Rush Limbaugh: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox person |
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|name =Rush Limbaugh |
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|image =Rush_Limbaugh_at_CPAC_(2009).jpg |
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|caption = |
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|birth_name = Rush Hudson Limbaugh III |
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|birth_date ={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1951|1|12}} |
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|birth_place =[[Cape Girardeau, Missouri]], [[United States|U.S.]] |
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|death_date = |
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|death_place = |
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|years_active = 1967–present |
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|occupation =Radio host, political commentator, author, television host (former) |
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|spouse =Roxy Maxine McNeely (1977–1980, div.)<br />Michelle Sixta (1983–1990, div.)<br />Marta Fitzgerald (1994–2004, div.)<br />Kathryn Rogers (2010–pres) |
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|alma_mater = [[Southeast Missouri State University]] <small>(did not graduate)</small> |
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|website =[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/ rushlimbaugh.com] |
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|publisher =Forbes.com |
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|year =2007 |
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|accessdate =2008-05-08 |
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}} |
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'''Rush Hudson Limbaugh III''' ({{IPAc-en|icon|ˈ|l|ɪ|m|b|ɔː}}; born January 12, 1951) is an [[United States|American]] [[radio host|radio talk show host]], conservative political commentator, and an [[opinion leader]] in [[conservatism in the United States|American conservatism]]. He hosts ''[[The Rush Limbaugh Show]]'' which is aired throughout the U.S. on [[Premiere Radio Networks]] and is the highest-rated [[talk radio|talk-radio program]] in the United States. Limbaugh signed an 8-year, $400 million contract extension with [[Clear Channel Communications|Clear Channel]] in 2008.<ref>"A Lucrative Deal for Rush Limbaugh" NY Times, July 3, 2008 edition [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/business/media/03radio.html] accessed=September 8, 2010.</ref> |
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5 'And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. |
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He was born into a [[Limbaugh family|family]] with a long history of involvement in [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] politics and first began working at a local radio station at age sixteen. In 1984, after a series of radio related jobs, Limbaugh began working as a radio talk show host in [[Sacramento]], California at radio station [[KFBK]], which still airs his syndicated program. His unique program featured no guests, relying exclusively on his conservative political analysis for content. He moved to New York City in 1988 where he began the national broadcast of his program on [[WABC (AM)|WABC]] radio. His program grew in popularity and he began his rise to national fame. |
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6 But when you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you. |
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In the 1990s, Limbaugh’s fame grew beyond radio, into publishing and television. He became a [[New York Times Best Seller list|bestselling author]] with his books ''The Way Things Ought to Be'' (1992) and ''See, I Told You So'' (1993). From 1992 to 1996, Limbaugh hosted a half-hour television talk show. Limbaugh criticizes [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] policies and politicians and promotes positions viewed as conservative. He frequently accuses the American mainstream media of having a strong [[media bias|liberal bias]]. |
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7 'In your prayers do not babble as the gentiles do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. |
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==Early life== |
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===Family and background=== |
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{{See also|Limbaugh family}} |
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Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born in [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri]], the son of Mildred Carolyn "Millie" ([[married and maiden names|née]] Armstrong) and Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Jr. His father was a lawyer and a U.S. fighter pilot who served in the [[China Burma India Theater of World War II]]. His mother was a native of [[Searcy, Arkansas]]. The name "Rush" was originally chosen for his grandfather to honor the maiden name of family member Edna Rush.<ref name="Colford">Paul D. Colford. ''The Rush Limbaugh story: talent on loan from God: an unauthorized biography.'' New York. St. Martin’s Press, 1993. ISBN 0-312-09906-1.</ref> |
