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Simon Maloy
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The Friday Rush: The fantasy football conspiracy

October 16, 2009 8:36 pm ET

One of the overarching themes of Rush Limbaugh's daily radio program is individual responsibility. As the man himself put it last year: "You're much better equipped, you're much better able to make the most of your life than anybody else is, including your wife, your husband, your kids. You do it. This is not a sin. It's called greatness. It's the root [sic] to greatness. It's called individual responsibility." Another overarching theme of The Rush Limbaugh Show is conspiracy, specifically the decades-long liberal conspiracy to undermine the nation through various means, which include but are by no means limited to: welfare programs, climate change, energy-efficient light bulbs, bank bailouts, and ACORN.

Well, these two themes collided this week after Rush's bid to take an ownership stake in the St. Louis Rams collapsed, producing a chaotic storm of whining and schadenfreude that enveloped most of the media, prompting fits of giddy laughter and maudlin eulogies for freedom in America. The widely accepted reason for the failure of Limbaugh's NFL bid was that Rush, in his many years of broadcasting, has made more than his fair share of racially charged comments, a number of which were directed at specific players or the league in general. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that Rush's "divisive comments are not what the N.F.L. is all about," and the head of the players union opposed Rush because football "overcomes division and rejects discrimination and hatred."

Given Rush's belief that individual responsibility is the path to greatness, you'd think that he'd have owned up to his divisive rhetoric and, if not renounced it, then at least recognized that it was clearly incompatible with his desire to own a professional football team. At least, that's what a rational person would do. As such, that's not what Rush did.

No, by Rush's retelling, he was the victim here, and his bid for the Rams was scuttled by a vast conspiracy of anti-Rush, anti-freedom, pro-Obama liberal agitators. The cast of conspirators included Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), former Ram D'Marco Farr, sportscaster Bob Costas, George Soros (of course), "race hustlers" Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and the NFL itself, which is, in Rush's words, an "outpost of racism and liberalism." If you're confused as to why Rush would have wanted to own a piece of this racist, liberal outfit, the likely explanation is that he put in his bid before the Obama administration "got their hooks in the NFL." Well, that's not the "likely" explanation, but that's the one Rush offered.

Even more amusing, though, was the reaction from Rush's cohorts in the conservative blogosphere. The top spot has to go to RedState.com, which offered these heartfelt observations on the death of one rich man's dream:

Earlier this evening, as most of you now know, one of our own, Rush Hudson Limbaugh, while taking withering fire, crashed and burned.

Tonight, Rush is no longer 'just' a radio personality.

Tonight, Rush is no longer 'just' a NFL owner denied

Tonight, Rush is us. And we are him.

Tonight Rush became the metaphor for all of us... every man woman and child in this great nation of ours.

The enemy of this great nation, the enemy of you and me, Rush's enemy... those on the left, inside and outside of this nation abhor success... and when faced with it will destroy it... by any and all means possible.

Touching. Then there was National Review's Andy McCarthy, who said that Rush takes the Martin Luther King approach to race, and Michelle Malkin, who claimed that "Rush Derangement Syndrome took over the NFL" and idly speculated on the potential for "[p]olitical litmus tests for fans." Glenn Reynolds, not wanting to be left out of the fun, signed on to a conservative boycott of the NFL.

But let's not get distracted here. What happened this week was that an insanely wealthy man who is accustomed to getting his way was blocked from achieving his dream by a wall of his own creation. And instead of putting into practice his high-minded paeans to individual responsibility, he cast out in all directions, going so far as to blame the president of the United States for "corrupt[ing]" the system by which he could have succeeded.

Think about that for a moment -- Rush Limbaugh actually believes that President Obama deliberately set out to keep him from becoming an NFL owner.

In the real world, that's called crazy. On The Rush Limbaugh Show, it's called Friday.

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    • Author by DellDolly (October 16, 2009 10:04 pm ET)
      7 1
      This pretense of pretending one is a victim when one is not is pervasive from the righty's.

      Rep Joe Wilson pretended he was a victim. Obama was the victim. Wilson was caught doing something very wrong, and somehow he thinks his righteous punishment makes him a victim.

