Have We Thanked Rush Limbaugh For Saving America?

self | 11.20.04 | JohnRobertson

[gorush]

We used to live aboard a sailboat in the pacific northwest and were quite isolated. We moved back to Wisconsin in '91. I was listening to the now momentarily famous "Sly" of Aunt Jemima fame. It was the first time I had ever heard Limbaugh's name, and of course from Sly it was always spoken with venom.
While building our home, I of course listened to the radio. I ran across Rush's dulcet tones one day, and have been a big fan ever since. In that first broadcast I recognized that I was a conservative..a very fast metamorphosis. I attempted to share my discovery with my friends...I have new friends now.

[traviskicks]

"I remember hearing the most terrible things about Rush Limbaugh."
---

Exactly! I had never heard a thing about him or knew anything specific about him, but for some reason had a bad opinion of him. This is the media trying to brain wash us.

[John Robertson]

Well, you force my hand: You don't know jack squat. If there's money involved, somehow that invalidates an enterprise? FR would not exist without its participant handing over...money.

In the beginning of Rush's ascendancy (on his way to dominance), the left always disparaged him by calling him an...entertainer. Elton John is an entertainer. Bruce Springsteen. Cher.

[Varmint Al]

This is a few years old, but expresses my appreciation of Rush:

A Tribute to Rush Limbaugh

THE FIRST TIME.... I retired from LLNL in 1990 and on my first weekend of retirement, I found Rush Limbaugh on the radio. He was talking about sending bus tickets to the homeless so they could move to Charley Sheen's home town of Malibu, CA. I think the mayor called in objecting, but it sounded like a good idea and I was hooked on Rush. The wife and I had worked hard and only had time for the evening news and were brain washed by the liberal news media. In the first 6 months of listening to Rush, we both learned more about politics than we had learned up to that time. I was beginning to understand what was going on in Washington and I could explain the difference between a Conservative and a Liberal. I had been a Conservative all the while, but hadn't really had time to think about politics with the clarity that Rush was using daily.

POLITICAL EDUCATION.... Rush was explaining "Baseline Budgeting", "Hillary's Health Care Plan", "Women farding in cars", "Newt's Contract with America", and all facets of politics. He was on a roll and I was becoming able to talk politics with anyone. My Dad is a long time Republican and I sent him the Limbaugh Letter for his birthday and he was extremely happy to read it and he also started listening to Rush.

RUSH AS A FRIEND.... Rush talks about things that he is interested in and he tells us what he thinks about them and there is an openness to his personality that is refreshing. In the process, listeners begin to know Rush as a friend. I have the feeling that it would be fun to sit down and chat with him just as if he were on old friend that was over for a visit. His confidence in what he says is reassuring and his empathy for understanding how other people feel about various human conditions is obvious to the dedicated listener.

THE NEW LISTENER.... It is his empathy for new listeners that makes him over explain certain details about each subject. He realizes there are new listeners all the time and he does not want them to feel like they have to be an insider to understand what is going on. For someone who listens most of the time, it gets a bit tedious, but for the new listener it is a blessing. Rush is reassuring Conservatives and converting Liberals and "Never-had-time-to-think-about-it" types into Conservatives. Many of the listeners have told Rush that when they first started listening, they didn't like him and his arrogance, but after a bit, they changed their view and the arrogance really turned out to be Rush's confidence in his views. When a person speaks confidently and logically, the listener is drawn into deeper thinking about the issue.

A STUDENT OF LOGIC.... Rush tells about his early years and sitting at his father's knee when he was discussing legal issues with other lawyers. What little Rush was doing, was learning logic and the art of debate at an early age. He was like a Tiger Woods, but his game was logic instead of golf. I like Rush's statement to his mom. She would tell him to eat all the food on his plate because people in China were starving. He ate all the food and then when he finished, he asked his mom if that had helped any of the people in China. My mom told me eat all my food because there were starving people in the world, but I did not challenge the logic of the argument like Rush did.

