Rush Limbaugh’s Toxic Legacy - By Nathan Robinson

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Nathan Robinson is supposedly one of the bright young socialists coming up through the ranks. He's not a particularly rigorous thinker, but none on the Left really qualify for such an assessment. We have commented on several of his articles in this blog, and he is reliably loquacious and superficial. This article is no exception, clocking in at nearly 2000 words, replete with leftist slogans and bumper sticker invective.

He's most notorious, perhaps, for behaving in a very non-socialist way when he fired his staff for trying to organize. This is again is typical for the Left, who rarely live their lives in a way that is consistent with their philosophy. Usually leftists are among the richest, greediest, and most racist people in the room, spouting talking points about equity, social justice, and environmentalism while simultaneously keeping their money, their low paid all-white staffs, and their large carbon footprints.

So today Mr. Robinson critiques Rush Limbaugh, or more precisely, a book about him. Mr. Robinson truly doesn't understand Rush, conservatives, or why leftism fails to resonate with people. He spouts the typical leftist agitprop about conservatives, and is unable to see past it, so he's surprised at finding out that conservatives like Rush are not evil, greedy, hateful, bigoted, racist, stupid people.

We can give him a bit of credit, however. He actually does articulate some facts about Rush's generosity, talent, and popularity. But he does his best to mitigate this with snarky comments and more talking points.

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The more unpleasant side of Limbaugh does not appear in his new posthumous book, but it is hard to not think about its influence. (Why would the author not want to think about this?)

Radio’s Greatest of All Time is a new book credited to conservative radio broadcaster Rush Limbaugh, who began compiling it from transcripts of his program before his death from lung cancer in 2021. The final published version, which lists his widow, Kathryn, and his younger brother, David, as coauthors, serves as the definitive collectible tribute to the man described in the book’s publicity material as “a modern-day Founding Father—the George Washington of Radio.”

Those kinds of superlatives appear throughout the book, a 500-page “timeless collection of Rush’s brilliant words” and “authoritative body of Rush’s best work,” interspersed with pictures from various stages of his career and tributes to him by Ron DeSantis, Ronald Reagan, Ben Carson, Mike Pence, Benjamin Netanyahu, Clarence Thomas, and Donald Trump. The illustrations include a full-page photo of three of the crystal-obelisk award trophies that Limbaugh received from the National Association of Broadcasters, several full-page photos of his Presidential Medal of Freedom (given to him by Trump in 2020), a double-page spread showing Limbaugh’s Palm Beach mansion, another showing his private plane, another with screen grabs from his appearances on The Tonight Show and Family Guy, as well as covers from his monthly Limbaugh Letter (including photos of Rush as a boxer, Rush as Captain America, and Rush behind a presidential desk in a mock-up of the Oval Office). We see Rush in a tuxedo, flanked by uniformed Marines; Rush by his signature golden microphone with an American flag behind him; and Rush on the cover of The New York Times Magazine, smoking a big cigar. There is also—because why not?—a full double-page spread devoted to a photograph of Margaret Thatcher sitting next to Ronald Reagan. It must be conceded that the book is a slickly produced homage that will delight Rush’s fans, and that there are many dads “across the fruited plain” (to use a favorite Limbaugh phrase) who will be pleased when they get it as a birthday or Christmas present. Perhaps for this reason, it has already debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times’ nonfiction bestseller list.

For the nonfans among us, all of this might be a bit comical; (The author appear unacquainted with Rush's "schtick." Rush made a big deal out of his own "greatness" as part of his overall penchant for provoking the Left. He frequently explained this approach on his radio show, but of course the author wouldn't know this. 

This of course means he is ignorant, as is all the rest of the Left.)

few of us would consider Limbaugh “the greatest radio broadcaster the world has ever known.” (What "us" considers great is irrelevant. By any measure, Rush was the the greatest radio broadcaster by orders of magnitude.)

But he was certainly one of the most successful broadcasters of all time. (Apparently there is a significant difference between "greatest" and "successful.")

