Radio host Rush Limbaugh likened the 90th annual Academy Awards to a bizarre Fourth of July for liberals where the point is to “trash America” for the broadcast.
Mr. Limbaugh started off the week by weighing in on the low ratings of Sunday night’s Oscars and ways the broadcast ties in with the NFL’s national anthem protests.
In short, the conservative said borderline-“insane” activists have “corrupted” various forms of entertainment that were once devoid of partisan politics.
“[Ratings] plummeted,” Mr. Limbaugh said. “In the NFL they were trending downward anyway even before the kneeling began. And that might just have been cyclical. But the kneeling really iced it and made the drop significant and consistent. Well, Hollywood can’t say that. They can’t say there’s too many award shows. And they don’t even play the anthem at the Oscars, so there’s no way anybody can kneel. They just disrespect America for the whole show.
“Award ceremonies are to liberals what the Fourth of July is to Republicans,” he continued. “You ever stop to look at it that way? All of these award shows is where they get a national stage to trash America. And they make the most of it.”
The awards show included commentary on gun control and immigration issues, along with political pot shots at Republicans such as Vice President Mike Pence.
SEE ALSO: Oscars hit all-time low in early ratings amid liberal political posturing
Mr. Limbaugh said it was a sad commentary on the state of Hollywood when one man — London-born actor Gary Oldman — thanked America during his acceptance speech, and that numerous people told him that Mr. Oldman’s moment was the only authentically positive remark about the U.S. during the show.
“Now, you might say, ’So what, Rush? We live in America every day. You don’t have to sing its praises every day,’” the conservative said. “That’s the point. You have a three-hour-plus awards show and America gets one positive mention, and everything else about America is a joke or a criticism. It’s designed to make people angry at their country.”
The awards ceremony tallied initial Nielsen figures at 18.9 percent live same-day household rating — the lowest in Oscars history.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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