Michael Reagan is spinning Rush hard

[spinbaby]

I don't usually listen to wingnut radio but I heard a few minutes of Michael Reagan tonight. He’s in quadruple hyperspin mode. The wheels are spinning, the sparks are flying, and he ain’t going anywhere trying to make Rush look good. Blah, blah, blah PRESCRIPTION drugs blah blah blah REHAB blah blah blah PAIN blah blah blah victim of a MEDICAL problem blah blah blah. The next caller is a woman who used to be an Oxicontin addict. Oh, how terrible for you--you were in PAIN, right? And it was really HARD to break the habit, right? But then the woman starts talking about how the drug turned her into a zombie and stole her personality and Michael cuts her off quick for a commercial break. Spin, spin, spin and he ain’t goin’ nowhere.

I love the smell of desperation.

[abbyhoffman]

1. didn't

Mike Reagan have/admit to a "drug" problem when he was a professional Boat Racer?

[terrisel]

3. Are Right wingers Drug Addicts?

it hadn't really occurred to me until I started reading Free Republic occasionally. I noticed threads that seemed devoted to anger over drug laws. I didn't think much about it until I started reading the the barrage of excuses for Limbaugh's addiction.

They sound like heavy users or people who are around a lot of heavy users. Perhaps it explains the behaviors.

[Skittles]

8. I've known some drug addicts

and none of them were as hateful and despicable as the freaks at freak republic

[morebunk]

18. There just is no way to spin the fact that Rush lied to his Dittoheads...

In rehab twice and no mention of it. No mention of his problem until he was 'outed' by his maid. Even tried to garner sympathy for his drug-related hearing loss. He has played them like a fiddle all along. I guess it makes them feel real good to know that the Monster Ditto thinks enough of them to 'protect them from his tragedy?' (I am pre-empting the spin for tomorrow's pundits.

[EggieDrudge]

2. Rush is the ultimate addict/sinner

The rationalizations of the Right are getting ludicrous. Today I heard Gary Bauer wrote a column somewhere also defending Rush. I wish someone in the mainstream media would do a major exposee on just how rediculous this is. You don't have to be either liberal or conservative to consider the FACTS.

Remember that approx 8-10 years ago (pre-dating all this) was when Rush starting talking on his show about becoming a 'saved Christian'. This is also the time his weight was approaching 400 pounds due to complete immersion in a gluttonous lifestyle. He specifically chose to literally engorge his body with high-fat foods by continuous feasting. That in itself is a serious 'sin' (according to Rush and Bauer) and he defiled the 'holy vessel'.

Morbid obesity, like that Rush created through his lifestyle choice leads to destruction of the spinal tissue. Common sense because a huge protruding belly causes tremendous stress on the vertebrae and spinal cord. I guarantee Rush was advised over the years to reduce his weight or risk death.

So any back pain he experienced was as a direct result of his choosing a debaucherous and totally corrupt lifestyle. That led to the pills and the addiction. Also, it is pretty obvious that he experiences a guilty conscience (as all ultra-judgemental people do) and the pill popping helped assuage that pain.

When I hear people make excuses for Rush, it makes no sense. The street crack whore, or the drunk bum in the gutter, or the homeless addict shooting heroin almost all experienced some sort of painful life trauma or hard times. They got hooked on drugs to ease either physical or mental pain. Rush is no different at all. In fact Rush is probably more guilty, because he is a priveleged plump white multi-millionaire who had/has access to the most elite medical treatment. Yet through a series of choices, he chose the most selfish, self-destructive, and hedonistic life.

Remember he has kids too and he has totally let them down. Plus throughout all of this, he has been driving around while heavily sedated. Putting many innocent lives at risk while driving under the influence. Plus, through his own narcissistic over-indulgence he destroyed his auditory system and had to undergo a super expensive brain surgery. Hello? Did the insurance system (ie the public) have to pay for that? Rush Limbaugh is the ultimate hypocritical swine and deserves only to be severely condemned, especially by the phoney imitation 'Christian' whores like Gary Bauer. Yet they spin everything to excuse their own crimes. Total pigs.

[SharonAnn]

5. I think I love you!

Bring it on!

[Mandate My Ass]

6. Welcome to DU, Eggie

Great rant. I skimmed over Bauer's statement in defense of Rush and basically he said that there is a huge moral difference between somebody who lights up a crack pipe and somebody who got hooked on prescription drugs. What a crock!

