Rush Limbaugh hates America... and everyone else

The changing of the roles in the ideological landscape of 2009 has been nothing short of entertaining. During the past eight years, right-wingers across the land were shouting "love it or leave it," meaning that, if you have a bone to pick with our Republican government, then you could leave the country and go elsewhere. I seem to recall they even referred to us dissenters as 'traitors' or worse.

Flash-forward to 2009. Many Americans have grown tired of the right-wing rhetoric and cavalier attitude toward the common people and voted for an overwhelming Democratic-controlled government. The right-wing are now in the position that the left were in previously, as they are now the ones currently complaining about the government.

Hey, love it or leave it, right?

Rather than use positive means to make America a better place, many of them are hell-bent on standing in the way. And unlike the left, who just wanted to end a meaningless war and make this country a better place for all, the right-wing just wants to wreak havoc. We are seeing it with many of our elected Republican officials, who are behaving like whining children. And much of this attitude seems to be coming from an expected place - right-wing talk radio.

And at least one radio owner has gotten fed up with this unconstructive attitude. The owner of Genesis Communications has stepped forward to cry "enough, already":

That fingernails on the chalk board you hear across the radio airwaves are the voices of talk hosts attempting to take on Barack Obama. Bold yes, smart, maybe not. There are a limited number of hosts that have the mental capability and entertaining personality who can pull this off succesfully. We have several in our company on the national and local level.

There is risk in this. Risk of more regulation in a Democrat controlled government and risk of losing listeners. The constant pounding by so many in unison on "why this guy is bad and we are all heading to hell" is causing listener fatique. The information may be accurate, but without balance, may not be wise. Our Industry is an industry of entertainment. If we do not entertain while informing, we lose credibility and we lose market share. The great hosts entertain first, criticize second and inspire third. There needs to be some balance between talking about Obama and other life experiences. Putting a smile on a listener's face in this environment is a challenge that needs to be met. Bash away at Obama all you want. Don't forget, however, that talk radio listeners want to hear opinions, but they also want to get away from the significantly stressful reality they are experiencing. They are looking for solutions, inspiration and entertainment.

If a host cannot entertain and inspire, they should find another career. Right now, Talk Radio has too many hosts that need to find other careers.

Now, Bruce is obviously a conservative. But at least he's talking sense. Rather than be the voice of negativity and hatred, right-wing talk radio needs to get back to the original mission of entertaining and inspiring. I especially get the feeling he's talking about Rush Limbaugh.
Over the past six months or so, Limbaugh has been the most vocal proponent of obstructionism. He even came out and said that he hopes President Obama fails. Now, saying that while the United States is in the middle of devastating economic turmoil isn't very inspiring, is it? Does Limbaugh actually want us all to succeed? Honestly, I don't think he really cares, just so long as it doesn't affect him. Because in Limbaugh's America, it's all about what's good for him. The rest of us can just go pound sand.

And in his most recent expression of inspiration, he seemingly wants this whole country to fall apart, going so far as to work for the demise of America's automobile industry. Yes, he is encouraging a boycott of General Motors.

“Nobody wants to support an Obama company,” he said, not too long after GM filed for bankruptcy reorganization and a government bailout (and subsequent majority ownership). Limbaugh also said, “a lot of people are not going to buy from Chrysler or General Motors as long as it is perceived Barack Obama is running it, because people do not want his policy to work here because this is antithetical to the American economic way of life.”

He also cited a Rasmussen poll, showing 17% of those surveyed favor a boycott of GM products. Wow! A whopping 17%? Wasn't that George W. Bush's approval rating? Actually, it’s closer to Limbaugh’s.

The fact that he wants this country to fail, if only to spite people he doesn't like, says volumes about this disgusting pig of a man. For a quarter century, Limbaugh has painted a vivid picture of his so-called 'ideal' America, and his idea of a land of opportunity. Thing is, the only opportunity that matters to him is his own. Who cares about the rest? It's all about him. He doesn't give a shit about you or I.

