RushPicI’m a former radio personality, and I am passionate about talk radio…especially local talk radio. I am not passionate about what has become of talk radio with the huge corporate conglomerates being allowed to monopolize the majority of stations and limit programming to self-serving, right wing, neo-conservative content. That being said, I have forced myself to listen to Rush Limbaugh.

It isn’t at all an acquired taste…What he says always ‘tastes’ spoiled and expired. It always sounds angry and hateful, “spiced” with implied, thinly veiled racial slurs. It is however, my effort to apply the wise Mafia proverb, “Keep your friends close, and your FAT enemies even closer.” Well, ok, I added one word. Speaking of which – to sum it up with one word, what I hear when I tune in to”El Flushbowl’s” paradoxically named “Excellence In Broadcasting” talk radio program is: SELFISHNESS…In two words, I would definitely add: UNAMERICAN.

A lady called up on the broadcast today, immediately paying homage to Rush as “Maha-RUSH-di”. She proceeded to whine just like him…not about how we can come together and meet in the middle as Americans to heal our land, but about how important it is right now for all the Gov. Palin loving neo-conservatives to break from the Republican Party and start over brand new. Of course, El Rushbo agreed with her. This is the unequivocal epitome of selfishness…no reflection or respect at all for the moderate direction of a large and growing majority of members in their party. But you know what, I think I agree with her too, and I’ll explain why…

Only a day before on Nov. 5th, Rush verbally castrated Senator McCain for his beautiful, healing concession speech in which McCain vowed to work with President Elect OBama to solve very important problems that we as a supposedly UNITED nation are all facing. We need to work together, but Rush hit McCain with a tire iron below the belt, figuratively speaking, claiming his concession speech ‘characterized’ McCain’s entire campaign…He specifically said Mccain’s entire campaign was a ‘concession speech’, and proceeded to proclaim his ABSOLUTE unwillingness to work together with Democrats. He did so in a very disturbing and angry ‘Call To Arms’ fashion. This again is the pinnacle of childish selfishness.

One more important issue I want to address regarding Limbaugh relates to his rhetorical, excessively sarcastic questioning of what Barack OBama meant in his victory speech, when he told America: “We will get there…I promise you, we WILL get there!”

Rush allowed no one to answer him in his repetitive rambling of: “What does he mean?”…”Just where are we going Barack?”…”Get where, OBama?”…”You never told us where we are going!”, etc. 

Silly me…I actually wanted to call in and set him straight, but so often as is the case with Rush, the phone numbers are not available. Even if they were, “Snerdly” his producer would screen you out…no one makes the neo-conservative, self-proclaimed prophet look like the sad sack, unAmerican hypocrite that he is.

But the better late than never GOOD NEWS is, Rush is angry because Rush is slowly but surely on his way out…That is because the Republican Party is changing. And the reason the Republican party is changing (by the way, Rush and his greedy crony listeners say it is not just changing, but it is ‘IMPLODING’)  is because there is a minority, angry faction within that party that doesn’t get what America and Democracy is all about.

Let me be clear what this Limbaugh faction DOES “get”…They get what greed is all about…They get what imposing their religious morals on others is all about…But they don’t get what accepting diversity, social equality and worker value is all about(These are not communist ideals, they are red, white and blue constitutional intentions). 

If some of the brighter of them do get it, they hate the thought of getting to the time where OPPORTUNITY of the AMERICAN DREAM is finally actually achievable for the common man. THAT, Mr. Limbaugh, is exactly what OBama meant. 

But let’s at least for once be honest… You knew that is what he meant. It just doesn’t PAY for you to admit that. It doesn’t make good radio to admit that to your hateful right wing “choir” that you preach to…It pays for you to serve your selfish advertisers and listeners with your anti-democratic, pro neo-capitalist, greed-driven talking points at the EXPENSE of not only the huge majority of hardworking Americans, but also of your own party that is in growing vast disagreement with you.

Let me fill in the blanks on the destinations OBama was referring to that you whined on and on about, claiming not to understand. When he said “I promise you America, we will get there”, he meant:

A return to a government that is actually “OF the people, BY the people and FOR the people” and not “Of Wall Street, BY Wall Street and FOR Wall Street”…you know Rush, your ‘bread and butter’. In other words, he meant getting to a time where the common American man and woman are the most important priority, realizing you can’t have a thriving Wall Street at the expense of opportunity for Main Street. (He actually said that last part too Rush, but apparently you weren’t listening?)

He meant rebuilding a reputation with the international community of peaceful diplomacy and benevolent cooperation, rather than a reputation of unilateral bullying, invading and imperialistic exploitation of countries when we know we can get away with it, as has been the case too often in our troubled history.

He meant getting to the time when Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream is truly realized, that being a country were all races have equality, and are judged “by the content of their character and not the color of their skin”.

He meant getting to the day when we can once again feel proud about making and buying American manufactured goods, and not have Walmart, Home Depot and Costco putting most of our small business ‘Mom and Pops’ out of business with their price undercutting, cheap foreign made products, due to Wall Street’s greed-driven outsourcing.

He meant getting to a time when we use our country’s wealth and resources more responsibly and sustainably, to make life better by “promoting the general welfare” (As our Constitution’s preamble mandates) for ALL Americans, not just the elite 5% and grossly overpaid CEO’s.

He meant getting to a time when the worker who carries the biggest burden on his/her back every day is seen as MUCH more valuable and responsible for the success of a company…AND for the success of CAPITALISM by the way, than the top, all too often unethical and corrupt executives.

What “We are going to get there” DID NOT MEAN, Rush, is SOCIALISM, no matter how many times you ignorantly try to spin it that way! However,  it meant getting to a time when there was more of a proper balance between corporate welfare (currently to the tune of hundreds of BILLIONS per year) and social welfare programs that have paled in comparison.

Apparently, Rush wants to have his oxycontin and eat it to. That’s at least what it sounds like when he ignores the ‘socialism’ and ‘social welfare’ that is deeply in place for corporations and his advertisers, and castigates any similar use of tax dollars when it comes to social programs helping the working class.

What amazes me about the huge degree of selfishness from those like Rush and his devoted sick followers is that they don’t understand the correlation between a nourished, happy, well-rewarded and healthy workforce and their all holy grail of PROFIT…there’s an obvious and critical ’cause and effect’ there to which they are oddly blind. Hence OBama’s powerful comment, “You can’t have a thriving Wall Street at the expense of an impoverished Main Street” (paraphrasing).

I’ve got an idea for Rush and all his hate-mongering “Maha -RUSH-di” followers. Let’s give them all a large island off the coast of Alaska… One where Governor Palin can see Russia even without her glasses!

They claim they want to separate from their party?…Well why stop there? Let’s encourage them to separate from this country entirely! An island close to Russia would be fitting, as unAmerican as their views are. 

Let me speak directly to “Maha – RUSH -di” and all his angry, neo-capitalist followers: Your hatred and non-democratic selfish greed are truly UNAMERICAN to say the least, and not welcome here even by a majority of members in your own political party. That point was made clear on Nov. 4th, 2008, and reinforced more clearly on Nov. 5th, as you loudly vowed repeatedly and obstinately NOT to cooperate with the new destination America is headed. 

America will be much better off if we just give you ‘reparations’ and help you get out and start your little Maha-Rush-di empire somewhere new…in your “Limbaugh Land of Oz” where you can overpay CEO’s, make religious laws based on your Bibles, pollute your environment due to no corporate regulations, incorporate a below poverty level minimum wage, and outsource jobs overseas at the expense of your workers to your hearts content.

Connie Bryan