Posted on 11/25/2015 11:34:24 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
In the summer of 1992, Rush Limbaugh saved me from myself. I was an 18-year-old high school graduate about to begin college, too impatient to wait for adulthood to come to me. So instead, I went in search of it the only way I knew how: by engulfing myself in presidential politics and the fascinating campaigns that summer between Bill Clinton, George Bush and Ross Perot.
Like many idealistic teens, I was at first drawn to the youthful Clinton campaign and Fleetwood Mac's cheerful command to "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow." But then I started listening to Limbaugh and it changed everything. I was working as a delivery driver, so I'd plan my trips at six minutes after the hour so as to not miss a minute of his show — a habit I keep even today. The way he described his belief in conservatism reached out and grabbed me and I've been a loyal listener ever since.
So it is not from a place of hatred or misunderstanding that I write this. I'm not a plant from Media Matters. But when it comes to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Limbaugh is a mind-numbing, frustrating hypocrite (with all due respect, of course).
His tacit endorsement of Trump, now occurring daily during his show, is almost impossible to understand. Listening to him gleefully discussing Trump is painful for those of us who have followed his advice for decades. Why? Let's break it down.
Look at the polls
For years, Limbaugh has lambasted the "drive-by media" for their insistence on using polling data to make headlines and drive the story of the day. Trump's appearances and speeches, for the most part, are Trump droning on about how well he's doing in the polls. It's often the only story.
Words mean something
One of Limbaugh's biggest criticisms of President Obama has always been the vagueness in Obama's message; in his way of speaking until he can think of something to say; in the blank canvas that he offers us to project our hopes and dreams upon. And that, when he goes off-message, he often misspeaks. Explaining what Obama meant to say has become a cottage industry for websites like Vox and full-time gigs for a variety of nationally known journalists.
When has Trump ever offered anything of substance? His speeches are meandering streams of consciousness, and although he claims each to be unique, they are often the same litanies of vague promises. Trump will negotiate hard with China and Mexico. Trump will make the military so strong it will make your head spin. You'll get bored with winning so much. Chinese bankers live in his building, which proves he can bring jobs back from China. Trump thinks reporters are sleazy. Trump will hit you so hard. And, oh, by the way, have you seen the polls?
Big government
Limbaugh has been the voice for those who believe in smaller government for as long as he's been on the air. So it would stand to reason that challenging Trump on even his vague promises to vastly enlarge an already bloated government should give Limbaugh pause. Apparently, it doesn't. How many new government agencies will be necessary to round up 11 million illegal immigrants, send them back to Mexico and then let them back in? How many billions of dollars will it cost to make the military so great your head will spin? How many government workers will be required to build the Trump wall, complete with a beautiful Trump door?
The Kardashianification of American politics
Limbaugh has long lamented "low-information voters," who, he claims, are responsible for the rise of Obama. It's not his policies that win the day; it's the fact that he's cool and hip. His celebrity overcomes all other weaknesses.
Trump took the money that his father left him and built a series of failed casinos. What else does he have to offer, other than gaudy celebrity?
The Limbaugh Theorem
Simply put, the Limbaugh Theorem is Limbaugh's explanation as to why Obama remains popular when so many of his policies lack public support. It posits that Obama is always campaigning against the bad guys or bad situations, even when those situations are of his own making. It's a disassociation in the public perception of him between cause and effect.
Just peruse Trump's Twitter feed to see the Limbaugh Theorem on full display. He's always campaigning; always ready to right to wrongs in the world. The problem, though, is that many of those wrongs will be borne from a Trump presidency. He'll be there on Twitter or on another stop in his perpetual campaign, making obscenely vague promises that only he can fix what is wrong.
I'm still listening, Rush. But I hope you are, too. We don't need another blank canvas in the Oval Office, gilded or otherwise.
Hale is a freelance writer who lives in San Antonio with his wife and three children.
Your blank home page and lack of flag demonstrates otherwise. Most of the trolls on FR have noticeable blank pages.
Probably voted for DewWorst against Cruz in his Senate primary. Wouldn't surprise me a bit to find out that was the case.
She's an establishment drone of some type. Her posting behavior since 2008 proves it beyond doubt.
“Trump is a liberal. Period.”
For chrissakes, stop arguing like children, people.
Why don’t you round up a lynch mob, it’s faster than tar and feathering and running me out on a rail.