TWENTY MILLION LISTENERS.... Clinton called a Talk Radio Show, not the EIB, and complained that after 3 hours of Rush each day, there was no "truth detector". This was clear evidence that Rush was making inroads on the tight grip the Liberals had on their support and media spin. Clinton even went so far as to blame Talk Radio for OKC Bombing. I believe he even named G. Gordon Liddy by name. After Janet Reno was attacked in a congressional hearing by Conyers and Clinton jokingly claimed that 'Rush only stood up for her because he was a white guy', I remember Rush's apology to Clinton and it was very powerful. Rush could not, even jokingly, accept being called a racists and remain silent! In my view, getting the attacks from the Clinton administration was ample evidence that Rush was effective in what he was doing and redoubled my eagerness to listen to every program. Twenty Million listeners is a pretty good indication that people are getting information from Rush. That many people would not be attracted to idle chatter. I remember the day Rush said that he was "Going to support Clinton's election campaign". Remember that? It was a rouse to show how important honesty was. Then someone called in and questioned Rush as to why he was going to vote for Clinton. Rush claimed he had said nothing of the kind and that he was younger then and had never said that. People were so upset with him in one hour that they were calling up and canceling their subscriptions to the Limbaugh Letter, going to quit listening, and ready to hang up on him. All he had done was tell a minor Clinton type lie but people expected more because they had built a trust in Rush's honesty! They were expecting more from Rush than most (by the polls) expect from the president.

LAUGHING OUT LOUD.... The funniest time I remember was when he had a rule that to talk on the phone, women had to have a picture on file so that he could see who he was talking to. Rush was getting lots of pictures and really having fun and also getting many more women to call the program, which was his intent all along. Well, he had played "Tiptoeing Through the Tulips", by Tiny Tim for an environmental theme and someone claimed that he should get Tiny Tim's approval on using the song. While I was listening to this, I was on a Mule Deer hunt up in Oregon. I had a tiny AM radio with an earplug in one ear and was listening. I had just climbed out on a rock ledge overlooking a large area and was planning to observe for deer for the next hour or so. I was going to eat an apple, relax, hunt, and listen to Rush. Well, Tiny Tim was on the phone and Rush was talking to him about the song. Then Rush said that he needed a picture of Tiny Tim so that he could talk to him and Tiny Tim said he would Fax him one. I burst out laughing out loud. Rush was making fun of Tiny Tim and all the listeners knew, but Tiny Tim was oblivious of what was going on. It ruined the hunting spot, and I had to move on, still chuckling a bit.

DOWNSIDE.... Sometimes, Rush lets Liberals talk too long and after they have repeated themselves and start personally attacking Rush, I do talk back to the radio and tell Rush to "Get that Liberal A**H*** off the air". After you have heard a few of them and how they operate on feelings, without facts, and then start personal attacks, you would probably get impatient too.

FOUND FREE REPUBLIC.... I heard "Peter the Lawyer" (Peter Mulhern who now has the Washington-Weekly) the first time he was on Rush and then when he called the second time, Rush said that the transcript of the first call was on the Free Republic Web Site. It only took a few minutes to find the transcript on the site, but what was even more important, there was a list of discussions about what Peter had said. It was wonderful to know that there are so many other conservatives out there. It is thought provoking to read what these good people think without a liberal filter being applied by the news media. Each weekday morning I listen to Rush and surf the Free Republic. Free Republic and Rush is an awesome combo!

Varmint Al MENTIONED ON THE RUSH PROGRAM.... In early 1999, I was, and still am, adding each of Charlton Heston's speeches to the my web site so people could easily get access to read them. Well, Rush read part of Charlton Heston's Speech Winning The Cultural War and I believe he only read part of it. He told the radio audience that he was not going to tell them where the speech was on the internet and they could find it for themselves. After the break, a woman called in and said that she found it easily. She went to a search engine and found it on Varmint Al's Web Page! That was it! One fleeting moment on the program. My page got and extra 500-1000 hits that day. I also got mentioned on the FreeRepublic.com and got kudos for the posters there.

Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

[traviskicks]

"Believe me, if it weren't for the money you would never hear a word from Limbaugh. He's an entertainer."
---

your 100% correct. In fact, he often calls his commercials 'profit time-outs'. But your forgetting that this is what is so great about the 'market value' of something.

People pay to hear the truth. I agree that sometimes Rush makes some outlandish claims (I hate it when he degenerates into Clinton Conspiracy Theories) and I sometimes catch him making factual errors, but he says things that no one else does and explains them well.

Of course he is entertaining - but more often then not he is right. In fact, liberal stations like NPR and PBS exist only because they are subsidized with taxpayer money. Conservative stations exist because there is a demand for them by the people.

This is why capitalism works - there is truth in the money.