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8 Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. |
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His family has many lawyers, including his grandfather, father and brother [[David Limbaugh|David]]. His uncle, [[Stephen N. Limbaugh, Sr.]] is a [[Ronald Reagan]]-appointed federal judge in the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri]]. His cousin, [[Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr.]], is currently a judge in the same court, appointed by [[George W. Bush]]. [[Rush Limbaugh, Sr.]], Limbaugh's grandfather was a Missouri prosecutor, judge, special commissioner, member of the [[Missouri House of Representatives]] from 1930 until 1932, and longtime president of the [[Missouri Historical Society]].<ref>''St. Louis Post-Dispatch''. ''The loudest limb on the family tree, radio's Rush Limbaugh is the 'big mouth'; branch of a solid old Cape Girardeau family.'' September 27, 1992.</ref> The Federal Courthouse in Cape Girardeau is named for Limbaugh's grandfather. |
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matthew 6 5-8 |
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===Education and Vietnam draft=== |
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Limbaugh began his career in radio as a teenager in 1967 in his hometown of Cape Girardeau, using the name Rusty Sharpe.<ref name="Colford"/><ref>{{cite news | title= Rush Limbaugh Gives Sean a Rare Interview | date=October 19, 2005 | publisher= [[Fox News Channel]]|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,172675,00.html }}</ref> Limbaugh graduated from [[Central High School (Cape Girardeau, Missouri)|Cape Girardeau, Missouri Central High School]], in 1969. Because of his parents' desire to see him attend college, he enrolled in [[Southeast Missouri State University]] but left the school after two semesters and one summer. According to his mother, "he flunked everything", and "he just didn't seem interested in anything except radio."<ref name="Colford"/><ref>"Rush is Always Right." USA Weekend, 24 – January 26, 1992, p. 7</ref> |
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Limbaugh was not drafted during the [[Vietnam War]] [[draft lottery (1969)|draft lottery]], as his birth date's high rank (152) was well above the 125 rank below which service members were drafted. He was classified as "[[Class 1-A|1-Y]]" (later reclassified "[[4F (military conscription)|4-F]]") due to a [[Pilonidal cyst]].<ref name="Colford"/><ref>Mikkelson, Barbara; Mikkelson, David P. "[http://www.snopes.com/military/limbaugh.htm Draft Notice]." ''[[Snopes]].'' December 16, 2002. Retrieved on October 13, 2006.</ref> |
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==Professional career== |
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===1970s=== |
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After dropping out of college, Limbaugh moved to [[McKeesport, Pennsylvania]]. In 1972, he became a [[Top 40]] music disc jockey on [[WMNY|WIXZ]], a small [[AM radio]] station that reached much of the [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]] area. He started with an afternoon show and later did mornings, broadcasting under the name "Jeff Christie". Limbaugh moved to Pittsburgh station [[KQV]] in 1973 as the evening disc jockey, succeeding [[Jim Quinn]]. He was fired in late-1974, when the station was sold to [[Taft Broadcasting]]. Limbaugh was reportedly told by management that he would never make it as on air talent, and should consider going into sales.<ref name="Colford"/> Unable to find another job in local radio, Limbaugh moved back home to [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri|Cape Girardeau]]. He became a lifelong fan of the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] from his time in the region.<ref>http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_052209/content/01125104.guest.html</ref> |
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For the rest of the decade Limbaugh took jobs at several radio stations, working in music radio, before settling in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]. In 1979, he left radio and accepted a position as director of promotions with the [[Kansas City Royals]] baseball team.<ref name="Colford"/> There he developed a close friendship with now retired [[Kansas City Royals]] star [[George Brett (baseball)|George Brett]]; the two remain close friends.<ref>{{cite book | last = Toma | first = George | coauthors = Goforth, Alan & Brett, George | title = Nitty gritty dirt man | publisher = Www.SportsPublishingLLC.com | year = 2004 | page = 164 | url = http://books.google.com/?id=l1xauXzmbvkC&pg=PA164&lpg=PA164&dq=rush+limbaugh+george+brett | isbn = 9781582616469}}</ref> |
