"I would hope he would succeed," said Limbaugh, "if he acts like Reagan. But if he is going to do FDR … why would I want him to succeed? … If he is going to implement a far-left agenda … $2 trillion in stimulus, the growth of government … nationalized health care, I mean, it's over. … That's the end of America as we have known it because that's then going to set the stage for everything being government-owned, -operated or -provided. Why would I want that to succeed? I don't believe in that. I know that's not how this country is going to be great in the future. It's not what made this country great. So I shamelessly say, 'No, I want him to fail.' If his agenda is a far-left collectivism -- some people say socialism -- as a conservative, heartfelt, deeply, why would I want socialism to succeed?"
The gist of it is that Rush believes in capitalism, not socialism, and he feels that Obama's fiscal policies are socialist. Therefore, he wants the socialist policies coming out of Washington to fail. But isn't that the way everything is? If you disagree with a philosophy you want it to fail? Because the other side of that is if it fails then most likely your ideology/philosophy will be proven correct.
But that is not what caught my attention. What did is how for 8 years we heard much worse about George W Bush, but the media wasn't foaming at the mouth about it. People didn't just want him to fail, they wanted him killed. Yet barely a whimper from the media. For instance, here are some examples:
2 comments:
I don't know what transcripts you reviewed, mill nuts, but it isn't the one that got people upset. I suspect you're quoting from subsequent explanations and excuses Limbaugh had to come up with when the people in his own party told him he was out of line. Here's what he actually said on the Charlie Rose show on January 16, 2009 (you know what? You're starting to lose credibility with me. Rarely, do you give accurate information):
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: I got a request here from a major American print publication. "Dear Rush: For the Obama [Immaculate] Inauguration we are asking a handful of very prominent politicians, statesmen, scholars, businessmen, commentators, and economists to write 400 words on their hope for the Obama presidency. We would love to include you. If you could send us 400 words on your hope for the Obama presidency, we need it by Monday night, that would be ideal." Now, we're caught in this trap again. The premise is, what is your "hope." My hope, and please understand me when I say this. I disagree fervently with the people on our side of the aisle who have caved and who say, "Well, I hope he succeeds. We've got to give him a chance." Why? They didn't give Bush a chance in 2000. Before he was inaugurated the search-and-destroy mission had begun. I'm not talking about search-and-destroy, but I've been listening to Barack Obama for a year-and-a-half. I know what his politics are. I know what his plans are, as he has stated them. I don't want them to succeed.
If I wanted Obama to succeed, I'd be happy the Republicans have laid down. And I would be encouraging Republicans to lay down and support him. Look, what he's talking about is the absorption of as much of the private sector by the US government as possible, from the banking business, to the mortgage industry, the automobile business, to health care. I do not want the government in charge of all of these things. I don't want this to work. So I'm thinking of replying to the guy, "Okay, I'll send you a response, but I don't need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails." (interruption) What are you laughing at? See, here's the point. Everybody thinks it's outrageous to say. Look, even my staff, "Oh, you can't do that." Why not? Why is it any different, what's new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what's gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here. Why do I want more of it? I don't care what the Drive-By story is. I would be honored if the Drive-By Media headlined me all day long: "Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails." Somebody's gotta say it.
Were the liberals out there hoping Bush succeeded or were they out there trying to destroy him before he was even inaugurated? Why do we have to play the game by their rules? Why do we have to accept the premise here that because of the historical nature of his presidency, that we want him to succeed? This is affirmative action, if we do that. We want to promote failure, we want to promote incompetence, we want to stand by and not object to what he's doing simply because of the color of his skin? Sorry. I got past the historical nature of this months ago. He is the president of the United States, he's my president, he's a human being, and his ideas and policies are what count for me, not his skin color, not his past, not whatever ties he doesn't have to being down with the struggle, all of that's irrelevant to me. We're talking about my country, the United States of America, my nieces, my nephews, your kids, your grandkids. Why in the world do we want to saddle them with more liberalism and socialism? Why would I want to do that? So I can answer it, four words, "I hope he fails." And that would be the most outrageous thing anybody in this climate could say. Shows you just how far gone we are. Well, I know, I know. I am the last man standing.
