Rush Limbaugh on Friday's radio show:
"I don't want this to work. So I'm thinking of replying to the guy, 'Okay, I'll send you a response, but I don't need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails.' (interruption) What are you laughing at? See, here's the point. Everybody thinks it's outrageous to say. Look, even my staff, 'Oh, you can't do that.' Why not? Why is it any different, what's new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what's gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here. Why do I want more of it? I don't care what the drive-by story is. I would be honored if the drive-by media headlined me all day long: 'Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails.' Somebody's gotta say it."
Several points here. First, Limbaugh fails the golden rule here, explicitly. He has been delighted in the past to skewer Dems for their failure to be supportive to the Bush administration. Limbaugh of course does not see this as inconsistent. Why not? Because conservatives are right, about everything, and can do no wrong. Liberals are wrong, about everything, and can do no right. The Obama election victory? Bush's final approval rating of 31%? Temporary insanity, from which the american voters will someday recover. If Obama fails to stabilize our economy, of course, it will result in millions more losing their homes, millions more losing their jobs. But there are times that a principle matters more than other mundane matters, right, Rush?
It is liberating for Limbaugh to be the advocate for a political party which is out of power in the White House and both houses of Congress. He can say what he wants, he can be himself. And our lives are enriched.
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Comments: 16
Next...to watch BS O'Reilly's head implode when he has to say, "Senator Al Franken".
I know that he certainly doesn't speak for most of the Republicans I know.
The best thing that could happen to him, the USA, the world, and the Republican party is for him to OD and drop dead.
Can we hope?
Yes we can!
The American haters will never get it so we must still be vigilant to their lies.
But the point of his thought is this, if Obama 'succeeds' (to paraphrase a constant during Iraq--what is success?) what will be the result? For many, Obama's aims are the polar opposite of what they feel is the foundation of the Republic. For still others, much depends simply on what is considered success.
Many of Obama's supporters want change in areas that others do not feel need changing. Like many who did not vote for him, I'm torn on what I want. I pray for Obama's success in averting more terrorist attacks, in not worsening the war with the fanatics of Islams wings, and in his wrestling with the deepening Federal deficit. But I don't want more government control of the economy nor expansion of the Bush spending spree. I don't want more bureaucratic meddling in my life or my property either.
So while Limbaugh may be more open about his whys on Obama's success/failure, many others will be more ambivalent. He has the same divided country to deal with that Bush did. To simply say he's hopeless ignores what many will consider legitimate reasons and while its easy to call names as many above do, it does not actually look at the whys and recognize the similarities of only a few months ago.
I do not "hope" for his success, because the success of his Socialist and Marxist ideologies are not welcome here; success would only be an indicator of the illness of a dying Nation. Rather, I Hope for his Failure, and the promising symptom of a Healthy Nation, founded on Freedom.
But the notion that keeping government completely out of the economy in the current disaster is the answer, no I totally do not buy that.