KEEPING THE PITY PARTY GOING…. Investors hoping to purchase the St. Louis Rams football franchise decided this week they didn’t want to hang out with Rush Limbaugh anymore. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed this morning, the right-wing radio host is still complaining about it.
It’s an odd piece, which follows some strange reasoning. Limbaugh’s defense, such that it is, begins by bashing Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, because they bashed him. It’s a weak strategy — the pitch, in essence, is, “They think I’m racist? Well, Tawana Brawley and Hymietown. So there.”
Limbaugh then notes that several news outlets used a bogus quote to highlight his record of racism. “Numerous sportswriters, CNN, MSNBC, among others, falsely attributed to me statements I had never made,” he wrote. That’s true, but it overlooks the fact that news outlets used plenty of legitimate, verified quotes that also made the radio host look awful.
But putting all of that aside, here’s the crux of the defense:
The sports media elicited comments from a handful of players, none of whom I can recall ever meeting. Among other things, at least one said he would never play for a team I was involved in given my racial views. My racial views? You mean, my belief in a colorblind society where every individual is treated as a precious human being without regard to his race? Where football players should earn as much as they can and keep as much as they can, regardless of race? Those controversial racial views?
No, Rush, these controversial racial views.
Limbaugh’s record of racist commentary … includes not only a habit of comparing black athletes to gang members but a general hostility toward black people. Limbaugh only recently suggested that having a black president encouraged black children to beat up white children — he’s also compared President Obama’s agenda to ‘slavery reparations,’ used epithets to reference his biracial background, and compared Democrats responding to the concerns of black voters to rape.”
The WSJ op-ed concludes that there is an effort underway “to keep citizens who don’t share the left’s agenda from participating in the full array of opportunities this nation otherwise affords each of us.”
Yes, The Man is always trying to keep the white conservatives down. It’s nice of this multi-millionaire who managed to avoid jail time after a series of drug felonies to explain this to us.
Limbaugh seems rather desperate to characterize himself as some kind of victim. It’s a rather sad display.
