Colin Powell vs. Rush Limbaugh- NHB

In case you have not heard, Colin Powell and Rush Limbaugh are in the midst of a spat over the future of the Republican Party. Rush Limbaugh has been one of the four or five most influential men in my education toward who I am, so obviously I'm inclined to side with Rush. But, one thing Rush has taught is that it's stupid to blindly follow, instead we should think rationally and question the prevailing winds. And in this case, I've done that and still believe Rush is right in this battle.

Powell, in this case, represents the moderate Republican side, more concerned with winning and staying in power than with principles. People like outgoing Rep. Jim Ramstand (R) and former Presidential nominee John McCain (R) are examples of this side of the spectrum. On the other- Rush's- side of the spectrum we have principled conservatives like Barry Goldwater and Minnesota Representative John Kline.

"Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?" Powell asked in an interview. "Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instinct rather than our better instincts?"

There are so many different angles to take against Colin Powell's argument. I'll start with a structural argument against his logic.

First, if I follow Powell's logic, in order to fix the Republican party, we should stop listening to Rush Limbaugh, who represents the far-right wing part of the party. We should give up our conservative principles in order to win. There's a huge problem taking advice on how to fix the GOP from a guy who sabatoged the GOP's nominee in the weeks leading up to the 2008 Presidential election by formally endorsing the GOP's opponent Barack Obama. So, we should take the word of a man who voted for a far left winger in the party he does not belong to rather than a muddled "moderate conservative?"

The Republican party did not listen to Rush Limbaugh when it nominated John McCain. Rush lambasted the nominee repeatedly. The GOP nominated a weak, liberal Republican against the warnings of Rush Limbaugh. Then Powell votes for a very liberal Democrat instead of a moderate Republican like himself. Sounds like we can't continue to listen to moderate Republicans.

Also, in a attack typical of a "moderate," Powell says the GOP should stop listening to Rush because he appeals to our "lesser instincts." This is the kind of attack that average Americans who've never listened to Rush may hear and agree with, because of the mainstream media's portrayals of Rush as an evil white guy behind a microphone spewing racist hate. As a regular listener of Rush since I was 14 or 15, I can only say that Rush's program is the result of a deeply-held, passionate belief in conservatism. His conservatism is not simplistic or fear-mongering, as popularly believed by those who've never listened to his show. Rather, it is the culmination of a vast understanding of history, the world and humanity- as such.

Even his rather "questionable" parodies are the result of some intricate distinction he wishes to draw. Often in the parodies, he'll only report something racist one liberal says about another, wait 'til someone calls him a racist, wait until he's called a racist and then reveal his source. His show is deep; the casual, uninformed listener probably will not pickup on this.

I challenge anyone to listen to Rush's program with an open mind and they'll find him to be a funny, inspirational and devout defender of freedom and logic.

Powell seems to want the GOP to win elections by becoming more liberal. But then, when the GOP nominates a liberal for President, Powell votes for the Democrat nominee-an extreme liberal. And has the intestinal fortitude to blame it on Rush, someone whose been against McCain since the start? Pretty incoherent on Powell's part.

During the Republican Presidential primaries, one of my esteemed colleagues worked for and supported John McCain in his bid for the Presidency. We had some heated arguments over McCain. He said that having the lesser of two "evils," McCain, was OK because it was better than the alternative. And my argument to him: As conservatives, we must be prepared to lose a few elections. It's not that big of a deal. We need to purge the party of "Republicans" like Sessions and Ramstad. Fight for real, conservative, principles and eventually they will win.

The conservative ideology is the most compatible with human nature. Advocate for conservatism and stay true to it. The ideology's natural supremacy will shine through. But, be prepared to lose an election or two. It's not important that Republicans win elections if they are not conservative.

If socialism is an evil (it most certainly is), then we cannot compromise.