Posted on 04/01/2013 9:01:32 PM PDT by Pinkbell
There are various ways to describe the civil war rising inside the Republican Party: insiders versus outsiders, pragmatists versus true-believers, establishment versus Tea Party. Here’s another: Bill O’Reilly conservatives versus Rush Limbaugh conservatives.
Last week, the two media titans clashed after O’Reilly accused opponents of gay marriage of lacking “compelling argument[s]” and merely “thump[ing] the Bible.” Limbaugh responded by saying that conservative Christians “were sort of marginalized” on O’Reilly’s show. On the surface, the scuffle merely reflected differing opinions about the arguments deployed last week at the Supreme Court. But in reality, it reflected a different view of conservatism itself.
O’Reilly is a conservative populist, which is to say, he only champions those conservative viewpoints that he believes enjoy mass appeal. His evolution on gay marriage—as helpfully chronicled by New York magazine’s Dan Amira—illustrates the point. While O’Reilly’s own views have shifted, what has remained constant is his tendency to justify those views by reference to the popular will. In 2006 O’Reilly said he opposed gay marriage because “it is clear that most Americans want heterosexual marriage to maintain its special place … Traditional marriage is widely seen as a social stabilizer.” In 2009 he again phrased his opposition in terms of public opinion: “You don’t do it [pass gay marriage] particularly if people in California … don’t want it, they think that the heterosexuality is a societal stabilizer.” But by linking his own notions of social stability to those of the public at large, O’Reilly gave himself room to shift. By May of last year he was declaring that “individual states should decide the question.” And last week he said he supported civil unions, while on gay marriage, “I don’t feel that strongly about it one way or another. I think the states should do it.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
Bill O thinks he is the smartest guy in the room. Rush IS the smartest guy in the room.
At least Ted Baxter was entertaining. O’Reilly is just a blowhard.
Ted Baxter?
Limbaugh’s statements last week were a far greater victory for gay marriage than O’Reilly’s. Whatever Limbaugh, believes personally, he declared victory last week for the gay marriage side. The fact that a person who is considered so popular declared unilaterally that gay marriage was a done deal, and fighting it was worthless is a huge thing.
In the past, Bill O’Reilly has articulated he believed in certain conservative positions and why. He may have abandoned those positions, but he was on record at one time. Limbaugh makes fun of Democrats and lefties to the nth degree, but has he ever actually said he believed in any conservative positions? Maybe that he is anti-tax? I have never heard him say he is pro-life, or explain why someone should be pro-life. He may think Democrats are too extreme on social issues, but was there ever any evidence that he actually believed conservative positions on social issues?
People are just tired of hearing the gays whine, it’s like they just want to get it over with so they’ll finally STFU.
Of course, they aren’t going to shut up even when they get gay marriage.
You don’t know Rush.
I don’t think people are sick of them whining. A majority of people now think that gays should be an object of sympathy and are being mistreated. Any whining worked.
I can only judge by what he says publicly. I have no idea his private opinions are. He is unfairly accused by the left of being a yelling, hateful person. He is not that at all. He jokes, he makes fun of people, but at the end of the day, he does little talking about conservative positions. Explaining his views of what the president, or the left, or the media is doing to manipulate public opinion is not a conservative position.
He did say that on his show last week, however it needs to be put in context. He is not saying he wants gay marriage
he is saying that if left up to the Republicans in congress it will happen at least that is how I understood what Rush said and meant. I don’t see how anyone could argue that most of the Repubs in congress do tend to go along to get along.
Can you show me a citation of Limbaugh saying he was pro-life? In the 90s, didn’t he say he was not anti-abortion, but feminists were too extreme in their abortion beliefs?
“BOR is a spinner, not at all looking out, for YOU! “
BOR IS looking out for BOR’s wallet. That’s his bottom line. I swore off this “pompous turd” on last November 7th, adding in the rest of the Faux News “team” to boot. Now if they would give Greg Gutfeld a prime time spot w/o that other fatuous turd, Bob Beckel, I might watch.
He has said he is pro life. Do you listen to his show?I listen to Rush everyday and I respect him and I don’t question his conservatism.
Only a liberal or some other kind of ignoramus would call 0’Reilly a conservative.
From his 35 Undeniable Truths of Life
#21. Abortion is wrong.
#22. Morality is not defined and cannot be defined by individual choice.
When did he say that? I thought he said in the 90s he wasn’t anti-abortion? Of all the times I have heard Rush Limbaugh, I think he always avoids talking about abortion. In 20 years, I only remember him making fun of Planned Parenthood or something for being too extreme, maybe twice in 20 years. Doesn’t he try to avoid talking about abortion at all?
Can you post a link?
http://www.lectlaw.com/files/cur52.htm
Also one of his most infamous skits was the “Caller Abortions”:
For two weeks in 1989, on his Sacramento radio show, Limbaugh performed “caller abortions” where he would end a call suddenly to the sounds of a vacuum cleaner and a scream. He would then deny that he had “hung up” on the caller, which he had promised not to do. Limbaugh claims that he used this gag to illustrate “the tragedy of abortion” as well as to highlight the question of whether abortion constitutes murder.
BORe
That statement is very telling to me. You are saying you don't question his conservatism. You don't claim he elaborates it explicitly. From his constant attacks on Democrats, I think people on the left and the right ASSUME his conservatism. They may be right. I am not trying to attack Limbaugh, I am just trying to parse what he actually says. He seems to avoid talking about social issues, and he seems to let people fill in the gray areas of his beliefs, but only talking in certain areas.
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