Tolerance for political hypocrisy is destroying America. Hypocrisy is ignored by the hypocrites who commit acts of hypocrisy in the name of honoring their political tribe and its leaders.
Former President Bill Clinton was one of the highlighted speakers at the virtual Democratic Convention last night. In his speech, Clinton told voters in America that “if you want a president who defines the job as spending hours a day watching TV and zapping people on social media” then vote for President Trump. Clinton also said that “At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it is a storm center.”
Late night host Stephen Colbert commented on “The Late Show,” “But I don’t think Bill Clinton gets to lecture anyone on what should happen in the Oval Office.” Colbert continued: “Those in glass houses should not be allowed near interns.” I’m sure the many who define Stephen Colbert as a “liberal hack” were happy to hear his appropriate criticism of the former president.
While it is obvious that the source of a comedian’s comedy stems from his personal political beliefs – most great comedians are as interested in a good joke as they are about using comedy to promote their politics.
Colbert is right – who the hell is former President Bill Clinton to talk about behavior in the Oval Office when his own actions should have led to the nickname “Oral Office”?
While that political hypocrisy is in the news – so is the blatant hypocrisy of radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. A Medal of Freedom recipient, Rush Limbaugh mentioned a story about a fake campaign button for the Biden/Harris ticket that read, “Joe and the Hoe.”
Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris apparently dated former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown 25 years ago. Their relationship was public. Brown was not technically divorced from his wife at the time of their romance, but they had been separated for over 10 years.
Limbaugh pushed the romance as “an affair” and promoted the idea that Harris “slept her way up” and referred to her as a “mattress.” Brown has said that he did help Harris – but it is not known if that help was directly related to their romance.
In 2019, Limbaugh likened Kamala Harris to porn star Stormy Daniels, the woman the Trump campaign paid $130,000 for her silence about an affair with Donald Trump – though Trump has denied the affair occurred.
I find it overtly hypocritical for Rush Limbaugh to reduce dating to an affair for the purpose of character assassination. In 2003, Rush Limbaugh admitted that he was addicted to pain meds and would seek treatment for his addiction. In 2006, Limbaugh turned himself in on a warrant from the Palm Beach County state attorney’s office on an arrest charge of prescription fraud.
On his radio talk show on October 5, 1995, Limbaugh ranted about the evils of drug use in America saying that it is “destroying our country” and that “we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. And the laws are good because we know what happens to people in societies and neighborhoods which become consumed by them. And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up.” Limbaugh defined drug abuse as a choice and not a disease and violators should face legal consequences.
Criticizing Kamala Harris over this seems to be quite a stretch considering that she was publically dating someone. Countless Americans start dating before their divorces are finalized, and what Harris and Brown did is not out of the ordinary for liberals and conservatives.
It is a cheap shot, and it is a hypocritical embarrassment coming from Rush Limbaugh.
And former President Bill Clinton’s call for respect for the Oval Office is the height of hypocrisy.
If we – the American people – do not start holding the politicians, the media and each other accountable for blatant hypocrisy – then we are all complicit in devaluing truth and character in American society.