CPAC: Just How Different Was This Hate Fair Than a Palin Rally?

Rush's inspired conservatives coming out of the CPAC

There weren't quite as many death threats on
Barack Obama from the audience.

When people cheer a demagogue like Rush Limbow-wow, it's time to be afraid ...for people's lives.

And people were cheering, clapping, hooting not only at Limbow-wow but at the other speakers like Mike Huckabee, the man who insisted that we change the Constitution to reflect God's laws.

I'm talking about the Conservative Political Action Congress which has for years spewed out as much hatred and invective to liberals as any one Ann Coulter(geist) book.

Looked at it from a humorous angle: the roster of "movers and shakers" reminded me of one of those little cars at the circus that stop and belch out a seemingly endless number of clowns

Events included were:

Breakfast with Phyllis Schlafly: “Doing the Impossible” (which for Schlafly, was getting up for the breakfast)

Sarah Palin Unplugged on the Media Video Interview
Diplomat Ballroom (I'm not kidding - the irony strikes me as well)

New Challenges in the Culture War Beverly LaHaye

Targets of the Fairness Doctrine: Tucker Carlson

Al Franken and ACORN: How Liberals are Destroying the American Election System
The Heritage Foundation

PRESIDENTIAL BANQUET Regency Ballroom
Master of Ceremonies: Rep. Michelle Bachmann (MN) (Get set for some rapier-like Christofascist wit)

And, of course, there were book signings

John Bolton Surrender Is Not An Option

Stephan Baldwin
The Death and Life of Gabriel Phillips

Hon. Mike Huckabee
Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America

Newt Gingrich
Real Change: From the World That Fails to the World That Works

And, of course, the ubiquitous Ann Coulter (no right wing rant would be complete without her)
Guilty: Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America


But the true shining moment, the one white knight everyone had waited for, the one they had strewn a path of rose petals for, the hand of whom they knew would heal their scrofula came on Saturday evening, amidst all of the glitz and glamor of the shining stars of conservatism (Stephen Baldwin, Gasp!!) His Royal Hind-ass Rush Limbow-wow appeared to give his blessings to everyone and continue the screed with which, by now, they had become drunk.

In America, when a President tries to point out the undue influence of a conservative radio talk show host, he gets castigated beyond belief.

From the Telegraph (UK)

He then told them to break free of the confrontational mindset epitomised by Mr Limbaugh, the highest paid talk show host in America. "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," Mr Obama said.

Look at that statement again. Few people would ever argue that Obama gives rash, off-the-cuff statements such as his predecessor did. The phraseology is centered around the word "just" - meaning "only". Conservatives have completely erased that word. With their castigations in full swing, the sentence has become "You can't listen to Rush Limbaugh to get things done," substituting "and" with "to".

Upon presentation of an award to Limbow-wow. This was said:

From ThinkProgress.com

Just as the king’s successor [a rather lame analogy to King George III in response to Benjamin Franklin], who is in the White House, said the other day, that conservatives will never be successful if they listen to Rush Limbaugh. The only way we will be successful is if we listen to Rush Limbaugh!

This kind of rhetoric is setting up a demagogue to become a demigod. Or god. Or dictator. Conservatives depend on fear. Their campaigns are shaped by fear. Obama's campaign was shaped on hope and change. Conservatives warned that any kind of change would be ruinous: fear what you can't see, fear the future, fear liberalism. Tell them their rights are bein taken away from them. On this last note, Limbow-wow tried to get all flag-wavy when he said this:

We believe that the preamble to the Constitution contains an inarguable truth that we are all endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life. [Applause] Liberty, Freedom. [Applause] And the pursuit of happiness.

Limbaugh doesn't remember his third grade history lessons: his quote was from the Declaration of Independence, NOT the Constitution. And for anyone to take on a Constitutional scholar such as Barack Obama, was very foolish.

[Crowd Booing] Mrs. Clinton--- said she had to, willingly suspend disbelief in order to listen to Petraeus. We're in the process of winning the war. The last thing they wanted was to win. They hoped George Bush failed. So what is so strange about being honest to say that I want Barack Obama to fail if his mission is to restructure and reform this country so that capitalism and individual liberty are not its foundation? Why would I want that to succeed? [Applause]

Liberals/Progressives didn't need to see Bush fail. We were seeing his failures take place right before our eyes. Conservatives distrust "intellectuals" to the point that they will vote for a backslapping good-ole-boy dimwit. The secrecy of the Bush administration made the people fearful not simply because there were secrets, but because they had a strong sense that meetings and documents proved that the administration did not want ANY form of transparency. In other words, to tell the people what was going on was verboten.

Limbow-wow's rhetoric border's on classic hate speech. And because he has a right to say it, he's using it (as usual) to distort and frame ideas in a way that only he seems to be cognizant of.

[Race] doesn't matter. He's liberal is what matters to me. And his articulated -- his articulated plans scare me. Now, I understand we can't say we want the President to fail, Mr. Limbaugh. That's like saying -- this is the voice of the New Castrati, by the way, guys who have lost their guts. You can't say Mr. Limbaugh that you want the President to fail because that's like saying you want the country to fail. It's the opposite. I want the country to survive. I want the country to succeed. [Cheers and Applause]

"Race doesn't matter"... so how many African Americans were there in the audience? Now that the Republican National Chairman is of a different color, race will never more be an issue? Right. Furthermore, "surviving" and "succeeding" are two entirely different things, but Limbaugh equates them. And he never explains success. No man who makes more each year than star athletes can explain success. Because success to people like Limbow-wow, is limitless greed. He flaunts it.

[Crowd Chanting "USA" ] I want the country to survive as we have known it, as you and I were raised in it, is what I mean. Now, I have been called -- and I can take it. Pioneers take the arrows, I don't mind what anybody says about me, any time ever. I don't have time for it. I don't give other people the power to offend me. And you shouldn't either, by the wasted time being offended.[Applause]

"...have known it"? "Pioneers"? WTF?! RL was raised amidst BIGOTRY, GREED and HATE. His show is an icon of mockery and hatred. It even broadcasts its hypocrisy:

Don't treat people as children. Respect their intelligence. Realize that there's a way to persuade people. Sometimes the worst way is to get in their face and point a finger.

That's certainly the way he treats people: in the worst way. If he ever gets to meet with President Obama, he'd probably low cigar smoke in Obama's face, then stomp the butt into cherished rug in the Green Room. He absolutely loves treating everyone :the worst way." In that sense, he could even be connected to the mantra of Rick Warren:

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Just a thought.