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===1980s=== |
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In 1984, Limbaugh returned to radio as a talk show host at [[KFBK]] in [[Sacramento, California]], where he replaced [[Morton Downey, Jr.]]<ref name="Colford"/> The repeal of the [[Fairness Doctrine]]—which had required that stations provide free air time for responses to any controversial opinions that were broadcast—by the [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]] in 1987 meant stations could broadcast editorial commentary without having to present opposing views. Daniel Henninger wrote, in a ''[[The Wall Street Journal|Wall Street Journal]]'' editorial, "Ronald Reagan tore down this wall (the [[Fairness Doctrine]]) in 1987 ... and Rush Limbaugh was the first man to proclaim himself liberated from the [[East Germany]] of liberal media domination."<ref>Henninger, Daniel (April 29, 2005) [http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/dhenninger/?id=110006626 "Rush to Victory"]. ''Wall Street Journal''.</ref> |
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On August 1, 1988, after achieving success in Sacramento and drawing the attention of former [[Citadel Media|ABC Radio]] President [[Edward F. McLaughlin]], Limbaugh moved to New York City and began his national radio show. He debuted just weeks after the [[1988 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]], and just weeks before the [[1988 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]]. Limbaugh's radio home in New York City was the talk-format station [[WABC (AM)|WABC]], 770 AM, and this remains his [[Flagship (radio)|flagship station]] (although Limbaugh now hosts his program from [[West Palm Beach, Florida]]).<ref name="Colford"/> |
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===1990s=== |
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In December 1990, journalist [[Lewis Grossberger]] wrote in the ''[[New York Times]]'' that Limbaugh had "more listeners than any other talk show host" and described Limbaugh's style as "bouncing between earnest lecturer and political [[Vaudeville|vaudevillian]]".<ref>{{cite news | first=Lewis | last=Grossberger | pages=SM58 | title= The Rush Hours |date=December 16, 1990 | publisher= New York Times | page=SM58}}</ref> Limbaugh's rising popularity coincided with the [[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]], and his support for the war effort and his relentless ridicule of peace activists. The program gained more popularity and was moved to stations with larger audiences, eventually being broadcast on over 650 radio stations nationwide. |
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In 1992, Democrat [[Bill Clinton]] was elected President of the United States. Limbaugh satirized the policies of Clinton and [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]], as well as those of the Democratic Party. When the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] [[Republican Revolution|won control of Congress in the 1994 midterm elections]], the freshman Republican class awarded Limbaugh an honorary membership in their caucus. This event confirmed him as an influential figure on the national political scene.<ref>{{cite news | last = Seelye | first = Katherine Q. | title = Republicans Get a Pep Talk From Rush Limbaugh | pages = A16 | publisher = New York Times | date = December 12, 1994 | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE1DC1E39F931A25751C1A962958260 }}</ref> |
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===2000s=== |
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Limbaugh had publicized personal difficulties in the first decade of the 21st century. In late 2001, he acknowledged that he had gone almost completely deaf, although he continued his show. He was able to regain much of his hearing with the help of [[cochlear implants]]. |
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In 2003, Limbaugh had a brief stint as a [[American football|pro football]] commentator with [[ESPN]]. He resigned a few weeks into the 2003 NFL season after making comments about the press coverage for [[quarterback]] [[Donovan McNabb]] that caused a lot of controversy and accusations of racism on the part of Limbaugh. His comment was: "I don't think [McNabb's] been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They're interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well. I think there's a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he really didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,493270,00.html]"Was Limbaugh Right to Resign from ESPN?"</ref> For example, a sportswriter construed the comment as racist against himself and other sportswriters.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/writers/peter_king/09/30/mcnabb_limbaugh/ | title=Open mouth, insert foot, Limbaugh's comments on McNabb aren't racist, but they are boneheaded | publisher=SI.com | author=King, Peter | date=September 30, 2003}}</ref> Another sports analyst wrote Limbaugh's viewpoint was shared by "many football fans and analysts" and "it is ...absurd to say that the sports media haven't overrated Donovan McNabb because he's black."<ref>{{cite web|last=Palmer |first=Brian |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2089193/ |title=Rush was right about Donovan McNabb. - Slate Magazine |publisher=Slate.com |date=2011-12-05 |accessdate=2011-12-10}}</ref> |
