Limbaugh books in Spanish blasted as 'diabolical'

Rush Revere and his talking horse, Liberty, are time travelers created by Rush Limbaugh.

A pro-amnesty columnist has taken a scathing view of Rush Limbaugh's Spanish-language books, calling the translations a sure sign of the conservative radio commentator's hypocrisy – that he talks a tightened-border talk but walks a more money-grubbing walk.

The context of the rant was Limbaugh's bestselling "Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims" series, just released in Spanish.

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Writer Ruben Navarrette Jr. first pointed out that Limbaugh used to be "a pro-immigrant free-market conservative, in line with his buddies, former U.S. Education Secretary William Bennett and the late Jack Kemp," in his Daily Beast column.

But then he accuses that Limbaugh has morphed into a voice for the anti-immigration crowd – and in fact, has begun to "prostitute himself by blowing an anti-immigrant dog whistle," he wrote.

"These days, the host goes with the nativist flow and warns his millions of listeners that the borders are porous, that new waves of immigrants are inferior and that the Democratic Party is lenient on enforcement because it sees Latino immigrants as future voters," Navarrette went on.

Limbaugh is now little more than an anti-immigrant Ann Coulter in a man's suit, he accuses. But what's worse, Limbaugh still wants to profit off those he seeks to keep from the country, Navarrette said.

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"Clearly, Limbaugh has decided the path of least resistance with his listeners is to join the hyperbolic chorus of cultural alarmists like Coulter who worry that immigrants are ruining America – as opposed to the truth which is, just like it says in the brochure, immigrants are the point of America," he wrote. "How does Limbaugh intend to combat this problem? By profiting from it, of course. ... I mean, it's one thing to give aid and comfort to the enemy. But to try to sell them children's books? That's just diabolical."

"They claim I'm being a hypocrite," Limbaugh responded on his national broadcast Monday. "They also claim in the story that you, my fans, my listeners are angry at me, that you're livid at me for betraying our cause by publishing my book in Spanish. You are mad at me because I have betrayed you. "

Then with strong incredulity, Limbaugh exclaimed, "I haven't gotten one complaint, and I won't!"

He then added: "Well, I will get some fake complaints now, of course, but I haven't received any."

Limbaugh, who has never advocated for an end to legal immigration, previously explained the release of a Spanish version of his children's books as due to fan-driven pleas.

As Navarrette wrote, Limbaugh announced in a recent radio spot: "Ladies and gentlemen, I mentioned this to you some time ago, and then it went dormant because I had to wait for the day to be able to tell you. The day has arrived. When 'Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims,' the first in a series of children's books, ages 10 to 13, on American history first came out, immediately people said, 'You've got to make this book available in Espanol.' ... We are here to announce that on June the 9th we will be releasing [it] in Spanish."

Why?

Limbaugh said, Navarrette wrote: "Our hope is that newly arrived legal immigrants coming to the United States will be able to learn the positive and incredible story of the founding of the greatest country on Earth in an accurate and fun, involved way."

Navarrette called Limbaugh's characterization of his Spanish-language book as an attempt to "assimilate people into the American culture" a spin.

"As spin goes, that's not half bad," Navarrette wrote. "It sure beats the alternative where Limbaugh says, 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em,' and confesses that he's guilty of the same sort of hypocrisy that he's always accusing liberals of exhibiting. ... And it sounds more elegant than the underlying message to Latino immigrants: 'Amigos, you have to go home. But please open your wallets and buy some of our merchandise on your way out the door.'"