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Watching the liberals duke it out
By Jared | March 1, 2008
They say that you can tell the character of a man by his enemies as much as by his friends. Such a one is Rush Limbaugh, who has made headlines again by telling voters in Ohio and Texas to vote for Hillary Clinton.
There are few names as reviled by the left as Limbaugh. For nearly twenty years now (since 1988), Limbaugh has hosted a nationally syndicated conservative talk-radio show. By 2005, Limbaugh’s show had over 13 million weekly listeners, and he had become one of the most demonized conservative figures in media.
For some reason, listening to Rush just drives left-leaning listeners crazy.
(I imagine it would be like me listening to National Public Radio. When I hear NPR, I usually get an urge to bash my head against the wall. It isn’t particularly good for my blood pressure, especially now that I know how they decide what “news” is.)
Now, Rush is telling his audience to jump across the political fence in Texas and Ohio and vote for Hillary to keep her in the race. There are two immediately striking points.
First, how ironic is it that two of the most traditionally anti-Clinton media figures (Limbaugh and Ann Coulter) have recently said that Hillary was the candidate to vote for? (Granted neither of them was entirely serious, but it seems fitting somehow that two of the most violently conservative media personalities should endorse Mrs. Clinton.)
Coulter, of course, did so in protest of the Republican nomination of John McCain, while Limbaugh has expressly stated that he wants to keep the firefight going on the Democrat side of the aisle for as long as he can.
Second, is such a move morally acceptable?
It is, of course, perfectly legal, but is it ethical to change sides simply to spread chaos and confusion in the enemy’s camp? I certainly would not do so myself. It seems to me to be a dishonest tactic, even if Limbaugh is right that it would probably be effective.
There is one certainty. McCain needs to sit up and take notice of the treatment that Hillary Clinton is getting from the media.
When Obama attacks Clinton, the media say he is sharpening his rhetoric. When Clinton attacks Obama, the media characterize her as hateful and mean-spirited.
Even the pictures of Obama in a turban and traditional Kenyan garb that are being circulated have been blamed on Clinton. (The only really destructive thing about the pictures is the damage they’re dealing to Clinton in backlash—and she probably wasn’t the one who released them in the first place.)
As soon as the war on the liberal side cools down, McCain is going to have to deal with the same media forces. We’ve already seen the New York Times take a swing at him, and all indications are that their baseless smear piece is only the opening salvo in a long, long war.
Topics: Current Affairs, Politics |