Posted on 01/01/2010 10:10:48 AM PST by ODDITHER
Once a year I like to find out how fellow freepers came to become members of FreeRepublic.com. Because of the curtain situation with Rush's health I thought we could all ruminate on how he has affected our lives.
I was always conservative, however I felt that I was in a tiny minority and kept my political views to myself. The main stream media had convinced me that I was in the minority. The day after Clinton was elected, I was in the car searching for news about the election and found Rush. I became hooked from that day forward.
Rush put into words my political philosophy. Rather than shaping it he helped me learn to express it and I soon realized that probably more people felt as I did about things than the Main stream media tried to convince otherwise.
Rush would talk about websites etc. and once mentioned Free Republic and I thought I would check it out. I lurked for awhile and became a member June of 1989.
I have found that fellow freepers agree on very little but the most important things we all agree - Constitution, freedom, liberty and support of military.
I have two pet peeves about Free Republic.
Religion- We need the strength of all denominations who call themselves Christians and all Jews uniting together to protect our right to worship how we want, where we want and who we want. It will take us all to fight radical islam and their Democratic protectors who are united together to destroy our freedom of Religion.
Romney- Another pet Peeve is the Anti-Rommey in every thread. Jim, we get it you do not like Romney and want to make sure he doesn't run for President. However shouldn't we be using that energy and political capital to fight the enemies that are currently in power?
One of the BEST orator’s for the conservative position there ever was!!!!!!! Get well soon Rush. You inspire millions.
Rush brought me from the bowels of liberalism and made me an ardent conservative. May God continue to bless Rush Limbaugh.
"Dittos" means that the listener agrees with something a previous listener expressed to Rush in an earlier call.
Just a clarification....
Next to 9/11, Rush was the other single biggest reason for my transformation from a liberal to a conservative. Get well Rush.
Long answer, there were about 10-15 of us conservatives that were regulars on MSMNBC chat around just before the Clinton debacle, all on a crappy 56k modem.
We'd stage cascading guerrilla raids into the chat rooms, with the sole goal of getting the loonies to end up calling us names rather than debating facts.
I had to ask jim to cancel my original account. I worked out of the house and I wasn't getting any work done. I couldn't stay off FreeRepublic - crappy black (and purple or blue ?) background and all.
Some of those early threads were doozies. (Evolution vs Creation)
MiaT chewing up all the bandwidth.
Glad I came back.
Probably not. I was in an office where Liberalism reigned supreme and did not have Fox News or anything else to validate my feelings.
I had come to believe that my political beliefs were held by a minority of people who were referred to as radical right winged zealots and by speaking out I would be considered the same as Tim McViegh and the Arian Nation.
I have come to understand that the left uses this intimidation and the constant use of “Most Americans believe”,or “All educated Americans understand” to keep the majority silent and thinking they are in the minority.
It was Rush who validated my political views and gave me the confidence and the strength to speak out and start fighting for what I believed in. Once I did start speaking up, many many people expressed the same things I had been feeling.
Young people need to know that only those who do not have moral convictions can be swayed by the left. It is up to all conservatives to educate and enlighten young people who have been exposed to nothing but liberalism in the first 18 years of their lives.
Now, back to the original question.
We got hooked on Rush when he was on TV. I loved him and my wife hated him ( I’ve flipped her now, so she’s cool)
Rush got us thinking and talking - about America, not politics.
An interesting note from my perspective:
The day the Repubs took over Congress behind their “Contract With America”, Rush had a conniption on his TV show. He was like a little kid on Christmas day. I knew that at that exact moment, Bill Clinton was going to get re-elected.
What Rush did/does is that he created a hub for conservatism. Prior to his entrance onto the playing field conservatives were a disconnected movement that was pretty well behind the scenes. While Reagan ignited the movement, Rush connected it. That has effected how I act as a political animal.
1. Jim’s site, Jim’s rules. Go start your own site. It’s not that hard. At first. Then it gets to be a real PITA, LOL!
If I thought Jim was the type of person who couldn’t take people disagreeing with his methods, I would not have continued to be a member. That would make him just like Obama who thinks that if you disagree with him you are against him and must be destroyed. That is unfair to Jim.
It is not that I disagree with Jim about Romney I just think the same energy should be spent on people that are currently in power.
Why do you think that even though the majority of Americans are conservatives, it is the liberals that get elected? We continually eat our own. We expect candidates to follow 100% of what conservatives believe in and conservatives can’t even agree on the Pro life issues among themselves.
I listened to the first hour of the first broadcast in Detroit, one of the first ten stations.
May God Bless Rush Limbaugh
If history books are written honestly, Rush will be given credit for opening up conservative ears.
I've said it before...I was living and working in Sacramento when he started there in the early 80’s. When I visited my family in Southern California, I'd tell them all about what he'd said. While I worked in a large warehouse environment, when Rush was on, you could walk anywhere in that warehouse without missing one word of his show. He was on all of the radios—and they were many. He sparked many a discussion! The business for which I worked closed, and I moved from the area; but I didn't have to go through withdrawals: Rush became national at about the same time.
Lucky me.
That is NOT true. Dittos means, "love your show, don't always agree with you but love the show"
What happened was that a caller went on and on with those comments and to save time the next caller said "dittos to what he said" and went on with his point.
Rush is in my prayers for a speedy and complete recovery!
I think Rush is a very important SAFETY VALVE for the “high pressure” of these strange politics we are encountering. You listen to him, then you say, “yep, that’s what I thought too” ...(meaning you are OK) ... and you know others are “aware” ... then you go back to work. Without his bringing out the truth and exposing the lies, we would have this all pent up inside us ... and that would not be healthy. (Not healthy for “us” ... and eventually, not “healthy” for the nation). People think he’s an inciter ... actually he soothes incitement by releasing the pressure that is being applied to us daily. I never thought I would say Rush is soothing, but in this context it is an interesting thought.
“We expect candidates to follow 100% of what conservatives believe in...”
I see nothing wrong with that. But, as I stated, I’m to the RIGHT of Rush. :)
God, Family, Constitution. ‘Tain’t Rocket Science.
I think that the only role models that have even been worth their salt are parents.......and then only part of the time. Sad huh?
Welcome to FReeRepublic
Liked your comments. So many of the comments seemed so “past tense”. I really, really hope he’s not that ill!!!
Thanks for the correction.
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