Tue 2 Oct 2007
Gotta love this.
If you read my blog entry on 9/26/07 you saw that I was very disturbed and frustrated with Rush Limbaugh and his inability to argue any issue without constant ad hominem attacks on people who don’t agree with him. In particular, a soldier called in who had served in Iraq and who also believes we should no longer be there. Instead of listening to the man’s comments and responding with a cogent argument for his own case, Rush said, “Yeah, and I was one of the astronauts that went to the moon,” and followed up with a diatribe claiming that anyone who was a “real soldier” wouldn’t feel that way. The caller, by the way, never got to say another word. Just as he does with almost all callers who disagree with him, Limbaugh cut the call off and ranted without giving his opponent any opportunity to rebut.
Now, Fox News.com reports that Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid has announced that Democratic leaders in the senate have drafted a letter to Mark Mays, president of Clear Channel Communications (the parent network of Limbaugh’s broadcast), asking that the network “publicly repudiate these comments that call into question (antiwar soldiers’) service and sacrifice” and asking that Limbaugh himself apologize.
Good luck with that.*
Clear Channel may back-pedal a little on behalf of Rush, but Limbaugh himself will never apologize. He’s not capable of doing that. The man didn’t even apologize to his listening 
audience for his drug use while on the air. Instead, he reached a plea deal that led to his record being expunged of prescription shopping for Oxycontin. So much for taking personal responsibility.
As someone who considers herself middle-of-the-road politically, I don’t like to align myself with either party, but I have to say hooray to the Demos for this. Limbaugh is out of control, and it shows on his program. Someone has got to do something about his rampant illogic and slippery slope argumentation. Free speech is one thing, but just as you can’t yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater, you also can’t insight the public with false and defamatory statements, simply because you have an opinion and a microphone.
Now, Limbaugh claims that the Senators are purposely misrepresenting his comments in order to discredit him. (And, instead of proving his point through logical argumentation, Rush again distorted reality by attacking his opponent personally, referring to the Senate Majority Leader as “Dingy Harry.” Nice. The guy who touts always respecting the office can’t follow his own advice.) He and everyone who heard him make the original statement know he’s lying, but he’ll claim he was misunderstood forever.
Of course, those with lolling tongues who believe every word that comes out of his mouth simply because he says it forcefully and they happen to agree with his politics will vehemently nod their heads at every word Limbaugh is saying. As a person who often agrees with him politically but is always disappointed by his inability to form a valid argument, I’m left hoping against hope that someone will see the light and get the man off the airwaves. There are too many good orators who are able to discuss the facts logically and effectively to be able to justify keeping such a poor one on the air.
As a media company, doesn’t Clear Channel realize that they are contributing to the very downfall of our nation? People like Rush Limbaugh don’t contribute positively in any way. Instead, they chip away at our political foundation by spoon-feeding lies and propaganda to people too weak to know the difference. Then those people vote based on the crap Limbaugh feeds them.
He’s not even helping his Republican/Conservative cause – he’s hurting it. He’s not hurting his Democratic/Liberal opponents; he’s helping them. With that in mind, what use is he? Again, the facts point to Clear Channel’s desire to line their pocketbooks to the detriment of their audience.
Last Tuesday, a veterans group opposed to the Iraq war will launch a TV ad campaign lambasting Rush. The ad will feature a Purple Heart recipient who was injured while serving in Iraq. I wonder how Rush will attempt to denigrate him. Will he accuse these veterans of being bad Americans? Probably. The bottom line is, though, that he won’t be able to call them “phony soldiers,” this time.
And, that, my fellow Americans, makes me smile.
Rush Limbaugh, if you read this, grow a pair and argue the points. Stop taking cheap shots and puffing out your chest and say something worth hearing. Maybe if you’ll stop looking in the mirror long enough to think of something besides yourself, you can do it.
*(Narcissists don’t apologize. They find it psychologically impossible to accept responsibility for any misdeed. Not that I’m labeling Rush is a narcissist, mind you. I’m just saying – as I did in my other blog entry about him – that, in my opinion, he displays the symptoms of suffering from that particular mental illness.)
Stumble It!