What is Congress Thinking? Limbaugh is an Entertainer, Not an Elected Official

Politainment strikes again. Rush Limbaugh, the well-known conservative radio talk show jock, said something that offended some people the other day (is that surprising?). In response, the theoretically august body of the Congress (not the Democrat Party, mind you, but members of our duly elected Congress) offered up a demand for an apology from Limbaugh’s employer, Clear Channel Communications. Let’s say that again. The Congress of the United States wants an unelected (and unelectable) private citizen whose job it is to entertain people using whatever thought-provoking and often insensitive methods at his disposal to apologize for his "unconscionable" personal remarks on a political issue.

Let’s get this straight. People like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Bill Maher and Jon Stewart are professional entertainers. They worked hard and paid a lot of dues to earn an entertainment industry Union Card like SAG, AFTRA or Actors Equity. Just because they get most of their material from politics doesn’t make them political professionals, it’s just that politics is such a great target. They are highly visible espousers of our First Amendment right to free speech, but their opinions are their own, and if you don’t like them, you can change the channel or put down the book.

On the other hand, what our legislators say publicly, while also protected by the First Amendment, should NOT just reflect their personal opinions, as their importance has far-reaching effects that cannot be turned off or ignored. They are responsible for espousing the views of the country and their constituents, not just themselves or their party. To do less is a disservice to their jobs and responsibilities, not to mention being unprofessional.

When certain members of Congress stated publicly that the Iraq War was already lost, it had an understandably crushing effect on the morale of the troops and the country because legislators opinions are taken as policy by all Americans. Now those same members of Congress are demanding that Mr. Limbaugh, a professional entertainer who holds no elected leadership position and represents no one but himself and those who choose to listen to him, withdraw his statements because they are concerned it will have a negative effect on our troops and veterans. How ridiculous!

This trend is frightening. More and more people are beginning to believe that entertainment and politics are one and the same. It not only causes great concern that the average Joe might get confused by the merge (though manipulation of the voter in a variety of ways has always been an unfortunate reality in any democracy), that concern is geometrically increased when those within the two occupations themselves can’t seem to tell the difference anymore.

Just remember, if they have an entertainment Union Card, they are a professional entertainer. If they are a Presidential candidate, legislator, lobbyist or member of an activist organization, they will usually NOT have an entertainment Union card. In fact, there is no labor union for political professionals. Considering their habitual unprofessional behavior, is THAT surprising?