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In April 2006, Limbaugh turned himself in and was arrested "on a single charge of prescription fraud".<ref name=CNN2003>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/10/10/rush.limbaugh/ Limbaugh admits addiction to pain medication]. Retrieved 20010-01-04.</ref> His record was later expunged after 18 months of rehabilitation and paying court costs. |
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===''The Rush Limbaugh Show''=== |
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{{Main|The Rush Limbaugh Show}} |
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Limbaugh's radio show airs for three hours each weekday beginning at noon [[Eastern Standard Time]] on both AM and FM radio. The program is also broadcast worldwide on the [[Armed Forces Radio Network]]. |
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Radio broadcasting shifted from [[AM broadcasting|AM]] to [[FM broadcasting|FM]] in the late 1970s because of the opportunity to broadcast music in stereo with better fidelity. Limbaugh's show was first nationally syndicated in August 1988, in a later stage of AM's decline. Limbaugh's popularity paved the way for other conservative talk radio programming to become commonplace on the AM radio. In March 2006, [[WBAL (AM)|WBAL]] in [[Baltimore, MD]] became the first major market radio station in the country to drop Limbaugh's nationally syndicated radio program.<ref>{{cite news | last = Hiaasen | first = Rob | title = WBAL Radio Cancels Rush Limbaugh: Station is First to Drop Show, Wants to Focus on Local News | publisher = The Baltimore Sun | date = 14 March 2006 | url = http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/427188/wbal_radio_cancels_rush_limbaugh_station_is_first_to_drop/index.html }}</ref> In 2007, ''[[Talkers]]'' magazine again named him #1 in its "Heavy Hundred" most important talk show hosts. |
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Limbaugh frequently mentions the EIB (Excellence In Broadcasting) network, but this is a mythic construction, as he told the ''[[New York Times]]'' in 1990.<ref>Lewis Grossberger, "The Rush Hours", New York Times, December 16, 1990, section 6, p. 58</ref> In reality, his show was co-owned and first syndicated by [[Edward F. McLaughlin]], former president of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] who founded EFM Media in 1988, with Limbaugh's show as his first product. In 1997, McLaughlin sold EFM to [[Jacor Communications]], which was ultimately bought up by [[Clear Channel Communications]]. Today, Limbaugh owns a majority of the show, which is syndicated by the [[Premiere Radio Networks]]. |
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According to a 2001 article in ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'', Limbaugh had an eight-year contract, at the rate of $31.25 million a year.<ref>"Vital Statistics", U.S. News & World Report, July 30, 2001, p. 7</ref> In 2007, Limbaugh earned $33 million.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/53/07celebrities_Rush-Limbaugh_YNXQ.html The Celebrity 100: #36 Rush Limbaugh.] [[Forbes]]. June 14, 2007.</ref> On July 2, 2008, [[Matt Drudge]] reported that Limbaugh signed a contract extension through 2016 that is worth over $400 million, breaking records for any broadcast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://drudgereport.com/flashrl.htm |title=LIMBAUGH SIGNS THROUGH 2016; $400 MILLION DEAL SHATTERS BROADCAST RECORDS |publisher=Drudgereport.com |date=July 2, 2008 |accessdate=2008-11-09 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080731002506/http://www.drudgereport.com/flashrl.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2008-07-31}}</ref> A November 2008 poll by [[Zogby International]] found that Rush Limbaugh was the most trusted news personality in the nation, garnering 12.5% of poll responses.<ref>[http://www.imao.us/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/media_project_poll_info.pdf Zogby poll]</ref> |
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===Television show=== |
