Fascinating story Larry.
It seems to me that people like Glenn Beck are very “tightly wound,” so to speak. The talent and ambition and energy that brings them to national prominence is a volatile and somewhat dangerous mixture. They pick up on an idea and ride it for all it’s worth. They are highly opportunistic, take themselves very seriously, and are under enormous pressure to make good on all kinds of commitments they’ve made to various powerful individuals.
Keeping all that stuff straight in their minds can sometimes make it appear that they’ve lost their marbles. Other times, just the sheer degree of stress they’re under drives them to drink, as everyone knows.
Rush Limbaugh certainly seems to have all that stuff under control, but I think Rush is unusually intelligent, and that intelligence has enabled him to define his success track with an eye toward the long term. As I recall, he was in some sort of discussion process with Mr. Beck back in 2009, but nothing seems to have come of it.
It must be fun to hobnob with such folk from time to time. Thanks for the glimpse you give into that world.
My wife performs that valuable service for me---the one Ceasar had a slave do---which is to say, "remember, all glory is fleeting." She is in NO awe at all of Hollywood celebrities. She won't even go to parties that I'm invited to with big celebs you'd know.
But part of it is that rare trait that Reagan had: the ability to listen to your advisors while still trusting your instincts. He knew when to rely on Deever, Meese, Regan, and when to go with his gut. It's a very tough road to hoe. By nature, your advisors usually will be MORE conservative than you are (business wise) and urge caution. The visionary is usually the guy who wants to push the envelope. (It's odd, cause you'd think they would be willing to "roll the dice" with other people's money and reputation---but I guess it's that old not wanting to rock the money boat.) Anyway, it's always a very clear warning when ALL your advisors abandon you.