      Rush pretends he's a victim. Only if someone else made him make these offensive comments, only if he's a ventriloquist's dummy, could he possibly be a victim here. But we know he's not a dummy, at least not for a ventriloquist.

      Rush made offensive comments. He then had to pay the price for those comments. He's not a victim.

      Why is he pretending he is? Because he ain't got nothin' else.

      The Dems reacting to his comments doesn't make him a victim, despite his fervent wishes otherwise.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by rwmacdonald2091 (October 17, 2009 9:00 am ET)
      6 1
      Wonder if El-Rushbo is going to hold his breath until he gets his way?

      Report Abuse
    • Author by rustycannon (October 17, 2009 11:18 am ET)
      3  
      Garry Shandling, on Bill Maher last night, made a comment that Rush was prevented from realizing his childhood dream of owning black people.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by juliajayne1 (October 18, 2009 12:45 pm ET)
        2  
        Rush could try the UFL. And the team's uniforms have very pretty colors.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© (October 17, 2009 12:53 pm ET)
      4 1
      In the real world, that's called crazy. On The Rush Limbaugh Show, it's called Friday.

      Nice close!
      ~
      Report Abuse
    • Author by peebs755 (October 17, 2009 1:49 pm ET)
      4 1
      What I've seen over the last couple of days, is the shift that he was denied because he made racist comments. which is the truth. To he was denied because he's a conservative. Which is a lie. Watch, the Righties will start to REALLY push this one.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Craig (October 17, 2009 7:20 pm ET)
        3  
        It's blind, reflexive political tribalism. From Adam Serwer's Confusion in Dittoland as Limbaugh Loses Bid:

        [C]onservatives understand in the abstract that racism is bad, but they seem incapable of identifying actual racist behavior. Instead, because (a) racism is bad and (b) liberals are bad (c) racism is a quality possessed by liberals. By definition, conservatives cannot be racist, because they are good, unlike liberals, and therefore nothing Rush Limbaugh says is racist.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by DellDolly (October 17, 2009 11:17 pm ET)
        2  
        They've always pushed that idea. Always. But they will, of course, use that same argument in this situation too.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by donwelty (October 18, 2009 5:55 am ET)
      2  
      In 1790, Rush Limbaugh could have owned black people and that is the normal, natural way of things should be according to many people. In 1790 Rush Limbaugh could have talked about any group of people and make derogatory remarks. In fact, in 1890, Rush Limbaugh could have joined the Ku Klux Klan and not very many people would've gotten all that upset about it.

      However, this is 2009, and things have changed, but apparently not Rush Limbaugh. The normal, natural way things are, Rush, is apparently different from what you are.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by fdscjsr2445 (October 18, 2009 3:11 pm ET)
      2  
      Rush Limbaugh lost his bid to become an NFL owner because of affirmative action. No one sees the irony in affirmative action (aa) being the cause of Rush's defeat because he and other conservative operators have done such a masterful job of misstating what aa is all about. In the conservative view, aa is all about liberals placing unqualified minorities into jobs and schools ahead of more qualified whites. That view is so widespread even some blacks shy away from admitting aa was instrumental in the rise to their current status.

      The reality of aa is that it is necessary to correct the effects of over 300 years of racism. Racism is a political/economic system where one group maintains absolute control in order to deny another group access to resources. Prior to aa, blacks had almost no access to resources (natural, economic or social) in America. We could not stand up to hate groups like the kkk, rabble-rousers like Rush or politicans who sought votes at our expense. In 1915, the movie [i]Birth of a Nation[i] was viewed with great trepidation by black leaders. They pleaded with Pres. Wilson to ban the movie. He refused. In the ensuing riots, hundreds of blacks were killed and 1000s others injured by angry white mobs "protecting" white women and girls.

      Affirmative action has permitted black America to grow a middle class of educated, employed citizens who can protect black people from right wing hatred and protect America from the radicalization of the poor. It has helped us grow a leadership class of politicans, educators, business people, etc.

      In 1915, Birth of a Nation ran because there were no consequences to white America. In 2009, the NFL realized it couldn't alienate 60% of its players nor the millions African Ameerican viewers who find Rush offensive.
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