Hooked on Rush

BitPig Online ^ | 2003.10.10 | BitPig (B-Chan)

[B-Chan]

Popular radio show host Rush Limbaugh revealed today that he is addicted to illegally-obtained prescription painkillers and is entering a rehabilitation program for substance abusers.

His supporters have “rushed” to defend their idol, running around clucking about how this is really all no big deal. Well, I’m sorry to say, it is a big deal, and the legions of Rush Limbaugh devotees are just going to have to deal with the pain. It’s always devastating to find out your idol has feet of clay. “Say it ain’t so, Joe!”

I, however, am not among the breast-beaters and sackcloth-wearers who are crying in the streets over their toppled god. Frankly, I never understood what was so great about the Rush Limbaugh program. The man was a self-admitted entertainer, not a real political thinker; his brand of rubber-chicken, Chamber-Of-Commerce conservatism has as much to do with historic and traditional conservative thought as Coors Light has to do with real beer - they contain the same basic ingedients, true, but one is watered down for easy-drinkin’ smoothness, with no bitter intellectual aftertaste.

(Speaking of Coors Light, why was it that so many of the good ol’ boys that called in to Mr. Limbaugh’s show with their “cawmints” seemed to be drywall contractors cellphoning from their pickup trucks while driving home to Lewisville? Limbaugh’s listeners were good people, mind you, but not the deepest thinkers in the world.

Not that there‘s anything wrong with that. My point is that Mr. Limbaugh’s show was meant as mass entertainment, not serious politics.)

I guess one reason I never got hooked on Rush (to make a bad pun) was that his fan base kind of freaked me out. Cults-of-personality just make me feel weird. The frenzied worship many of Limbaugh’s fans showed towards him in public was positively embarrassing at times: behavior on the level of the kids who wear Star Trek uniforms to school or spend hours writing elegies in Elvish for fallen Glorfindel of Rivendell. In sci-fi terms, Rush Limbaugh was the Gene Roddenberry of American conservatism, with his own brand of Trekkies; it must be a bummer to realize that the Great Bird of the Galaxy is just another Hollywood sleazebag like everyone else in showbiz

The problem is that people have a natural tendency to make their heroes into larger-than-life supermen, and in so doing they set themselves up for inevitable disappointment. Limbaugh is not the political genius his followers see him to be — he is a showman. I agreed with a good bit of what Mr. Limbaugh had to say on the few occasions when I tuned in to his show over the years, but it was obvious to me from the beginning that most of it was pure schtick, complete with sound effects, zingers, and catchphrases. (The latter were the most cringeworthy; I always found talk of “el Rushbo”, the ”Maharushi”, and the “Golden Microphone” to be intensely stupid, and his constant talk of “excellence” conjured up images of the kind of profound Mission Statements one sees plastered on the walls of companies run by sleazy go-getters. “SlimeCorp — Maximizing Excellence!” Give me a break!)

Anyone who took Limbaugh seriously has got to be hurting right now; finding out that anti-drug Rush is a closet pill-popper has gotta be like finding out that Art Bell doesn’t really believe in the Chupacabra. I feel for his fans — but I hope they’ve learned the lesson in all this: all men are flawed; never get too excited about any one man.

My prayers go out to Mr. Limbaugh’s loved ones. May God grant him a speedy recovery, and may those who looked upon him as more than human finally get the message.

[Destro]

That is the most ridiculous claim I have ever heard. I have never seen anything anywhere that attributed anything to Rush in terms of the election.

[Destro]

So he has a drug problem....that is his business to deal with

Depends on how he got his drugs that caused him his problems. If he got his drugs without a doctor he violoated the law and thus becomes our business.

[B-Chan]

”B-Chan:....another personal attack...“

It was meant to be.

* Do keep it clean - A bruise or two between Freepers is tolerable, but refrain from abusive attacks, engaging in senseless flame wars, and using profane language. - FR Guidelines

[DoctorMichael]

Hate, jealousy, and vindictiveness masquerading as populist vituperation.........kind of like B-Chan.

".........Ah, another personal attack ? how delightful..........."

No attack. An apt description, IMHO.

".........No. That would be YOUR MOM.........."

Hahahahahahaha! Now THATS an attack!

[DoctorMichael]

"It's not the critic who counts.......It's not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled.......

.....Credit belongs to the man who really WAS in the arena, his face marred by dust, sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs to come short and short again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming. It is the man who actually strives to do the deeds, who knows the great enthusiasm and knows the great devotion, who spends himself on a worthy cause, who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement. And who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall NEVER BE with those cold and cruel souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

~ Teddy Roosevelt

Just ask yourself THIS: Are you "The Critic" or "The Man in the Arena"?

Regards

[LibKill]

Uhhhh, you and the horse you rode in on bud!!

Let us back up a minute and consider, isn't that unfair to the horse? :)

[WoofDog123]

"FYI: I was briefly hospitalized due to a serious back injury earlier this year. That’s neither here nor there, of course, but I do have some slight experience with agonizing lumbar pain, and with the effects of prescription pain medications.
"

I am sorry to hear that. My comment above was meant about the author of the topic piece, not your comments, I hope that was understood....

[section9]

That’s a shame, because elitism is a thoroughly conservative philosophy; egalitarianism is the religion of the Left, not the Right. I’d be happy to supply references to support this contention if you like.

Elitism for its own sake has no merit. Elitism to honor merit is another thing altogether.