I'm happy to be the last man standing. I'm honored to be the last man standing. Yeah, I'm the true maverick. I can do more than four words. I could say I hope he fails and I could do a brief explanation of why. You know, I want to win. If my party doesn't, I do. If my party has sacrificed the whole concept of victory, sorry, I'm now the Republican in name only, and they are the sellouts. I'm serious about this. Why in the world, it's what Ann Coulter was talking about, the tyranny of the majority, all these victims here, we gotta make sure the victims are finally assuaged. Well, the dirty little secret is this isn't going to assuage anybody's victim status, and the race industry isn't going to go away, and the fact that America's original sin of slavery is going to be absolved, it's not going to happen. Just isn't, folks. It's too big a business for the left to keep all those things alive that divide the people of this country into groups that are against each other. Yes, I'm fired up about this.
Reasons number 249 and 50 why I'm not a Republican. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel has been chosen to introduce Vice-President-elect Biden at a bipartisan dinner in Washington on the eve of the immaculation. Biden was one of Hagel's closest friends in the Senate. "Bipartisan dinners also held that night honoring McCain and Colin Powell. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina will introduce McCain at a dinner." So all these Republicans are being honored on the night before Obama is immaculately inaugurated, as though they're part of the Obama administration. Our presidential candidate is being honored. I can understand liberals honoring their losers, but I just -- (tearing up story)
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
You can find the actual transcript of what Limbaugh originally said here: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_011609/content/01125113.guest.html
It's clear that Limbaugh considers it payback time because he claims that Democrats were hoping Bush would fail. That's just nuts. I certainly hoped Bush would succeed. If he had actually done what he promised, reduced taxes without creating a huge deficit; been greeted in Iraq as a savior rather than as an invader; improved our schools with No Child Left Behind, everyone would have been happy. Why would any patriotic American want the president to fail? Limbaugh now claims that he said he wanted Obama's socialism to fail, but that's not what Limbaugh said before he got in hot water. He said he wanted the president to fail.
Crockhead, did you even read what you posted? Look at what Limbaugh said in the 2nd paragraph,
"Look, what he's talking about is the absorption of as much of the private sector by the US government as possible, from the banking business, to the mortgage industry, the automobile business, to health care. I do not want the government in charge of all of these things. I don't want this to work."
If that is not wanting Socialism to fail, then what is it? He did not use the word "socialism", but if you read the entire context of his statement its quite clear that its Obama's big government philosophy that he wants to fail. What is missing from this entire debate is the definition of success. I'm pretty sure the conservative defintion would include something about lower taxes, smaller gov't, and growth in the private sector. Since Obama's policies are the exact opposite of that any conservative would want him to fail. Because if he succeeds it would mean the President has taken the country into the exact opposite direction from what conservatives define as a successful, prosperous country.
Here is the other problem. I think its pretty clear that his statements were regarding Obama's socialist policies, but let's say that this particular transcript was ambiguous. If you had listened to Rush on a regular basis you would have known without a doubt the context of those comments. I personally don't listen to Rush everyday, but I do catch large chunks of his show a couple times a week. I have heard him rail on Obama's policies for months, so it was very clear to me why he made those statements and what they were directed towards.
One question for clarification. What exactly do you think is nuts? That Limbaugh thinks its payback time? Or that Limbaugh thinks the Democrats wanted Bush to fail? Because if its the latter I can provide you plenty more articles than what I blogged about showing Democrats wanted Bush to fail. I don't even think that's in question.
One last thing, with the exception of the War in Iraq Obama is doing everything Bush "did wrong" that you listed above, only he's not lowering taxes. He's raising taxes AND increases the deficit (Bush doubled it in 8 years, Obama is on track to do it in 3). He also just signed on to keep the No Child Left Behind program going. So it looks like Obama is continued down the path of Bush "failed" policies.
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