Radio host Rush Limbaugh suggested on Monday that President Barack Obama is refusing to divert flights from Ebola-infected countries and close down America’s borders because he believes that the nation “deserves” to be infected with the virus given its history of perpetuating slavery.
Responding to a caller on his nationally syndicated radio show, Limbaugh launched into a soliloquy about so-called politically correct liberals who believe that America is responsible for the spread of Ebola in Liberia because that nation was established by freed American slaves. “And if it hadn’t been for that they probably wouldn’t have [Ebola]. So there are some people who think we kind of deserve a little bit of this,” he said, before accusing elected leaders of purposely leaving the country vulnerable to the virus.
“The danger we have now is that we elected people in positions of power and authority who think this or think like this in terms of this country being responsible, this country being to blame for things and it’s that kind of thinking that leads to opposition to shutting down airports from various countries,” Limbaugh explained, referring to the Obama administration’s handling of the crisis.
“It leads to opposition to keeping these people out of the country: ‘How dare we? We can’t turn our back on them! They exist because of us. We can’t turn them away!’” he said. Listen:
soundcloud
Though Republicans have been calling on the Obama administration to impose strict travel bans on countries with Ebola infections, experts warn that such a policy could make things worse. Ill patients would have a harder time seeking treatment, international health personnel wouldn’t be able to enter the country, and local economies and the health infrastructures would further be devastated by a travel ban.
Instead, the Obama administration has sent troops to infected countries, is providing ground expertise to medical staff, establishing field-deployable hospitals, and offering “personal protective equipment and laboratory reagents, support for technical advisors, and other requests.”