Mark Levin, another radio talk show host, said of Limbaugh,
This is a tremendously sad day for those who love this country… for those who salute the flag and embrace the military and law enforcement. A tremendously sad day because we’ve lost Thomas Paine [1].
Accomplishments
Limbaugh was known among the Presidents, notably President Trump who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in February 2020.
History
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born in 1951 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. His family members had Republican ties: ambassador, federal judge, attorney. His radio start was at a station owned by his father. Numerous trials at radio stations and getting fired led him to Sacramento, CA. When the Fairness Doctrine was set aside his conservative idealism took off. From California, he moved to New York City. Radio did work well for him and the public. He aired for three hours each day around noon with literally millions of listeners. Over time, the children of the older listeners tuned into his talk show as well. His listeners grew to 15 million unique listeners per day [2].
Words
Rush was the inventor of words. As fake news media outlets tried to convince the public of certain truths, Limbaugh would come on the radio and straighten ideas out. He claimed,
I don’t… make things up or say things I don’t believe, just to cause a reaction. Because that takes no talent [3].
His listeners followed him while he encouraged them to do their best day by day. His show started the “dittos”. One caller would proclaim Limbaugh’s excellence. The next caller, trying to save time, would say,” Dittos.” He was famous for calling women’s rights activists “feminazis”, using the term “environmental wackos”, and “caller abortion”.
Passing
An avid cigar smoker, Limbaugh was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in January 2020. Rush is considered one of the most influential media figures in American history. Trump said of him,
There aren’t too many legends around, but he is a legend [4].
Notes:
- ^https://www.dailywire.com/news/conservative-broadcasters-pay-tribute-to-rush-limbaugh-an-icon-a-patriot (go back ↩)
- ^https://theworldview.com/#!news_broadcasts/rush-limbaugh-who-professed-christ-as-savior-has-died-carman-a-pioneering-christian-singer-died-of-surgical-complications-transgenders-planned-parenthoods-new-cash-cow (go back ↩)
- ^https://www.npr.org/2021/02/17/926491419/talk-show-host-rush-limbaugh-a-conservative-lodestar-dies-at-70 (go back ↩)
- ^https://www.foxnews.com/media/rush-limbaugh-dead-talk-radio-conservative-icon (go back ↩)