GOP Must Repudiate Limbaugh or Be Defined by Him

One stark difference between Democrats and Republicans is that Democrats appear to be far more willing to confront and publicly denounce bigots and extremists in their own fold. This has been highlighted by the GOP leadership's failure to condemn Rush Limbaugh's divisive, race-baiting diatribes.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama unambiguously rejected and repudiated Louis Farrakhan, calling the Nation of Islam leader's anti-Israel and anti-Jewish tirades "unacceptable and reprehensible." Despite a very real concern that distancing himself from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright risked alienating a significant part of the Democratic base, Obama also condemned as "ridiculous" and "divisive" what he described as his former pastor's "rants that aren't grounded in truth."

Similarly, in a June 1992 speech to the Rainbow Coalition, presidential candidate Bill Clinton denounced the incendiary anti-white rhetoric of the hip-hop rap artist, Sister Souljah, thereby incurring the Rev. Jesse Jackson's wrath.

In sharp contrast and with rare exceptions, the Republican leadership consistently refuses to even address, let alone condemn, Limbaugh's inflammatory, offensive and vitriol-laced radio broadcasts, either because they condone his sentiments or because they are terrified of losing the votes of his millions of faithful listeners.

Most recently, Limbaugh not only listed "the similarities between the Democrat Party of today and the Nazi Party in Germany," but compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler.

Here's what Limbaugh told his nationwide audience: "Obama's got a health care logo that's right out of Adolf Hitler's playbook"; "Obama is asking citizens to rat each other out like Hitler did"; the president "is sending out his brownshirts to head up opposition to genuine American citizens who want no part of what Barack Obama stands for and is trying to stuff down our throats"; and "Adolf Hitler, like Barack Obama, also ruled by dictate."

Limbaugh has a long history of inciting the far-right grass-roots against any political figures who do not reflect his white, fundamentalist Christian, conservative, anti-minority, anti-pluralistic, anti-egalitarian view of the world.

He considers feminists to be "feminazis," dismissed Justice Sonia Sotomayor as a "hack" and a "reverse racist," and was outraged when President Obama declared in his April address to the Turkish Parliament that one of the "great strengths of the United States" is that although "we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."

Limbaugh further appealed to his followers' most xenophobic instincts by telling them that that it is "really uncool to be a white male today," and that U.S. Rep. David Scott or one of his supporters, rather than a Ku Klux Klan wannabe, most probably had painted a large swastika on a sign outside the African-American congressman's Georgia district office.

For Holocaust survivors and their families in particular, Limbaugh's demagogic screeds have ominous overtones with which we are all too familiar.

One would have expected Republican Party leaders who purport to be in the tradition of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt to speak out against Limbaugh's hate mongering. Instead, Colin Powell has been one of the very few prominent Republicans with the integrity to take on Limbaugh.

"The problem I have with the [Republican] party right now," Powell told Larry King last month, is that when Limbaugh "says things that I consider to be completely outrageous, and I respond to it, I would like to see other members of the party do likewise. But they don't."

Indeed, John McCain considers Limbaugh to be "a voice of a significant portion of our conservative movement in America" who "has a lot of people who listen very carefully to him." Mitt Romney calls Limbaugh "a very powerful voice among conservatives. And I listen to him." Rudy Giuliani has said that "to the extent that Rush Limbaugh energizes the base of the Republican Party, he's a very valuable and important voice." And House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, the only Jewish Republican in Congress, believes that "Rush has got ideas. He's got a following. He believes in the conservative principles that many of us believe in."

By tolerating and encouraging Limbaugh, the Republican leadership is fomenting racial and ethnic hatred that could have disastrous consequences for our country. Limbaugh's extremist rhetoric is transforming the Republican side of the American political discourse from one of legitimate political and ideological disagreement among fellow citizens into a demonization of the "other," that is, everyone who is non-white, non-fundamentalist Christian and non-conservative.

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann regularly refers to Limbaugh as a "comedian." That's a mistake. Limbaugh may have an act, a "shtick," as it were, but there is nothing funny or entertaining about him. As McCain, Romney, Giuliani and Cantor all acknowledge, Limbaugh wields a great deal of influence in both the Republican Party and the conservative movement. That makes him a dangerous, destructive cancer on both the Republican Party and the American body politic.

