Cargo Cult President

American Thinker ^ | Feb. 23 2010 | Randall Hoven

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

..... He is the Cargo Cult President. At least the real Cargo Cult followers built real things that looked like landing strips to get airplanes loaded with food and supplies to land on them. Obama thinks you get factories to produce things and hospitals to fix people by making speeches -- speeches that are reasonably good imitations of speeches given by real leaders. ........

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Very good point. The common denominator is “magical thinking” - and I see a lot of that around me these days. And not just as applied to politics. A lot of these alternative health freaks rely a lot on magical thinking. They are always on about channeling this sort of energy or that sort of energy, or getting rid of toxins or bad humors etc. It’s the same, almost proud ignorance of how things fundamentally work.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I’ll have to check it out.

[Windflier]

I suppose, if you’re both young and not particularly well read.

Oh gee. Mr. Elite has now said it, so it simply must be true.

Show us the way, oh sage one! Expose Rush Limbaugh for the phony that he is! We've been misled, and are utterly in thrall to that charlatan!

Geeeez....

[Pelham]

Less attitude would serve you better.

[Windflier]

Less attitude would serve you better.

Less elitist posturing would serve you better.

[Pelham]

I’ve no need for posturing. Maybe you should crack open some Russell Kirk, Richard Weaver, Robert Nisbet. Then assuming that you have something beyond a rodent’s brain you might learn to distinguish conservative thought from the carny barker hucksterism that so impresses you.

[Windflier]

I’ve no need for posturing.

Then why don't you just knock it off?

You put yourself in the elitist camp by casting an elitist dig at a man who is well-liked and respected by the vast majority of conservatives - on a forum full of conservative, patriotic Americans, then you take offense when someone calls you on it?

If you're so educated in conservative thought and principles, then why not begin by sharing your advanced wisdom here, instead of firing off an ad hominem attack on Rush?

That's a faux pas of the first order, my friend. Not a good way to win friends and influence people.

[Brass Lamp]

I thought it interesting that Rush had never heard of the Cargo Cults until today.

It really is a crying shame that more people are not familiar with the cargo cults and the attitudes which they engender. I would have to say that the studies of cargo cults and envy complex are both very illuminating and provide the keys to truly understanding much of what is happening in our world today. These are precisely the sorts of subjects children should be compelled to study in modern "Social Studies" and civics courses.

[Windflier]

...studies of cargo cults and envy complex are both very illuminating and provide the keys to truly understanding much of what is happening in our world today.

These are precisely the sorts of subjects children should be compelled to study in modern "Social Studies" and civics courses.

Unfortunately, our public education system is run by the left-liberal establishment, which will never teach the true cause and effect facts of our world situation.

Look at the widespread, mass hysteria that gripped half the nation during the 2008 campaign.

If that's not the very picture of a cargo cult, I don't know what is.

[Pelham]

“If you’re so educated in conservative thought and principles, then why not begin by sharing your advanced wisdom here,”

I did. I gave you the names of three authors whose writing will educate you. The wisdom is theirs, not mine. I simply take advantage of it by cracking open some of their books. There’s many others since there isn’t one strain of conservative thought. These just happen to be three who have stood the test of time. For a start you could read most anything from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. There’s a very long list of brilliant conservative intellects. Limbaugh just doesn’t happen to be among them. He’s a radio talent, not a scholar.

“instead of firing off an ad hominem attack on Rush?”

A fair description of his interests isn’t ad hominem. He’s certainly well versed in the NFL and golf. Those are his passions. There’s nothing wrong with that. But he routinely demonstrates a vague knowledge of history, including years and events that he’s lived through. He often manages to incorporate left wing critiques that he has absorbed without reflection. He has a botched version of Reaganomics that he has been repeating for nearly twenty years. For you, a critique is an unfair attack. But then he’s a hero to you, not radio talent.

[Windflier]

I appreciate the tip about the conservative authors you mentioned, but you’ve evaded my key advice to you.

