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25 June 2009 3:46 PM
"Worst Idea Ever"
Via Chris Orr, I see that Rush Limbaugh is implying that part of the blame for Mark Sanford's affair -- oh, why even bother saying it, you know who he's going to blame.
[Obama's] trying to kill spirit. All this 'hope' and 'change'--he's trying to kill it. You know how many frustrated Americans there are out there at what's happening?
This Sanford business: I've got to tell you, one of the first thoughts that crossed my mind.... What he did defies logic.... He up and leaves for five days, doesn't leave anyone in charge of the state in case there's an emergency. 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.'...
I'm not [kidding]. My first thought was he said, 'To hell with this. The Democrats are destroying the country. We can't do anything to stop it. I gave everything I had to stop it here in South Carolina.' ... Folks, there are a lot of people looking at life and saying, 'screw it.' They're saying, 'screw it.' Before Obama takes away their money, before Obama takes away their house, or the economy takes away their house, there are people who are saying, "To hell with all this.... I'm just going to try to enjoy it as much as I can.'
Looking at your life and saying screw it = bad idea! Telling millions of people that attitude kinda makes sense? Even worse.
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"Looking at your life and saying screw it = bad idea! Telling millions of people that attitude kinda makes sense? Even worse"
He didn't say "it kinda makes sense". Actually, he's already on record why he thinks Sanford did this, "Lust makes you do insane things."
As familiar with talk radio as you seem to be, I sure you are aware of the need to *hear* Rush to get sense of what he's getting at. He's so inclined to casual sarcasm and such that if you just grab a transcript you'll draw all sorts of wrong conclusions.
Rush talking about Obama agenda as feeding off of and inspiring apathy and hopelessness: "You're economy, healthcare system, planet, etc is doomed. You might as well stop trying and let my administration take over." Mark Steyn has essentially said the exact same thing about the British heathcare system. Rush had already compared Sanford's actions as casually and deliberately putting a gun to the head of his political career, and he was drawing those two threads together. Radio, when done by a master broadcaster like Rush (whatever you think of him, he is) is not "audible blogging". It's as much a "feel" as the words. He's more Tom Waits than Lee Greenwood.