How many times can I write about Rush Limbaugh hitting a new low? So I’ll let direct you to Megan McArdle, Andrew Sullivan, Dallas Morning News columnist Rod Dreher, and Conor Friedersdorf, let them do it. And you can find some others on this page. I’ll just say: “Ditto.”
His fans will always insist, “You don’t get Rush.” Or “Rush was only joking.” Or they will go on the attack and try to discredit anyone who they doesn’t “get it” (oh, I think Rush’s critics do get it..) But it’s clear where he is going on this one.
Talk radio has some truly positive attributes (getting people more involved in politics, a rallying point for political parties to make their case, an outlet for free expression) but Limbaugh has come to reflect some of its most toxic aspects — and he is continuing his steady descent as his political influence solidifies and increases in the GOP’s rank and file. Limbaugh is to thoughtful, constructive dialogue and accuracy what diving into a septic tank is to healthy swimming.
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Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.