Rush Limbaugh Has It Wrong

Logic Times ^ | 11-9-2006 | Dan Hallagan

[Logic Times]

Rush Limbaugh has it wrong. He stated Wednesday that "[c]onservatism did not lose, Republicanism lost last night. Republicanism, being a political party first, rather than an ideological movement, is what lost last night." (here) This statement – a statement echoed by Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and other conservative pundits to whom a nation of shell-shocked conservatives turned for cathartic analysis – fails a simple test. If the electorate was demanding conservatism, then why did strong, principled conservatives lose? Incumbent conservatives such as Rick Santorum, George Allen, J.D. Hayworth and Curt Weldon to name a few. Superb conservative newcomers such as Ken Blackwell and Michael Steele.

The actions of the electorate last Tuesday was an indiscriminate firing of Republicans, not a thoughtful weeding out of RINOs. It is true that Republicanism lost on Tuesday, but it lost in all its forms – and that included the exact form of strong, clear conservatism that the movement desperately needs.

[Luke21]

Rush said almost the same thing as he said after the 1992 Democratic sweep. I thought I had entered a time warp until I heard him make his "liberated" statement.

Rush is trashing McCain. Fair enough. But who is it that he's tired of carrying water for?

We all lost. Most of us voted. I'm really tired of the Bushbots who can't blame their prez for his role in this.

I drove 240 miles across the desert to vote for Bush against McCain in the Arizona primary back in 2000. I had recently moved and was still registered on the other side of the state. I supported Bush everytime he was on the ballot. But I don't have to worship him as a god.

But when the guy lets me down, which has been often, I'm going to express disagreement. I just voted straight Republican again, but for the bots, nothing but silently marching behind the moderates will do.

[MaineVoter2002]

I hope he gets it. JD Hayworth is one of my top 5 republicans. Maybe top 3...maybe even higher than that!

[Arizona Carolyn]

If he doesn't I will be doubly ticked off because a lot of us would have loved to see him run for Governor and I think he would have wiped the floor with Napolitano.

[unsycophant]

Rush Limbaugh has always carried the most water for Alan Keyes.

Same core beliefs, same concerns, same thinking, same rhetoric.

The rest is just showbiz.

[TomGuy]

Yeah, these guys fight each other in the day and drink and play cards with each other after hours. Congress is a conspiracy of lawyers.

Exactly.

It is the same as watching the wrestlers buddying together when they leave after all the bouts are finished and the crowd has gone home. It was all for show. It is theater. It makes for good TV and news coverage.

But, after all is said and done, they go home on break and carry cargo plane loads of pork to their supporters. And meet with the lobbyists to collect on those debts. And get their kin into federally funded projects and contracts.

And come back to fight another day when the next sesson starts.

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

I think like EVERYTHING in this universe, things go in cycles (or circles). I also think two term Presidents are always going to have serious political problems in their second term. Its the law of the political jungle, and human nature.

[The Hollywood Conservative]

[quote]I hope he gets it. JD Hayworth is one of my top 5 republicans. Maybe top 3...maybe even higher than that![/quote]

I'm not holding out ANY hope for this... On a night like that, where everything breaks against you, you cant expect to win the close ones... It wasn't a "we win some, we lose some" night.... It was a "If we CAN lose it, we WILL Lose it" night.

[MaineVoter2002]

if Sean keeps having him on his show then I will tune Sean out once and for all...

Amen! Me too!

[Echo Talon]

Since when is this kind of criticism zottable? We are not all Bushbots or Rushbots!

Nothing to do with the title, but the content... Unless you really believe that conservatism is on the way out... Show me a better electoral map than Ronald Reagan.

[CMAC51]

Setting aside the phony scandals against Republican incumbants, the GOP lost simply because they didn't have a central theme from which to rally around to attract discerning votes. It created confusion for those voters. The Democrats rallied around the word "Change", voters wanted change, they got it.

You have it very close. The real reason they did poorly was they let the election be defined as the candidate vs the Bush administration. The Republicans needed to make it about Bush vs. the liberal leadership playing on the fact that even if the Dem candidate was moderate or conservative they would still be the hand puppets of the liberal leadership.

The race was Bush vs. not Bush. It needed to be Bush vs. Pelosi, Reid, Kennedy and Leahy. They let the liberal leadership hide during the last month. Even when Kerry handed them a gift horse, they didn't know how to capitalize on it. They should have dug up every quote by Kennedy, Pelosi, Reid, Durbin, Leahy, Biden and Shumer that matched the sentiment. The Republicans, especially the conservatives would have won.

The Republicans ran a pitiful campaign and allowed the Democrats to define the terms of engagement. Sun Tzu will tell you that is the quickest way to lose a war.

[TomGuy]

Rush is trashing McCain. Fair enough. But who is it that he's tired of carrying water for?

This election may have signalled to Rush and the other talkshow hosts that they aren't nearly as influential as they think they are.

[Blind Eye Jones]

Actually I have. I have taken CNN off the TV and can't stand their slant. I grew up watching JD Roberts as a VJ of MUCH MUSIC in Canada in the 80s and now he is just as arrogant and self serving as he was back then. Watching him renews my antagonism with the Lib mindset and I much rather read a good book in the bath.

[MaineVoter2002]

But who is it that he's tired of carrying water for?

Melhman

[bybybill]

The media scared off the Republicans in Congress and, Bush didn`t take his case to the people. But, never, especially during a War, was the MSM been this hell bent on one side winning an election. Even with talk radio and the internet, most Americans don`t believe that anything good is happening in Iraq and they have forgotten why we are there.

[MaineVoter2002]

Rush Limbaugh has always carried the most water for Alan Keyes

I've been listening to Rush daily for years and never heard Rush mention the name Alan Keyes.

[Echo Talon]

[Echo Talon]

Melhman

Melhman is no Ed Gillespie

[paulat]

Oh, please...zot yourself.

You don't determine who can comment here.

[Dolphy]

Conservatives stayed home.

From what I have read it's the independents/middle that the Republicans lost. We had high turnout here in my area (Western Michigan) and the Republicans candidates running for Governor and Senate lost by more votes than Bush did in 2004. As for Limbaugh, I turned him off when he said he was liberated. The man inserted himself into the national media as the ugly face of conservatism with his remarks and antics about Fox.

[Echo Talon]

I'm NOT a Moderator, that was my opinion.. am I not allowed an
opinion? Did i lose that also with this "socialist takeover"?