Rush Limbaugh is Back

Rush ‘just-kidding’ Limbaugh is back. A few weeks ago he made his post-rehab debut with his usual rant against the democrats, the liberals and just about any one who dares to disagree with his gospel of extreme conservatism. Some of his critics had hoped, naively as it turned out, that a month long treatment in a detox facility would also dissipate the hardened layers of bigotry and intolerance and help him see the world around him more clearly and perhaps more compassionately. But alas it is hard to rehabilitate a brain that is on loan from God and God, as we have learned, does not make mistakes in creating super-partisan gray mater.

To Mr. Limbaugh’s credit he did confess to his addiction on air once the tabloid National Enquirer broke the story. It was also commendable that he realized the magnitude of his problem and decided to seek help. This was the human face of Rush Limbaugh and one cannot help but sympathize with him. It also reaffirms that addiction is not limited to the poor and disenfranchised fringes of the society but is also common in the upper crust of our society. Unfortunately the poor, the un-connected and the disadvantaged are the ones who crowd the dockets in our courts and bear the full brunt of the law. Somehow the affluent and the connected are able to buy, bully or plea bargain their way out of the legal maize.

The full scope of Mr. Limbaugh’s legal difficulties has not been made public except that the law-enforcing authorities in Florida are pursuing the case. Let us hope the case would be treated like any other dope related case and there will not be any behind-the-scene nudging or manipulation from the Republican heavyweights. One would also hope that Jeb Bush the governor of Florida would remain impartial in the investigation even though a lot is at stake here. The outcome of the case could impact the reelection bid of his brother in 2004.

(P)Rush Limbaugh is important to the success of Republican Party next year. Together with other conservative media including the Fox News Channel, Limbaugh provides free political advertisement in the guise of political commentary. President Bush’s huge war chest could not possibly pay for the kind of spin these diehard believers provide for the president and his party.

(P)One can disagree with Mr. Limbaugh’s message but one cannot argue with the phenomenal success his daily program has had in recent years. He has tapped a ground swell of support among the Republican conservatives -dittoheads - and a good number of independents too. A staggering twenty million listeners from coast to coast tune in on six hundred radio stations for the daily three-hour ranting on politics, world affairs and his efforts to trace root cause of this world to the democrats, liberal, feminists, environmentalists and the minorities. He has elevated bigotry and intolerance to an art and somehow he has been getting away with it.

His disparaging remarks about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb on ESPN that led to his resignation from the program was not the first time he showed his real colors. Earlier this year on January 22, while commenting on the recently released census report, he chided African Americans for complaining that Hispanic Americans, at 13% of the population, had now surpassed them as the largest minority in this country. He brushed aside their concerns with a dismissive ‘who cares’ and then in a twisted and bizarre logic blamed them for having so many abortions. With one broad sweep he offended the entire black population in this country. One wonders if Rush Limbaugh’s black friend on the Supreme Court took note.

Limbaugh riles against the welfare recipients even though he himself was once on public dole. He despises the homeless and would like to hold ‘Homeless Olympics’ with events like ‘the 10-meter shopping cart relay, the Dumpster dig and the hop skip and trip.’

Yes, Rush Limbaugh is entertaining and at times funny. But his efforts to blur the line between humor and serious commentary are disingenuous. He has been on the air long enough and has talked long enough for us to know where he stands. Despite his occasional ‘just kidding, just kidding’ retort to hide behind the thin façade of light-hearted humor he remains an epitome of extreme right wing philosophy of bigotry and intolerance.