March 11, 2009
By Bob Steinburg
A Conservative's Viewpoint
The liberal left wing of the Democratic Party aided by many of their minions in the main stream media have recently been claiming that talk radio show personality Rush Limbaugh is the official spokesperson for the Republican Party. Limbaugh, a showman extraordinaire, is a conservative Republican with a weekly listening audience estimated to be as high as 20 million. Whatever the number, this much is certain; his audience eclipses that of all other nationally syndicated radio personalities. Limbaugh broadcasts weekdays on more than 600 stations across America. Love him or loathe him, one can't deny his impact on American politics.
Limbaugh's shtick is he portrays himself as someone who is right 99.9 percent of the time. He has a propensity for stirring up controversy and is seldom mild mannered. He upholds conservative principles with a flair that delights most of his listeners, and agitates those with a differing point of view. It works. Limbaugh earns in excess of $50 million a year as a result of advertisers willing to dole out huge sums of money to have the opportunity to reach his large audience. Because of his polarizing persona, he is the perfect boogey-man to those on the left.
What many fail to consider is that Limbaugh can be as tough on Republicans as Democrats. Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush can attest to that. When Bill Clinton was in the White House he was fair game. No one should be surprised Barack Obama is on Limbaugh's hit parade.
The media and the far left are all over Limbaugh lately because of his on-air comment: "If Obama's agenda is far left collectivism, some say socialism, as a conservative, why would I want him to succeed?" Obama responded later, "You just can't listen to Rush Limbaugh and get it done."
Suddenly Limbaugh's honest and personal dissent was seized upon by team Obama to help diffuse criticism of a president that has yet to convince investors that his prescription for America's financial woes will work.
Limbaugh's not the only one with doubts. The Dow Jones Average was at 9326 on Election Day. At the closing bell on Inauguration Day, the market fell 350 points, closing below 8000. When Obama signed his stimulus bill into law on Feb.17 the market fell another 345 points to close at 7502. On Feb.27 when he announced his proposed budget for the year the market reacted to the news by dropping 417 points to close at 6700. In fact, since Obama's election, through March 9, the market has dropped 30 percent. This is the worst stock market performance in history for any new American president.
Are Obama's precipitous remedies for our ailing economy the cause of the continued and historic market decline? Or are those like Limbaugh who disagree with his remedies responsible? Democrats were quick to blame Bush and Republicans for being intolerant of opposing points of view during the last eight years. But now many Democrats expect Republicans, who have grave misgivings about Obama's unprecedented spending initiatives, to go along to get along. It's precisely that thinking on the part of both parties that got us into this mess.
Rush Limbaugh and the Republicans in Congress are being portrayed as "obstructionists," by the left; from the Hollywood elite to the liberal media.
Bill Moyer's, who poses as a journalist, despises conservatism. He often refers to conservatives as "Right wing wrecking crews who are trying to destroy America." Moyer's is certainly entitled to his views. But the fact that he gets to express his partisanship on PBS, the tax subsidized Public Broadcasting Network, seems unfair.
The Daily Kos is a bigoted left wing Web site. Its founder, Markous Moulitsas Zuniga had every Democratic candidate running for president bowing and genuflecting before him to gain his Web sites favor. Liberals, who now like to refer to themselves as "Progressives," give this site two to four million visits a day. This is the same site that started the rumor that Sarah Palin's child with Down Syndrome may not have been her child, but her daughters, and it was one of their of their milder accusations.
The New York Times is doing its part too. Author Bernie Goldberg, a nine time Emmy award winner for journalism, six with CBS and three with HBO, characterizes Times publisher Arthur Solzberger and Executive Editor Bill Keller's view of conservatives this way: "Conservatives are wrong and morally inferior." The once proud "Gray Lady," known for having more words than pictures, is said to soon be facing bankruptcy. In spite of huge declines in readership, they continue to churn out their liberal message.
MSNBC is another lap dog for the left. Chris Matthews said in glowing coverage of Obama's speech at the `04 Democratic convention, "I have to tell ya, a little chill in my, in my legs now." And then in February 2008 while hosting the show "Hardball" following Obama's primary victories in Virginia and Maryland, he said: "I felt this thrill going up my leg." Matthews and Keith Olbermann, another MSNBC stalwart, were deemed so bias, that they were sacked last year from election anchor coverage by the left leaning network.
It's interesting how many on the left, including the White House, are using Limbaugh's words, as though he were speaking for the Republican Party. Even RNC Chairman Michael Steele said Limbaugh is simply an entertainer who at times makes incendiary comments.
Clearly the left's "Limbaugh strategy" is meant to deflect attention away from the miserable economy by characterizing Republicans as those who aren't team players and simply want our economy to fail so that they may once again regain their power. Sacrificing ones values and beliefs may be good for the team, but miserable for the soul and the strength of one's convictions.
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