Even the Democrats agree. "While it's not surprising that Rush Limbaugh would root for the failure of a national institution for partisan political gain, it is surprising that the other so-called leaders of the Republican party are silently going along with him given how many hard working Americans rely on GM for a living," said DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan.

To be fair, even Limbaugh’s clones are getting in on the act. "Every dollar spent with GM is a dollar spent against free enterprise," conservative talker Hugh Hewitt wrote online last week. But these guys seem to just parrot whatever comes out of The Messiah’s big mouth.

On the surface, Limbaugh appears to be biting the hand that feeds him. After all, GM has always been a huge advertiser on radio in general, and has even been a big sponsor of talk radio, across the ideological spectrum. And in this day and age, that kind of support is hard to come by. But does Limbaugh really care? Has he amassed so much wealth and power that he can tell his sponsors to stick it where the sun don’t shine. Remember, it’s all about him.

But is anyone really surprised by all of this? If you are not with him, you are his enemy. No grey areas. Limbaugh, on the surface, never misses an opportunity to wrap himself in the American flag, when it serves his own self-indulgent purposes. Yet in reality, he is constantly wiping his fat ass with it. America is only America if it feeds his own massive ego.

The late George Carlin once claimed that he didn't think Limbaugh believed half the stuff he said on the radio. It was merely just for shock value. I have long felt that too, but it's quite likely that over the years, he's started to believe his own bullshit. That he actually thinks what comes out of his mouth is indeed the gospel. Millions of dollars, tons of ego gratification (and massive amounts of prescription narcotics) will likely do that. He constantly boasts about being an 'entertainer', yet he lost that focus years ago. Now he has a self-absorbed messiah complex.

What we have here is a hollow shell of a man, a lonely, pathetic figure cut off from reality in his ivory tower mansion on the beach, completely withdrawn from the concerns of his fellow man and woman. He doesn't care about anyone, he is too wrapped up in his own greed. He has become a living, breathing embodiment of Charles Foster Kane, also a pathetic fictional creation who wound up consumed by his own ego and lust for power, spending his last days withdrawn from reality in a cavernous mansion, all alone, and not particularly liked by anyone.

Fame and fortune can be a double-edged sword. Some can handle it well. Music icon Paul McCartney is way more wealthy and popular than Limbaugh ever will be. But he still feels quite comfortable walking around in public, talking to fans, and has a solid reputation as one who is gracious and eager to please. McCartney has been known to use his own power and wealth for good things, such as the humanitarian causes he supports, devoted to bring peace and make a positive impact on the world. U2's Bono is another good example. Sure, some may snicker at his self-appointed role as world diplomat. But he knows he wields tons of clout, and feels that he can use it for good. Limbaugh, on the other hand, cannot handle fame and fortune. It has made him greedy, selfish and narcissistic.

What good is all that money and power if you can't use if for good? If it only makes you a self-loathing recluse?

So, why does anyone still give a rat's ass about the unhinged rantings of this self-absorbed mound of self-indulgence gone awry? And why does the modern-day conservative movement, and the Republican Party for that matter, yield so much power to a former disc jockey with a drug habit and lust for Dominican boys? A man with serious self-destructive tendencies. If Republicans were smart, they would seek out better role models. And I don't mean Ronald Reagan. Reagan's been gone so long from the scene that most of what they think they know about him has turned into myth by this point. They need to take a check-up from the neck-up, and stop putting so much faith on flawed false prophets, or they may find themselves deeper in the political abyss. That goes for Newt Gingrich as well. He's a failed political has-been with an axe to grind. He will get you nowhere.

After all, Rush Limbaugh, it is plain to see that he cares about nobody but Rush Limbaugh. If this country spirals into another Great Depression, he could give a shit, so long as it doesn't hurt his bottom line. If he starts to lose income or sponsors, then we may see him break a sweat. But he has jumped the proverbial shark, in that he feels that if he's too nice, he'll lose fans. He thinks they still want blood. In short, he's painted himself into a corner. And since he doesn't know how to get out of it, he's wrapped himself in his own insecurity and projected his own self-hatred upon the people who still hang on his every word.

Thing is, I don't think Limbaugh just hates America. I think he hates everyone in it.