Posted on 02/02/2011 9:23:58 AM PST by Merciful_Friend
In the latest issue of the magazine Commentary, there is an excellent article by Wilfred McClay titled “How to Understand Rush Limbaugh.”
Those who listen to Rush’s show may question the need for such an explanation, but, although in his piece McClay points out the many ways in which the political left misunderestimates Limbaugh and continually gets played by him as a result, the real value of his article, especially in a forum like Commentary, is as a primer for those conservatives who still fail to get the El Rushbo phenomenon. Despite Limbaugh’s gargantuan ratings, there are still millions of conservatively-inclined Americans who lack either the opportunity or inclination to listen to Rush Limbaugh or talk radio generally. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se, but many of them form decided opinions about Limbaugh nonetheless, based largely how he is characterized in the larger, mainstream media. So, they absorb and regurgitate keywords such as blowhard, buffoon and bomb-thrower, and imagine that Limbaugh makes his living by riling people up into frenzies of incoherent outrage. This — the impermeable conventional wisdom on Rush Limbaugh — could hardly be further away from the truth.
McClay is exactly right when he says:
Without Limbaugh’s influence, talk radio might well have become a dreary medium of loud voices, relentless anger, and seething resentment, the sort of thing that the New York screamer Joe Pyne had pioneered in the 50s and 60s—“go gargle with razor blades,” he liked to tell his callers as he hung up on them—and that one can still see pop up in some of Limbaugh’s lesser epigones. Or it might have descended to the sometimes amusing but corrosive nonstop vulgarity of a Howard Stern. Limbaugh himself can be edgy, though almost always within PG-rated boundaries. But what he
(Excerpt) Read more at cinchreview.com ...
Limbaugh himself can be edgy,
eg. his campaign against women farding and driving.
Yes, since Christmas Rush Limbaugh has finally treated the topic seriously, but why now, after 2 1/2 years?
I rarely listen to him now, except when painting a room, or sewing. I now rely on Free Republic for news and opinion.
To me, you can't truly call yourself a conservative and not appreciate the permanent paradigm shift Rush Limbaugh effected, not just for conservatism but for political debate as we understand it.
He has brought more people on board our boat than any single individual over the past twenty years, and his influence in this regard is equivalent to that of William F. Buckley Jr. for past generations.
I used to think Rush was an arrogant bloviator until I started watching Bill O’Reilly....
Very good. Hope someone can get it to The Man himself.
Bump
You said it!
Rush really really understands politics and has the ability to make those who don’t understand it, understand it...while being entertaining at the same time and controversial enough to make people pay attention and come back for more. He’s very good at this. Other things he’s not so good at. Like math.
I don't know of one conservatively inclined American who takes "the larger, mainstream media" seriously in 2011. Any possible credibility the "mainstream media" had with conservatives and conservative leaning moderates was lost in 2008.
there are still millions of conservatively-inclined Americans who lack either the opportunity or inclination to listen to Rush Limbaugh or talk radio generally. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se, but many of them form decided opinions about Limbaugh nonetheless, based largely how he is characterized in the larger, mainstream media.
This could be a story about the possible ignorance of millions of golden unicorns.
The only people who believe the mainstream media caricature of Rush Limbaugh are liberals who have never heard Rush.
He’s better at it than Paul Krugman.
Rush's talent is replaceable.
Rush, himself, in a tongue in cheek way understands the source of his success. He states, "Talent on loan from Goddddd! ( Emphasis on the "d".)
If Rush fails to use his talent for good, God will raise up another to eclipse him. I am **not** implying that physical harm would come to Rush. No! Not at all! I am stating that God would nurture the talent of another man or woman and give them opportunities to thrive and deliver a conservative message.
And...Again, there are not words that can convey my disappointment in Rush for neglecting Obama's eligibility as a natural born citizen. I still have an open mind. Perhaps Rush in his brilliance will hammer this issue hard just at the right time. Yes, he has recently spent some time on it after Abercrombie and Chris Matthews made it impossible to ignore. But...I don't have much hope this will happen.
If Rush can't be committed to Article 2 Section 1 of the Constitution, how can we trust that he is really not just more committed his bank account than to the major document upon which our freedom rests? Rush should remember that his talent really is "on loan from God!"
I am especially “cranky” with Coulter. She will **NEVER** get another dime from me. ( Not that she cares.)
Does the cinchreview blog run on a server thrown out by FreeRepublic because it ran so slow? Just asking.
If someone says they are conservative or a Republican then say they do not like Rush....they are RINOs. I have been scolded many times in social settings by my liberal friends for supporting Rush...my RINO friends turn against Rush in order to gain favor with the Liberals.
Geeze! It was like I was a conservative out in the Marxist wilderness trying to tune in a fuzzy and crackling thin Voice of America!
But...Since Free Republic, I do much less listening to talk radio. It is far more efficient to get my news and opinion here. And...The talk show hosts ( including Rush) seem to use Free Republic for their show prep.
Again I am bitterly disappointed in how Rush has handled Obama’s questionable natural born citizenship...But...Maybe Rush will come through and hammer it hard just at the right time with the maximum effectiveness. ( I am losing hope, though.)
“If Rush can’t be committed to Article 2 Section 1 of the Constitution, how can we trust that he is really not just more committed his bank account than to the major document upon which our freedom rests?”
The flaw in your reasoning is the assumption that obamao is indeed not constitutionally qualified to be potus. He clearly is not qualified in any other way but until we see his lfbc we can only assume the issue of constitutional eligibilty.
This months Limbaugh Letter contains an interview with Michelle Bachmann and it's fantastic.
She raised 30 kids {5 hers the rest foster kids} and she went to the Advanced School for Conservative Learning.
She also said that quite a few of the new TEA Party congresscritters were also schooled by Rush.
The Limbaugh Letter {circulation of 1 M +} is worth the price for just the interview portion, but you get much more.
I listen to Rush but only on the radio when I'm in my car, I'd rather listen via 24/7 because you get the entire program in about two hours without commercials.
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