Rush and the 'victim' card

[Seneca]

He has already cited that his 'freedom of speech' was assaulted by the ESPN flap. No, Rush, you had every right to utter your idiocies. No one, especially from the Left, said otherwise. No one is suggesting jail time or fines for being a racist. The rest of us are enjoying our free speech by having the right to refute your commentary. Since you believe in the 'free market', ESPN knew the potential consumer PR backlash would be exceed any gain from their ratings. They do have their sponsors to look out for, after all.

Rush Limbaugh has long made a career deriding 'political correctness' and the culture of 'victimhood' that liberals supposedly condone and encourage. But no one is better at playing the card of 'victimhood' better than a conservative who feels the burn of a backlash. The dittoheads are already eating it up - calling Rush the 'victim' of a left-wing conspiracy, calling for forgiveness and compassion. All the things they deny their 'enemies' on the Left.

Tough cookies, Rushie baby. :-) In your pursuit of "entertainment" and ratings, you forgot to be human. It happens. Now, please, own up to your sense of "personal responsibility" and admit you need help, and that you are wrong on just about everything youhave ever said or done.

Rush, like all drug addicts, needs medical help. Then, he should get therapy too. If ever a man was in need of deep psychological examination, it is this failed disc jockey from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. (Hey! Notice that the name is French?)

Watch the victim card be played over and over again. Funny, but I recall Hitler doing that too - in "Mein Kampf". As he scapegoated the Jews and ascribed them all the blame for the ills of a fallen Germany, so too, has Rush, for more than a decade, ascribed the ills of America to liberals, and demonized us all in the most Goebellsian of fashion.

The victim card has long, long been a favorite of the Right. You could set your watch to when it is hauled out and dusted off.

As a liberal, am I torn over feeling compassion for a drug addict, versus my undeniable schadenfreude over his troubles? You bet I am, for I have a conscience.

But I am content to watch him stew in the juices of his own making. The damage he has wrought on the propaganda front is far too widespread and deep to consider his misfortune above reproach.

So I wish him a recovery, mentally and physically, but I do not wish for a revival of his career, which is really what we want to fail.

His protestations and sputterings will be quite a sad and funny sight for weeks to come.

[phillybri]

1. Awesome post....

You nailed it...

[RandomUser]

10. Yep.

spot on.

[eleny]

2. Let me say this

[Junkdrawer]

3. "I do not wish for a revival of his career"...

If he's an addict (and if 1/4 of what we hear is true, he is) he has a choice:

1.) Continue on with the famous lies and half truths - and die the horrible death of an addict.

2.) Seek recovery, make restitution to all he's harmed, and change his life.

Either way, the old El Rushbo is dead.

[Abe Linkman]

4. That's fine, but why don't you...

call for the END of the Drug Wars? Even if RLimbaugh gets busted; there's almost no chance that he will suffer the same punishment as 99.99% of the rest of us would.

So, "seek recovery" - YES. But, only if you also call for ending the crminalization of people who use certain drugs, but not others.

[Junkdrawer]

5. I don't think he should get special treatment...

The "mandatory sentencing" laws of the War on Drugs are among the worst laws we have on the books.

And as for the wealthy/celebs getting "special breaks" with their addictions, I think that's why they tend to die more often than the middle class. As the saying goes..

"To coddle a drunk (or addict) is to kill a drunk."

[StClone]

6. Set up?

Could ESPN had thought they had a good idea in placing Rush as an NFL commentator to attract right wingers which have a stronger affinity for pro sports?

Seeing that it was not working did Rush and/or ESPN plan the whole race-based commments to have Rush exit (not fired) in a blaze of glory true to his conservative base. He was known as outspoken on race issues and ESPN knew it.

And why the quick exit? Out of character for a man with strong personal convictions... or was it all planned and Limbaugh didn't have the heart to put on a good show with other (drug) issues arising. Was his drug problems a factor too knowing that they were about to go public? There are too many intriguing angles to this to be all coincidence.

[Selwynn]

7. I thought this was very fair.

In the other thread in "defense" of Rush, I've been fighting a fight over how we ought to behave more compassionately towards our opponents, but I feel like this was very, very even handed and fair.

