January 1993: Limbaugh Gives ‘Guiding Principles’ of Republican Thought

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, in his book See, I Told You So, argues that Republicans cannot depend on a negative, anti-liberal frame in which to draw their arguments. “We are not a party of people connected together by bonds of negativity,” he writes. “We are a party of ideas—positive ideas.” He lists some of what he considers the guiding principles of Republican thought: “We must perceive and sell ourselves:
Not as the party that opposes government, but that which champions individual freedoms;
Not as the party that opposes higher taxes, but that which champions entrepeneurship;
Not as the party that opposes abortion, but that which champions every form of human life as the most sacred of God’s creatures;
Not as the party that opposes the expansion of the welfare state, but that which champions rugged individualism.” [Jamieson and Cappella, 2008, pp. 59-60]