Thanks for the advice even though we aren’t going to see Rush in the same light. I’m the same age as Rush and I’ve been involved in campaigns since 1972, or about 17 years before Rush got his radio program. Long before he popped up I had the opportunity to meet a lot of the movers and shakers in politics and conservative circles. The people who inspired and informed me are a good deal older and wiser than both Rush and myself. Most weren’t showman although some did enjoy a cult of celebrity. At present we have a surfeit of people who make a living at being conservative celebrities, which I suppose is fine if that’s what you want from politics. I tend to prefer content over showmanship.
A highbrow professorial intellectual would probably not make it in talk radio, even though they may be very well-rounded in the subjects of politics, culture, history, and conservative principles.
I'd be willing to bet that if you had the chance to spend some quality time with Rush, away from the mics and the media, you'd likely find him to be possessed of a much deeper well of knowledge than you give him credit for.
He runs a fast-paced radio talk show, which is a terrible forum to deeply expound on his thoughts. Sure, he'll take a few minutes here and there to elaborate on some issue, or train of thought, but there's nothing like the long-form, written word to really expand on a subject.
He's got commercial breaks and callers - not to mention that he's got to take time to comment on the most pertinent breaking news of the day. The clock hangs over him every minute, like some harsh taskmaster. Yet despite those limitations, he manages to articulate conservative thoughts and considerations well enough to have the largest audience in the business.
I'll say one thing about Rush, and that is, he can articulate things better on the fly than anyone I've ever heard. He understands (and believes in) conservative principles to such depth that he doesn't need to write speeches, or prepare statements to fully engage an audience while he develops a fairly complex weave of ideas.
Rush has written at least one book that I'm aware of, which I've also read. I found it so engaging, that I read it twice. Maybe you'd like it. Or maybe you'd think that it doesn't measure up to your literary icons.
That's ok. I think there's room enough for Rush and all the rest. There are a lot of good voices for conservatism out there, and they're not all eminent scholars.