Rick, Rick, Rick,
This article is disingenuous at best…
“The latest Rushism that has both conservative and liberal tongues wagging is his “I hope the president fails” remark that has now undergone its 112th reprinting and has been dissected, resected, and vivisected to the point that I challenge anyone to recall what Mr. Limbaugh’s original intent was in making that statement back in January.”
Come on man – whether you are a Rush supporter or not, this was made crystal clear and has remained so since the first utterance. The only “misunderstanding” of this statement has been intentional.
Allow me to paraphrase:
Rush: I don’t understand the universal lip service support for the President among people on the right who (on the other hand) say they understand the consequences of what he is trying to do. Do they actually mean that they support government takeover of the financial markets? Do they support socialized medicine? Do they support a trillion dollar “stimulus” bill that isn’t? Do they support cap and trade or card check? Do they support the wholesale remaking of the US in the image of European socialism? When you say that you want Obama to succeed – that is what you mean because that is what he means by success! Let me be the first with the guts to say it – I hope he fails! I hope these things don’t happen! I hope Obama fails because I want the country to succeed and I believe the two are mutually exclusive.
Rush Limbaugh (as a talk show host for goodness sake) is at the top of the conservative heap today for one and only one reason. There isn’t any one else. He has fallen into a leadership vacuum unlike any in my lifetime. He represents tens of millions of people who see no other representation. While Republicans are debating line items in the stimulus bill – no one (other than Rush) represents the people who believe the entire thing is destructive.
Rick, the point is this. Genuine conservative principle, clearly articulated, wins almost every time. Despite that, Republicans have become Democrat-lite. They debate line items instead of the entire premise of the catastrophe that is happening before our eyes. Some one on the right side of the aisle has to stand up and represent the people who see us turning a very scary corner and want it stopped. (Current Republicans just want a vote on where we stop for lunch on the road to ruin. No one has the guts to step on the breaks!) Until some elected leader decides to take that role, it will remain filled (as a temporary placeholder – I hope) by a talk show host, because there isn’t anyone else.
GDT
