Rush Limbaugh’s quest to own the St. Louis Rams have dredged up a variety of supposedly racist things that Limbaugh supposedly said. All the worst ones have been shown to fabrications, but there’s one thing that he really did say. In 2003, Limbaugh said that Donovan McNabb was overrated, and that was because “the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback can do well.”
Is that statement racist? It’s not racist to say that McNabb was overrated. It’s hardly even arguable but that McNabb was mediocre back in 2003. So why was he overrated? The Eagles were not a top team nor were they a New York team, the usual reason for players to be overrated. Limbaugh’s theory seems possible but unlikely.
I say it’s unlikely because people don’t all do things for the same reason. No doubt a non-zero number of people wanted McNabb to succeed because he is black. But I also have no doubt that the number was nowhere near 100%. How many was it? Without a poll, it’s impossible to say. Anyway, who cares?
Why was this theory called racist? Apparently, people are offended by Limbaugh’s implication that people might adopt a view for racial reasons. But in 2009, we have a large group of people who claim that the only reason anyone opposes President Obama is because he is black.
Other than a change in players, the Limbaugh theory and the Carter-Garofalo-Krugman-Dowd-Murtha-etc-etc theory are pretty similar. So why do so many people claim to find the former theory offensive but the latter theory self-evident?
Internet Scofflaw 