On this day in 2021, America lost a great man: the “Mayor of Realville” and “America’s Anchorman,” the great Rush Limbaugh.
Rush Limbaugh was more than a radio announcer or show host. He was a unique American genius, a patriot who inspired millions. From his one-line zingers — “For government to give, it must first take away” — to his thoughtful monologues, Rush was incomparable. He created a new generation of conservatives and set the gold standard for conservative talk media. Yet, despite his massive fame and popularity, there was nothing elitist or unapproachable about Rush; many of his listeners, including those who never met him, thought of him as their friend.
The college dropout turned radio and TV sensation, the show host honored by presidents and intellectual giants, the “All-Seeing, All-Knowing, All-Everything Maha Rushie,” who took on the left “with half my brain tied behind my back to make it fair.” America tuned in daily to hear his jokes, his critiques, his political observations, his predictions and analyses. As he put it, he had “talent on loan from God.”
I was raised on Rush Limbaugh. My siblings and I memorized his parodies and eagerly awaited the monthly Limbaugh Letter. As we drove to church or activities, my parents tuned into Rush. He shaped my political views and helped inspire me to go into journalism.
Rush’s sense of humor helped him and his listeners get through the hard times. “Bigot: A person who wins an argument with a liberal,” he declared. And he loved to rib the left. “I am the Doctor of Democracy. I am America’s Truth Detector. And as the Doctor of Democracy, the deal you have with your doctor isn’t changing. You get to keep your doctor. You get to keep your plan. You get to keep your station. Nothing’s changing, and it really never was gonna change,” Rush announced, making fun of Obama’s false claims about Obamacare.
But we stayed for his common sense and wisdom. “Morality is not defined and cannot be defined by individual choice,” Rush told us. “Liberals measure compassion by how many people are given welfare. Conservatives measure compassion by how many people no longer need it.” And “No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity.” When he observed that “nobody else does what I do,” he was right; there are other very good show hosts, but no one quite like Rush.
Here’s a thread about this painful anniversary many remember too well.
This is the pencil drawing from early last year of Rush Limbaugh titled “Praying for America” pic.twitter.com/uFLNnzlL1j
— Christopher✏️ (@ChrisHiers) February 17, 2024
Rush Limbaugh fully deserved the Medal of Freedom he received from Donald Trump. He gave hope to several generations, reminded conservatives we weren’t crazy, helped us deal with the present’s problems and plan for the future. “El Rushbo” was a great American, and he will always be greatly missed.