Yet much of what Press characterises as vile or vicious is really just strident opinion that merely does not reflect his liberal world view. Neal Boortz, for example, dismissed the poorest victims of Hurricane Katrina as "parasites" who don't deserve to vote. Indeed, many are perpetually hot under the collar and incapable of understatement. Press makes some telling blows on some of these hosts. "Unfortunately," he laments, "as we hear from listening to most conservative talk-show hosts, has mostly been in a negative direction: tearing people apart, exploiting divisive issues, pitting one group against another, and denying honest differences of opinion". They are, we are told, destroying America's democratic process. Along with Rush, the major syndicates are dominated by the likes of Beck, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage and Bill O'Reilly. A liberal talk show host, Press laments "how the radical right has poisoned America's airwaves". One ideological opponent who disagrees is Bill Press. Still, Chafets, by no means a conservative, is generally sympathetic, though not entirely uncritical, towards his subject. After all, Rush has not only enthusiastically welcomed it, but both leaders Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck often pay tribute to their hero. Yet little is said about the Tea Party movement, which is odd. "For millions, conservatism is now Limbaughism."Ĭhafets devotes more than a third of his book to the latest two years of Rush's life. He is the voice and the intellectual force and energy of the GOP. For Chafets, Rush does not just dole out ideological red meat: thick, juicy cuts of the stuff. The result: just as they did in 1994, Republicans are poised to make big gains in the Democratic-controlled House and Senate. Again, Rush rallied the party faithful and the conservative base with a rancorous denunciation of the new president's agenda in a nationally televised keynote address within a few weeks of the inauguration. For their thanks, the GOP first-year class named Rush an honorary member of their caucus.Ī decade and a half later, it is a similar story: after the Obama victory in 2008, Republicans were dazed, demoralised and leaderless. The result: Republicans swept to historic victories in the congressional elections of 1994. Rush rallied the party faithful and the conservative base.
After Bill Clinton's victory in 1992, the Grand Old Party (GOP) was left dazed, demoralised and leaderless. He is the brains and the spirit behind its success in the post-Cold War era. Keep up the good work."įor Chafets, Limbaugh is more than simply the mouthpiece of the Republican Party. So it was perhaps fitting that in 1992 the Gipper himself told Rush: "I know the liberals call you 'the most dangerous man in America', but don't worry about it, they used to say the same thing about me. For Zev Chafets, a journalist and novelist, Limbaugh's brand of conservatism is indebted to the three-legged stool associated with his hero, Ronald Reagan: hawkish foreign policy, free-market economics and social conservatism. Toxic Talk suggests that these radio hosts, by employing ugly rhetoric, coarsen the public debate whereas Rush Limbaugh is a more sympathetic appraisal of the ringleader himself. And these two books help explain why this is the case. When it comes to talk radio, America is indeed exceptional. But they tend to be more populist than ideological and, in any case, they lack the national reach that many top US broadcasters command. Australia also has its fair share of so-called 'shock jocks': radio broadcasters who play high-profile roles in the highly charged debates of the day. Perhaps nothing better demonstrates America's conservative instincts than talk radio, led by Rush Limbaugh, who has filled virtually an unmet demand for right-leaning commentary over more than two decades. So much so that, at the time of writing, Republicans are expected to gain control of the House of Representatives and even come close to capturing the Senate in November's mid-term elections. The Democrats' liberal legislative overreach on various policies-from big spending to financial regulation to nationalised healthcare-has ignited a fierce backlash from the conservative heartland. Toxic Talk: How the Radical Right Has Poisoned America's Airwaves By Bill Press Thomas Dunne/St Martins New York, 2010Īfter nearly two years of the Obama administration, America remains a centre-right nation.
Rush Limbaugh: An Army Of One By Zev Chafets Sentinel New York, 2010
0 kommentar(er)
