In the interests of full disclosure:
- I am a registered Republican.
- I've never voted for a Democrat candidate for the presidency.
- In the last two presidential elections, I've not cast a vote for the
Republican candidate.
- In 2004, I cast a vote for the Constitution Party candidate (I can't remember his name at this point) in protest of the out of control spending, because I knew there was no way my vote in little Utah was going to give a single electoral vote for John Kerry; had I been in a liberal state at the time, I would have probably held my nose and voted for George W. Bush.
- In 2008, I cast a vote for the Constitution Party candidate (Chuck Baldwin) because I liked my options in 2008 even less than in 2004. Again, I might have forced myself to vote for John McCain if in a liberal state, but in Utah, it didn't make a difference.
- More than ever, I do not consider myself Republican (and never have I considered myself Democrat), but always conservative.
Okay, with that being said, you might think I'd be singing Rush Limbaugh's praises. I like and agree with much of what he has to say, though on a 'good' day I might listen to him for 30 minutes total (including news & commercials, so more like 5 minutes of actual show content; at least that's how it feels). Most days I don't listen to him at all.
Rush has had a few problems ... multiple divorces (me too), drug problems (I can't relate to that, but I feel sorrow for those who are addicted), New York state auditing his taxes every freakin' year despite his having not lived in New York for over a decade. Of course, a multi-million annual income can help one get over these things.
This morning I was listening to him as I was driving to work, and he was talking about some event he spoke at in Los Angeles and said how he's not political and he only says what he believes (I'm admittedly paraphrasing as I don't have a transcript, just my memory). I call bovine excrement on this!
He is obviously political. And that is not a bad thing! But for him to claim he's not political is ridiculous!
Only says what he believes? This is the same man who said, after the Republican party lost control of Congress in the 2006 mid-term elections:
But the way I feel is this: I feel liberated, and I'm just going to tell you as plainly as I can why. I no longer am going to have to carry the water for people who I don't think deserve having their water carried. ... Now, I'm liberated from having to constantly come in here every day and try to buck up a bunch of people who don't deserve it, to try to carry the water and make excuses for people who don't deserve it.
I really don't have a problem with that either. He's entitled to his opinion and to promote those he feels are the better choice. I voted for two men that I knew had zero chance of winning an election, and would have voted for different candidates as a matter of pragmatism in other circumstances. The difference is I admit I'm doing it, and I did so on the air back when I was doing my talk show during the 2004 elections. I'm not trying to claim otherwise.
Rush plainly admitted he didn't believe a bunch of candidates deserved his support in 2006, but he gave them that support anyway, making excuses for them, because they were the lesser of the evils. My words, not his. In 2009, he'd have you believe that politics doesn't enter his mind, he's just saying what he believes. I don't know, maybe he means "anymore" when he makes the claim. Some how I doubt it.
Rush, I've loved your show before, and I enjoy it when I am able to listen to it now. But don't sit there on the air claiming you only say what you believe. It's obviously, patently false. You only hurt your own credibility, which is low enough in the eyes of your detractors, and you don't need need to provide them honest ammo to use against you!
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