequence into motion.
And knowing this, knowing how adroitly media are manipulated by self-promoting media honky who defame conservatism by calling themselves conservative.
Not because what Limbaugh said on his radio program a few days before the inauguration was an outrage outrage is the point, remember? but rather, because of what the thing he said says about him and his fellow honkies.
The irony is that Limbaugh and the other honkies would have you believe they are bedrock defenders of this country.
But, as already noted, occasionally the honkies spew something that cannot, and ought not, be ignored.
If he is successful, Limbaugh and the other honkies will face tough sledding in a radically different world.
Ma Pitts boy?
The Pulitzer prize winner either
1) didn’t check out his facts before he wrote this piece,
2) did check out Rush’s site to read exactly what Rush said and the context in which it was said, but has a severe problem with reading comprehension, or,
3) checked the facts, understood what Rush said, the context in which it was said, and the exact meaning of what was said, but,
4) decided to trash Rush by mischaracterizing him and what he said about wanting the President to fail.
Could it be that his ludicrous repetition that Rush Limbaugh is not a true representative of Conservatism is a feeble attempt to open the door for the left to define Conservatism and choose who best represents it?
One truth Mr. Pitts wrote is that he wants Rush Limbaugh to fail. That is not because Mr. Pitts thinks Rush Limbaugh isn’t a true conservative, but because he knows that Rush is not only a true conservative, but the most prominent and the most effective voice of conservatism.
The last line of the article is the telling one. Leonerd Pitts is a jackanapes. And a jackass.
RE: “Because Rush is exactly that: an entertainer.”
**************
I used to think Rush was merely an entertainer. Yes, he is, but he is certainly smart and makes great points as well. I crack up daily listening to him which keeps me hooked now.
What fan would not guffaw at the chiseling sounds as background last week when there was discussion of how Obama’s words would be cast in stone. Hilarious.
As well, I always laugh when he talks about tying half his brain behind his back, just to make things “fair.” Love it.
Yes, Limbaugh will do very well with Oblahma and pals in office — I don’t begrudge Rush a dime of it. Before becoming a regular listener, I used to think he was just an obnoxious blowhard; then I realized he’s really a pretty well informed, smart, right-minded entertainer. Thanks Rush!
Rush is right. They all wish they were him.
I used to read this guy. Every now and then, he would say something that made sense. Now, he's just annoying.
Leonard Pitts is a legend in his own mind.
Back in 2004 he wrote what can only be called an “anti-obituary” of Reagan, accusing him of racism and a laundry list of other lies. He’s a punk, and a racist.
Hey Lenny, if Obamachev caught fire, I wouldn’t piss on him.
Hey Lenny,if Obamachev caught fire, I wouldn’t piss on him.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.