‘Rush Limbaugh…I Hope His Kidneys Fail’

David C. Stolinsky, MD
May 14, 2009

At the annual White House correspondents’ dinner, speakers “roast” the President. But at the recent dinner, President Obama was let off with minimal criticism, while conservatives were “roasted.”

“Comedian” Wanda Sykes expressed the wish that Sean Hannity be waterboarded by a Pakistani. Next she took Rush Limbaugh’s remark that he hoped President Obama would fail in his efforts to socialize the American economy, and twisted it into a desire that America fail. She continued:

Rush Limbaugh, “I hope the country fails.” I hope his kidneys fail.

Granted, the great majority of mainstream journalists and show-business people are liberal. But hoping that someone would suffer a slow death is pure hatred. And this hatred is expressed publicly, in front of the President and First Lady − who laughed. Watch the video. Wishing for the slow death of conservatives is now acceptable behavior by those who call themselves “liberals.”

For eight years, President Bush endured correspondents’ dinners at which he was mercilessly “roasted.” But no speaker called for the slow death of a critic of the President. Wish that Dan Rather or Keith Olbermann would suffer liver failure? Never. But now, wish that Rush Limbaugh would suffer kidney failure? No problem.

Conservatives believe liberals are naive, ill-informed and foolish. But liberals believe conservatives are destructive, vicious and evil. So liberals find nothing wrong with calling conservatives “Nazis.” What did we do with Nazis? We killed as many of them as we could until their power was destroyed. Calling someone a “Nazi” is implying that they should be killed.

I was called a “Nazi” by a colleague. How did expressing conservative views make me a supporter of totalitarianism and mass murder of political opponents? I never said anything remotely resembling that. So where did he get the idea?

On another occasion, I was discussing gun control with friends. One abruptly ended the discussion by declaring, “The reason people own guns is that they really want to kill blacks.”

In fact, many African Americans own guns for protection from criminals. In the past, many used guns for protection from Klansmen. Roy Innis, head of the Congress of Racial Equality, is on the board of the National Rifle Association. I assume that, being black, he doesn’t “really want to kill blacks.”

No one said anything about killing blacks. Where did my friend get that notion?

Republicans have been called “mad dogs” and “night riders.” Republicans are accused of wanting to “starve children” and “take away medicine from the elderly.” Justice Clarence Thomas has been called a “serial murderer,” while commentator Bill O’Reilly has been compared to “Bin Laden.” Wanda Sykes called Rush Limbaugh a “traitor” who might have been the “20th hijacker” on 9/11.

Where do liberals get the idea that conservatives want to murder those who disagree with them?

Projection is a psychological mechanism in which unwanted thoughts or emotions are attributed to others. In this way, people avoid feeling guilty for these feelings. It is common to attribute bad motives to political opponents. But if we come to believe these accusations ourselves, the mechanism becomes pathologic. It can silence legitimate debate on which democracy depends, just as my friend cut off our discussion of gun control.

An example of projection is our attitude toward race. Before the 1960s, a liberal was one who believed that all people are equal and who advocated a color-blind society. But since the 1960s, it is “liberal” to push for racial quotas in college admissions and employment.

Why do white liberals believe that African Americans and Hispanics need their help to get ahead, but Asian Americans don’t? If racial preferences are removed from college admissions, black and Hispanic admissions drop, but white admissions rise only slightly. The greatest gain is in Asian admissions.

Why is it “liberal” for whites to discriminate against Asians to benefit blacks and Hispanics? Isn’t it clear that liberal whites believe that whites and Asians are smarter than blacks or Hispanics? So who really are the racists?

But liberals won’t admit to racist feelings. These unwanted feelings must be projected onto conservatives. It’s they who are “racists.” They own guns because they “really want to kill blacks.” They think African-Americans and Hispanics are stupid.

Have you ever heard a conservative call a soldier who was killed in action an “idiot,” the way liberal cartoonist Ted Rall insulted the memory of Pat Tillman?

Have you ever heard a conservative say of someone she disagreed with, “I hope he’s not long for this world,” the way NPR’s Nina Totenberg referred to Gen. Jerry Boykin?

Have you ever heard a conservative hope for the death of a Supreme Court justice, the way ABC’s Julianne Malveaux said of Clarence Thomas, “I hope his wife feeds him lots of eggs and butter, and he dies early like many black men do, of heart disease”?

Have you ever heard a conservative call for the assassination of a liberal member of Congress, the way actor Alec Baldwin called for the “stoning to death” of conservative Rep. Henry Hyde?

Have you ever heard a conservative call for the murder of the head of a liberal organization, the way director Spike Lee called for the shooting with a “.44 Magnum” of Charlton Heston, then president of the National Rifle Association?

Have you ever heard a conservative pray for the death of a liberal commentator, the way pornographer Larry Flynt “prayed for the death” of conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly? (Prayed to whom?)

Have you ever heard a conservative ridicule a liberal’s health problems, they way liberals mocked Dick Cheney’s pacemaker, or made fun of John McCain’s difficulty in using a keyboard because of war wounds?

Have you ever heard a conservative hurl nasty insults at a beauty contestant because of her views on marriage, the way liberals call Carrie Prejean a “dumb bitch” with “half a brain,” and even belittle her humanity in revolting ways?

If conservatives made such vicious remarks, the media would rake them over the coals. But liberals get a pass. What does that say about the media?

A few years ago, the Los Angeles Times published a cartoon showing President Bush being hanged. The next week, it published a cartoon showing him being shot in the head. The editors saw nothing wrong with depicting a Republican President being assassinated. But will the paper publish a cartoon showing President Obama being assassinated? Are you joking?

Conservatives tend to see liberals as mistaken, so they want to educate them. But liberals tend to see conservatives as evil, so they want to overpower them, control them, and − in the extreme − kill them.

If liberals fantasize killing conservatives, it’s no wonder they believe conservatives want to kill them.

Conservatives are called “racist,” “uncaring,” “homophobic,” “sexist,” “anti-child,” “unconcerned with the elderly,” “anti-immigrant,” and even “Nazi.” A psychology journal compared Ronald Reagan and Rush Limbaugh to Hitler.

Reagan was president for eight years. Where were the death camps and the world war? Rush has been on the air for 20 years. When did he advocate genocide?

Conservatives have a right to ask, “You so-called liberals are very free with your accusations, but are you sure you aren’t blaming us for your own hostile feelings? Are you sure you aren’t projecting your own racism, sexism and homophobia onto us? Are you sure it isn’t you who want to kill those who disagree with you?”

If we confront our own hostile feelings, we will be less likely to project them onto others – and less likely to choke off legitimate debate and poison the democratic process.

No, I’m not a “Nazi.” Most gun owners don’t “really want to kill blacks.” Justice Thomas isn’t a “serial murderer.” Bill O’Reilly doesn’t resemble “Bin Laden,” Rudy Giuliani doesn’t resemble “Mussolini,” and Rush Limbaugh doesn’t resemble “Hitler.” I can’t stand Keith Olbermann, but never − not once − did I hope he develops a fatal disease.

Such accusations give us a window into the mind of the accuser. It isn’t a pretty sight. Rather than hoping that conservatives develop kidney failure, liberals should worry about heart failure. Being heartless is an odd quality for those who claim to be “caring” and “tolerant.”

Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Liberals control the White House, both houses of Congress and many courts. They control most newspapers, as well as ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN and National Public Radio. They control Hollywood. They control most schools and universities. It does not speak well of liberals that they control all this, yet they are still filled with rage at those who dare to disagree with them.

Dr. Stolinsky writes on political and social issues. He can be contacted at dstol@prodigy.net.

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