Oooh, struck a nerve, did I ? Prove that you supported Cruz in the primary and runoff. Let’s see your posts.
Your idol, La Raza Rick, was foursquare behind his Lieutenant, Dewhurst.
Prove it.
Don’t forget her support for amnesty candidate Walker as well. The hypocracy is strong in this one. Do you want to know how to get Cincinatus’s Wife to disagree with something? Anything? Get Trump to agree with it. It doesn’t matter what it is. If Trump supports it, she will be against it. If that sounds a lot like how Liberals decide which positions to support, it’s because it is. (i.e. if my party does it it’s okay. If your party does it it’s not).
Looks like a liberal. Sounds like a liberal. Well, you know the rest.
Oh, yeah. When asked to show posts that she supported Cruz in any way, she ignores them. Zero credibility.
I must say, that while I don’t listen every day to Rush, I’ve listened long enough to doubt that he’s endorsing anyone or anything but this country.
Great post. Thanks!
You bring out the best in FReepers, did you know that ?
To paraphrase Sen. Blutarski, “16 years of trolling Free Republic down the drain !”
Yup. Yup.
It is sad to see CW stoop to such lows, I once held her in high regard as she and I tried vainly to get Steve Forbes the GOP nomination over that other empty suit former Texas governor. Oh Well.
What CW and many others do not understand is that Trump could be a card carrying commy, but if he does what he says he will do on immigration he gets my vote. This cycle nothing matters but immigration. Give the Rats tens of millions of new Marxist voters and American conservationism is finished forever.
I would just like to compliment you on this post.
That is a big part of (I think) liberalism.
Liberalism is so weird I think because it is not a philosophy based on rationalism. It is completely based on opposition. At least in my opinion. That is the issue, to me.
If Republicans are for one thing, liberals are against it. Not because they agree or disagree with the point, but because conservatives are for it, liberals are against it.
Now sometimes the GOP gets on the wrong side of an issue, but basically they’re for America. That is good, and very good policy (basically)
Liberals are against whatever conservatives are for. That is why their positions are so weird sometimes.
Great post.
Oh? So why don't you fly the Texas flag on your (empty) profile page?
I've also seen you fail to answer people's queries as to your home state, which is why I never knew where you lived. You also never corrected the many people who openly assumed you lived in Ohio, due to your Freeper handle.
There was almost total TX legislature consensus on tuition for children of illegals - it was veto proof.
You see there? You're STILL making excuses for Perry's abject lack of leadership on important issues. That defense is weak. Perry should have been outspoken in opposition to it, but instead, he buckled and actually supported it!
And let us not forget that, in the 2008 primary, he called us conservatives "heartless", for having the nerve to want the illegals deported.
After a statement like that, you STILL believe that Rick would have closed the southern border? You're delusional, if you do.
BTTT this post!
Thank you.
“Liberalism is so weird I think because it is not a philosophy based on rationalism. It is completely based on opposition. “
Excellent point.
A few of my advocacy postings for Ted Cruz.
http://209.157.64.201/focus/f-news/2913215/posts
http://209.157.64.201/focus/f-news/2911301/posts
http://209.157.64.201/focus/f-news/2912286/posts
http://209.157.64.201/focus/f-news/2907675/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3302923/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2912721/posts#11
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2911117/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2912286/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3110714/posts
Give it up CW. You were a much better Freeper when you were throwing all your efforts into trying to convince us that Walker was the conservative answer for everything. Now that he’s gone your silly efforts to trash Trump at every opportunity are just getting ridiculous.
If you don’t like Trump, then push for someone else who has a snowballs chance in Hell of getting the nomination that is more conservative.
Right now the only two candidates that are acceptable to me are Trump and Cruz. Your anti Trump crusade is just wasting bandwidth.
I know you hate Trump but he has set forth a lot of very conservative positions.
This article actually criticizes Trump for wanting to deport illegal aliens and rebuild the military because it would create a bigger government. Are you kidding me? Is this the kind of BS that you rely on to dump Trump
Pathetic.
Walker is a good governor of his (liberal) state. He should be given credit for that, but I never really understood his appeal nationally. He seems very GOPe ish to me. Every now and then he say something I liked and then he’d have to talk it back. His Chamber of Commerce donors owned him.
Tell me why you don’t think that Trump is a big government liberal.
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