The GOP's leaders now have to make a choice: They can either allow themselves and their party to be defined by Rush Limbaugh, or they must denounce and renounce him once and for all.

Menachem Z. Rosensaft is Adjunct Professor of Law at the Cornell University Law School and Vice President of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants

(This article was first published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Comments

[ThermoChemist]

If they repudiate Rush, they risk losing many "of their base"; who DO believe that Rush's views/comments ALWAYS have MERIT. I'm sure there are some (many?) GOP leaders who DO believe as Rush does; but are too cowardly to admit so publicly. They let Rush do all the heavy lifting; or as Rush would say "carry their water".

“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.”
-- Abraham Lincoln

“There are times when silence has the loudest voice”
-- Leroy Brownlow

“Saying nothing...­sometimes says the most.”
-- Emily Dickinson

[ReealOne]

Nooooooo..­.. I hope they don't repudiate Rush as their leader. It's too late, his following have all been tainted, so let him lead them all off of a cliff.... it'll be best for everyone.

[Dosadi]

I think it may be time to raise Rush to levels he never dreamed of. he must be made to look like the Republicans final savior, their voice top lead them out of the wilderness. Play him up, make him come up with policy instead of criticism. He is empty, we know it and the Republicans know it. We must use Rush against the Republicans by turning what is left of their base into mindless idiots ready to follow any crazy idea that comes down the pike. We want the base to love this guy, to worship the ground he walks on. Then we let the Republican leadership try to control their base. Let them try to talk sense to an angry mob. When the Republican leaders fail to follow Rush's lead the base will disentegrate.

[RenoSage]

GOP (and everyone else) must repudiate Limbaugh or be deFiled by him. (and defined negatively)

[JEP57]

Rush doesn't call most feminists feminazis. He's repeatedly said that there only a handful of them. Which is: those who the most important thing in life is to see to it that as many abortions as possible are performed. And if anyone listens to his show for any length of time, they would admit if they're honest that he never makes racist statements. If he actually did, he would go the way of Don Imus. It would be ammunition too powerful for his radio syndicate to ignore by way of activists on the left. Since it's not happening, that tells you those kinds of statements aren't being made.

[angiemomma]

What???

[daninastoria]

No he never makes racist statements, that's why his gig at ESPN lasted about 1 week. He made racist remarks, and he was gone.

[JEP57]

His comment concerning Donovan McNabb's quarterbacking ability was supposed to be aimed at the liberal media who he thought was propping McNabb up because he is black and not neccesarily because of his performance at the time (in his opinion). He realized how it came across and resigned because of it.

[ThermoChemist]

Huh..?

[a] Rush saying the following:
-- “The NAACP should have riot rehearsals; they should get a liquor store and practice robberies".
-- “When a g@y person turns his back on you, it is anything but an insult; it's an invitation”
-- "No g@ys in army; not a place for social experiments".

These were ALL "just jokes" taken out of context, right dittoheads­..?

[b] Rush was trying to figure out WHY women dislike him, huh...?
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/25/limbaugh-women/

-- “Feminism was established to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream­.”
-- "...the lacrosse team…supposedly, you know, r@ped, some, uh, h0s."
-- "This is part of femin@zi grand plan."
-- “I just heard Erin Burnett sounding a little wifey. … Well [she was] whining.”

[c] Rush's POSITIVE messages about racial stereotypes?
http://newsone.blackplanet.com/obama/top-10-racist-limbaugh-quotes/

-- "Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?"
-- "Take that bone out of your nose and call me back". [to an African American female caller]
-- "You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray [the confessed assassin of MLK]. We miss you, James. Godspeed."

[MajorKong]

"those who the most important thing in life is to see to it that as many abortions as possible are performed"

This is what Rush does. First he builds a staw-man caricature of a liberal and then spends the rest of his show tearing apart his own creation.

[WorldofTomorrow420]

JEP57, wrong! I once heard him a few years ago, in the only 3 minutes of my life that I actually tuned in, say to an African American caller "Go put a bone through your nose". It's hard to get more racist than that .