[Utah Binger]

Thanks Rush!

Started listening while he was still in Sacramento. Found him while on the lonely stretches of Interstate 5 as a salesman on the road. He gave me the talking points I needed to refute the idiots in a couple of Bay Area joints where I hung out. Later, he converted my wife, a lifelong democrat, when she would join me on some of the long trips and I controlled the car radio.

My dear wife is now a huge proponent of conservatism with a very serious ability to handle the libs. Recently gave her "How to Talk to a Liberal" by Coulter. I love it when she reads passages out loud with vigor.

THANKS RUSH, YOU PROBABLY SAVED MY MARRIAGE

[CTGOPPER]

My husband and I started listening to Rush during the summer of 1989 and have been regular listeners ever since. As many of the others have said, it was so refreshing back then to know we were not alone in our blue state of Connecticut! We always laughed when others were so critical of him even though they never listened, obviously not understanding his sarcasm and quick wit.

[jincarolina]

You bet he is an entertainer, another gift from GOD that enables him to get your attention then get to your head full of mush. I love Rush, and I know he loves knowing that we truly appreciate him. He gives a tremendous amount of money for charity that we don't even know, also if he were at this point in it for the money he has enough to retire many times over.

[krunkygirl]

I would disagree (politely.)
"...none are as inteligent and thoughtful and well-spoken."
I think Michael Medved qualifies, and probably surpasses, Rush.
There may be others--I don't know all of the different conservative talk show hosts.

[Reaganghost]

This is the choir. And you are obviously not part of it.

[krunkygirl]

inteligent=intelligent
(something I could use more of: intelligence!)

[RS]

"...Limbaugh For Saving America?" I don't think so. ..."

Dittos to that - He filled a vacuum and gave a mostly rational voice to the Conservatives, and is rewarded with about 30 mil a year for it. Saving America ? from what ? ... are we "saved" ?

[Freepdonia]

Do you think that Republicans would have as many seats now if Rush hadn't created the first conservative national radio show back in 1987?

[leprechaun9]

How about we place him on Mount RUSHmore?

[clyde260]

"Do you think that Republicans would have as many seats now if Rush hadn't created the first conservative national radio show back in 1987?"

I absolutley agree. I think this country (government) would be much more heavily liberal, if not for Rush. Look at FR alone, how many members here are "former" lib/dems? How many times have Rush callers admitted they used to be on the other side?

Bob Grant was before Rush, but Rush gave conservative radio some polish, dignity, humor, treated people with respect instead of yelling at them and insulting them.

[RS]

"Do you think that Republicans would have as many seats now if Rush hadn't created the first conservative national radio show back in 1987?"

Well, it wasnt national back in '87, but would they have the seats ? ... I think Clinton had a lot to do with that.

You have to consider that Rush is not advancing Republican ideas or Conservative ideas, Rush is advancing Rush's ideas, and those Rush ideas that he can gather an audience for.

I wonder why he did not push the concept of anyone being able to take any amount of drugs they feel like -- maybe it would not play to the audience and the sponsors who pay his confiscatory rates ? Hhmmmm ?

[conservativecorner]

I have listened to Rush from the beginning, and how right you are. He truly was a voice in the wilderness in those early days, but I also know that God has perfect timing in all things. It was surely Providence that provided Rush to this country in our hour of dire need just as God provided great men during the birth of our great nation. God bless Rush and his millions of listeners out there.

[tophat9000]

Rush was the first to develop a leg of the conservatives Alt media "triad"... Talk Radio
Jim Rob and FR was first to develop the second leg... The Internet
And Fox with the third... Cable TV

[Freepdonia]

You have to consider that Rush is not advancing Republican ideas or Conservative ideas, Rush is advancing Rush's ideas, and those Rush ideas that he can gather an audience for.

Well, I can easily say the same thing for anybody in the media, conservative or liberal, without any evidence to back it up. Might as well not bother with any points of view then. :-)

I wonder why he did not push the concept of anyone being able to take any amount of drugs they feel like -- maybe it would not play to the audience and the sponsors who pay his confiscatory rates ? Hhmmmm ?

And what does this have to do with John Robertson's assertion of Rush's place in conservatism? As you dislike Rush, I'm not crazy about Picasso, but I would be foolish to dismiss his importance to the art world (or Rush's for conservatism).

[wagglebee]

BTTT!