Limbaugh - Spouting Old ALEC Rhetoric

I saw this on the front page of Think Progress this morning:

Limbaugh: ‘When Women Got The Right To Vote Is When It All Went Down Hill’ | Rush Limbaugh — the famously sexist radio host who got himself into hot water over his criticism of Sandra Fluke — believes that women’s suffrage destroyed the U.S. “When women got the right to vote is when it all went down hill,” Limbaugh said on his radio show Tuesday, “Because that’s when votes started being cast with emotion and maternal instincts that government ought to reflect.”

I'm sure the "ought to reflect" was a mispeak or a typo - he probably meant "ought not to reflect".
But if that is the exact quote - people could have fun with it - I guess.

Emotional and maternal legislation - not if ALEC can help it.

And it made me think of this – snips from an ALEC archived document from 1997

Heartstrings Legislation
We Shouldn't Make a Law Just Because It "Feels Good"
By Missouri State Representative Bonnie Sue Cooper, ALEC's 1997 National Chair

Imagine seeing a small child in pain. Is there any more powerful or emotional image than a young child who is suffering? Isn't it a natural reaction to want to do something?

But should legislation be driven by this type of emotional imagery? The fact is, much of the legislation now on the books was written as a result of an emotional appeal rather than sound reasoning.

Excuse my sexism here - but I don't think Cooper was talking about the heart-strings of the manly men of ALEC.  It's evidently the fault of women!

Your kid in too much pain from environmental toxins, been paralyzed from e-coli in the food they ate, irreversible damage from drugs they were prescribed????? - Too bad!  That's based on "junk science" and your "emotional and maternal instincts" shouldn't drive legislation to protect you and your family.  Suck it up - that's ALEC's philosophy.  You are only being an enabler for trial lawyers - who ALEC tries to destroy professionally with their tort reform "model" legislation - cause you and the trial lawyer are a threat to ALEC profit sector members.

Too much coincidence – probably not, considering

1995 ALEC FYI Newsletter (about their 1994 Report Card on American Education)

The reaction to the study was remarkable, as hundreds of media outlets around America wrote or produced stories on the results. While newswire stories on the Report Card blanketed the nation, major newspapers, from one end of the country to the other, prominently featured the Report Card,   …  . Rush Limbaugh cited the Report Card on his radio show,

From the 2001 ALEC annual report

ALEC Public Affairs made news in 2001, breaking the story of how the president’s tax rebate was considered taxable by several state revenue departments. With a nationwide Associated Press news story and radio coverage on the Rush Limbaugh Show,

InsideALEC June 2009

Rush Limbaugh talked about people fleeing New York's high taxes and discussed ALEC's Rich States, Poor States report April 13 and May 18.

InsideALEC July 2010

Rush Limbaugh mentioned ALEC's nationwide initiative on the Feb. 1, 2010 edition of "The Rush Limbaugh Show."

Maybe Limbaugh thinks ALEC will eventually award him their American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Prestigious Warren Brooks Award  - NOT!

Look who has won this prestigious ALEC Award.