Conservatives draw psychological strength from feeling persecuted. Persecution justifies their anger and offers a convenient means of circling the wagons. When -- as is almost always the case -- there's no reason to feel of persecuted, they invent one. Because of the faith and emotion that they pour into their arguments and practices, it's vitally important to them that they be right. They can sweep some mistakes under the rug, but a failure of the dimension of the Iraq war won't fit under any rug anywhere. So,
- They argue that the war was "won," attempting to stay away from the reality that the solution in Iraq -- if there is one -- is political and not military; and
- To the extent that the war was "lost," it's because of the constant criticism and doom-saying from liberals and the left.
The domestic and international failures of conservatism are so complete that they must look to their political enemies as the cause. Add to this the fact that they are out of power and you see why Rush Limbaugh -- dressed like an extra from The Sporanos -- screeches so loudly and why his audience cheers him on so enthusiastically: By loudly and flagrantly accusing Democrats of wanting Bush to fail, he diverts conservatives from self-examination. It's a survival technique, really; a huge part of what remains of the conservative movement is faith-based. What can you do when your faith is misplaced other than blame its failings on others? The alternative as they see it -- that they have not had America's best interests in mind and that liberals have -- is too hideous to contemplate.
Jon Stewart vivisects Limbaugh here:
Notice the chanting and the fist shaking. And yet they claim that Barack Obama leads a cult of personality! Which leads me to another conservative trait: Whatever they accuse liberals of is usually something they are doing themselves...
The NOLA Indie Rock Fest is this weekend...
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8 comments:
IMHO, Limbaugh is nothing more than an entertainer who knows how to push buttons. The fact that Republicans defer to him shows just how little they respect themselves and the jobs they were elected to do.
If they really cared about restoring our country to greatness, they'd be seeking advice from economists, scientists, engineers, etc., instead of a loud-mouthed drug addict.
I couldn't have said it better. They've sunk to a depth of ant-intellectualism that is unprecedented in a major American political party.
What follows is an actual letter written by a conservative diehard to RNC Chair Michael Steele:
Dear Chairman Steele:
Greetings. We have always given you our 100% support, since you are a bonafide conservative. Good!
However, we listened to your remarks about Rush Limbaugh. We noticed that your tone of voice was INNOCENT when you said that Rush’s show CAN contain “incendiary” elements and CAN be “ugly.” That is, we believe that your tone of voice reflected NO slam against Rush, but instead that you were pointing out that the national news and partisanship are incendiary and ugly, and you MEANT that it’s not Rush’s fault----right?
Sadly, we must always be extremely careful whenever we speak publicly (as we know YOU know), because as always, the liberals will turn whatever we say into something opposite of what we meant----and they KNOW this, but are happy to lie, anyway, to gain votes.
Hang in there! Please consider issuing a face-saving apology to Rush for being unclear when you spoke, okay? THANK YOU for your service on behalf of REAL CONSERVATISM.
Yours in support of the RNC (so long as they remain CONSERVATIVE),
If I were ever to be face-to-face with Michael Steele, what would come out of my mouth would be "Fer Pete's sake, get a backbone, willya?" So much for his "leadership."
I deleted a comment that was meant for a different blog. Sorry about that. What I meant to say on THIS blog is - Is that letter for real? This whole episode is the most slavish, weak-kneed display I've ever seen from anyone. Ever. What a pathetic disgrace the GOP has become.
I'm afraid it's for real. I've been monitoring it for a while. The same people who derisively call Obama the "messiah" write how great Limbaugh's speech was. And you should read them on Sarah Palin -- that's downright bizarre. One guy regularly professes his love for her. I am not making this up.
Any concession to Limbaugh is considered openly by him to be weakness.
His statements should be dissected more publicly. He is vulnerable now,
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