. I never had any argument against Mr. Limbaugh. My argument is with those who idolize the man. Does the right really need its own version of Chairman Mao? Judging from the words written by some of the people who have posted to this thread, the Cult of Rush already exists, complete with cadres of wild-eyed Red Guards ready to roundly criticize splittists who fail to promote Rush Limbaugh Thought with sufficient enthusiasm. What’s next — re-education golf camps?

Come on. That is thoroughly silly. Rush Limbaugh is a commentator/entertainer. He has fans who agree with his views. I agree with you that some of them go overboard; but most of us just like to listen to a man who agrees with us use a medium that has been dominated by liberals in the past to our political ends.

Re-education golf camps do have their uses, however.

Keep in mind that ”fan“ is short for ”fanatic“. I was under the impression that fanaticism was something to which we conservatives are to be opposed.

Saying that a "fan" is automatically a "fanatic" does not make it so. Word derivation is no substitute for argument. People who listen to and enjoy his radio show are not mindless Hitlerjugend off to attend the latest episode of Strength Through Joy. You are extrapolating the obsession of a few onto the opinions of the many. Therein lies the weakness of your argument.

Please re-read my essay. I never claimed otherwise. In fact, I clearly stated in my essay the obvious fact that all men are flawed, which supports my point that one should never get too excited about any one man.

Flanders' Fields are littered with the husks of straw men. No one is arguing that point. Most of Rush's fans would agree with you, as well.

Chris, all I know is what I see, and I have seen a great many people calling themselves Dittoheads lashing out in anger at any criticism of their Dear Leader. The responses to my essay here on this thread are evidence that more than a few Rush Limbaugh listeners are fixated on the man rather than his message.

Okay, as far as that goes, you're quite correct. Bear something in mind, however. Rush's popularity is due to his message. You can't force feed conservatism on people. Rush has millions of fans because his opinions resonate with their opinions and sentiments. That's why you're seeing so many people react with emotion. He's a conservative, B-chan! He's one of us. It is natural to suppose that when a conservative is attacked (or, in Limbaugh's case, leaves himself open to attack), other conservatives will rise to his defense.

Now then, as to what Rush may have done: it is profoundly conservative for us, as conservatives, to allow the law to take its course. The difference between us and liberals is that we have to be willing to allow Rush to be convicted and sentenced if he has committed a crime. We insisted that Clinton follow the law, that the laws of the State of Florida be followed during the Florida Recount. We can do no less here. Rush's more extreme "fans" need to understand that. We cannot be about the business of debating the meaning of the word "is", or arguing, post facto that the War on Drugs is unjust. If Rush has broken the law, he must pay the price. Period.

And understand something. Liberals will try to make sure that Limbaugh goes to prison. They will do this because liberals have, at bottom, an authoritarian streak in them that compels them to find some way to silence their opponents or force their will on an unsuspecting public. Rush was simply foolish enough, or addicted enough, to walk right into the trap.

That modern liberalism is, at heart, a fascistic enterprise does not alter the fact that Rush Limbaugh made it easy for them to try to put him away.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[GUIDO]

Rush Limbaugh is a popular entertainer. He is not a political thinker on the level of a Russell Kirk, a George Sowell, or a William F. Buckley. Sorry if that doesn‘t go down well, but it’s the truth.

No you are right, but RUSH talks to me, he talks to me and I can understand and follow everything he says. Those others although I truly respect them loose me halfway because they are so damn smart. Especially Buckley who part of the problem is trying to understand him with his accent.

RUSH TALKS TO ME, HE TALKS TO BUSINESS OWNERS, TRUCK DRIVERS, ETCC...

[LongsforReagan]

"the most important conservative of our time".

When you make statements like this, you demonstrate zero credibility. Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Nothing more. A great conservative leader or thinker he is not.

[truthandjustice1]

"When you make statements like this, you demonstrate zero credibility"

I, along with 20 million other listeners,think you are mistaken. Rush created the movement that caused the elections in '94 to go Republican. He single handedly saved AM radio and created the talk show genre.

And, by the way, no need to resort to personal attacks. It's so unbecoming.

[truthandjustice1]

"I have never seen anything anywhere that attributed anything to Rush in terms of the election."

The fact that YOU have "never seen anything" means nothing. Facts are facts.

[Paulus Invictus]

What an asinine assessment of Rush! He is an entertainer with huge clout because the got his conservative message out to millions before anyone else even thought of talk radio. As far as classifying all his listeners as "not the deepest thinkers in the world" just how do you know that? Some of the most profound comments about politics I have ever heard have been from callers to his show. His own comments are generally right on, especially about the idiosyncracies and political antics of the RATS. His correct take about Clinton, before he was elected the first time, were absolutely correct, and as time went by, the Felon himself proved that Rush was right.

[Destro]

I have not. I read lots. Please find source so I can also be informed.

[B-Chan]

hubris

[jetson]

Depends on how he got his drugs that caused him his problems. If he got his drugs without a doctor he violoated the law and thus becomes our business.

We will have to see what the story is. Lets look at the realities of todays medical system. Doctors are not going to keep a person supplied in opiates even if in severe pain as we all know people with this problem. How many people have given other people some of their pain pills without doctors knowledge, or people fibbing to doctors just to stock up just in case of severe pain, or some people even stealing from their work( hospials or pharmacy). Our medical system tends to sweep problems under the rug especially for those who need to function every day or have obligations. I think alot of people would be very surprised as to how many doctors themselves rely on taking prescription drugs to excess.

[Destro]

That is no excuse before the drug laws. The drug laws make no exceptions to why you take illegal drugs (or illegaly obtained drugs).

[B-Chan]

Do you mind if I relieve myself on your grave when you kick the bucket?

Sorry, Nancy, but I plan to install a urinal instead of the sit-down toilet you’d require.