Jim Hinton – 3/6/09

This page was last updated on March 9, 2009.

We should keep an eye on Limbaugh; Jim Hinton; Beaver County Times; March 6, 2009.

3/9/09: FYI, an August 2006 poll indicated 51% of Democrats, 34% of independents, and 7% of Republicans did not want then-President Bush to succeed. Needless to say, Mr. Hinton didn’t write a letter complaining.

Just about everything Mr. Hinton wrote about Mr. Limbaugh is either a misrepresentation or flat out wrong. The way this letter is written, I’d guess the input came from lefty sources. I’d be surprised if Mr. Hinton actually listened to Mr. Limbaugh’s show. If he had, Mr. Hinton couldn’t write this letter in good faith. I’m a regular listener of Mr. Limbaugh’s show. That’s how I know this letter is BS.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“When I heard Rush Limbaugh say that he hoped President Barack Obama would fail in his effort to save the American economy, I thought he is certainly entitled to his opinion.”

[RWC] Nice try, but Mr. Limbaugh said he hoped President Obama would fail to get his policies implemented. That’s because Mr. Limbaugh and most conservatives Mr. Obama’s leftist policies – the same that failed during the Great Depression – will fail. Heck, even the Congressional Budget Office reported Mr. Obama’s spending bill has negative long-term implications.

“He compared the fate of our country to the fate of the Steelers in the Super Bowl. Somehow, I can’t compare that to the outcome of the American economy. If the Steelers won or lost, nobody was going miss any meals or lose their home or their retirement savings.”

[RWC] Two paragraphs and two misrepresentations. I didn’t like the analogy either, but here’s how it really went. Mr. Limbaugh wanted the Steelers to win, and for the Steelers to win it required Cardinals QB Kurt Warner to fail to implement his plan. Translation: Mr. Limbaugh wants the U.S. to win, and for the U.S. to win requires Mr. Obama to fail to implement his policies.

“But if Obama fails, all of that can and will happen to many people. It’s already happened to far too many.”

[RWC] Wrong. Great Depression history shows the policies Mr. Obama believes in fail.

“Limbaugh defended his statement by saying he doesn’t want the president to succeed because Obama is a liberal.”

[RWC] Mr. Limbaugh said he didn’t want Mr. Obama to succeed in getting his policies implemented because leftist policies are proven to fail.

“Frankly, I don’t care who gets us out of this mess — conservative or liberal. Just get us out. Whoever does will get my respect and admiration.”

[RWC] Sure. As far as I can tell, Mr. Hinton never wrote a letter complaining about how lefties constantly hoped President Bush would fail.

“Michael Steele, chairman of the National Republican Party, is right. Limbaugh is entertainment — dangerous entertainment. He has a big following, and they aren’t Republicans. They’re hardcore conservatives. There isn’t a bone of bipartisanship in their bodies.”

[RWC] Mr. Steele never said Mr. Limbaugh is “dangerous entertainment.”

Aren’t Republicans supposed to be conservatives? And what’s Mr. Hinton’s definition of “hardcore conservatives?” Lefties refer to George W. Bush as being extreme right wing despite the fact he’s really a Rockefeller Republican. I suspect Sen. Arlen Specter – with an American Conservative Union lifetime voting record of 45% - is Mr. Hinton’s idea of a Republican.

By “bipartisanship” Mr. Hinton means Republicans going along with Messrs. Obama, Harry Reid, and Ms. Nancy Pelosi with no substantive input.

“That’s too bad because bipartisanship is the best way to get things done. We need to work together. We should be giving ideas and accepting them. Limbaugh is not good for the Republican Party or for America either.”

[RWC] I think it’s touching how lefties are so concerned for the “good for the Republican Party.”

Again, though, why the alleged concern about bipartisanship? Democrats hold the White House and have the majority in both houses of Congress. With left-leaning “Republicans” like Sens. Specter, Susan Collins (ME), and Olympia Snowe (ME), Democrats are also mostly filibuster proof. The fact is, Democrats simply want to be able to spread the blame when their programs fail. If Democrats were confident of success, I can guarantee they wouldn’t want to share the credit.