Responding To Political Hatred (Medal of Freedom Edition)

A friend has been noting a couple times that people should stop with the political hate. Posting this:

You see, a lot of people treat their Facebook like another version (private version) of themselves… with no regard to others who may be friends, family, co-workers, or the like.  As I often do, I wonder if they are talking about me… but I post pretty mainstream stuff — nothing from crazy conspiracy sites like Alex Jones, or the like. And when I do post something from Mark Dice or Paul Joseph Watson, I ALWAYS include the following:

  • While I like their rants (Paul Watson, Mark Dice, and others) and these commentaries hold much truth in them, I do wish to caution you… he is part of Info Wars/Prison Planet network of yahoos, a crazy conspiracy arm of Alex Jones shite. Also, I bet if I talked to him he would reveal some pretty-crazy conspiratorial beliefs that would naturally undermine and be at-odds-with some of his rants. Just to be clear, I do not endorse these people or orgs.

But, I do not typically post on others walls unless family or friends start posting incessantly about the following… calling [essentially] me for my vote, one of the following (or any combination thereof): sexist, intolerant, xenophobic, homophobic, Islamophobic, racist, bigoted (S.I.X.H.I.R.B.)

HILLARY’S version:

“You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic—you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up.”

When I disagree, I try to keep it civil… like I was talking to someone in a line at the local grocery store, with others (kids) present. As one can see from my CONVERSATION SERIES, I keep it full of facts, evidence, and a modicum of civility. So I realized that the call to civility on a friends Facebook was not about me, as I have never (beyond maybe a birthday wish) really interacted with said “old-school acquaintance/friend.”

And I also know in our current political melee “political hate” is in the eye of the beholder. For instance, I realize that some of the time I am dealing with a person in the following category:

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 59% of Likely U.S. Voters disagree with the following statement – “Vote for Donald Trump, and you are a racist.”  Twenty-nine percent (29%) agree with the statement, while 12% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

But a closer look finds that 49% of Democrats think Trump voters are racist, compared to 13% of Republicans and 23% of voters not affiliated with either major party.

(RASMUSSEN)

So often times, someone who virulently believes multiple categories about me as a person as exemplified in the “SIXHIRB” above, is someone who I cannot have a reasonable conversation with. And when I do, it is because a friend invited me to respond or I am showing a reasonable/logical response from an opposing party to help change the minds of others watching said conversation.

But NOW I was curious as a cat. So I read the replies and found one that said: “I post a lot of animal stuff too… so I’m not gonna unfriend you… Because I LOVE YOU!”

To me it sounded like an admission… so I clicked over to this persons wall. NOT that this person was the culprit… but I was merely curious. This is the kinda stuff I found:

All I can say is that the above is one of the reasons why winning in 2020 will be easier than in 2016. People are visiting this person’s wall and saying to themselves, “wow, if this is the state of the party I belong to… I don’t feel like voting.” The up-and-come front runner for the Democrat Party said this of me:

  • “Is it racist to vote for Trump?” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked the South Bend., Ind., mayor [Pete Buttigieg] on Sunday. “Well, at best, it means looking the other way on racism.”

I realize many people BELIEVE this crap. But in a good c-o-n-v-e-r-s-a-t-i-o-n, it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. I mean, Rush’s producer, “Bo Snerdly” (pictured to the right) founded an org to (as he put it): “…promises to ‘make Black Americans Republican again'” (WASHINGTON TIMES). So I don’t even wish to respond to the very demeaning and not true KKK meme.

So, I merely wish to post my response to the Scotts Bluff County Democratic Party “Meme” about the Tuskegee Airman. And this is why winning a conversation with the Left is easy.

FIRST, the Medal of Freedom is not one often given to war heroes… it is given to people — who unfortunately — donate to the campaigns of those in office. Or have really made an impact on culture. FOR INSTANCE, Oprah Winfrey created an audience of 20-million viewers and kept it at that number until she retired. So to has Rush Limbaugh done the same, to this day. These are the only people in media to do this. This is an amazing accomplishment. And what Rush has done for the base of the conservative movement and media is summed up well in Hugh Hewitt’s commentary:

SECOND, President Trump DID AWARD a more prestigious award to this Tuskegee Airman. For instance, the U.S. AIRFORCE notes:

Celebrating a 100th birthday is monumental in itself, but for retired Col. Charles E. McGee, shortly after this celebration he would reach yet another milestone in his successful career.