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Limbaugh had a [[television syndication|syndicated]] half-hour television show from 1992 through 1996, produced by [[Roger Ailes]]. The show discussed many of the topics on his radio show, and was taped in front of an audience. Rush Limbaugh says he loves doing his radio show<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_060909/content/01125106.guest.html |title=Rush Receives "Freedom of Speech Award" from Talkers Magazine |publisher=Rushlimbaugh.com |date=2009-06-06 |accessdate=2010-03-10}}</ref> but not a TV show.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_111309/content/01125106.guest.html |title=Rush and Roger Ailes Speak at Boy Scouts Awards Dinner |publisher=Rushlimbaugh.com |date=2009-11-11 |accessdate=2010-03-10}}</ref> |
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===Other media appearances=== |
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Limbaugh's first television hosting experience came March 30, 1990, as a guest host on [[Pat Sajak]]'s [[CBS]] late-night talk show, ''[[The Pat Sajak Show]]''.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNK4byQkn7w] Rush Limbaugh guest-hosts the Pat Sajak show in 1990</ref> [[AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power|ACT UP]] activists in the audience<ref>{{cite news|first=Richard|last=Gehr|title=Mouth At Work|work=Newsday| publisher=|page=4|date=1990-10-08|accessdate=}}</ref> [[heckled]] Limbaugh repeatedly; ultimately the entire studio audience was cleared. In 2001, Sajak said the incident was "legendary around CBS".<ref>{{cite video|people=Sajak, Pat|title=CNN Larry King Live|medium=TV series|publisher=CNN|date=2001-05-03}}</ref> |
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On December 17, 1993, Limbaugh appeared on ''[[The Late Show with David Letterman]]''.<ref>{{cite news|first=Tom |last=Maurstad|title=Stern, Limbaugh meet their match; Hosts Leno, Letterman hold their own in war|work=The Dallas Morning News|publisher=|page=1C|date=1993-12-20|accessdate=}}</ref> Limbaugh also guest-starred (as himself) on a 1994 episode of ''[[Hearts Afire]]''. He appeared in the 1995 [[Billy Crystal]] film ''[[Forget Paris]]'', and in 1998 on an episode of ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]''. |
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====Recent events==== |
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In 2007, Limbaugh made cameo appearances on [[Fox News Channel]]'s short-lived ''[[The 1/2 Hour News Hour]]'' in a series of parodies portraying him as the future President of the United States. In the parodies, his vice president was fellow conservative pundit [[Ann Coulter]]. He also made a cameo in the ''[[Family Guy]]'' episode "[[Blue Harvest (Family Guy)|Blue Harvest]]" that year. In the episode, a parody of ''[[Star Wars]]'', Limbaugh can be heard on the radio claiming that, among other things, the "intergalactic liberal space media" was lying about climate change on the planet [[Hoth]], and that [[Lando Calrissian]]'s administrative position on [[Cloud City]] was a result of [[affirmative action]]. He also appeared in the 2010 ''Family Guy'' episode "[[Excellence in Broadcasting]]", once again as himself, and in the 2011 episode "[[It's a Trap!]]" (which parodied ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'') as the [[Rancor]]. |
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His persona has often been utilized as a template for a stereotypical conservative talk show host on TV shows and in movies, including an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' (as a conservative talk radio host named [[Birch Barlow]]), as "Gus Baker" on an episode of ''[[Beavis and Butt-head]]'', as "Lash Rambo" (host of "Perfection in Broadcasting") on an episode of ''[[The New WKRP in Cincinnati]]'', and as "Fielding Chase" in the ''[[Columbo (TV series)|Columbo]]'' spinoff film ''Butterfly in Shades of Grey''. |
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As a result of his television program, Limbaugh became known for wearing distinctive neckties. In response to viewer interest, Limbaugh launched a series of ties<ref>{{cite news|first=Penny|last=Parker|pages=C–1|title=Ties loud, just like Limbaugh.|date=1996-03-20|publisher=Denver Post}}</ref> designed primarily by his then-wife Marta.<ref>{{cite news| first=Thomas|last=Vinciguera|page=43|title=No Talk Show, But a Loud Tie|date=1996-08-04|publisher=New York Times}}</ref> Sales of the ties reached over US$5 million in their initial sales year, but were later discontinued. |
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In January 2010, Chicago's [[The Second City|Second City]] announced a new production, ''Rush Limbaugh: The Musical'', a musical parody-pastiche following in the footsteps of 2009's successful run of ''[[Rod Blagojevich]] Superstar'', which has been written and developed by the same creative team. |
