What can we say about LIMBAUGH that hasn’t already been said before??
Let’s start w/ a couple of Rush’s Favorite Systematic Logical Fallacies
1) Straw Man: completely misrepresenting the opposing position, eg, taking a hyperbolic, outlying possible case & characterizing it as the “normal” or “generic” situation… Or simply “damning with faint praise”
2. Argumentum Verbosim: to overwhelm with verbiage, leaving little room for cogent, point-for-point response (to wit, “baffle ‘em w/ bullshit”). This is Rush’s specialty; it’s inordinately simple to tear-apart his arguments, if you only can get him to write them down.
3. Ad Hominem. Personal Attack. “Feminazis”, anyone? Or how about calling Chelsea Clinton the “White House Dog”?!
4. Argument by Authority. He actually takes both sides of this fallacy:
…a) Attacking EVERYONE ELSE’s authority
“you need to listen to my show for 6weeks before I’ll bother listening to your criticism”
…while for his part frequently quotes & plays clips out-of-context
…b. Leveraging ‘Authorities’ which are highly-partisan, & frequently suspect:
-Washington Post
-David Brock on the Clintons
.
My ultimate FAVORITE Rush Hypocrisy?
“Too many whites are getting away with drug use…Too many whites are getting away with drug sales…The answer is to go out and find the ones who are getting away with it, convict them and send them up the river, too.”, 5 October 1995, “The Rush Limbaugh Show”
…let-alone “Operation Chaos“:
Leo Jennings, a spokesperson for the office of the Ohio Attorney General, after Limbaugh urged Ohio Republicans to reregister as Democrats to disrupt the Democratic primary, which would be a FELONY if done with fraudulent intent, said: “We have no intention of prosecuting Rush Limbaugh because lying through your teeth and being stupid isn’t a crime.”
.
Here’s Rush’s 3 Favorite Defenses:
1)’Republicans/Conservatives aren’t so bad– Democrats are JUST AS BAD
…they’re just as corrupt; if they haven’t been caught yet, they will be
2. No Republican Office-Holder is a “True Conservative”
…so their [position/actions/etc] don’t affect True Conservatives
…(this is most frequently used with Bush, McCain, Steele, etcetc)
3. ‘My hypocrisy [prescription drug abuse, etc] is not significant compared to Liberals & MSM’
This is Brilliant, really–
…basically, if it’s really true that “Words mean things” (from Rush’s “35 Undeniable Truths”), & yet he constantly, repeatedly says incorrect, hyperbolic, illogical, factually-disproven things, & then when confronted systematically denies having said them, rephrases, &/or says “what I was really referring to”…
Then by his Own Words– He’s Untrustworthy.
Oh but wait– that’s “Okay”, b/c he’s an “Entertainer”.
…ie, basically Seeking Attention, both Coming & Going
1) Start w/ flagrant hyperbole
2. Get on every media outlet possible, loudly trumpeting his own words
3. Once confronted w/ actual facts, loudly deny he ever said it to begin with
4. Next, grudgingly rephrase, ironically implying we ‘misunderstood’ him [cf "Words mean things"]
5. Finally, triumphantly claim mistreatment by The Enemy [Liberals, MSM, Democrats, FemiNazis, Evolutionists, etcetcetc]
This is not a “Leader”, “Pundit”, nor even an “Entertainer”
Instead– he’s a DEMAGOGUE of the kind that H.L. Menken defined as “one who will preach doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.”
Specifically, how’s about the “Dreaming of Riots in Denver” Incident?
Rush: “With riots in Denver, the Democrat Convention would see to it that we don’t elect Democrats… That’s the best thing that could happen to the country.” (23 April 2008, his own Show)
…which he promptly hedged, later in the same show, “I am not inspiring or inciting riots, I am ‘dreaming’ of riots in Denver.”
MAKE NO MISTAKE–
1) “Free Speach” does NOT INCLUDE yelling “Fire” in a crowded Theatre:
The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic. [...] The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent. –Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr
2. The civilized world *DOES* hold “incitement to riot” as Actionable:
On 3 December 2003, at “The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda” in Arusha, life sentences were given RTLM (Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines) leaders Ferdinand Nahimana, and Jean Bosco Barayagwiza.
They were convicted of genocide, incitement to genocide, and crimes against humanity, before and during the period of the genocides of 1994.
Let’s finish-up w/ a word from a Republican, from Denver:
“For any radio announcer to wish a riot on a city so his party could win, that’s disgraceful and it’s absurd.” Republican Denver Councilman Charles Brown, on Limbaugh’s speech about rioting in Denver; April 24, 2008; DenverPost.com
Actually, that’s not just Absurd.
That’s not just Hypocrisy: “We don’t riot. We don’t burn our cars. We don’t burn down our houses. We don’t kill our children. We don’t do half the things the American left does.” -Rush, DenverPost.com
…it’s actually a FELONY
But don’t hold your breath– Rush Limbaugh’ll NEVER be prosecuted
…& if he is, he’ll dodge the very Discipline & Punishment he loudly proclaims for everyone else– like the TEN Felonies he plea-bargained out of, w/ his illegally-acquired & illegally-self-prescribing Oxycontin abuse…
So there’s your Great Leader, Head of the Conservative Party, he of the 20 Millions “Dittos”.
All Authoritarian Talk & Zero Conservative Walk…
…preaching doctrines he knows to be untrue.
