Limbaugh: ‘Nationalism And Populism Have Overtaken Conservatism’ In GOP (Video)

[Paladin]

I have been listening to Rush for a long, long time.  I heard his very first talk program in Sacramento way back in the mid-80s and I have been listening since.

Doggone it, that certainly diminishes something I thought made me special. I heard Rush when he did his first national broadcast way back when. At the time he only had, what, 30 something stations subscribing to his show? I even called some Conservative friends and advised them they had to listen to him, he was that unique and interesting.

That, as fascinating as it may be, however, is not the main point I wish to make. For some time now Pat Buchanan has been making the point nationalism is an awakening force which is helping shape the international relations of our time. An example: From 2008, "The Return of Ethnic Nationalism" http://www.creators.com/conservative/pat-buchanan/the-return-of-ethnic-nationalism.html.

Recently he has written a piece which asks if Trump is the American representative of this developing phenomenon: "Is Trumpism the New Nationalism?"http://buchanan.org/blog/is-trumpism-the-new-nationalism-16413

Nationalism got a bad name after WWs I & II because it was seen as a major contributor to both conflicts. Besides, Leftist ideology has it that the working man has no real home beyond his class identity so nation states are irrelevant. Thus the cognoscenti downplayed nationalism if favor of multiculturalism and one worldism. Well, that bs may play at Harvard Square and at Davos, but in the real world of Cologne, Paris, and San Bernardino (among other things), it's a dying faith. Trump, consciously or unconsciously, may be a manifestation of the American awakening to that very fact.

[katzenjammer]

Good points, Paladin.  If anyone doesn't understand why Nationalism is making an upswing in this country, and hence can be found at times as parallels to what Rush has been talking about, hasn't really been paying close attention.

It is one of the things that still gives us, as a Nation, a shred of hope of surviving.  One need only look to Europe to see how decades of virtually unfettered globalist influence has worked out for the native European citizens.  I suspect that a lot of the surviving family members of the dead, and the living victims of the rapes, assaults, and other crimes, wish that a bit more Nationalism began to emerge within their countries several years (decades) ago.

[massadvj]

You make good points.  He definitely has devoted much more time to attacking the GOPe and railing on illegal immigration in the last few years.  And you're also right about his lessening his emphasis on conservative economics.

So, yes, it does seem that he has been drifting towards populism rather than making a hard turn with Trump.

I just keep thinking every time I listen to him..... why aren't you pointing out that Trump was for everything you were against and was against everything you were for just a short time ago?

I have thought of it as a selling out of his conservative soul.

But maybe you're right.  It's just to increase his audience.  Unfortunately, he losing me because I listened to him because of the very principles that he is now denying in order to 'explain' Trump.  And I can't be the only one.

I am sure that Rush, first and foremost, considers what he does a business and therefore tries as hard as he can not to antagonize his audience.  He knows Trump personally, and I am under the impression Rush likes the guy and trusts that he is conservative enough.  He also knows that most of the folks in his audience like either Trump or Cruz, and so he will not diss either one of them.