When It Comes To American Ideals, Limbaugh Is Not On Reagan's Team

Rush Limbaugh criticized the president for invoking teamwork as an American ideal in the State of the Union address -- an ideal that was invoked by Ronald Reagan during his 1984 State of the Union address.

Limbaugh's ire was directed at the portion of President Obama's State of the Union address in which he spoke about teamwork making America great, an idea Limbaugh said was "wrong" and contrary to "what our founding documents are about." Limbaugh explained:

There's nothing about teamwork. There's nothing about compromise and getting along and working together. 

Teamwork, Limbaugh made clear, was another word for fairness -- "a code word for class warfare."

LISTEN:

Limbaugh's position that teamwork was contrary to American ideals puts him at odds with Ronald Reagan, who praised teamwork and pulling together during his State of the Union address in 1984:  

Our second great goal is to build on America's pioneer spirit - I said something funny? I said America's next frontier - and that's to develop that frontier. A sparkling economy spurs initiatives, sunrise industries, and makes older ones more competitive.

Nowhere is this more important than our next frontier: space. Nowhere do we so effectively demonstrate our technological leadership and ability to make life better on Earth. The Space Age is barely a quarter of a century old. But already we've pushed civilization forward with our advances in science and technology. Opportunities and jobs will multiply as we cross new thresholds of knowledge and reach deeper into the unknown.

Our progress in space - taking giant steps for all mankind - is a tribute to American teamwork and excellence. Our finest minds in government, industry, and academia have all pulled together. And we can be proud to say: We are first; we are the best; and we are so because we're free.