Donald Trump could shoot someone on 5th Avenue, and Rush Limbaugh would defend him

Limbaugh's comments on impeachment show that it’s bigger than Trump -- it’s about ever holding a Republican president accountable for anything

Written by John Whitehouse

Published

In a sense, Rush Limbaugh has given up.

As the House of Representatives voted on the impeachment proceeding, the radio host went deep into his thoughts on the entire story. From his perspective, supporters of President Donald Trump who are arguing about the substance of the inquiry -- rather than the process -- have ceded ground to the Democrats. And Limbaugh dismissed arguing about the process as mere whining.

So he decided to do something else entirely: Give Trump a blank check.

Rush Limbaugh impeachment impunity

Rush Limbaugh

From the October 31, 2019, edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show

RUSH LIMBAUGH (HOST): It’s not hard to defend Donald Trump because, in the process, we’re defending us. We’re defending ourselves. We’re defending everybody that voted for him because that’s who’s really under attack. Trump is a transient figure. He’s only going to be here, maximum, eight years. People that voted for him are gonna go on and on and on and hopefully grow and grow and grow.

The attack on Donald Trump -- he’s a surrogate for their hatred for us. And our unwillingness — not mine, of course, but the people I’m referring to — unwillingness to defend Trump is the same as being unable to defend their voters.

If Trump is a “surrogate” for hatred of conservatives and supporting him is the same as defending his voters, it is essentially a blank check for the president to do whatever he wants. It’s full culture war, an identity politics defined around revanchism, offering Trump total immunity.

So when we’re discussing impeachment, let’s be clear about the stakes: We’re not just arguing about whether what Trump did is improper. We’re also arguing about whether it is ever acceptable to hold a Republican president to any standard at all.