Rush Linbaugh reacts as first Lady Melania Trump, and his wife Kathryn, applaud, as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
My favorite thing in politics is a surprise.
And this is certainly one.
What would you expect from a liberal rock star? If you said a Thank You to the Republican President for honoring Rush Limbaugh, you’d be right on the money.
And a weirdo.
But, incredibly, that’s exactly what happened Monday.
As you well know, during January 4th’s State of the Union, Trump awarded staggeringly successful (reported net worth = $600 million!) conservative talk radio host Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
And 68-year-old Chrissie Hynde — lead singer for The Pretenders — is praising the President for the tribute, noting that her late father “would’ve been so delighted” with it.
If you need a refresher, here’s Chrissie and her band:
On Twitter, the Ohio-born singer wrote of her dad’s WWII service and the fact that he loved listening to Rush.
But there was more, and buckle up for this one, America: She and her father often…disagreed.
Yes — and it was okay.
Furthermore, people who can’t tolerate disagreement…well, it sounds like they’re lame.
Witness the chaos:
An open Letter to @realDonaldTrump, President of the United States.
Dear Mr. President,
I often think of how much my father, Melville “Bud” Hynde, who proudly served his country as a Marine on Guadalcanal, would have enjoyed your Presidency. The other day when you gave that award to Rush Limbaugh, my father would have been so delighted. He loved listening to Rush, which is why I allowed my song, “My City Was Gone,” to be used on his radio show. My father and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye. We argued a lot. But isn’t that the American way? The right to disagree without having your head chopped off?
Hugely pro-PETA Chrissie continued her political post by announcing she’ll soon be protesting the extradition of Julian Assange who — as stated by The Daily Wire — “collaborated with the former Bradley Manning, who broke into classified U.S. military files and stole thousands of documents Manning believed would convince Americans to end the Iraq War.”
Julian’s facing trial in the U.S. for conspiracy and mishandling false information.
Here’s Hynde:
Soon, I will be participating in a protest in London against the extradition of Julian Assange. I know my father would be mortified, but I feel strongly enough to do what I believe is the right thing; to protest further punishment of a man who sought to defend Freedom, albeit in a way you rightly disagree with. I know Mr. Assange broke the law (as i have done defending the treatment of animals) but I believe he has been duly punished and should now be set free. Please consider my plea.
Yours truly,
Chrissie Hynde of @ThePretendersHQ
The other day when you gave that award to Rush Limbaugh, my father would have been so delighted. He loved listening to Rush, which is why I allowed my song, 'My City Was Gone', to be used on his radio show.
My father and I didn't always see eye-to-eye. We argued a lot.. [p2.]— Chrissie Hynde (@ChrissieHynde) February 17, 2020
but isn’t that the American way? The right to disagree without having your head chopped off?
Soon, I will be participating in a protest in London against the extradition of #JulianAssange (@wikileaks). I know my father would be mortified, but I feel strongly enough to do [p3.]
— Chrissie Hynde (@ChrissieHynde) February 17, 2020
he has been duly punished and should now be set free.
Please consider my plea.Yours truly,
Chrissie Hynde of @ThePretendersHQ
— Chrissie Hynde (@ChrissieHynde) February 17, 2020
If only we could all have our views, express them freely, and still get along with one another. What a different world it would be.
And I know it would be a great one, because — up until seemingly not that long ago — I swear, I was living in it.
-ALEX
See 3 more pieces from me:
Is Union Our State? Chris Cuomo Shocks the Viewerverse With His Take on the SOTU
Find all my RedState work here.
And please follow Alex Parker on Twitter and Facebook.
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