Rush Limbaugh and the Socialists' Farce

Rush Limbaugh's radio show has been nationally syndicated since 1988. I first heard him in 1990 and found that he usually agrees with me. Rush validates the thinking of those of us who believe in individual liberty, free markets, and limited government. Over the years, I have been amazed at the number of people-- primarily liberals-- who express opinions on Rush without bothering to actually listen to him.

With the help of hip boots and a shovel, I waded through Leonard Pitts Jr.'s recent moronic column on Rush. After toying with the idea of rebutting Pitts, I decided that it wasn't worth the time or trouble. But now one of Mississippi's most influential blogs, Shira bat Sarah, has concurred with Pitts's piece. Idiocy emanating from Florida is one thing, but homegrown misinformation is quite another.

shira begins, "I've never understood the appeal of Rush Limbaugh. He spews garbage and his fans proudly call themselves ditto heads. How many of those ditto heads hope as well as Limbaugh does that Obama will fail?"

If you really wanted to understand Rush's appeal, you would at least listen to him (which is worthwhile for the parodies alone). A substantial number of liberals listen, and liberal callers are usually put at the front of the line. As Ben Stein has noted, Rush has helped to educate millions of people; he's also very funny.

A dittohead is simply someone who enjoys Rush's show-- whether he agrees with Rush or not. It's the most-listened-to radio talk show in history, and Rush didn't achieve that by putting out "garbage."

Before saying that he hopes Obama fails, Rush explained in great detail what he meant. You would think that Pitts, at a minimum, would have read the transcript before attacking Rush as he did. Pitts is either blissfully ignorant of Rush's meaning, or, more likely, just sees this as an opportunity to attempt to discredit Rush.

Obama is the most radical leftist ever to occupy the White House, and we conservatives do indeed hope he fails to implement his socialist agenda, typified by the outrageous spending scheme that has passed the House. Socialism has never worked anywhere: it didn't work in the Soviet Union, and it certainly hasn't worked in Cuba. By turning away from socialism and embracing capitalism, the Chinese have created a booming economy. The Japanese tried eight "stimulus" plans in the 1990s, none of which succeeded in relieving their economic doldrums.

We, do, however, pray that the president succeeds in protecting us from another 9/11-style attack. I'm certainly no fan of George W. Bush's, but I give him credit for preventing such an attack in the last seven-plus years.

The big question is whether Obama and the Democratic Congress will succeed in herding Americans into a health care collective, euphemistically called "universal health care." It's far from perfect, but our health care system is still the best in the world. If socialized medicine is enacted, there will be no turning back.

So unless Obama applies free-market solutions to the economy, he's bound to fail. I've been watching presidents since the 1960s, and I suspect that a lot of people are going to be bitterly disappointed in the next several years, as they discover that this president is not the Messiah that they thought they were electing.

To understand Rush Limbaugh, one must listen to the entire three-hour show every day for at least six weeks. I challenge Leonard Pitts Jr., shira, and all of Rush's other critics to do so before again commenting on his statements.

shira titles her post, "Send in the Clowns." The next to last verse of Stephen Sondheim's song begins with, "Don't you love farce?" and ends with, "... send in the clowns. Don't bother, they're here."

Yes, they're here, and they'll be running the executive and legislative branches of the federal government for at least the next two years.

God help us.