Posted on 08/01/2008 11:02:25 PM PDT by pissant
It takes some big numbers to measure Rush Limbaughs success 20 million listeners, a $400 million contract. But the best index of Limbaughs effectiveness can be found in a much smaller figure, somewhere between a few dozen and a few hundred, which is the number of Democratic-party officials and liberal advocates who want to use the law to shut him up.
Limbaugh, now celebrating his 20th year as a national radio host, is single-handedly responsible for a movement on the part of some Democrats to revive the Fairness Doctrine. With origins in the earliest laws regulating radio, the Doctrine became, by the time a young Rush Limbaugh entered radio in the 1970s, a de facto ban on editorializing. Had the Reagan-era Federal Communications Commission not done away with it in the 1980s it was a patently unconstitutional limit on the First Amendment rights of broadcasters Limbaughs career would never have happened.
Which is exactly the world some Democrats would like to bring back. Just this week, the Democratic leadership of the House announced it will take no action on a bill by Indiana Republican Rep. Mike Pence that would write into law the ban on the Fairness Doctrine. And top Democrats, like Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the House and Richard Durbin, Dianne Feinstein, and John Kerry in the Senate, have made statements indicating they would like to see the Doctrine reinstated.
Its just the latest effort to put a muzzle on Limbaugh and conservative talk radio. As early as 1993, when Limbaugh had been a national figure for just a few years, Democrats attempted to pass a Hush Rush bill that would have revived the Doctrines limitations on speech. That effort died when Republicans won the House and Senate in 1994. With no power to legislate Limbaugh out of existence, liberals turned to competing with him, investing great hope in Jim Hightower, Mario Cuomo, and other would-be hosts who might bring liberal radio to the fore. It didnt work, and neither did their biggest effort ever the creation of Air America, a liberal network that was supposed to end Limbaughs dominance.
So now, with Democrats once again controlling the House and Senate, were back to the Fairness Doctrine. And as wide-ranging and issue-oriented as this debate sometimes appears, its really all about one man: Rush Limbaugh. Every other conservative talk-show host today Hannity, Ingraham, Levin, Bennett, every one of them owes some significant part of his or her success to Limbaugh. Democrats know that all too well, and will apparently never stop trying to legislate the result they could not achieve in the marketplace.
Rush Limbaugh will surely receive lots of tributes on his 20th anniversary. But none will be more sincere than the liberal effort to put him out of business.
“Rush Limbaugh will surely receive lots of tributes on his 20th anniversary. But none will be more sincere than the liberal effort to put him out of business.”
They most certainly continue to try.
It was never really about Hushing Rush, it was always about hushing the truth. Still is.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
If Rush didn’t exist, we would have to invent him.
I guess we could look forward to 7 new TV channels, hundreds of newspapers and magazines which are blatanly Liberal/Communist.
So, if Libs pass the Fairness Doctorine, will we have the offset in current Marxist media outlets...?
Savage talked about this today.
Never happen.
One can tell the character of a man by the character of his enemies.
First the leftists will censor broadcast media in the name of fairness. Then they will go after non-Marxist print media and the Internet. They will try to have legislation against “hate speech” and eventually almost anything will be covered. They have already said they want to throw in prison anyone who criticizes the global warming orthodoxy, and presenting facts will not be an acceptable defense to them. They are pure Leninists.
These Fairness people are fascists. Raw fascists.
Once Lord Obama is president, the house and senate have veto-proof majorities, and the Supreme Court has been suitably packed, dealing with Rush and his cronies will be easy.
And the truth is....
Lemme know!
Rush’s seems to be cigars, nubile blondes, and dinero.
If I’m wrong, please tell me.
Bottom line is any time I hear about a problem, the first thing I hear is “The government should do something.”
And pubbies say it as much as dems.
Lemme know!
Rushs seems to be cigars, nubile blondes, and dinero. If Im wrong, please tell me.
Thanks from a grateful nation.
But you said not one single gdam fng thing to refute what I said. All you did was post a stupid graphic that left me totally in the dark about what you are trying to say.
So spell it out.
FR is a fantastic forum. We have the means here to counter all the arguments of the left about “Government can fix it” and “Everybody deserves a second chance”, etc. But over and over I see emotional responses that do not address the two basic questions, which are “How can this benefit the individual?” and “How can this help society progress?”.
But a little HoT MetaL don’t cut it.
Neither does Rush.
But I will applaud you on being four days older than me. At least you’re not a NEWB.
These scumbags are searching hard for a second armed American Revolution, and eventually they are going to find it. Its only matter of time.
- Traveler
“If Rush didnt exist, we would have to invent him.”
I pay whatever the subscrition fee is for 7x24. If Rush was driven to satellite radio, I think most of his audience would follow.
The libs use of the Fairness Doctrine reminds me of how the feminists killed off male sports in colleges while seeking equal female participation.
I've also been listening to Rush since the first Bush administration. Do you remember how frustrated you were during the Reagan era, watching TV, reading newspapers, and knowing that 95% of what you were seeing was leftist-slanted BS? Before the web, when you knew the truth was out there but you couldn't get to it? The MSM was this close to having a Pravda/Tass/Izvestia grip on information. That's what Rush changed.
Of course, the MSM is even more over the top now, and maybe even because of what Rush started, but that makes them even more laughable. If Rush is an unimportant as you say, wait till the Dems try to use the force of government to crush him. Then the bloggers. Then FR. Then you.
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