That would be interesting because I really like Common Tator but I really don't like Rush.
That started back in the Clinton impeachment era. I would post my views. Then the next day those same thoughts would show up on Rush's show.
For a while during my Radio Career I created humorous radio bits. For a while I was a regular on the top morning show in LA. Often I would get bits and ideas from smaller market shows far away from LA. I don't recall ever going to the host and telling him I got the ideas from some other smaller show. As I recall I wrote them, and the ones he liked were used on the air. After all a trusted member of the star's own 'staff' (me) had "created" them.
Rush has a staff who do show prep. They very likely read a lot of sources including Free Republic. When they find material that Rush can use, they are not likely to tell Rush who or where they got it from. He might offer some of us their jobs.
So they write it up as original material and Rush uses it. It happened a lot 1998 and 1999. Not much in 2004.