2009 Year in Review: March

February's first stirrings of populist opposition to the Obama agenda gave way in March to an intellectual backlash against Rush Limbaugh, whose CPAC speech was denounced by Rod Dreher, spurring me to recall Thucydides' account of the siege of Plataea (my faulty memory was corrected by a homeschool mom in the comments field). During Rush's nationally televised CPAC speech, I found myself hanging out with Dittohead cab driver Wally Onakoya.

The contrast between Dreher's hostility and Onakoya's admiration for Limbaugh illustrates, I think, the extent to which Rush's popularity incites the envy of intellectuals. It isn't just that they disagree with Limbaugh -- I don't always agree with him, either -- but rather that they resent his lucrative success in reaching such a large audience. From my perspective, Rush's success is a phenomenon to be praised and celebrated, as I explained in March:

Whatever Limbaugh's faults, he has that one redeeming value: Courage to speak out, even when speaking out makes him the target of vicious personal smears.
One of the basic principles of military strategy is to reinforce success. If you see a man who fights and wins, give him reinforcements, and bid others to emulate his success.

March was also notable for Smitty's debut as co-blogger here, including his first 'Lanche-worthy post, "Where Did the Pleasant Cthulhu Go?" Among other March highlights:

• The appearance of the "Going John Galt" meme.
• The inauguration of David Brooks Fisking Day: "Brooks is a classic example of The Writerly Delusion: The journalistic belief that one's aptitude for written articulation is the same thing as being knowledgeable about a subject."
• "Mamas, Don't Let Your Daughters Grow Up to Be Downloads" -- very good advice. In related news, a chat-room pervert convinced an 11-year-old girl to send him nude photos of herself.
• St. Patrick's Day was celebrated by guest-blogger Patrick O'Leary Gallagher McCain.
• Conservative lesbian Cynthia Yockey joined the "Wolverines" resistance.
• Economic News: A trillion here and a trillion there and pretty soon you're talking real money.
• Economic News II: "Top Hayekian public intellectual."

Of course, as they say at the Mises Institute in Auburn, Ala., "Once you go Hayekian, you never go back." NTTAWWT. IYKWIMAITYD.