Who's into a DU donation drive? "The Rush Limbaugh Relief Fund" would be a fine name for it.Rush Limbaugh Discourages Donations to HaitiOn his radio program Wednesday, Rush Limbaugh not only chosen to politicize the earthquake, but he actually
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201001130022">discouraging listeners from donating to relief efforts!(audio)
Limbaugh’s reasoning is chilling: First, he claims that “we” have already donated via income taxes…in other words, since our government is helping Haiti, we need do no more (other than complain about it.) Second, Limbaugh insists that such donations would be wasted anyhow:
There are people that have been trying to save Haiti just as we’re trying to save Africa. You just can’t keep throwing money at it because the dictatorships there just take it all…(and) you’re not creating a permanent system where people can provide for themselves.
Aside from conflating Africa and Haiti (a rather racist rhetorical move), Limbaugh ignores the fact that the charities involved are or will be working on the ground directly with the victims in a country whose government has been all but wiped out; no dictator will be able to pilfer significantly from donated funds. He also ignores the fact that relief is needed immediately without regard to the long-term systemic issues he brings up.
Just as unconscionable is Limbaugh’s suggestion that President Obama is using whitehouse.gov to solicit donations for earthquake relief in order to 1.) skim cash from some of those donations and 2.) develop a list of potential contributors from whom to solicit donations.
But all that
whitehouse.gov does is link directly to charities providing relief! It would be all but impossible for the president to steal from these charities—as if he’d even consider that—though the accusation, in addition to its racist overtones, surely gives us a glimpse into Limbaugh’s mentality.
This is not conservatism. It’s the most vile of partisan politics mixed with a disgraceful lack of human compassion.