Topic: Ron Paul
The Answer to Your Question, Mr. Limbaugh, is Ron Paul. Rush Limbaugh asks where all the conservatives have gone. Strategist Jake Morphonios responds. by Jake Morphonios
(libertarian)
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Rush Limbaugh.
The name is simultaneously a foul tasting epithet on the tongues of liberals and a shiny badge of honor on the chests neo-conservatives. But to traditional conservatives who follow the honorable traditions of men like Barry Goldwater and William Buckley, Rush has devolved into a second-rate shock jock, a traitor to the very conservative values he once cherished.
Rush's slide into neo-conservatism started in the years between 1996 and 2000. When Senator Bob Dole ran for President in 1996, Rush Limbaugh came out in staunch support of the more conservative candidate, Steve Forbes. In fact, it was partly Rush's fervent support for Mr. Forbes that first attracted me to the candidate. Forbes lost to Dole in the primaries, but I determined to throw my support to Forbes in the 2000 election cycle should he run again.
Indeed, Steve Forbes announced his candidacy for the Presidency in 2000, once more running as a fiscal conservative promoting his flat-tax ideals. I joined the Forbes campaign, serving as regional campaign manager in North Carolina. To my surprise and dismay, Rush abandoned his support of Forbes in deference to newcomer George W. Bush. What converted Rush from conservatism to neo-conservatism I do not know. Suffice it to say, the Rush that I had grown to respect over the years, was gone.
My family has had some personal dealings with Mr. Limbaugh. In fact, my grandmother Ellen Morphonios, known in her time as the toughest judge in America (aka "Maximum Morphonios: the Hanging Judge"), was invited more than once to host Rush's talk show while he was on vacation. I accompanied my grandmother to New York City, on Rush's tab, staying in excellent hotels and receiving royal treatment. I sat with "Mr. Snerdley" in the sound booth, as well in Rush's own, coveted EIB chair as my grandmother was broadcast over the airways to millions of Rush's listeners. Limbaugh's callers repeatedly praised my grandmother's articulation of conservative principles and quick-witted responses to caller's questions. One thing that I doubt that Rush ever realized was that Maximum Morphonios was a registered Democrat. Perhaps it didn't matter. The Time Machine, as she was also known among criminals, was more of a conservative than most registered Republicans.
This week Rush Limbaugh attacked Newt Gingrich on the air and bemoaned the loss of the very traditional conservatism that he has helped to squelch by his support of this current generation of neo-conservative Republicans. He said:
"So what's lacking here is not ideas and not principles, but the right people to speak them and the right people to develop strategies to win elections based on those ideas and principles. What's lacking, if you will, is intellectual and political leadership. Let me be even more specific. Where's the Barry Goldwater, the Ronald Reagan? We have people who claim to hold the mantle of these greats, and yet they also claim that the mantle to hold is not worth holding, that we gotta redefine it because the era is over."
Mr. Limbaugh, may I proffer an answer to your question, sir? If you want to know where today's Barry Goldwater is, perhaps you should ask his son, Barry Goldwater Jr. Mr. Goldwater Jr. served 6 terms in the US House of Representatives, striving to carry on his father's legacy. He has wholeheartedly given his endorsement to one of the several Presidential candidates. That candidate is Congressman Ron Paul. In his endorsement speech, Mr. Goldwater Jr. stated that Ron Paul is the only candidate running whose positions and experience are compatible with the Goldwater tradition. Rush, I invite you to visit http://www.ronpaul2008.com to learn more about your dream candidate.
Sadly, I fear what Mr. Limbaugh's response will be. Rush already knows that Congressman Ron Paul is the only true conservative in the race for the Republican nomination. Unfortunately, Mr. Limbaugh has developed an affinity for certain drugs in this past decade, specifically the addicting drugs of ratings and popularity, substances that destroy integrity in ways that pain killers cannot. Support for Ron Paul does not engender one to the masses. Then again, supporting traditional conservatism does not win many friends either. Giving support to noble, albeit unpopular, principles is the domain of true patriots and men of honor. Rush Limbaugh, I cannot in good conscience consider you to be either as long as you carry the flag of the neo-conservative movement.
It's not too late to regain your honor and station as a champion of true conservative values. I call upon you to stand up and be counted among the minority of Americans who are willing to sacrifice their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honors in spite of the herd-mentality of the majority. I pray that you will reconsider your course and join us once again in the battle for freedom and the preservation of our Republic.
The views expressed in this
article are those of Jake Morphonios only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Jake Morphonios is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Call me crazy, but this is actually an *almost* endorsement of Ron Paul.
Humor me for a moment:
"So what's lacking here is not ideas and not principles, but the right people to speak them and the right people to develop strategies to win elections based on those ideas and principles."
It sounds like what he is saying is that someone is needed to *sell* the message. In his eyes Ron Paul isn't doing that. He is saying someone is needed with the right strategy to win elections. In his eyes Ron Paul is not doing that.
