I don’t much like Rush Limbaugh. The guy is a blowhard at times, and his ego sometimes hurts the conservative cause. He is, however, undeniably the most potent media force for Conservativism, and a master of political strategy. Which makes him a lightning rod for leftist attacks, especially when they can get a cheap shot in, as happened this week by Roger Goodell’s cowardly surrender to Liberacity by saying “divisive comments are not what the N.F.L. is all about“, which the New York Times noted was “a thinly veiled signal that Mr. Limbaugh’s bid … would most likely not receive support from owners“.
What’s astonishing is the sheer hypocrisy of billionaires who regularly demonstrate a lack of sense of what regular people think, choosing to believe rumors and character attacks, simply because of political bias. I say this, because there are no actual racist remarks on air by Rush – ever. Limbaugh’s friends are diverse and his views far more expansive and open-minded than many existing owners of the NFL. The only claims that have gained traction with Goodell and the media are rumors and innuendo, some of them old long-disproven lies that the New York elite simply hold onto because they like the lie much better than the truth. And let’s make no mistake – with broadcast television and ESPN all based in Northeast liberal bastions, the truth doesn’t get heard much. Rush probably knew this very well when he decided to make a bid – as part of a partnership, by the way, not as a sole owner, something else the media just cannot get right because it won’t support their story – but I doubt that even Rush expected such a bald-faced pack of lies about him to be swallowed by men who, ostensibly, use facts in making important decisions such as the best ownership options for a major franchise like the Rams. As things stand, the fix is in and the NFL will choose to bar Limbaugh from part-ownership of an NFL team purely for his perceived beliefs, knowing that the image presented to the public is a defamatory lie.
And doing so is a very big mistake by the Left. Americans love football, and they generally like the NFL. The same cannot be said of most of its owners, whose sense of the public mood and timbre has never been particularly prescient. This is not the place to go into detail about the many missteps and blunders by NFL owners and the league’s front office, though I suspect any football fan can easily recall several statements and actions in the past by a few owners they love to hate. Also, the lies told about him do not change in the least that Rush is the most popular radio host in the country by far, and tens of millions of Rush fans will not be amused by the NFL lying about what he has actually said or done. No matter what Goodell or liberal media wants to say, people know an ambush and won’t like it one bit. On a sports channel here in Houston, claims that Obama was out to get Rush popped up more than once. I don’t personally think that President Obama was involved in this, although his habit of sticking his fingers into every issue where he thinks he can push things his way does not help him here. The point is, there s no rational reason to oppose Rush Limbaugh’s part-ownership of an NFL team. The man has been involved in the NFL, either as media supporting the NFL from when Limbaugh started in radio, to his avid and significant investment in NFL promotions, to his many friendships with NFL players. It’s perfectly logical that he should be interested in part-ownership of a franchise. Yet his petition has been assailed, and the only arguments made against Limbaugh have been outright lies and slander, though not in the legal sense – the Left likes Limbaugh as a target, because his prominence as a celebrity means they can deliberately make false statements about him that would cost them plenty in legal judgments if they were to make them against ordinary citizens.
But in the end, the “Ambush Rush” plan is a badly-considered one, and now is a very poor time for such attacks. We are now 13 months away from the mid-term elections, and the attacks on Rush only reinforce the fact in voters’ minds that the Left is not only immature, but malicious, and cannot be allowed to continue direction of the national policy. This is just one more reminder to the voters that, while the Right may be disjointed and bicker among themselves, the Left is actively pursuing plans meant to destroy anyone who stands in their way, and that the Left is willing to be deceitful and malicious if that gets it the power it wants. They have not noticed yet, that the public is increasing aware of their tactics, from packing “town hall” meetings with union thugs and shoving real constituents out the door, to refusing to allow Republicans participation in debate of major bills, then pretending that no alternatives have been offered, to the false and defamatory attacks on anyone who dares to call them on their tactics and behavior. The longer the Left keeps up this behavior, the more 2010 may look like 1994.
