The Right Is Boring

I’m on the road a bit these days, and I’ve been listening to a lot of right wing radio. I was surprised at how horribly boring it all was. The same gross distortions repeated over and over. I used to occasionally tune in to Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage just to keep tabs on Right-Wing World. Now those two men are despicable on multiple levels. Savage is an outright fascist, but their shows used to have a little zip and pizazz. Not so much anymore. There’s a noticeable listlessness in the air. This is partly because their candidate is a world class flop and they know it. They can’ get behind him with any genuine enthusiasm. They’re just going through the motions and it shows.

But I think there’s more to it than that. I was listening to Sean Hannity and I got the impression that he doesn’t believe half the things he’s saying about Obama. He’s just doing a job. Obama is a socialist who hates America and blah blah, yawn. Is it five o’ clock yet? If the wife makes another tuna casserole for dinner I’m filing for divorce … class warfare … punishing achievement … whoa, look at the set on her!

The fictional villain they’ve invented called Barack Obama simply doesn’t exist, and those parts of the electorate that aren’t bat shit crazy don’t buy into it. Say what you want, Obama’s a nice guy with a nice family, and he worked his ass up by his own boot straps. He makes his opponents look small indeed.

Hannity is just punching a clock and collecting a check. Later in the evening, however, a truly virulent creature called Mark Levine comes on. He’s a real piece of work, my friends. Even if I was conservative I’d find him insufferable. He’s ill-tempered and hostile, a seething wad of bitterness and hate. He’s the malignant core of conservatism made (barely) flesh. “I hate progressives!”I heard yell.

The other night he read Obama’s daily schedule. That was it. There was no point, no wit, no cleverness or creativity of any kind. He just read the schedule in a tone of sneering, oozing disdain. “Oh lookey here, Mr. Producer, Obama doesn’t have a briefing until 11:30. Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to start work until eleven?” Translation: the president is a lazy nigger. In fact, his laziness might even be a calculated ploy to undermine America.

Of course, this contradicts the right-wing meme that Obama over extends himself and tries to do too much. Shiftless Negro or overly ambitious socialist? It doesn’s matter. Obama is a vessel into which the right wing pours all of its fears, hatreds and neurotic hang-ups. It’s as boring to hear as the ranting of any schizophrenic.