It’s fine. I don’t need to hammer down on this any longer. If you want to join the anti-Rush brigade, be my guest. You’ll find that most Freepers admire and respect the man, and will disagree with your assessment of him.

I do.

[BobbyT]

Ayn Rand wrote about the exact thing you described, except instead of “magical thinking” she used the ubiquitous “somehow”.

You know, pass this plan so we can make health insurance cheaper.

But all it does is add several million people to the demand side, give a bunch of handouts, and severely restrict, tax, and fee the supply side. How in the world will that reduce costs?

Somehow. (Now shut up and agree with us or you aren’t being bipartisan.)

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Will try looking for that footage on YouTube. Thanks.

[Pelham]

Thanks for the advice even though we aren’t going to see Rush in the same light. I’m the same age as Rush and I’ve been involved in campaigns since 1972, or about 17 years before Rush got his radio program. Long before he popped up I had the opportunity to meet a lot of the movers and shakers in politics and conservative circles. The people who inspired and informed me are a good deal older and wiser than both Rush and myself. Most weren’t showman although some did enjoy a cult of celebrity. At present we have a surfeit of people who make a living at being conservative celebrities, which I suppose is fine if that’s what you want from politics. I tend to prefer content over showmanship.

[Windflier]

The people who inspired and informed me are a good deal older and wiser than both Rush and myself. Most weren’t showman although some did enjoy a cult of celebrity.

A highbrow professorial intellectual would probably not make it in talk radio, even though they may be very well-rounded in the subjects of politics, culture, history, and conservative principles.

I'd be willing to bet that if you had the chance to spend some quality time with Rush, away from the mics and the media, you'd likely find him to be possessed of a much deeper well of knowledge than you give him credit for.

He runs a fast-paced radio talk show, which is a terrible forum to deeply expound on his thoughts. Sure, he'll take a few minutes here and there to elaborate on some issue, or train of thought, but there's nothing like the long-form, written word to really expand on a subject.

He's got commercial breaks and callers - not to mention that he's got to take time to comment on the most pertinent breaking news of the day. The clock hangs over him every minute, like some harsh taskmaster. Yet despite those limitations, he manages to articulate conservative thoughts and considerations well enough to have the largest audience in the business.

I'll say one thing about Rush, and that is, he can articulate things better on the fly than anyone I've ever heard. He understands (and believes in) conservative principles to such depth that he doesn't need to write speeches, or prepare statements to fully engage an audience while he develops a fairly complex weave of ideas.

Rush has written at least one book that I'm aware of, which I've also read. I found it so engaging, that I read it twice. Maybe you'd like it. Or maybe you'd think that it doesn't measure up to your literary icons.

That's ok. I think there's room enough for Rush and all the rest. There are a lot of good voices for conservatism out there, and they're not all eminent scholars.

[Pelham]

Rush has one book, his first, that is a compilation of radio transcripts of his shows. His second book was ghosted by John Fund. It takes a lot of time and effort to write a book. Medved, Prager, and Buchanan write their books. And Liddy. Rush and Hannity use ghosts. It’s a common practice among celebrities.

“I’ll say one thing about Rush, and that is, he can articulate things better on the fly than anyone I’ve ever heard. He understands (and believes in) conservative principles to such depth that he doesn’t need to write speeches, or prepare statements to fully engage an audience while he develops a fairly complex weave of ideas.”

Rush is a very engaging speaker. It’s a key to his success. I don’t agree with you concerning the depth of his thinking. His instincts are conservative but he often uses flawed arguments, and his knowledge of his subject matter is often superficial. This isn’t always apparent in an extended monologue format such as what he uses for his radio show. He operates much as a professor does, where statements go unchallenged. But you would see the flaws much more clearly if he was in a debate format.

“I’d be willing to bet that if you had the chance to spend some quality time with Rush, away from the mics and the media, you’d likely find him to be possessed of a much deeper well of knowledge than you give him credit for.”

I certainly give him credit for having a deep well of knowledge concerning his passions, which include the NFL and golf. Not so much for some of the topics of his radio program where he tends to wing it.