He could be especially cruel and offensive when his targets were women. Over the years, he routinely questioned President Barack Obama's heritage and patriotism and mocked Michelle Obama's physique. Broadcasting under his own name in New York City, Limbaugh claimed that all newspaper composites of wanted criminals resembled the Rev. The Two-Way Student Is Outraged By Rush Limbaugh Calling Her A 'Slut' And 'Prostitute'Īs a local host in Pittsburgh in the mid 1970s, Limbaugh later conceded to an interviewer for Newsday, he told a Black woman who called into his show that she should "take the bone" out of her nose and he would call her back. He also cast doubt on established facts, including global warming, and propelled conspiracy theories, such as the baseless claim that Joe Biden's address to the 2020 Democratic National Convention had to be stitched together from numerous takes. He promoted conservative priorities such as deregulation, lower taxes for the wealthy, and muscular military intervention in the Middle East. Instead, he read and responded to news articles with opinions and voices, pumping the program with satire and parody, puffing himself up while mocking himself thoroughly. Limbaugh riffed on the news, largely without guests to interview. The show ran for three hours every weekday. But radio proved to be Limbaugh's perfect medium. In the early-to-mid 1990s, Limbaugh hosted a TV show run by Roger Ailes, who went on to help Rupert Murdoch create and run the Fox News Channel. But the one thing that I don't do is make things up or say things I don't believe, just to cause a reaction. "And there is a lot of schtick and a lot of humor to it. "There's a whole psychology of doing the program the way that I do it," Limbaugh told NPR. No one believed that more than Limbaugh himself. She gave him a plaque that read: "Rush was right." "You were the voice that everyone else could follow." Barbara Cubin of Wyoming, part of the wave of Republicans who swept to office that year, said in honoring Limbaugh at an event staged by the conservative Heritage Foundation. "Talk radio, with you in the lead, is what turned the tide, Rush, and we know that," U.S. He got his start at a station partly owned by his father, and his early years in radio were marked by clashes with bosses.Ĭrossing the Divide Building Bipartisanship? Not Limbaugh's Problem His father was an attorney locally, while his mother was active in local Republican politics. Eisenhower his uncle was named a federal judge by President Ronald Reagan. His family maintained Republican ties: His grandfather had been an ambassador under President Dwight D. Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born in 1951 in Cape Girardeau, Mo., where there is now an official Rush Limbaugh hometown tour. And he embodied a counterpunch to what many on the right contended was a liberal media establishment - even as he offended millions with his racist, sexist and homophobic routines and diatribes. Limbaugh was an influencer before the age of social media, a hot-take machine before people stopped pausing to think about what they were saying ahead of sending those words out into the world. Bush and Donald Trump, the latter a kindred spirit in many ways who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the State of the Union address in February 2020. Limbaugh's clout in conservative circles was so great that he was wooed by three very different Republican presidents: George H.W. The benefit here is, I have the freedom to be entirely honest about my passions." "Every time I've said that, it's, 'Oh, he's just saying that! He doesn't care what he says! He's just trying to generate a big audience!' And that's not true. "I always say my real purpose is to attract the largest audience I can, and hold it for as long as I can, so I can charge confiscatory advertising rates," Limbaugh told NPR in a 2007 interview. His voice entertained millions of listeners, cheered conservatives hungry to see their beliefs reflected on the airwaves, and elevated long-shot Republicans to national prominence. Limbaugh's death Wednesday morning was confirmed by his wife, Kathryn, at the start of his radio program.īefore right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, before Fox News, there was Limbaugh. He had announced to listeners last year that he had stage four lung cancer. Conservative and controversial talk radio host Rush Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in February 2020.Ĭonservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh, who entertained millions and propelled waves of Republican politicians, has died at age 70.
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