Limbaugh appeared on 650 stations, reached 30 million listeners, and was at one point the highest-paid person in the entire field of journalism. (Although one can dispute whether this is the best description of Limbaugh’s “field.”) (No one considered Rush a journalist, not even himself. He stated on many occasions that he would not want to be tarnished by being considered a journalist.)

He was a pioneer in talk radio, spawning an entire genre and a generation of insufferable conservative chatterboxes. It can be argued that Limbaugh deserves significant credit for both the 1994 “Republican Revolution” and the Trump presidency. (Hmm. Sounds like he was the greatest after all.)

To those who know Limbaugh only as a right-wing blowhard, Radio’s Greatest of All Time helps explain some of what made him appealing to listeners. Many of the transcripts printed in the book are from callers who claim that Limbaugh changed their lives in one way or another, by encouraging them to take control of their destinies and reject “victimology.” Limbaugh haters may be surprised—I certainly was—by how many of the included transcripts are more like self-help or life-coaching sessions than the crass diatribes Limbaugh was better known for. (Of course the author was surprised. Like all leftists, he gets his information from other leftists, which of course is filtered, edited, twisted, and transformed into leftist talking points.)

One listener tells Rush: “The message that you’re giving us every day—self-sufficiency, self-reliance, get out there, do what you love, be aggressive, be bold—if we live our lives by the principles that you are espousing, we’ll all be successful.” One of the show’s guest hosts describes Limbaugh as “that voice in our head when perhaps we debuted ourselves, faced a fear in life, or just needed some encouragement and motivation.” Radio’s Greatest of All Time presents Limbaugh as someone who inspired listeners to be their best selves, who offered a positive and uplifting vision of America (as opposed to liberals and leftists, who hate their country), and who believed in beautiful, noble, patriotic things. He loved the Bill of Rights and the spirit of individualism and believed that the American dream was attainable by all. An entire section of the book is devoted to chronicling Limbaugh’s “generosity,” with his philanthropic contributions enumerated in a bullet-point list. (The author at least has the honesty to acknowledge that Rush was actually a good person...)

No matter his supposed philanthropy, (...only to take it right back. There is no "supposed" about it. 

What a jerk.)

Limbaugh never really concealed the fact that he was far more interested in making money than in effecting social change. (Making money is bad...

And ironically, he did effect social change, reviving the conservative movement while at the same time unmasking the pernicious leftist agenda to dismantle America. It's likely that he may have single-handedly gave America a chance to survive the leftist onslaught.)

Asked by 60 Minutes what he was trying to do with his show, Limbaugh replied that he was ultimately “trying to attract the largest audience I can and hold it for as long as I can, so I can charge advertisers confiscatory advertising rates. This is a business.” (Yes, it is. Business is a noble enterprise, and reaping the rewards of being successful is proper and just.)

Asked by the host if he was therefore “in it for the money,” Limbaugh replied that of course he was in it for the money. In Radio’s Greatest of All Time, he similarly notes that when his critics “examine this program, none of them do so in terms of the career aspect of it” but instead “look at me as a political figure who happens to be on the radio.” Limbaugh was selling a product, not waging a policy crusade. (He was doing both.)

The more unpleasant side of Limbaugh does not appear in Radio’s Greatest of All Time, but it is hard to not think about its influence. The book reprints his stirring monologues about American values and the can-do spirit of the nation rather than, say, the time he called a Georgetown student a “slut” (Maybe she was.)

and a “prostitute” for wanting birth control to be covered by health insurance and said that if she wanted public subsidies for her sex life, she should have to post videos of it. We also don’t get treated to Limbaugh’s infamous comments on Native Americans and Covid-19. His career had plenty of ugly lowlights, including his mocking of Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s symptoms, his “ racist” imitation of Hu Jintao, and his “ Barack the Magic Negro” song. (Offensive humor is a time-honored tradition, at least among leftist comedians when they are blasting the Right (Colbert, Stewart, Carlin...). 

Too bad for the author's hurt feelings.)

These incidents were only the tip of the iceberg: (Rush was on national radio for something like 33 years. That's almost 26,000 hours of commentary, humor, and teaching. So the author triumphantly regurgitates leftist complaints about what he said, yet those comments constituted a mere fraction of 1% of what he said. By leftist standards, his was a mostly peaceful protest.)

