One thing Limbaugh is right about
While I disagree radically with Limbaugh on just about everything, I actually have no problem with his wanting Obama to fail (that doesn't mean I don't think we should use it against the Republicans). I wanted Bush to fail, and I think in very much the same way. I'm not proud of it, but there were even times I found myself hoping for people to get hurt so the public would turn against him and his allies. Does this make you want to run from me screaming, or can you relate?
Advertisement
No, you make a reasonable point. I think it speaks to the polarization of our society to some degree, but it's also partly a matter of SEMANTICS. No normal grown-up person could seriously hope for the NATION to fail in a genuinely catasrophic way, no matter who the President is. That's a semantically different matter from hoping either Bush or Obama 'fail' in a narrower political sense. I don't honestly know whether Mr. Limbaugh makes this distinction or not, but I have to believe that most of the listening public has the good sense to do so. Anyway, as you said, if it works, fine. It's really a tempest in a teapot, but run with it while you can. In a few weeks, it will be pushed aside by something else.
March 2, 2009 11:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
"I wanted Bush to fail, and I think in very much the same way. "
I strongly doubt that. You had numerous bases for your desire, based on Bush's performance and immoral conduct. What does Rush have?
I can relate to having mixed feelings about a program (say, invade Iraq) succeeding when I object to it on moral and practical grounds but don't wish harm for any particular soldier on the ground.
Rush is the current de facto leader of the Republican Party. Did you ever hear leading Democrats publicly saying, "I hope Bush fails" in 2002-2003? I don't. It's one thing to have a secret conflict, another to mouth off about it. It's not even clear that Rush deeply believes what he says...
Are you thinking he's tapping into the Republican psyche, re failure?
March 3, 2009 3:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
No I cannot relate. I never wanted Bush to fail and I didn't want him to fail in Iraq. His decisions affected the entire world and when he failed, we all paid and are still paying for it. So I don't buy Rush's excuse that he wants Obama's policies to fail. This country is falling apart in every corner and no one should be waiting to gloat if Obama does not succeed.
March 3, 2009 8:54 AM | Reply | Permalink