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Rush Limbaugh in Love with Fascist Political Tactics

How do you think Mr. Limbaugh would respond if a bunch of Democrats started riots at the Republican National Convention in order to sow fear and chaos in the minds of the American public? Don’t you think he would find that kind of behavior to be un-American at best? In fact, I would bet money that if Democrats used violence in pursuit of political power, Mr. Limbaugh would be quite shrill in his condemnation of such tactics. And yet . . .

Talk show host Rush Limbaugh is sparking controversy again after he made comments that appear to call for riots in Denver during the Democratic National Convention this summer.

He said the riots would ensure a Democrat is not elected as president, and his listeners have a responsibility to make sure it happens.

“Riots in Denver, the Democrat Convention would see to it that we don’t elect Democrats,” Limbaugh said during Wednesday’s radio broadcast. He then went on to say that’s the best thing that could happen to the country.

[From Rush Limbaugh ‘Dreaming’ Of Riots In Denver – Denver News Story – KMGH Denver]

When you start urging violence as a political tool, as a tactic to disrupt a political party you don’t agree with, you are heading down a path that leads straight to the heart of fascism. As “has_te” points out over at Pandagon’s discussion of Limbaugh’s statements, political violence was the modus operandi of Hitler’s Brownshirts. For those who don’t remember:

They were the thugs Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) used in their drive to power: beating up opponents; destroying polling booths; driving off opposition party voters at the polls; stealing ballot boxes; attacking and trashing opposition party headquarters; and generally brutalizing anybody who dared to oppose their beloved fuehrer.

[From Brownshirts on the March]

There should be a public and non-partisan outcry over Limbaugh’s statements. As a mouthpiece for Conservatives and the Political Right, Limbaugh wields considerable influence – and increasingly that influence is being crafted in the language of violence and fascism.

I was really disgusted to hear his call for the riots, and I couldn’t just do nothing, so I decided to create a petition that I am going to deliver to the Republican National Committee’s Chair, Mike Duncan. The petition urges the RNC to publicly denounce the tactics urged by Limbaugh in order to ensure the public that the Republican Party still has some semblance of respect for the democratic process.

Below is the link to the petition. I hope you will take a few moments to read the letter and sign the petition and maybe even a few more extra minutes telling some friends about it. I really do see this as a non-partisan issue, even though I see myself as a progressive, and I hope that people of all political persuasions will join with me in urging the RNC to distance itself from the brutish, bullying and un-American voice of Rush Limbaugh.

If you don’t have Java enabled on your browser, you can go to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/republicans-to-denounce-limbaugh to see the petition and the letter.

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