I have more respect for the crack smoker. At least he went down the corner to buy his dope, he didn't intimidate his housekeeper into endangering herself to obtain it for him. The amount of baby blues he was stuffing into his gob was similarly gluttonous as his eating habits. No back pain in the world requires 30-40 opiates a day.

[xxqqqzme]

28. U got that right!

I had 3 vertebrae (L1,2,3) broken in an auto accident. Bone was harvested from my hip & fused to repair the fractures. Rods were attached 2 stabilize the repair. The rods R still there and there has not been one day, in the last 8 years, that I have not had back pain. I would love 2 spend one day w/o pain but that would entail surgery 2 remove the rods & lots of physical therapy cuz those R major support muscles compromised by surgery; or lots of pain killers. I have learned 2 live w/ the discomfort. I just make certain my back is supported during the night so I can function the next day.

I have absolutely no sympathy 4 limpballs. Whiney ass, cry baby, rat bastard.

[KC21304]

13. I don't believe Rush has any kids. Thank God.

What he made his housekeeper do is worse than anything Clinton ever did to one of his subordinates. (That didn't come out quite the way I meant but you get the idea)

[Mikimouse]

15. He has children? news to me

but I am probably misinformed.Welcome to DU!:hi:

[Ilsa]

30. I believe he has stepchildren. n/t

[Scairp]

25. You got it

It is quite clear from the description of what kind of person he is in private that, although he probably did discover painkillers when he had to take them after surgery, he clearly kept taking them to feel better about himself and to deal with his feelings of inadequacy and isolation. This crap that he has been in horrible pain all of these years and the only thing he could do was take scores of pills each day is a crock. He was using drugs to escape from his problems just like any other addict.

[Ilsa]

29. Great post, Eggie!

Welcome to DU. You nailed the hypocrisy and rationalizations. I especially appreciate the comments over his gluttonous lifestyle, not just respect to food, but sense of entitlement created by his wealth. Not a very Christian way of life, IMO.

[Zero Gravitas]

32. Wormtounge has kids?

I certainly hope that is not true.

[newyawker99]

36. Hi EggieDrudge!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[monobrau]

4. Some addicts are more equal than others

It's called "enabling" and it doesn't help the addict.
The Enquirer needs to release those tapes.

[JackSwift]

7. Well, it must suck to be Jeff Christi

round about now. This is the first time I've ever a bunch of conservatives have any sympathy or excuses for drug abusers. Usually they are so vile and disgusting when talking about the real problem of addiction. So now that they recognize that not all drug abusers are evil (although I think they're wrong in Rush's case) do you think they might start helping those less fortunate? Or are conservatives still superior because of the propaganda they spew?

[bucknaked]

9. I have to admit, I initially gave the rightwingers more credit...

...then I ever should have. I thought they were going to at least make a reluctant attempt at eonsistency. Their rationalizing and spinning are out of control though.

These guys remind me of a delusional person who "loves mate more than ever," after they catch them cheating on him/her.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

10. Hey they're both adults.

Michael Reagan was supposedly molested as a kid. Maybe he likes to swing both ways now and then.

[abbyhoffman]

11. Mike

also has a druggie son who been in and out of rehab/jail & has robbed people Camron Reagan I think he's about 25 now

http://www.salon.com/people/col/reit/1999/05/06/reagan/

[EggieDrudge]

14. Re: Rush's kids ...

Anyone know much about Rush's step kids? I remember him talking about them several years ago when the boy wanted to get an earring. They are probably late teens now. I doubt he interracts with them much at all being the self-absorbed loner he is. That's just another thing the GOP scum never talk about. Is Rush a 'family values' father? Or a distant, absentee, emotionally withdrawn father like Dick Cheney? Oh, but we've got to 'protect' the sanctity of marriage from those evil homosexuals. What a joke. I just don't understand why the fraud of these pigs continues to be perpetuated. To top it off did you realize that Sunday was the anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death after being brutally tortured and mauled. And Bush had the audacity to spit on his grave and announce that this week will be 'Marriage Protection Week' as if the corpse of that young kid would somehow threaten the 'holy' union of trash like Limbaugh and Bill Bennett. Family values indeed. Yet the press is silent.

