Rush Limgaugh's Big Mistake

Rush Limbaugh brags of being right over 98% of the time. I know it is part of his radio persona to be arrogant and egotistical, while people who know him personally say he is nothing like that. I also believe that the left would be less antagonistic if he weren't so abrasive. He is probably okay with that too, if for no other reason than their antagonism helps boost his ratings. I have always been a little put off by his radio character, but now I think Rush has gone too far. I think he is wrong in his approach to Barak Obama.

Rush Limbaugh, the radio personality, has begun to damage the integrity of the office of President of the United States, in my opinion. I suspect that Rush Limbaugh, the person, has nothing but the highest respect for the office. I started to be uncomfortable during Bill Clinton's term when Rush referred to the Oval Office as the orifice, a veiled reference to Clinton's disgraceful misuse of power. I can think of nothing about Bill Clinton that I respect, but his standing as President, his office, demands a certain level of decorum even if the man holding it does not.

Now, Rush Limbaugh, the radio personality, daily invents new ways to belittle Barak Obama. I agree entirely with the Limbaugh sentiment; President Barak Obama is an embarrassment to me as a republican (small "r") conservative. Our representative government must allow for the possibility that someone elected to represent the whole country will not please everyone in the country. Perhaps I am wrong, but it seems that in the past, Presidents have attempted to walk some kind of middle ground, especially in foreign contexts, in an effort to represent the whole country. This President, in arrogance exceeding even Mr. Limbaugh, apparently believes that being elected by less than half the country gives him a mandate to express his own personal views as if they belonged to the entire population of the United States.

So while I agree with Rush's opinion of Barak Obama generally, I think the radio persona has regressed into slander and ad hominem language that strikes at the root of political dialogue. By that I mean that American political dialogue is rooted in the belief that citizens can say pretty much what they think in most any context. Yet it has historically been understood that name calling for the sake of name calling is unappreciated by sincere, educated, supporters of civil discourse. Just because there have been instances in the past when people (usually candidates) have used hurtful, unsubstantiated personal attacks, this doesn't mean the practice is universally accepted.

The Bible admonishes us to use only words that are useful for building other people up, not tearing them down. While Rush Limbaugh doesn't openly discuss his religious preferences, I have taken enough hints over the years to know he respects the wisdom of the Bible. If he were to read this, I hope he would take note. It is not only his personal life I am concerned with, but his influence on public dialogue as a whole. If his descent into personal attacks on Barak Obama makes even a few of his listeners think it is acceptable, the office of President is again being disrespected and made smaller for the next occupant, hopefully someone who doesn't deserve a smaller office.