So, far, that would seem to be about right. Ron Paul is an awesome statesmen (and I am a meetup organizer that just spent nearly a year volunteering for him) but he needs some help with the salesman part of it. Ronald Reagan was an awesome orator (or just had great writers) but he didn't take us far enough in my opinion. Ron Paul is needed to finish it and hopefully push this country towards constitutionalism for good. Sadly, the Reagan Revolution died in about 1986 and was tossed aside.
What Rush seems to be saying is "please, Ron Paul, HIRE some awesome campaign staff and a writer to help you tune your messages."
I love how Ron Paul speaks, but at the last debate he started talking about Austrian economics as if the whole country already knew what he was talking about.
Even though WE understand him, the great majority do not. This is his weak point in my opinion.
Anyway, he got my and my family and friends' vote today. But, I do wish he could find some way to sell his message a little better.
Oh, I meant to add that I hear this a lot, and I bet I am not the only one:
"Ron Paul's supporters seem to do a much better job of explaining his positions than he does."
This might or might not be true (well, in my case, it got him votes he was not going to get otherwise) but if it is true, then that's the real problem. I know; unfair advantage, we get somewhat unlimited time to sell it one on one. But, unfortunately, his volunteers can only reach so many people. He needs to take better advantage of his limited media.
Rush hates Ron's pacifist policy. Rush supported the Dubai Ports Deal when emotional conservatives like Sean Hanity were bad mouthing it. Rush's problem is that he has realized that only Centrists win the Presidency.
Rush has grown more libertarian due to his experience with drugs, until he gets caught with hookers, he is going to be right of libertarianism.
Make no mistake about it Rush is a Total Interventionist Libertarian-Conservative, while Ron Paul is a Non Interventionist Libertarian-Conservative. He will not support Isolationism, there is too much history to tell him otherwise.
Ronald Reagan was forced into signing tons of legislation that took away gun owners rights. Rush had to learn that the vast majority of voters do not listen to his show, this is why he does not endorse candidates.
Rush has a hard time accepting the racist notion that Arab nations do not deserve freedom. He sees Ron Paul as a man who fights windmills and then fights the wrong ones. I mean who else equates Mexican illegal immigrants to terrorists while at the same time wanting to shut down Gitmo and foreign bases that fight the real terrorists?
If a guy like me can slam Ron Paul this easily immagine the pros doing it.
Can there be any doubt that Ron Paul is who this country needs? A man of the utmost integrity and a man of humility. But most importantly, a man with the right ideas – of tolerance, of love, of freedom, and – of course – of the people.
Ron Paul is in the thick of this race. Almost 30,000 proud Americans already have cast their ballots for Ron Paul in both Iowa and New Hampshire:
1. Romney 103,755 30%
2. McCain 102,361 29%
3. Huckabee 66,876 19%
4. Paul 29,648 9%
5. Giuliani 24,151 7%
6. Thompson 18,712 5%
Note to the statist, you are incorrect in your assertion that Ron Paul is a pacifist. Ron Paul is very aware that war can be necessary for issues of national security and he understands there are times to declare war. He also understands that most of the military actions we have taken in the last 50 years have had nothing to do with the national security of the United States. Ron Paul would does not want to see American soldiers die for other countries or the United Nations and as a veteran I agree with him on this point.
I also can not agree with you that Rush Limbaugh is libertarian in any way. This is a matter of opinion of course, but until Rush stops supporting government intervention in our personal lives I can not see calling him libertarian at all. Rush is a typical Neocon, he pretends to want the government to stay out of our business and opposes "Universal Healthcare" but at the same time wants the government to intervene in the personal medical decisions of someone like Terri Schiavo.
Rush Limbaugh is against freedom unless it is on his terms.
The Neocons like Rush will continue to propose we fight in countries 6000 miles away while leaving our borders wide open and then want us to believe that they are interested in our national security. This defies all logic. It has been 331 weeks since 9/11/2001. I wonder how many terrorist might have entered our country through our wide open border. If only one terrorist crossed our border each month that means we have more than 80 new terrorists inside of the United States.
Do you think Osama bin Laden is smart enough to fly his soldiers to Mexico instead of Iraq?
But of course, you are probobly one of the ignoramuses that thinks Rush is for an open border, he is not. He is as bad as Ron Paul on that one. Mexicans are not terrorists. Do you want Oklahoma to build a wall arround their state to keep out Timmothy McVeigh? Terrorists can be both foriegn and domestic. Ron Paul is only worried about the Mexican border.
Funny how this same man wants to close down Gitmo, foreign bases that opress statist nations, and abandon the people of Iraq, thinks that Mexicans are terrorists. He couldn't be further from the truth.
Also, just because you are a veteran means nothing. You are better than nobody. Saying that your a veteran makes you as bad as the Neocans that you so hate. The only reason that I can say this is of course due to the fact that I've been to Iraq and I am a veteran.
Want to comment on this
article? Leave your comment here. Your email address is
required to track your comment. However, we will neither
publish your email address nor distribute it to other
organizations or persons. The only reason we might use
it would be if we needed to contact you regarding your
comment. All comments are subject to our
terms of use policy.
