Mark Steyn celebrates Limbaugh's life and career.
I remember the first time I encountered Rush. We were living in Arizona at the time, when I was attending graduate school, and I stumbled across this remarkable television program in which a large, jovial fellow was busily mocking Bill Clinton specifically, and Democrats in general. It was funny, it was informative, and a true breath of fresh air. I also recollect that National Review, before it became an online platform for phony conservative grifters, published an issue back during the Clinton administration that had, as its cover story, a very positive article on Rush Limbaugh, lauding him as "the leader of the opposition" - which he indisputably was.
The mob out there is showing its hatred in the only way it knows how: Tweeting vitriol. Sad to see that Iowahawk had nothing to contribute but a piece of "both sides" snark (H/T: Ace of Spades). Perhaps the comment was intended to simply be a not very serious observation on the degree of polarization in the U.S., but it certainly fell flat, if that's the case. As one of Ace's commenters put it, the problem with people who don't do anything but snark frequently find themselves held up for legitimate criticism as "above-it-all" snobs who either don't have any genuine principles or are afraid their real beliefs will become known.
Update Donald Trump's remarks on Rush Limbaugh.
I don't care what the progs and cucks and donks and RINOs say: Donald Trump was, and is, a class act.
Just as with Trump, Rush is only a stand in. They hate us all, and what they wish upon Trump or Rush, they wish a thousandfold upon all of us.
ReplyDeleteThese are the people the GOPe is standing with. These are the people National Review desperately wants the good opinion of. This is the Lincoln Project. This is The Bulwark. These are the neocons.
People seem to be divided into those who are impressed by a 'proper' outward show and those who can percieve an inner sincerity - which we call class.
ReplyDeleteThose who demand ritual propriety are always ready to jump on the slightest infraction while ignoring the overall consistency. (In England they'd be seen as snobs and upper class twits).
This group of ritualists want to rule the rest of us - their idea of class is a hierarchy with them at the top. We have many talk-back radio shows here and compared to them Rush never sounded controversial to me.
PS, So either Rush 'poisoned' Boomers and made us right wing, or we are all 1960s radicals, vanguards of woke-ism. Which is it? Well both and neither, like all generations before us we had a whole spectrum of views. Also demonstrating against joining overseas wars was not new. Londoners trashed Wellington's house after Waterloo and it was pretty continuous after that.
ReplyDeleteRush was 'controversal' because he was the first to use talk radio to get around the leftist embargo on disagreement with their consensus.
ReplyDeleteHe had the audacity to note that the emperor had no clothes
Just like Drudge used the internet to do the same.
He had the audacity to note the POTUS had no pants.
And he was a great synthesizer of conservative thought. He made conservative ideas very accessible (far more so than the almost self-consciously-intellectual Bill Buckley).
ReplyDeleteI just want to leave a comment for one of the commenters:
ReplyDeleteSteve Skubinna! You're alive!
We were all wondering at Insty what happened to you!
Oh, hi Anon. Still around.
ReplyDeleteLooks like they found you, Steve. Must be paper out on you; how much is the bounty (just askin')?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Texas (bounty), hope our friends there are ok.
ReplyDeleteIf I knew there was a bounty Paco, I'd probably turn myself in for it.
ReplyDeleteBruce: Some very strange global warming going on in Texas and other places in the south and midwest, that's for sure. Here in Brunswick County it's been lots of rain, mostly, but we did get a deadly tornado that killed three people (about ten miles from my place). God rest their souls.
ReplyDeleteAmen. Yes I saw mention of NC tornado too and hoped it didn't affect you.
ReplyDelete