What Happened to You, Rush?

What Happened to You, Rush?
Posted on January 9, 2012 by LHR, Jr.

Writes John Tonnemacher:

I started listening to you in 1988. You were on the same station as Sean Hannity (he was the local guy), in Huntsville, Al. I was a Reagan conservative, who had graduated from college in 1982. I was so thrilled to find you, because you espoused the concepts of limited government and the Constitution. You spoke to me as no one else could. We used to order lunch in at our office and watch your television show. We were dyed-in-the-wool conservatives and you were our "leader". I have been a life-long "conservative", I supported both Gulf Wars because this had to be, and it was in our "best interest." I happily voted for George W Bush two times.

A funny thing happened in GW's 2nd term. While I never considered him a rock-ribbed conservative, he was the man to "protect us". That didn't mean I agreed with him on everything, I didn't. He was too much of "big government guy" and his spending, honestly, unnerved me. Your unwavering support for him, even in the areas of "big government" caused me pause. What happened to the Rush I knew that talked about limited government and the Constitution? I quit listening to you because I felt like I wasn't getting the straight scoop anymore, and you were becoming the "media type" you always railed against. I held my nose and voted for John McCain, another "big government guy.". I watched as Republicans supported TARP, and bailed out GM and Chrysler -- which I opposed, even though my livelihood is tied to the automotive industry. I found out we went into Iraq under false pretenses, based on the lying information of a defector and a false notion of "nation-building". I thank God both of my nephews made it back from Iraq safe, and I grieve for the parents of those killed, due to people like me buying the propaganda that we needed to go in there because of an imminent threat. I have voted a straight Republican ticket my entire life. I was thrilled the House turned over in 2010 by the sea change inspired by Obama, and understood, finally, we were going to see action. Most all of them, voted in favor of raising the debt ceiling, and could only find cuts amounting to roughly $3.8B out of a $3T budget. All of these things helped me to understand that the game is rigged. All of the great inspiring talk you and others throw out there mean nothing. It is the same old, same old.

You continually trash Dr. Paul, and he is the one person that aspires to represent the things you used to espouse, back those many years ago -- "limited government and the Constitution". You used to talk about the "marketplace of ideas", of which Dr. Paul is the one candidate who plays in that arena. The cast of characters in the Republican field, outside of Dr. Paul, is the same old washed up bullcarp (pardon my French). I am 53 years old, love what this country was founded on, and fears for my children and granddaughter. You paint us all as some kind of "whack jobs". Maybe so, but am I a "whack job" because I believe in those things that made America the unique experiment in human history?

Brush me off as someone who doesn't get it, but I am finally living and breathing my conscience and listening to the voice of liberty that has been pinging me for a very long time. I support Dr. Paul, and long that, even if he isn't given the nomination, his ideas will cause this country to right itself and turn back to it's roots. The cause of liberty is God-given and I am all in. Mock us if you will, but there are many more like me out here, and Romney isn't going to make it without us. My days of voting for the lesser of two evils is over.