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One of the most….

Revealing barometers of public opinion in the United States are the great number of national and local radio "talk shows"

by Albacete Lorenzo



Revealing barometers of public opinion in the United States are the great number of national and local radio "talk shows" in which listeners call in to express their opinions on all sorts of issues. The most popular of all is devoted mostly to politics, and is hosted by Rush Limbaugh, one of the most controversial commentators of the American political world. Limbaugh (or just simply "Rush" as he is called by his millions of followers) is a conservative, who has taken it upon himself to educate Americans in the principles of conservative thinking. A humorist, he claims to be the founder, president, and only teacher of the "Limbaugh Institute for Conservative Thought," whose talent "on loan from God" allows him to be always at the "cutting edge of social evolution." Hated by Democrats and Liberals, Limbaugh conducts a daily national conversation or seminar on their errors and sins. Limbaugh, however, is not an ideological fanatic. He understands the need for political tactics, and sometimes,
compromises. "What is important is to win elections," he says. "If you don't win you have no power and therefore your philosophy and views may be correct, but without power they are effectively useless." For this reason, Rush has been a strong defender of President George W. Bush against the suspicion of many conservatives that the President is not one of them, that he is merely the instrument of the Republican establishment of powerful and rich corporate leaders.


For this reason, it is interesting to see how during the past week or so, Limbaugh himself has been saying that he is worried about the President's fidelity to the conservative agenda, and that what Bush's defenders say are necessary compromises are in fact capitulations to liberals and Democrats. Strongly supportive of Bush's leadership in the war against terrorism, a popular cause across the political spectrum, Limbaugh thinks the President is not showing the willingness to spend some of his popularity in defense of the conservative domestic agenda. He gives as examples the President's support for an Education bill that increased Federal spending and involvement on education, his acceptance of the creation of a new Federal bureaucracy of airport security investigators, his willingness to stimulate the economy through increased Federal spending , and his weak opposition to a Campaign Reform Bill passed by Congress that significantly reduces the possibility of interest groups donating money for the election of political candidates willing to fight for their views.


It is clear that as the congressional elections approach, conservatives are worried that the President's popularity will not translate into votes for their candidates. Instead of trying to show that Democrats are wrong saying that he is a great war leader but not competent to solve domestic problems, conservatives think Bush should oppose Democratic domestic policies as irresponsible and in fact inconsistent with the war efforts. Conservatives have never liked the Bushes, with their roots (in spite of all their claims to be Texans) in the Northeast Republican establishment, and now they are wondering whether the present Bush President is not just another Bush.