Regular readers will not be surprised to learn that I think David Frum’s Newsweek piece on the Trouble with Rush has a lot going for it. I admire David’s bravery in sticking to his guns. Bravery? Why what could be easier than selling out to the Mainstream Media and the Washington cocktail party set? Frum is Canadian Low-life! Since when was he a conservative anyway? The reaction to Frum’s criticisms of Limbaugh is telling: it’s the reaction of a party losing interest in governing.
Here for instance is Jay Nordlinger, writing at the Corner, claiming that “Rush’s politics are the politics of Reagan” and that William F Buckley “loved” Rush (I dare say he did, but as entertainer, not prophet I’d hazard). Nordlinger then whines:
Well, yes. Dog Bites Man rarely makes headlines; a civil war within a movement that had until recently prided itself upon its discipline and its ability to avoid the kind of circular firing squads that often folllowed Democratic defeats is obviously more newsworthy than “Republican criticises Democrat”.Funny how eager publications such as Newsweek are to publish conservatives’ criticisms of conservatives! Would that they were as eager to publish conservatives’ criticisms of liberals.
Nordlinger says that David Frum is one of his “favourite people”. But his piece is all about how great Limbaugh is and at pains to defend the broadcaster from Frum’s criticisms. At no point does Nordlinger seem to consider whether his friend might have a point. That is, he treats Frum’s critique as a kind of apostacy and so his faith in the Church of Rush remains undimmed and, for that matter, unquestioned. No surprise there, I guess. That’s the GOP for you these days.
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