Apples, Oranges and Praise for Liberals

I'm going to sum up the purpose of today's post with an obscenely lengthy, comprehensive and rambling sentence analyzing liberals' contention that comedian Bill Maher using vile language to insult conservative women isn't the equivalent of Rush Limbaugh insulting a private citizen who testified before a House committee about the need for Jesuit-run Georgetown University to offer contraceptives in its healthcare plan, the laudable column written by liberal pundit Kirsten Powers about the media hypocrisy and double-standard when it comes to criticizing only conservatives who insult women and a surprising willingness to compromise on Medicare reform by normally flaming liberal Oregon Senator Ron Wyden.

Now THAT is a mouthful!

Let's begin with the Rush Limbaugh/Bill Maher comparison. First of all, I think what Rush said about Sandra Fluke was reprehensible and totally uncalled for.  He did apologize, but the damage was done. Maher, on the other hand, never apologized for referring to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin with two vile and crude four-letter-words used to describe part of the female anatomy. Moreover, Maher has a history of misogynistic statements about women with whom he disagrees ideologically, basically confirming my belief that flaming liberals — even those who are supposedly intelligent and articulate — often default to crude vulgarities because their arguments and convictions are so utterly lacking in substance, and this frustrates them to no end.

I heard a lame Democrat spinmeister claim that comparing Limbaugh to Maher is like comparing apples to oranges, for two reasons: Limbaugh insulted a private citizen, while Maher used vile language against a public figure (Sarah Palin); and Limbaugh is supposedly the official spokesman of the Republican Party (i.e., in the addled minds of liberals), while Maher is just a comedian. I think both arguments are pathetic.

This is basically mindless progressives grasping at straws, twisting themselves into pretzels to defend their side and criticize the opposition. First of all, Fluke had made a name for herself as a reproductive rights activist, and by testifying before a congressional panel, she pretty much sacrificed all semblance of being a private citizen. Secondly, Maher gave $1 million to Priorities USA Action, a political action committee advocating the reelection of Obama.  By doing so, he planted himself firmly in the public and political realm.

Just consider this hypothetical: Conservative comedian Dennis Miller, in spring 2008, calls Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton a couple of four-letter words (vulgar terms for a part of the female anatomy). He then donates $1 million to the John McCain for President PAC. Do you honestly think NBC/ABC/CBS/PBS/NY Times/Washington Post and the rest of the Beltway/liberal/left/elitists would not be outraged and blowing a gasket? 

Now, on to other portions of the gargantuan sentence...

Liberal pundit Kirsten Powers, a Fox News contributor who I don't mind watching because she "ain't too shabby" to put it mildly and has a reasonable personality, wrote an excellent column in The Daily Beast about the Democrat/liberal double-standard in lambasting Rush but giving Maher and other lefties a pass. She also castigated Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Ed Schultz and Rolling Stone dirtbag writer Matt Taibbi as lefty misogynists. Kudos, Kirsten; why can't more of your fellow libs be so open-minded?

And what about that Oregon progressive, Sen. Ron Wyden? Well, it seems he's willing to break away from his Left Coast ideologue colleagues and seek a common-sense compromise on Medicare with conservative Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Kudos to Wyden; it takes great courage to oppose the left/liberal/ Democrat/Beltway mindset. President Obama chose to ridicule and humiliate Ryan (blindsiding him after inviting him to have a front-row seat at a speech). But Wyden shows himself to be a man of principle who puts country ahead of party and petty partisanship.

Maybe there is still hope for our republic.

Comments

[Marcus Aurelius]

Thank god someone is willing to stand up for Rush Limbaugh.