Rush Limbaugh and the Decline of Conservatism

SKEPTIC: What's your opinion of Rush Limbaugh? Do you agree with him when he says that he "wants Obama to fail?"

PREACHER: I don't wish for Obama to fail, but I don't think we need socialism as the cure-all for our economic woes either. Limbaugh really thinks that Obama wants to turn the USA into a socialist republic. I'm not so sure, but if he tries to get the government to solve everything there could be a direction in that way.

SKEPTIC: You know, I'm pretty sure that one of the Ten Commandments says "Thou Shalt Not Lie," so how can you support a man like Limbaugh who lies almost every time he opens his mouth? As long as the GOP refuses to disassociate itself from the loonies and the hatemongers (Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity, O'Reilly, et al) they're going to continue to sink into the mire. The USA has taken a giant step to the left, and those who continue to embrace the ideology that created the mess we're in now will become more and more irrelevant. There are moderate Republicans out there, but their voices are being drowned out by the far right.

PREACHER: So you would find yourself more in line then with Moveon.org and ACORN. O'Reilly calls them loonies, too. Technically speaking, I can say that you just lied in the statement above because you misquoted the ninth commandment. The correct words are, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."(NIV) Rush might be able to accuse you of breaking that commandment with your hyperbolic statement about his alleged dishonesty. Those on the extreme right and left are calling each other liars and loonies. And, thus political polarization continues in its momentum. You seem to think the conservatives are irrelevant to most people. I'm not so sure. In a few more years, the wind of public opinion may change again. Then, as a believer in Biblical prophesy, I envision a day when both sides will be totally irrelevant (perhaps some footnotes in an unabridged history book like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' day).

SKEPTIC: I don't say that conservatives are irrelevant to most people, but I do say that they are edging closer and closer to irrelevancy as a political movement with any credibility. The election was a giant repudiation of the conservative movement. It was the American people saying, "Hey, you had your chance and you screwed it up big time, so we're gonna try something else." So now they find themselves reduced to sitting on the sidelines, seemingly unable to do anything but throw spitballs at Obama and promote ridiculous conspiracy theories. And by the way, Bill O'Reilly calling anybody a loony is classic case of the the pot calling the kettle black.

PREACHER: Sounds like to me like there is a lot of name calling going on. Unfortunately, name calling reveals more about the character of the person who does the name calling than anything else. Not all, but much of what Rush says makes sense to me. I would like to congratulate Mr. Obama in his efforts to improve relations with Europe and the Muslim world. It is unfortunate that in the process relations with the nation of Israel may suffer. But, what can I expect? Biblical prophesy has to be fulfilled. And, the present world leaders are doing a very good job of it.

SKEPTIC: There's something much more dangerous than name-calling going on with today's right-wing anti-Obama rhetoric. Nut cases like Glenn Beck, Michelle Bachman, and yes, Rush Limbaugh, are fueling conspiracy theories and calling for people to, basically, rise up and overthrow the government. And people who listen to them are responding to these calls by killing their fellow Americans. It's despicable. It's gotten so bad that even Rush's Republican listeners are turning on him.

PREACHER: I see some craziness on both sides of the spectrum, the individuals written about as well as the tone of the articles linked to above. In the light of eternity I don't consider either side very significant.