Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Got me thinking..
I read this article yesterday in Newsweek. I grew up in a very strongly conservative family and have had the feeling lately that conservatism is not what it used to be and needs a change. I agree with the author, that Rush Limbaugh should not be the mouthpiece of the Republican Party/Conservative movement. He IS self-indulgent. And this coming from someone (me, not the author) who's mother was obsessed with Rush. We went to "Dan's Bake Sale" back in, what?..'93?, in Ft. Collins, CO. Yet, he's become too confident for his own good and is damaging more than inspiring. Read and let me know what you think...., or not.
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7 comments:
By and large, I agree with you. When I got home from California and started taking politics seriously I lined right up like everyone else and drank from the conservative pundit water spout. However, after a while they all started to sound more like really annoying barking dogs, or worse, fools with a microphone. Rush, of course, is the loudest of them all.
I dislike the whole lot of them. Rush, Hannity, and O'Reilly (don't even get me started about O'Reilly) are my top three dislikes. The others fall in line in various degrees.
Their job is just to talk. Talk, talk, talk, talk, and talk. With so much coming out of their mouths all the time they're bound to say some pretty foolish things. And they do. In that sense, I cut them a little slack. I mean, their jobs are just to keep their mouths running all the time. But, it just seems like the more I listen to them the more I hear things that are either (1) outright false or (2) completely illogical.
It's only on the rarest occasions that they even come close to anything like a sound or cogent argument. What's more, when they do, they often don't even seem to notice it. Sounds arguments from all those guys are probably just lucky accidents. Like how a thousand monkeys pounding on typewriters would be bound to eek out a legitimate English word or two every now and again.
Real political debates aren't occurring on radio or TV shows. They're happening in town halls and universities where there's a little more pressure to actually logically support your claims with half decent evidence. Of course, those sorts of things aren't entertaining so nobody really pays attention to them. My guess is to expect that real political leaders, if there really are such things, are likely to be found in the same places.
Having said all that, I have to admit that I listen to segments of Rush and a few others several times a week. It's like how you love hearing the jingle of that really annoying commercial. I don't know how else to describe it.
I think these conservative talk show hosts are great. I don't always agree with them, but I take it for what it is, entertainment for the drive home. I'd love to have some good strong conservative politicians (notice how I didn't say Republican, I'm sick of the RNC) stand up for what a majority of the country believes in, but it seems like everyone just rolls over and takes whatever the liberal crowd throws at them. When was the last time that you heard Michael Steele, John Boehner or Eric Cantor come out against anything that the left wing does or offered an alternative solution (ie to the bailout $$$). Until they do, the conservative talk show hosts will continue to be painted as the mouthpiece of the Republican Party.
Just another "rant" from a conservative.
I couldn't agree with you more, Darla. Extremists, whether conservative or liberal, are dangerous voices in that they pigeonhole stereotypes of either party. The problem with conservative talk show hosts like Limbaugh or Hannity is that what they are saying isn't doing any good to persuade those of us in the middle to want to come over to their side. They just sound like angry old men. Anyway, love and miss you lots,
Aimee
Wolf in sheep’s clothing yea Rush isn't the best voice or only voice of the conservative party but this article is a joke the author he tells us what a great republican he is and then says the republican party needs to redefine itself. that is the whole reason we lost the election and don't get me wrong we didn't lose Obama vs. McCain we lost when McCain became our choice he is no conservative but a whole lot of people who pay very little attention to politics fell hook line and sinker for him as the networks gave him favorable coverage over the other candidates, then when you’re left with two choices a somewhat liberal or a genuine liberal who are who are you going to vote for well if you’re a democrat or a moderate (a democrat with no backbone) you vote Obama if you’re a republican you vote McCain despite the sick feeling you get or you go libertarian knowing your throwing away a vote but at least your giving it to someone closer to your conservative values. The other bad part of this article is the negatives of rush as you read through you get the sense he's racist sexist drug attic these statements are entirely false he simply doesn't have to be a politician. that means when he says Obama is black and that he is getting a lot of mileage from being the first black president that’s true, when he points out the spread in male to female listeners in rush's audience he doesn't bother to mention that is also a demographic of women's interest in politics similar to men’s interest in watching Martha Stewart or dr. phil. when you start talking drugs and rush's addiction to oxicotten he fails to mention that it started after not properly weaning him off of them after a surgery or the fact that oxicotten was and should only be used for the terminally ill it is so addictive. (dr. are the biggest drug dealers out there) there are too many out there that think the republican party needs to move left that we need the government to save us that we will all be better off if we turn over our lives/bank accounts to them and let them take care of us bottom line is what is important to me isn't important to someone else like abortion that is an easy no for me it makes me sick as I lay her next to Mindi and watch her belly move with our little un born child to think that if things go good for Obama that I will be paying for something i am so adamantly against. this bail out does anyone think it’s a good idea or that its working I want to know if anyone reading this blog has received any bailout if anyone that was going to lose their home got to keep it or if it is just a way for big banks to buy small banks and for government to force their way into our lives. politics is corrupt and a disgrace from the smallest city governments extorting money out of every business and person all the way up to the president I to hope Obama fails and fails miserably that way I can get some of my liberty back, and guess what when he fails and he will this author will see that Reaganomics and Reagan’s principles will be the thing that puts this country back on track that is conservatism.
Liberalism is this insane plan we are watching now as we see a horrible recession get worse by a government who thinks that getting us further in debt is going to help us.
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