[triplbee]

This article is the epitome of a well intentioned white liberal, displaying a profound ignorance of black Americans. The author essentially compares Sista Souljah's rants to those of Rush Limbaugh. I was a young, heavy consumer of hip hop at the time Bill Clinton felt compelled to denounce Sista Souljah at an NAACP Convention. I had never heard of her. She was an obscure rapper who was vaulted to fame only after Clinton ranted against her. The author misses the point of Clinton's rant. He didn't care about alienating black voters. He assumed (correctly) that we would vote for him anyway. His rant was intended to attract the types of white voters who listen to Rush Limbaugh. It was an attempt to validate the irrational fears that some white Americans still have of black people, by exaggerating the impact of a rapper who was not even played on the airwaves. By comparing her to Rush Limbaugh----whose audience is in the many millions--- the author contributes to the nonsensical notion that Clinton's denunciations of her were altruistic and rational. They were neither.

And how is Lois Farrakhan, as the author implies, the left wing version of Rush Limbaugh? Farrakhan is homophobic, he believes abortion should be illegal, he is a misogynist, an anti-semite and a racist. Frankly, he has much more in common with the GOP than he does with the Democratic Party.

[Dosadi]

If you ever get a chance to listen to Farrakhan you will be surprised. This man talks about a lot more than Rush would have you believe. I listened to a sermon he gave in 1995 about the second coming of Christ. Yes, he believes in Christ, and he believes in Christ's word. He quoted the bible without any slant, in other words he preached the Gosple. It was eye opening to say the least. I am not a fan of his but have heard the words straight from the horses mouth and realize there is a lot about that man that we will never hear. He spouts anti-sementic remarks, negative things about how the US has treated its lower citizens and so forth but he also has a bad habit of telling the awful truths every now and then. That is what is scary about him.

[triplbee]

I've listened to Farrakhan many, many times. I find him morbidly fascinating. And yes, he is far, far more intelligent than Rush. But he spouts hatred, consistently and copiously. I find him to be a sad and pathetic figure.

[dougster]

After Bush, the most disasterous presidency in American history, Rovian politics are dead. That includes Limbaugh.

The problem for the Repubs is twofold:

1. They have nothing to run on but this hate
2. Since they have nothing else, and it alienates most of the electorate, Republicans will never again hold the presidency until they renounce it.

So, there has to be a Republican Jonestown Massacre before they can ever again hold a majority of the power. I hope they sell tickets.

So I say, "bring it on," and add the "cherry" on top of everyone's favorite myopic beauty queen, Sarah Palin. Let's keep the Dems in power.

[obamaisking]

The problem with this is you apparently failed to read the above article...­.

he starts off by saying how the Dems repudiate others from making hate speech like this...

Oh really....


So where was the outcry when DHS/Napolitano called veterans "home grown terrorists"
or
When Pelosi called citizens swatiska wearing nazis....

Seems Dems have very very very selective memories..­.anything more than a day old gets canned for lack of caring...

I cannot stand Rush but both sides play this game.....b­ut you only care about the side you hate! That's the difference

[Wigelah]

There was no outcry for those things because they didn't happen. If you are selective and choosing parts of what was said then it happened, but if you take it in full context, it didn't happen. It's really not an effective strategy to demand outcry for stuff that doesn't actually happen.

For someone who can't stand Rush, you sure are parroting what he said happened.

[cloth99]

neither of the above quotes are close to accurate. If you know how to use 'the internets' you could probably google the exact text of their positions. Sheesh!

[PDXKevin]

"home grown terrorists want to recruit veterans" is what the report was saying.
the biggest problem i have with republican power mongers is their utter lack of reading comprehension. oh wait, it's more like a willful disregard for truth during their quest for control.

[CyrusBeaucephus]

stop pulling stuff out of your @$$

[JRsNana]

Well, if either of your two references had ACTUALLY occurred, then they would have been repudiated. But, since they didn't, they weren't. See, you can't just listen to Rush or Sean or Glen to find out what a Democrat actually said. You only get their version. You have to go to the Google and find the video and watch it yourself and then you find out the truth. It's really pretty easy. I think they have a little tutorial that would teach you how.

[jcko]

We need him on the Palin ticket in 1012.