The millions who tuned in to Limbaugh’s show were fed complete rubbish on a regular basis. Limbaugh frequently didn’t know what he was talking about, but he talked about it with a great deal of confidence and, it must be said, a stellar radio voice. On climate change, for instance, listeners were told, “ If you believe in God, then intellectually, you cannot believe in man-made global warming.” (The author does not seem to understand the difference between being wrong/right and expressing an opinion.)

Limbaugh suggested that the Deepwater Horizon oil rig might have been blown up by environmentalists (or even the Obama administration) to erode support for fossil fuels, (The author does not seem to understand the difference between being wrong/right and expressing an opinion.)

citing the “timing” as proof. (It didn’t matter anyway, though, because Limbaugh said of the oil spill that “the ocean will take care of this on its own.”) (The author does not seem to understand the difference between being wrong/right and expressing an opinion.)

He told shameless whopping lies, informing Americans that immigrant children were infecting the country with measles, (The linked politifact article discusses children who "presented themselves at the border," i.e., they were processed through the system. This of course is only part of the of those who came across the border, and ignores the huge number of people who evaded border security and disappeared into the country.

Further, politifact says the measles outbreak was traced to Disneyland, as if immigrants don't go there.

Most importantly, we have no idea who is coming over the border, where they're going, or what sicknesses they might or might not have.)

that Austin liberals had banned barbecue restaurants, (This is from 2015. Politifact actually links to the transcript on Rush's website, where we find that Rush is reading from an article, which he quotes:

“One business expert told council members that these restrictions will certainly kill all but the largest barbecue restaurants in Austin. It is effectively a ban on barbecue restaurants in a town known for its barbecue."

Rush never expressed this himself. And in fact a subsequent caller noted that the Austin City council was examining the issue, but had not yet acted.

Hmmm. So this is what passes for thoughtful commentary from the Left and its proxies like politifact.

And ironically perhaps, the Left does actually want to ban backyard BBQs. So just because something hasn't been banned doesn't mean it won't be. With the left, it's only a matter of time.) 

that the American Medical Association had endorsed hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19, (It was early on [November 2020] that the AMA modified its stance to endorse doctors that wanted to prescribe hydroxychloroquine "off label:"

That our AMA reassure the patients whose physicians are prescribing 19 hydroxychloroquine and combination therapies for their early-stage COVID-19 diagnosis by 20 issuing an updated statement clarifying our support for a physician’s ability to prescribe an FDA21 approved medication for off label use...

Pesky facts...)

that Obamacare was increasing the divorce rate, (Well, actually, Rush's statement was "Obamacare is going to increase the divorce rate." That is a prediction, not a misstatement of fact.)

that Barack Obama wanted to ban fishing and mandate circumcision. (We're growing weary of chasing down stories, only to find that the situation is being misrepresented by both the author and his references to politifact, a leftist agitprop organ.)

But Limbaugh wasn’t just any propagandist. As leading progressive talk show host Thom Hartmann once told me, (Ironic that Mr. Robinson references Haratmann. Talk about a propagandist. We've commented several times on Mr. Hartmann's agiprop masquerading as sober commentary.)

Limbaugh “transformed American politics,” while “the Democratic Party constantly underestimated talk radio.” Limbaugh had a real skill: Not every conservative broadcaster can get listeners raving that “I equate you to Alexander Hamilton,” “I think you are practically perfect,” “[You] made us believe in our country, and “Thank you for just being you.” It may be somewhat nauseating to read David Limbaugh describing his brother as “the greatest gift in broadcasting the world has ever known” and someone who “changed America forever.” But it’s true that there is nobody on the left with anything like Limbaugh’s reach.

There is one thing the left can learn from Limbaugh: not how to tell lies or make bigoted jokes (Of course, because the Left are already experts at this.)

but how to communicate effectively to a broad public. Limbaugh promised to make his listeners “the go-to guy in your circle of friends who has the answers” by putting them through the “Limbaugh Institute of Advanced Conservative Studies.” In the book, his listeners recount how he served as both an educator and a voice of reassurance.

