Opaque Lucidity

Matt, I have far too much respect for you than to believe that you don't see ANYTHING wrong with the things Rush Limbaugh loves to say. Admittedly, maybe the White House should focus on more important things, but Rush is inflammatory and, to use your word, classless. As much as most lefties would shudder to hear me say this, our country needs the Republican party, but I shudder to think what the Republican party would become if they really count on Rush to be their savior and idol. Right now we need bipartisanship and patience, two things that seem foreign to him and the rest of the far right. I may not have liked Bush, but I swear I NEVER wished for him to fail. I kept hoping we would wake up one day to be proven wrong about his policies. I never hoped that the economy would tank under his watch or that we would lose the war in Iraq, and when things seemed dire, I took no sense of satisfaction in making the correlation between his actions and the apparent consequences. I always hoped things would get better, whether by his hand or someone else's. And I feel very sad and more than a little disgusted to know that if things were to bounce back and we were doing well and it could be directly tied to Obama's early actions in office, Rush would be sorely disappointed. That is truly warped.

Jeff, when was the last time you listened to an entire Rush Limbaugh 3-hour show? I'd be willing to bet the answer is 'never'. I'd also be willing to be that everything you know about his show comes from another show, not from him.

He never wished for the nation to fail, but for Obama's policies to fail. Given the direction of things since Janaury 20th, I wish some of his policies would fail as well. And while you may have never wished for us to lose in Iraq, plenty of those on the Left did. These are the same people who cheered when Tony Snow died or when Ronald Reagan was shot. Your side has little defense when crying about wishing for failure.

Furthermore, did I say Rush is or should be the head of the Republican Party? No.

Maybe you need to spend more time talking to liberals and fellow travelers in your own party about wishing for failure and being "bi-paritisan".

Posted by: Matt_D at March 6, 2009 12:30 PM

Hmm, Ok... I'll concede that I've never listened to an entire show, but I've read a few transcripts, especially when I've heard that he's said something so outrageous that I can only conclude it was taken out of context. I know the media loves to play up the story, so I, unlike many, check the sources before forming an opinion. And when you talk about my "side" or fellow travelers in my "own party", you should know that I have no party. The only thing I share with Democrats is a socially progressive philosophy and a general agreement with their domestic policies, not that it probably makes a big difference to you when it comes to how our opinions differ. And those on the left, Democrats, liberals, whatever you want to call them, should be ashamed of themselves if they cheer when a politician fails to the detriment of the country, or worse if their life is threatened or ended. I guess that's another difference of opinion between us, that I believe Obama's policies failing will be bad for the country. I want them to work, not because I like him (you already know that I do), but because I want the country to get better and do well again. Also, while you may not have said that Rush is or should be the head of the Republican Party, there are plenty of people who are saying he is or should be, and they're not all Democrats.

Jeff, I love how liberals (that's you) espouse every platform item of the Democrats and then when you're accused of actually being one (since you vote for their candidates year after year after year), you back away, as if you're waaaayyyy too cool to be associated with a political party, man. Well, you're a Democrat. And your party is going to bankrupt the country. Congratulations, you win!

Posted by: Matt_D at March 7, 2009 04:37 PM

Matt, oh, there is no doubt I'm a liberal. The reason I forswear the title of Democrat is because most of the time I don't think they're progressive ENOUGH. They far too often kowtow to their own PC bull that they stop just short of doing or saying the kinds of things I wish they would. Unfortunately, they're the only realistic option someone like me has in this country. No other party is even given the illusion of a fair shake. If I actually want to see the kinds of political and social environments I support, I have to take the baby steps that are available with the offerings that exist. And I think it's a bit unfair of you to say that I espouse "every" platform of the Democrats. It's funny too, because half the time I think I'm explaining how I differ from them, even though we agree on a lot of things. Given the relatively brief amount of time I've been commenting here, I doubt you've heard enough to accurately assess my level of accordance with the Democratic party. And thanks for conceding that I win. It's why I play.