WEBCommentary(tm) - Anything Saul Can Do Rush Can Do Better

Saul Alinsky isn’t exactly a name that is on the tip of the tongues of most Americans. Ask random, hard working people who he was and you’re more likely to get a response along the lines of, “Didn’t he play of the Oakland Raiders back in the 80’s?” The correct answer is that Mr. Alinsky was a modern day progressive whose book, Rules for Radicals, is the bible of the left and on the book shelves of most politically active liberals. It usually sits right next to their collection of the complete works of Noam Chomsky.

Saul Alinsky is the God Father of the liberal activism that we see in action every day as of late. His strategy is seek power, identify those that can stop you from getting power, find their strengths, convince people that their strengths are really your strengths, attack them by twisting what they have said and stand for, slam them, slam them again, get personal, slam them some more, shout louder if no one is listening and don’t give up until you wear the opposition down enough that you win by default. The most recent example of this tactic in action was the left’s attack on Rush Limbaugh’s patriotism and support for our soldiers over a ginned up controversy using out of context remarks about “phony soldiers”.

Now just another failed attempt by disciples of Alinsky, the whole episode proved one very important thing. That is that such a strategy based on falsehoods doesn’t get you anywhere should the person you chose to attack decide not roll over and die.

Hot off MoveOn.org’s unquestionable libel of General Petraeus in the New York Times and the black eye the rogue agents of the left had given to liberals, further displaying their own anti-military and anti-liberty attitudes, the liberal left needed some sort of distraction. They desired a way to show America that they really were not the enemies of our soldiers and the country they are defending. After all, pointlessly debasing the top military officer in a time of war is certainly giving the enemy aid and comfort and well into the realm of treason. So their own and honest actions only served to bolster the true perception of the liberal left.

When Rush Limbaugh and others began showing their “strength” as pro-America, pro-troops and pro-liberty on the heals of the controversy, the left had found the strength they needed to take away and make their own. Now it was time to spin and work to convince people that Rush Limbaugh was not really pro-America, pro-troops and pro-liberty. The liberals were given their marching orders; find something, anything, to attack him on. Enter Media Matters with their copy of Rules for Radicals clutched tightly to their bosom.

It wasn’t all that long before they believed that they had found the red meat they needed.

While discussing with a caller the propensity of liberals to latch on to people who have either never served in the military but claim to have or that have never been in situations they claim to have been (aka Jesse Macbeth in the current War On Terror and many of John Kerry’s buddies during the Winter Soldier Meetings when Vietnam was on) in order to trash the job members of our military do, Rush uttered words that accurately described these folks. He called them “phony soldiers”.

It was then time to create an issue. Immediately the left, lead by Media Matters, took those two words and ripped them out of context saying that Rush had called all soldiers that had been dug up to disagree with the current War on Terror as “phony soldiers”.

The attack was on. They even managed to get 41 Senators lead by Harry Reid to sign a letter to Limbaugh’s syndication partner attempting to strong arm an apology and action be taken. The liberal blogs were a buzz. This was it. Their orgasm was nigh!

The attack was kept up. Even as the facts were constantly being pounded home, the left didn’t notice or chose not to care even if they did notice. All that mattered was that they stuck to the plan; attack, attack and attack some more.

But the problem was that the final stage, the point where your opposition simply is supposed to give up under withering pressure, never came to fruition. It never came to fruition because first, the claim was based on a lie. Second, because Limbaugh is a fairly obstinate S.o.B. And third, because Rush was able to turn the tables and counter attack effectively with the facts and did not relent.

He was able to get Mark Mays to give him the letter from the Alinsky 41 and placed it up for auction to benefit the children of the members of the Marines & law enforcement killed in the line of duty. The Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation was a charitable foundation that he has supported for years and the action solidified his bona fides as a supporter of our troops no matter what anyone else claimed.

It also showed something else however. It showed that government is not needed to take care of “the children” and provide for them as the left often claims. See the latest SCHIP scuffle for proof of this. The auction showed that private citizens are capable of great things without government involvement. That was just icing on the cake.

In the end, the counter attack put forth by Limbaugh was withering to the point where moments before the auction ended Harry Reid took to the floor of the Senate to try and attach his name to the effort to raise money for the charity. In his best whipped puppy look and defeated voice Harry Reid pleaded with people to support the auction and bid on the letter. But no one that actually thinks Mr. Reid has anything of value to add to America was able to move the price up after a week of pro-liberty, pro-America and pro-soldier Americans pushing the value of the letter over $2 million dollars.

And with a whimper, the battle ended. Liberals tended to their casualties and retrieved their politically dead from the battlefield. Rush Limbaugh even matched the donation with no word if any of the multi-millionaire Senators who had tried to condemn him would also put their own money where their mouths were just a week prior.

Yes, Limbaugh’s tactics proved one thing conclusively. It proved that Saul Alinsky and his followers only win when you let them. They have no counter plan for when their final stage does not happen as the handbook requires and when those that they are attacking simply do not roll over and die. Their only answer is to start again from scratch on the next issue.

And if you don’t give up after that second time? Well they will just wash, rinse and repeat this strategy until you do.

The trick to beating the left is obvious. You don’t give up. Keep hitting them over the head with the truth and stand up for yourself and America.

J.J. Jackson is a libertarian conservative author from Pittsburgh, PA who has been writing and promoting individual liberty since 1993 and is President of Land of the Free Studios, Inc. He is the Pittsburgh Conservative Examiner for Examiner.com. He is also the owner of The Right Things - Conservative T-shirts & Gifts http://www.cafepress.com/rightthings. His weekly commentary along with exclusives not available anywhere else can be found at http://www.libertyreborn.com