An obituary in the American Thinker asserted that Limbaugh “managed to convey what conservatism is about to a mass audience better than any teacher ever could.” Indeed, Thom Hartmann has written in The Nation that the left is making a big mistake by not competing effectively with right-wing talk radio, which is still an important force. (The Left has tried. AirAmerica. Ed Schultz. John Fugelsang. Randi Rhodes. Alan Colmes. Mike Malloy. Bill Press. And the afore mentioned Thom Hartmann. there is plenty of Leftist radio out there, but none of it is doing well. It's not because of the level of talent, access, promotion, or demographics. The fact of the matter is, no one likes the leftist message. 

The message is the problem.)

The rumors of radio’s death are greatly exaggerated: 83 percent of Americans still listen to terrestrial radio in a given week, and almost all of the top-rated political talk show hosts are conservatives. Hartmann notes that in conservative talk radio, “there’s a mentoring system, there are people coming up through it on the right. And there’s nothing like that on the left.”

With electoral races often decided by tiny margins, and with persuading undecided voters an important factor, having media that can successfully convince people to support progressive ideas is crucial if we are to stop the radical right. (Oh, like ABCBSNBCNNMSNBC? Every major newspaper in the country? Every major magazine? The public schools, the university system, and major corporations? Hollywood? And still you can't convince people? Wellllll. We wonder why...)

But we also need to understand what made Limbaugh so successful. It was not just that, for conservative listeners, he was the guy on the radio “sayin’ what I’m thinkin.’” He also had charisma and humor (even if that humor was frequently repugnant). He coined catchy little phrases and in-jokes for his listeners to feel part of a community. He expanded into a line of patriotic children’s books to reach even younger audiences. (Radio’s Greatest of All Time tells us that “eight and ten year olds started to call into the program” and sent in “photos of themselves dressed as Rush Revere by the thousands.”) Limbaugh had an extraordinary ability to connect with his audience—when conservative pundit Mark Steyn describes hearing Rush on the radio for the first time, you would think he was describing watching the first moon landing or seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Limbaugh’s messages tended to be simplistic and often not true: Big government is bad; (True.)

America is a wonderful free country where anyone can achieve anything; (True.)

our values are under attack by the liberals. (True.)

But Limbaugh was good at what he did, even if what he was doing was bad.

Limbaugh’s vast wealth did not buy him longevity. He was a lifelong advocate of smoking cigars and told his listeners that the risk of cancer was a liberal myth: “I’ve never seen cause of death: Tobacco products.” (Regarding cigars, Rush was right.)

As with so many other topics, he turned out to be wrong about this. (He did? In what way?)

One might be tempted to view him sympathetically as a tragic figure, if not for the knowledge that his confident reassurances on tobacco and Covid-19 probably sent multiple credulous “Dittoheads” to their graves. (Gratuitous and probably inaccurate.)

In the end, I doubt that Limbaugh will actually be remembered by many for very long. (Changing the face of American politics? Giving voice to untold millions of marginalized conservatives? Fundamentally shifting the political discourse of an entire country? Creating a whole industry of vibrant conservative talk radio? Yeah, sure, Rush will forgotten.

And by the way, the title of the author's piece refers to a "legacy." So he contradicts himself.)

Daily talk radio is an ephemeral medium, and even a book like Radio’s Greatest of All Time will mainly be of interest as a souvenir to those who once listened to his program. (Well of course. People buy things because they like the things they buy. Brilliant point, dude.)

Limbaugh lost ground toward the end of his life, being surpassed in listenership in 2016 by NPR’s drive-time programs. (One thing is not like the other. Were these NPR programs 100% comprised of political commentary by a singular host for three hours every day?)

He will likely end up a historical footnote like Father Coughlin, (A name pulled out of thin air...)

with little of his output ever consumed again. But those of us who don’t want to see his politics prevail should still study his career and work. Rush Limbaugh demonstrated the extraordinary power and potential reach of political media. We would do well to appropriate a few of his techniques, if not his abhorrent worldview. (It's not technique, sir. It's message. 

Your message is bad, wrong, and distasteful. It doesn't matter how you package it, deliver it, or how talented your dude is at purveying it. People aren't interested in your division, hatred, or evil ideas.)