I'm no medical doctor or psychiatrist, but I believe there's a disturbing condition sweeping the left-wing blogosphere, closely related to the well-documented malady of Bush Derangement Syndrome. Call it Limbaugh Derangement Syndrome if you will, and I will.
What else do you call it when a lib blogger compares the radio talk show host to agitators of Rwandan genocide? From Jeffrey Feldman's May 7 blog over at Huffington Post (emphasis mine; h/t NRO's Kathryn Jean Lopez):
The right-wing pundit's 'orders' to his Republican listeners have been clear: vote in the Democratic primaries as a coordinated tactic for sewing [sic] division in the opposition party. The goal of such 'chaos,' Limbaugh has stated explicitly, is to foment hatred between different parts of the Democratic Party leading, ultimately, to street riots during the Denver convention.
The ongoing incident raises a serious question:
How does Limbaugh's bid to incite political violence with radio broadcasts differ from previous instances where radio has been used to that end (e.g., Rwanda)?
Most Americans would agree that using radio to incite political violence is not only wrong, but the attempt itself represents a massive failure in our democracy.
Of course, Limbaugh must be taken grossly out of context to read into his statements that he want asinicide* in Denver this August. A tense convention with an uncertain outcome that can benefit conservatives, yes. Besides, it's also worth noting that it is far-left radicals and socialist agitators who are at the forefront of any calls to "Recreate '68."
Brian Maloney of Radio Equalizer has Limbaugh's actual comments, without the isolation and context-ripping that make for fodder for liberal blog rants.
*murder of donkeys, the jackass being the Democratic Party symbol