[EggieDrudge]

16. BTW...

My username 'EggieDrudge' refers to closet case Matt Drudge's unusual sexual prediliction:

"The bickering began when (Jeannette) Walls printed the well-circulated rumor that Drudge is gay in her new book, "Dish, " and escalated after Walls hinted that she had refrained from printing even more "lurid allegations" about him."

"After a mutual friend of both gossips tipped off Drudge as to just what these "lurid allegations" were -- a nasty case of pubic lice, a penchant for fully clothed sex in the shower and a bizarre egg fetish -- he began to spread them himself."



http://archive.salon.com/people/col/reit/2000/03/11/npw0311/

[mitchum]

12. Is Michael's son still breaking into people's cars and stealing?

[agincourt]

17. I don't think,

a single corporate right wing fascist asshole has even remotely criticized Rush-blo since the story broke. You would think one might be disappointed in their mentor , but noooooo! Makes me wonder how much weapons grade anthrax they're getting ready to dump on the National Enquirer.

[Wapsie B]

19. Ah dear little Michael.

Just trading on the family name.

[Tom Kitten]

20. the pain thing is overblown....

Lots, maybe most people live with some sort of pain nowadays...they learn to live with it without seeking out illegally obtained drugs...I have no sympathy for Rush the blowhard right wing junkie at all...I adhere to their standards, they should adhere to their own...Some jail time would do wonders for Rush's personal trauma...I feel no sympathy for him at all.

[Cat Atomic]

21. Just wait until Hannity's pedophelia/crack habit/whatever

Gets out. Then it'll get really fun.

:)

I firmly believe that anyone with that big of a stick up his ass MUST be hiding something.

[Don_G]

22. The Only Person That's Not Spinning Rush

Is that little kid, the star of "Home Alone."

Of course, he's grown up by now; everyone defending Rush hasn't.

[lapauvre]

27. Broaden your horizens!

You know, in my opinion, who is the drug abuser. Although I detest the constant barrage against democrats coming out of Rush, I also expect of democrats some understanding.

I feel like Whoopee Goldberg in Ghost. Damn, it is hard to hand over a four million dollar check.

It is hard to give Rush a break. But, for Rush, personally, I can give a break.

To those to whom I cannot give a break, the hundreds of thousand "dittoheads," I ask you, do you know you were being fed information by a drug addict whose drug addiction was speaking for him?

I hate to hand over that four million dollar check, but, damn, it is not HIM, it is "the believers." Can you not understand the kind of information you have been getting? Please, do not destroy this failed false idol you created and worshipped. He is just a human being, flawed, as are most of us. But he never was the voice of God.

[jayfish]

23. You Know What Mikey.

There are people, right now, in my city who are rotting in jail because their scripts for oxy ran out and they wrote their own. These are people who have families and no prior criminal backgrounds. It was a real scourge here for a while. I'll have some compassion for your fuc&ing buddy the minute you advocate their immediate release.

Jay

[eleny]

24. On the other hand, Ron Reagan

was sitting in for Bill Press on Buchanan and Press. He was enjoyable and made lots of sense and didn't have to rachet up his persona. I wish he had a radio show or a regular spot one of the tv shows. I hope he's being eased in.

Ron and Michael are quite a contrast in style.

[lapauvre]

26. Never mind.

Forget it.

You aren't going to post it, so who cares.

[Gman]

31. It's a conspiracy by the right wing media to see white talk show hosts

do well.

[Jacobin]

34. lol

good one

[scrutineer]

33. My favorite Michael Reagan quote,

From 1/15/89, a phone message to Roger Sandler, who claimed Mikie owed him money:

“I hope your family dies in a plane crash with you in it.”

What a guy.

[rocktivity]

35. Rehab vs. Detox

A recovering Oxicontin junkie called Randi Rhoads late yesterday. He said that while it was possible to do a 48-hour chemical detox, it needed to be accompanied by counseling--after 18 months, he himself was still going twice a week.

Which got me to thinking: Maybe we shouldn't be using the words "detox" and "rehab" interchangably. While "detox" may eliminate the physical cravings, "rehab" is also needed to deal with the emotional and pyschological aspects of addiction. They're Siamese twins, so to speak, which would explain why Rush's previous trips to New York for detox "didn't work."

Randi said Rush is dreaming if he was planning to be back at work after 30 days. I agree, not so much because his habit won't be kicked that quickly, but because that's not enough time for him to see "the big picture" of his problem--including the fact that HE BROKE THE LAW.


rocknation