Did We Elect Rush Limbaugh?

Politics fascinates me, involves me, tires me and in some cases just outrages me as it did tonight when I watched Rush Limbaugh on CNN.

The oldest and precocious child of a Republican father and Independent Mother, I've thought of myself as a Democrat since I started to read newspapers - The Herald Tribune, The Journal American and the New York Times in 7th grade. Only the last of those survive and I confess I rarely read it anymore. I digress, but I feel it's only fair to admit a certain bias up front.

The last I heard, Rush Limbaugh had not been elected to any public office. I guess he could be considered the a leader of the Conservatives in our country, but really he is simply a radio personality with strong right wing views.

Yet tonight, there was full, live coverage of Mr Limbaugh's address to conservatives at a national conservative function tonight on CNN and it was billed as Rush Limbaugh Addresses the Nation or some such thing - as though he was given the time to counter President Obama's address before the joint session of Congress, the way the Republican Governor from Louisiana was. That's right, it was broadcast all throughout the country live and in color even though at least one CNN pundit said the speech "crossed a line." Did it ever! It was hate mongering plain and simple, and that's a dangerous thing in my opinion.

I believe in free speech. I think if you don't agree with an elected official, the President, your Senator or whoever your local elected official is you have the right to criticize them. It is part and parcel of being an American. Thanks to our right of free speech, Limbaugh was given what I think was almost an hour of free prime time television to verbally lynch our new President and everyone who voted for him. He had some not so nice words for run of the mill Republicans too. That's not the point. The point is that I'm left here wondering who elected him? Why did he deserve all that coverage? The only thing I can think of is that the all news network, CNN, thought it was newsworthy to listen to his diatribe and to hear him say to the country that he is not sorry for wishing that the new president fails. Fails!! He said that loud and clear.

He wants the President of the United States to fail. Which to me means he wants our national economy to get worse; the deficit to continue to get worse without recovery; millions of more citizens to die unnecessarily because of the lack of proper health care; millions more to lose their homes and jobs; the troops overseas fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to lose more lives; and for the United States of America to be seen as a failure globally. He may not have said those words but that is what our President's failure would mean.That and more. Nice sentiments Mr Limbaugh and for that we will give you free television time, a national audience and you didn't even have to run for office.

I bet he calls himself a patriot too.

I am appalled, as should you, be no matter your political persuasion.