Rush Limbaugh took to the airwaves suggesting that The Dark Knight Rises is at the heart of a potential liberal conspiracy to upset Mittens Romney’s chances of winning the election. You see, one of the biggest things Romney is being attacked for is his ties to a company called Bain Capital. They would buy up companies (including an abortion waste disposal company) run them for a while, make a profit, take out tons of loans in the name of the companies, then downsize them all to hell into bankruptcy. It’s how Romney made a good chunk of his hidden fortune.
Well, Rush Limbaugh seems to think that Christopher Nolan’s new film is a plot to remind everyone of it constantly and tie Romney with the villain in the new Batman movie. Because the villain is Bane.
Nevermind the fact that Bane as a villain has been around for twenty-plus years, never mind the fact that this film has been in production long before Mitt Romney was a candidate, let alone the Bain Capital issue being in the public spotlight, Limbaugh thinks this is Hollywood Liberalism at its worst.
This movie, the audience is gonna be huge. A lot of people are gonna see the movie, and it’s a lot of brain-dead people, entertainment, the pop culture crowd, and they’re gonna hear Bane in the movie and they’re gonna associate Bain. The thought is that when they start paying attention to the campaign later in the year, and Obama and the Democrats keep talking about Bain, Romney and Bain, that these people will think back to the Batman movie, “Oh, yeah, I know who that is.” (laughing) There are some people who think it’ll work. Others think you’re really underestimating the American people to think that will work.
I’ve seen the movie. I think it has a more conservative message than a liberal one, to be honest. You’ve all seen the trailers, Bane comes to Gotham and gives it back to the down-trodden and poor, attacking the rich. Then a rich guy in a bat suit saves the day and redelivers the city to the status quo of the rich getting richer. (You can read my full review of it tomorrow.) But my point is this: This is most superficial and preposterous reasoning to be pissed off about this film.
Rush Limbaugh has officially deemed himself irrelevant.
I wonder if we can sic the Rotten Tomatoes commenters on him…
But Batman, at his heart, really is a liberal superhero. A populist, a man searching for justice for everyone. You can read more about my take on What Batman Can Teach Conservatives over at The Huffington Post.