[Reaganwater]

Nobody really takes on Limbaugh . A lot of hot air with no follow up .Boycotts that never happen. He smears a war-time commander in chief on Armed Forces Radio and what happens ? not a single person in congress even speaks about it .
Come on pal !! face the facts , a whole bunch of people in the media and both parties are scared of him and Fox and/or their listeners ,.

No wonder such timid souls are having a hard time on health care and with the false accusations .

When real pushback begins , when all of Fox and talk radio lose sponsors as fast as Beck , when all the Jewish groups condemm Limbaughs Hitler talk -- then change can happen . Until then -- save your breath , ink , fingers etc etc

[BocaMom]

Let's worry about our own Democrats before we start blasting Republicans. The Blue Dogs are no better than the Republicans! In fact, they are Republicans and only claim they are Democrats to bet elected with Obama. We should throw them all out of the party!

[Carl Caroli]

The republicans aren't as stupid as they seem - they are aware of the fact that if they repudiate Rush, they lose half their base at the same time. They've painted themselves into a corner, which is why they're to the point of lies and distortions to stop much needed reforms that would make the democrats stronger, if passed. Sadly, they put their own priorities ahead of the peoples, and it's time for them to pack it in.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

Menachem,

You sincerely want to make a difference? Encourage AIPAC to repudiate him. Until that is done, Limbaugh is going to continue doing what he does.

[winchestereast]

Dear Sir - you'd need to spend a little time in small towns, or in the South, to appreciate the longing to return to a time, say the 50's, when segregation was still legal, when just being white was enough to have a chance at the American dream - go to a young Republicans rally on some campus - you'll find a dearth of compassion - the C street Family message of being chosen, of being blessed by a divine hand moving the markets is alive and well in some young conservatives - Limbaugh may be the ugly face of bigotry and greed , but many of the perfectly dressed and coiffed young republicans are ideological twins -

[MajorKong]

I didn't like the Young Republicans back when I was young and Republican.

[nasayer2]

Not only will the republican party not repudiate Limbaugh; their chairman Michael Steele and other party leaders have repeatedly referred to this sociopath as "the heart and soul of the republican party". That tells you all you need to know about the current state of the republican party and nature of their soul.

[Ramonne]

I am a senior, white, female, Christian,­conservati­ve and fundamental.
I also am a voting Democrat.
The people to whom listen to Rush are white, some female, conservati­ve...but there it
stops. They are not acting in a Christian manner by any means and they are not
fundamental if we are talking Christian. They aren't even traditional.
I don't know why people put this lable on them.
What they are is...white­, rich, always been in control, racist..wh­ich is why they hate President
Obama, gun toting, scared folk.
Most are already on the socialist form of Medicare. They go to Churches that do not preach
the gospel in it's entireity. They preach the love of God mostly and leave out His Son which
is what seperates the Christian, Jew and Moslem.
Someone needs to reclassify this group of people. They all have guns..lots of guns and are
trying to find somewhere to put their money and buy ammunition without it being traced.
They don't want change because they like
the good ole boy system.

[Americantothecore]

I listen to Rush, I listen to Hanity, i listen to Oreilly - I also read Huffington Post, MSNBC and other garbage, You have to listen to all sides to get the whole story. I am white, I am educated, I am retired Military - but I am not Rich - I am middle class - I believe in AMERICA and what she use to stand for - Small Government - People taking care of themselves and not relying on the government. Each person needs to stand up and take control of their own life's - this is all most of us are asking for. Quit taking the free handouts - and make something of yourself. I grew up in the projects but I made it out - it took a lot of hard work, and now - I'm set and in no need of Government help - but I did it my self . If I can do it - anyone can. Don't lump us all together. Each person is responsble for their ownbeing.

[Carl Caroli]

Do you have kids? Because I (who don't have any) have paid dearly over the last 30 years educating yours unless they went to private school. Do you collect SS? Veterans benefits? Medicare? If you want to pay me back let me know, otherwise you're a hypocrite, like so many others.

[triplbee]

Can I have your Social Security payments?

[Rooster54]

Did you personally pave all the roads and sidewalks you've been driving and walking on all these years ?

[zerotimes10]

Ramonne: Truer words were never composed. Nicely done!

[MajorKong]

For a lot of people "Christian" is more like a tribal membership or sports team affiliation.