In the Times, Frank Bruni asks, Must We Dance on Rush Limbaugh’s Grave?
This is the wrong question.
The right question is “How deadly was his life?”
His millions of listeners were fed lies and invective for over thirty years, but his last year was his most lethal. His COVID mockery led to sickness and death — not just for his audience, who gathered at biker and Trump rallies, but to strangers, including health care workers — innocent victims of Rush’s and Trump’s words. Throughout the year Dittoheads, yelling, singing, breathing and coughing on each other, went forth to infect innocent neighbors, relatives, teachers, students and health care workers.
Rolling Stone summarizes, in Rush Limbaugh Did His Best to Ruin America:
“The coronavirus is the common cold, folks.” . . . “Drudge has a screaming headline: ‘Flight attendant working LAX tests positive.’ ” Limbaugh pitched his voice up as high as it could go, mocking the (gay) news-aggregator: “Oh, my God, 58 cases! Oh, my God. Oh, my God!”
. . .
So forget about the “staged overrunning of hospitals” being used to inflate the coronavirus numbers. Pay no heed to Dr. Anthony Fauci, that known “Hillary Clinton sympathizer” working to “get rid of Donald Trump.” Don’t go around looking like a “mask-wearing freak.” Instead, gird yourself for battle.
The problem, Frank Bruni, is not liberals’ incivility upon the death of someone like Limbaugh. The problem is people like Limbaugh are treated with too much deference and respect when they were alive and after they are dead.
Too few people called out Limbaugh and Trump for the lethal recklessness of their COVID behavior. For their yelling, singing, breathing and coughing on each other, then going forth to infect innocent neighbors, relatives, teachers, students and health care workers: For their depraved indifference to human life.
Too few people plainly said how much blood they have on their hands.
I’m not dancing on his grave.
I’m mourning those who died from his lies.
Update: Here are two prior stories of mine on Rush:
Rush Limbaugh was no Lee Atwater: Unrepentant, his last year was his deadliest.
That time Michael Steele apologized to Rush Limbaugh