Until today, I had not had the chance to listen to Rush Limabaugh since he returned from a drug rehabilitation program. However, thanks to a three hour drive between Nashville and home, I got to listen to almost all the show today.
Like most people, I wondered if anything about him would change. Would the experience of the past few weeks cause him to lose the skills that had made him popular and controversial at the same time.
As I listened to the show today, I heard that liberals were bad and conservatives were good. At least that hadn't changed. I was worried that rehab would turn him into a cross between Jimmy Carter and a commune dweller. I also heard that the Democrat party was trapped in its past. So far so good.
Then e-mailers and callers tried to goad him into discussing the Michael Jackson situation. It was then that I heard a change. A subtle change, but a change nonetheless. Rush said that his one thought when hearing all the accusations and pontificating concerning Jackson was, "What if he didn't do it?"
Yes, the guy who derided the jury for acquitting O. J. Simpson said that he was concerned about a rush to judgment in the Michael Jackson case. For too long, it had bothered me that admirers of Ayn Rand never worried about an overzealous law enforcement. Conservatives forgot their distrust of government when it came to police matters. I became used to seeing conservative pundits and judges make excuses for the excesses of law enforcement.
Rush was part of that. Yet, here he was today, refusing to condemn Michael Jackson and reminding everyone that he hasn't been convicted of anything. I did see a change in him, and I must say I approve.
1 comment:
Yes, I think Rush has changed as well - and for the better. I'm sure his commentarys will be much more thought-provoking for conservatives, and more frustrating for the liberals. We'll see how this whole thing plays out with Rush.
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