Michael Medved Calls Out Palin, Limbaugh For Alleging Obama Tries To Weaken U.S.
In today’s Wall Street Journal, conservative commentator Michael Medved goes after Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and other conservatives for deploying exaggerated rhetoric and “distasteful” criticism of President Obama, which Medved finds to be “destructive to the conservative cause.” However, what surprisingly seems lost on Medved is that when Limbaugh and Palin truly believe Obama’s policies will harm the country, their vocal distrust of Obama’s motives hardly destroys the conservative movement, it invigorates it.
Medved argues:
“Regardless of the questionable pop psychology of this analysis, as a political strategy it qualifies as almost perfectly imbecilic. Republicans already face a formidable challenge in convincing a closely divided electorate that the president pursues wrong-headed policies. They will never succeed in arguing that those initiatives have been cunningly and purposefully designed to wound the republic.”
Yet conservative critics of Obama are sincerely concerned with the future of the country, rather than what might be the best political strategy. When Obama gave speeches abroad that millions of Americans thought downplayed American exceptionalism or when he continues to speak domestically of the need for universal healthcare and other government programs to promote a more fair and just society, these are just some of the positions that Limbaugh, Palin and others truly do believe will weaken America’s image abroad and greatness at home as a self-reliant society. Therefore, when Limbaugh and Palin loudly voice the concerns of many Americans who believe policies alternate to what Obama promotes will strengthen America, then why exactly would Medved advocate their silence, or even any restraint, on the issue?
Medved worries that characterizations of Obama as someone evil with a “diabolical master plan for national destruction disregards the powerful reverence for the White House,” yet most conservatives who forcefully rail against Obama’s policies do so precisely because they continue to hold the office of the President in such high esteem. And it’s their forceful critique of Obama’s policies which they believe will best preserve the power and prestige of the White House in the future. Therefore, while any assertion that Obama himself is evil and literally wants the complete destruction of America is clearly over-the-top and unproductive, any proposal that Obama’s policies are weakening America (as Limbaugh and Palin energetically suggest) is an opinion which Medved is certainly allowed to disagree with, but is not one he should be labeling as illegitimate.
Check out Medved’s Wall Street Journal Op-Ed.
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