I thought that this captured both the perosnal distast and anger over Rush's destructive power, and at the same time and acknowledged ability to separate that from the difference of a disease that needs treatment, the need for therapy, support and help to recover.

It's ok to be angry, but there is a line that gets crossed were we rejoice in the misfortuntes of others. Kind of makes me wonder where that line stops - if we are willing to rejoice and dance over an opponents drug addiction, will we rejoice when an opponent is killed in an accident, or when some other tragedy occurs? Why is it neceesary to return hate with more hate?

Anyway... I thought this post was balanced.

[Seneca]

9. thanks Selwynn!

Thanks also for not saying "fair and balanced". :-)

[rasputin1952]

16. Very well said...

as with the original post.

I find no joy in a person's affliction, there is no redeeming quality in rejoicing over the self destruction of a person by disease, drug abuse or alcoholism.

While I'm sure his career will suffer, (for that I am grateful), I'm not going to stoop down to his level, and wish for his demise. When I had to go through the tough times of withdrawal, I was lucky, and thankful, that I had others around me that knew what I was going through. I would not wish that on anyone.....not even limbaugh or bush. But I guess that is the price I pay for being a liberal. Why castigate others, when, as it has been said so many times before, "There, but by the grace of God, go I".

Most of the people I grew up with are either dead by OD, alcoholism, accidents caused under the influence (automobile and otherwise); or so severely damaged physically and mentally, that they have become wheelchair-bound, or reclusive. There is asoft spot in my heart for those that can confront and conquer their problems, regardless of how I might feel about them personally, I still respect that aspect of humanity.

Perhaps, after all is said and done, limbaugh will have an epihany, and realize that all of the trash he has spouted out over the years has done nothing but turn back the clock on progress. Perhaps he won't change at all; in either case, for this affliction, I offer sympathy.

[ewagner]

8. You made a number of good points

Indeed we enjoy freedom of speech, but that does not absolve us of the consequences of our speech. Limbaugh doesn't understand that concept.

Compassion for Rush is hard to come by. This is due primarily to the fact that he is not in the least bit contrite for his actions, instead, he plays the victim card, blaming the liberal media for his demise on ESPN and he will, trust me on this, blame his ear surgery for his addiction to pain killers.


It's hard to forgive and support somebody when they are constantly "in your face" like Rush is..........

[bloom]

11. Rush has lessons to learn.

[bloom]

12. The wiccans believe in consequences coming back 3-fold.

I would not like to be him.

[Seneca]

13. a bump for late-nighters

eom

[MrPrax]

14. GOOD Clearly underlining

another bit of hyprocrisy among the ditto crowd...imagine playing the victim card...

Great Post

[camero]

15. Besides the fact that his comment was factually incorrect

The NFL has had black quarterbacks that have succeeded. I guess he has never heard of Warren Moon. Or Doug Williams. Or the fact that McNabb took the Eagles to the NFC Championship 3 years in a row.

The man was just flat out unqualified to be a sports commentater much like Dennis Miller was. I say he wasn't forced to resign because of his comment. It was because of his incompetence.

[noiretextatique]

18. good point, camero...the facts don't support his racism

he was, and is unqualified for the job.

[camero]

19. Thanks

I forgot to add Michael Vick to that list. He has practically carried the Atlanta Falcons on his shoulders. I also wonder why the other analysts didn't take him up on that comment.

Shock and Awe maybe?

[rasputin1952]

17. Free Speech...

is so ingrained into the American psyche, that we take it for granted, as you posted, that are consequences for that liberty.

I cannot think of a time when I agreed to anything limbaugh has said,
(with the possible exception of "half my brain tied behind my back", after all, that brings it closer to the other half of his brain, the part he uses to speak with...the half in his butt). Then again, I can only stomach so much of the guy.

But I have to give him the same right that I myself demand, the right to Free Speech. The only differences are, I don't have a huge network to get out to the people; and I have the courtesy to allow others to
add their two cents into the conversation.

I am in no way sympathetic to the personality of the man...but as for his possible addiction to narcotics, I have to feel some sympathy. But that still does not excuse his hypocrisy and selfishness. He is a parriah, and I say good riddance.