The far right in American politics often talks about how hard-working and responsible it's members are. This extreme element, that is now dominating the Republican Party, is represented by a radio talk show celebrity, a Mr. Limbaugh. Each day Mr. Limbaugh repeats his monosyllabic message to his faithful, and mostly all white and male, listening audience.
Now, I have no doubt that Mr. Limbaugh couldn't care less about the impact his daily messages of hate and division have on his listeners. In America he's free to spew his hate and divisiveness, he is paid handsomely for doing so, and the corporate-whores who sponsor his program have the patriotism and scruples of slugs. In a just and righteous world, Mr. Limbaugh's radio program would die for lack of interest.
Mr. Limbaugh decided to comment the other day on S. Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's personal meltdown. Sanford was either hiking the Appalachian Trail, or hiking up the dress of his Argentinian mistress, or now euphemistically, both. The radio talker sought to explain why Sanford would do such a thing……and wouldn't you know it…..Limbaugh declares that it was all Obama's fault.
"Obama is trying to kill spirit…..Do you know how many frustrated Americans are out there, about what's happening? This Sanford business, I'll tell ya'….one of the first thoughts that crossed my mind about Mark Sanford….what he did defies logic. This is more than being 180* out of phase because of lust or love.
This is almost like, 'I don't give a damn, the country's going to Hell in a handbasket, I just want out of here.' He had just tried to fight the stimulus money coming to South Carolina. He didn't want any part of it. He lost the battle. He said, 'What the Hell. I mean, I'm — the federal government's taking over — what the Hell, I want to enjoy life.'
The point is, there are a lot of people whose spirit is just — they're fed up, saying to hell with it, I don't even want to fight this anymore, I just want to get away from it.
Callers say, 'Are you kidding? This theory you have about Sanford?' No, I'm not kidding. My first thought was he said, 'the hell with this. The Democrats are destroying the country. We can't do anything to stop it. I did everything I could to stop it here in S. Carolina, my wife's left me, to hell with it, I'm going to enjoy life in what little time I have left.'
Folks, there are a lot of people that are looking at it like this…saying…'screw it.' They're saying 'screw it'….if Obama takes away their money, if Obama takes away their house or the economy takes away their house….there are people who'll say, 'to hell with this', they're tuned out. 'To hell with this, I'm just going to try to enjoy this as much as I can.' I think this is what's wrong with our economy today, I think there's many people out there who have lost their spirit.'"
Looking for the point in Mr. Limbaugh's tirades is akin to searching for peanuts in a sh*tpile…..but in this case, I think his point is clear.
If Mr. Limbaugh, or those like Mark Sanford, who are likeminded, don't get what they want in a democratic society, where give and take and compromise are the norm…..then f*ck it all. Which, in Mark Sanford's case, is exactly what he did, you know, literally and metaphorically.
This reflects the "thinking" that I often ridicule, the "thinking" dominating the extreme-right in America today. While far-right conservatives preach personal responsibility, perserverance and self-sufficiency…..they continually imitate petulant 2 year olds anytime they don't get their own way, blaming even the most egregious behavior by Republicans on Obama, the Democrats….on anybody but themselves.
Democracy is an ongoing process. It is an ideal which humans will never perfect. Rather than working hard at this process, today's American conservatives are ready to chuck the whole concept, opting instead to "enjoy life" by addicting themselves to drugs (in Limbaugh's case), or throwing responsibility and caution to the wind by chasing women other than their wives……the very second they can't win national elections or get what they want.
Last year, Phil Gramm, former GOP senator from Texas, called Americans, "a nation of whiners." Methinks that Gramm was referring, though perhaps inadvertantly, to his own political party.
Rush agrees. He's the spokesman for conservative whiners. The WIC….Whiner-in-Chief.
