Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Freethinker

Home
Nonreligious
Prayer fails to save Rush Limbaugh, who helped ‘ruin America’

Prayer fails to save Rush Limbaugh, who helped ‘ruin America’

Last updated on: February 18, 2021 at 3:56 pm by Barry Duke

Prayer fails to save Rush Limbaugh, who helped ‘ruin America’ 2021-02-18T15:56:46+02:00 Barry Duke

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Images via YouTube & Wiki CC (Gage Skidmore)

LAST October – after learning that far-right-American social commentator and conspiracy theorist par excellence Rush Limbaugh, right, had lung cancer – evangelist Lance Wallnau, left, ‘banished the demon of cancer in Jesus’s name,’ saying in this video that prayers would give Rush a ‘life extension.’

Turns out it was a short extension. Yesterday the “talk radio icon” and cigar connoisseur snuffed it aged 70.

Conservative media outlets are heaping tributes on him, and Fox News reported that Trump, who awarded the provocative broadcaster a Presidential Medal of Freedom last February, said:

There aren’t too many legends around, but he is a legend. He had tremendous insight. He got it, he really got it.

But Rolling Stone portrays Limbaugh in a far different light, and its report of his death – under the headline “Rush Limbaugh Did His Best to Ruin America” – doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the lunatic.

A lengthy piece penned by Doug Mills reveals that Limbaugh got off his sick bed after the Capitol riot to declare that there was no riotious insurrection on January 6 because Republicans don’t have a violent bone in their bodies.

Yeah, I know they breached the doors and took some selfies. These are Republicans, they don’t raise mayhem. They don’t know how.

But way before he helped put America on the path to Trumpism “with his bigotry and cruelty,” Limbaugh already had a reputation for years of stoking racism, misogny and homophobia.

And he was horrified when Obama came to power.

Mills wrote:

During Obama election campaign, Limbaugh mostly took the old-school route, trotting out racial-stereotype ‘jokes’ (‘If Obama weren’t black, he’d be a tour guide in Hawaii’) and ‘parodies‘ (‘Barack the Magic Negro’.). But something snapped in Limbaugh, just as surely as in his listeners, when the black man won.

Four days before the inauguration of the popular and historic new president, Limbaugh told his listeners that he’d been asked by The Wall Street Journal to join others in writing 400 words on their hopes for Obama’s next four years. Limbaugh said he only needed four: ‘I hope he fails.’

Mills added:

Limbaugh is routinely credited with ‘paving the way for a President Trump,’ the same way he’s characterized as ‘helping move the Republican Party to the right. But it went much deeper than that, on both counts.

Limbaugh served as a sort of original model for Trump – the comic-blowhard authoritarian who provides endless entertainment, infallible-though-incredible wisdom, and marching orders for the tribe. And by 2015, he’d helped nudge and bully the party not toward some kind of hardcore conservatism, but in a radically nihilistic direction.

When COVID-19 came rolling into America, Limbaugh was:

Leading the parade of Covid-19 denial and deflection with a quote that would echo through the right-wing chamber for months to come: ‘The coronavirus is the common cold, folks.’ Limbaugh turned Covid-19 into a culture war, a partisan litmus test – and one that would have particularly deadly consequences in red-state America, of course, once summer rolled around and the ‘common cold’ had somehow not magically disappeared.

Mask wearing was a ‘symbol of fear,’ he preached from the start; taking precautions against the virus was downright unpatriotic.

Moving on to the Democrats’ victory, Limbaugh described Joe Biden as “a placeholder” – a man suffering old-age mental deficiencies that are going to make it impossible for him to carry out presidential duties daily, and there was a grand plot to appoint Kamala “Kommie” Harris dictator of a new socialist regime.

Mills concluded:

The debate over whether Limbaugh really meant his bullshit will no doubt be revived now that lung cancer has taken the man who once, while denying the dangers of smoking, declared, ‘I want a medal for smoking cigars!

But what matters isn’t ultimately why Limbaugh used his extraordinary talents to lead white America into the arms of Trump; it’s the reality of the smoking ruins left behind after his three decades as white America’s talker-in-chief.

The Pandora’s box of right-wing nuttery that Limbaugh brought into the mainstream will be loose on the land for the foreseeable future. There’s no putting the lid back on it now.

But back to Texas-based Wallnau. Today on YouTube he made no reference to his “banishment” of Limbaugh’s cancer and said he said he would never have imagined waking up to world without Trump and Limbaugh.

He described Limbaugh as being “a secular prophet” in the same way that Winston Churchill was.

Hat tip: Angela_K.

• Please report any typos/errors to [email protected]

If you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee – and boy, do I get through a LOT of coffee keeping this site active – please click the link below.

I’d love a cup of coffee

Previous Post

February 17, 2021

Neo-fascism raises its ugly head in Madrid; Jews targeted

Next Post

February 18, 2021 'Blasphemy expert' called to testify at Polish musician's trial

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Archive My Atheism News Opinion Reviews Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 March 2007 April 2006 February 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will do what?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Worship Sing Prophesy Rejoice

Books by This Author Books by The Freethinker

See All Titles »