There was no lack of political content to last Sunday's Super Bowl, from the Office of National Drug Control Policy's new anti-terrorism drug ads to U2's halftime performance. But according to some, the most ideology-infused event took place before the game, when the New England Patriots spurned player introductions and took the field as a team.
The controversy began on Monday, when Rush Limbaugh (a Steelers fan) declared on his radio show that "a lot of people are impressed with the fact that the Patriots are socialists." Despite New England's stunning victory, Rush stood strong against the budding workers' paradise at Foxboro Stadium: "I'm not going to get sucked into this feel-good, do-good, left-wing, socio-economic thing that tries to take away the individuality of the people on the team. . ."
There it might have ended. But Senator Ted Kennedy, the grizzled liberal icon, contradicted Limbaugh with this now-notorious statement praising the Patriots for repelling the capitalist hordes:
At a time when our entire country is banding together and facing down individualism, the Patriots set a wonderful example, showing us all what is possible when we work together, believe in each other, and sacrifice for the greater good.
As bloggers like Mickey Kaus have asked, what exactly does "facing down individualism" have to do with the war on terror? Radical Islam is not particularly individualistic. (And the rest of the world plays soccer anyway.)
Of course, Limbaugh couldn't let Kennedy's statement go without comment. On Wednesday, he elevated the dialogue to a still more absurd level:
I knew this was going to happen . . .These are socialists, folks, this is what you've got to understand. To Senator Kennedy, the New England Patriots typify socialism. That's what he means when he talks about a bunch of people sacrificing, believing in each other, working together for the greater good. Good lord, that's so close to the Communist Manifesto it's frightening!
Well, Karl Marx always did say that history would eventually bring about a classless society. But who would have thought it would take a bunch of millionaire athletes to get things rolling? Go Pats! Viva la revolucion!
