The hysteria over Rush Limbaugh and his desire to see Obama fail is a futile distraction Democrats should ignore. As with Ann Coulter and any other extremist, let them speak and dig their own grave. The vast majority of the American people are smart enough to ignore them.
For starters, it is difficult for most Democrats to claim the high road on this issue. Many secretly and not-so-secretly hoped for Bush to fail. Today Fox News reported that on the morning of September 11, 2001, before the attacks, James Carville said he hoped President Bush would fail.
Regardless of who is doing it, openly hoping for the country’s leader to fail is counterproductive. It will not accomplish anything positive while simultaneously appearing divisive and petty.
People like Limbaugh and Coulter (and Carville) eagerly seek attention and will say anything to get it. Headlines trump everything, be it ethics, logic or decorum. Acknowledging their comments and attempting to refute what they say merely stoops to their level and plays right into their hands.
Rush’s loyal listeners will never be swayed. They believe he can do no wrong. The more he is attacked, the stronger they support him. To them any negative coverage is further proof of a “liberal media bias.”
To everyone else, Limbaugh’s comments speak loud and clear. The man routinely says things that are far worse than hoping for a president to fail. He stated that James Earl Ray deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor. Rush also claimed that slavery was good for the South and therefore had its merits.
If Republican politicians are unwilling to speak out against a proud racist, they will continue to lose elections. Like it or not, America is getting more and more diverse. Allowing people like Limbaugh to represent your political party is a gift to the opposition.
It is true that Limbaugh and Coulter have millions of devoted followers (as evidenced by his listeners and her book sales). However, as astute political observers have already pointed out, the number is nowhere near what is required to win national elections.
In light of ongoing economic turmoil, not to mention our health care and foreign policy challenges, the best course of action for Democrats is to ignore Limbaugh and his ilk as much as possible. Let him battle it out with Michael Steele and the rest of the Republican Party. They can fight while Democrats focus on more serious matters.