On Feb. 4, he found himself in the Oval Office at the White House being promoted to brigadier general by President Donald Trump.

“At first I would say ‘wow,’ but looking back, it would have been nice to have had that during active duty, but it didn’t happen that way,” McGee said. “But still, the recognition of what was accomplished, certainly, I am pleased and proud to receive that recognition and hopefully it will help me carry on as we try to motivate our youth in aviation and space career opportunities.”

Why give him the lowly regarded “Medal of Freedom” when you can give a more substantive award?

THIRDLY, here are some examples of Obama’s Medal of Freedom recipients — sorry for the LONG excerpt from PJ-MEDIA’S post:

The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a president can bestow on a civilian, was instituted by President John F. Kennedy. Obama awarded the most such medals of any president, giving out 123. Many of Obama’s recipients arguably deserved the award, including Bill and Melinda Gates, John Glenn, Stephen Hawking, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Sidney Poitier. Obama also gave the award to Republicans like former President George H.W. Bush.

Yet a surprisingly large number of Obama’s Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients turned out to be campaign donors for both Obama and his hand-picked successor, Hillary Clinton. At least 17 of his donors received the honor, including tennis star Billie Jean King, author Toni Morrison, former President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, actress Meryl Streep, musician Stevie Wonder, actress Barbara Streisand, director Stephen Spielberg, singer/songwriter James Taylor, actor Tom Hanks, basketball legend Michael Jordan, actor Robert De Niro, singer/singwriter Bruce Springsteen, the aforementioned Gateses, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, and architect Frank Gehry.

The former president seems to have had a penchant for awarding celebrities. In addition to those previously mentioned, he awarded Robert Redford, Vin Scully, Gloria Estefan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and more.

Obama also awarded Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected leader in America — and a man credibly accused of statutory rape against a 16-year-old boy when he was in his 30s, as Matt Margolis has pointed out, both here on PJ Media and in his book The Scandalous Presidency of Barack Obama.

Obama awarded America’s highest civilian honor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2010, five years after her election. Was this just a friendly gesture, or did Obama receive something in return?

It also seems particularly rich for Joe Biden to complain about Limbaugh’s medal when the former vice president received one himself.

Yes, America’s first black president also awarded the honor to his vice president, Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. — mere days before Trump’s inauguration! Only one president had previously given the medal to his sitting vice president: Gerald Ford gave it to Nelson Rockefeller after Rockefeller agreed to serve as vice president after Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace following the devastating Watergate scandal.

If Obama gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Robert De Niro, Trump can give it to the “oh so offensive” Rush Limbaugh. De Niro has launched into many profanity-laced tirades against Trump, most recently saying he wants to “see a bag of sh*t” in the president’s face. He has called Trump a “white supremacist” and said the president tends toward fascism. His attacks on Trump date back at least as far as 2011, and in 2012 he received a rebuke from Michelle Obama’s staff for a racially-charged joke at a fundraiser, four years before receiving the medal.

Rush Limbaugh is no mere conservative pundit. The trailblazing AM radio personality has influenced talk radio and conservatism for a generation, and millions are indebted to him — even liberal radio hosts who may hate his guts.

Limbaugh also made Trump palatable when conservatives like yours truly stubbornly refused to get on board. As my colleague, Jim Treacher, puts it, “as a RINO cuck traitor who probably wanted Hillary to win,” I was most unhappy with Rush backing the blustering New York billionaire. I am very happy to admit I was wrong — although I had good reasons to distrust Trump until he started fulfilling his promises as president.

Contrary to much liberal gnashing of teeth, Trump did not sully the Presidential Medal of Freedom by awarding it to Rush Limbaugh. As with so many supposed Trump scandals, Obama actually did the thing Trump is accused of doing, and far worse than what Trump did.

Limbaugh is a giant, and his accomplishments deserve to be rewarded. If Obama can use it to reward his donors, his European allies, and his vice president (on one of his last days in office), Trump can use it to honor the radio giant Rush Limbaugh….

Here some other early morning radio peeps talking about Rush:

  • Rush Limbaugh is no doubt, the godfather of talk radio and has been at the top of the pile for decades and decades. So it only makes sense when someone like him drops some major news, he makes the top of the headlines for days. He is conservative broadcasting and single-handedly saved the am band and invented modern talk radio. Watch this clip to hear the gang recall their favorite Rush moments and what he’s meant to their careers.