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On January 30, 2010, Limbaugh was a judge for the [[Miss America 2010|2010 Miss America pageant]] in Las Vegas.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/29/entertainment/main6154147.shtml|title=Rush Limbaugh Named Miss America Judge: Conservative Radio Host Joins Vivica Fox, Shawn Johnson on 2010 Panel|publisher=[[CBS News]]|accessdate=30 January 2010 | date=January 29, 2010}}</ref> In early 2011, Limbaugh was the subject of the third season of [[Golf Channel]]'s ''[[The Haney Project]]'', in which instructor [[Hank Haney]] coached him in eight episodes.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hank Haney will dissect Rush Limbaugh's golf game |author=Steve DiMeglio |url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2011-01-10-haney-project-rush-limbaugh_N.htm |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=January 11, 2011 |accessdate=April 21, 2011}}</ref> |
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==Views== |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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===Views on Immigration=== |
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Limbaugh's views on [[immigration]] have changed over the years. In the 1990s, in response to [[NAFTA]], he was supportive of allowing legal immigration from [[Mexico]]: "Let the unskilled jobs, let the kinds of jobs that take absolutely no knowledge whatsoever to do - let stupid and unskilled [[Mexican people|Mexicans]] do that work."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0716-10.htm|title=Limbaugh Brings Baggage with his ESPN Blabber|author=Derrick Z. Jackson|publisher=Boston Globe|date=July 16, 2003}}</ref> However, he has always taken a hard-line stance on illegal immigration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/eibessential/immigration/morning_update.html|title=<The Limbaugh Laws|date=April 6, 2006|publisher=Rush's Morning Update}}</ref> |
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===Defining the conservative movement=== |
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Limbaugh wrote in an [[op-ed]] piece in ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' in 2005: |
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<blockquote> |
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*I love being a conservative. We conservatives are proud of our philosophy. Unlike our liberal friends, who are constantly looking for new words to conceal their true beliefs and are in a perpetual state of reinvention, we conservatives are unapologetic about our ideals. |
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* We are confident in our principles and energetic about openly advancing them. We believe in individual liberty, limited government, capitalism, the rule of law, faith, a [[Color blindness (race)|color-blind]] society and [[national security]]. |
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* We support school choice, [[enterprise zone]]s, tax cuts, [[welfare reform]], [[faith-based initiative]]s, political speech, homeowner rights and the [[War on Terrorism]]. |
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* And at our core we embrace and celebrate the most magnificent governing document ever ratified by any nation — the [[United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution]]. Along with the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], which recognizes our [[God]]-given natural right to be free, it is the foundation on which our government is built and has enabled us to flourish as a people. |
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* We conservatives are never stronger than when we are advancing our principles.<ref>{{cite news|last=Limbaugh|first=Rush| title=Holding Court: There's a crackdown over Miers, not a "crackup."|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|date=2005-10-17| url=http://www.opinionjournal.com/ac/?id=110007417|accessdate=2006-10-25}}</ref></blockquote> |
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===Balance and point of view=== |
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In his first [[New York Times Best Seller list|''New York Times'' best seller]], Limbaugh describes himself as conservative, and is critical of broadcasters in many media outlets for claiming to be objective. He has criticized political centrists, independents, and moderate conservatives, claiming they are responsible for Democrat [[Barack Obama]]'s victory over Republican [[John McCain]] in the [[2008 U.S. Presidential Election]] and inviting them to leave the Republican party. He calls for the adoption of core conservative philosophies in order to ensure the survival of the Republican party.<ref name="Your Conservative Rock">{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_110508/content/01125100.guest.html |title=Wednesday Quotes: Your Conservative Rock |publisher=RushLimbaugh.com |work= |date=November 5, 2008|accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref><ref name="Get Off the Ledge, Conservatives! We Have Two Battles on Our Hands">{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_110608/content/01125108.guest.html |title=Get Off the Ledge, Conservatives! We Have Two Battles on Our Hands |publisher=Rushlimbaugh.com |date=November 6, 2008 |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref><ref name="Unconscionable: McCain Staffers Attempting to Destroy Sarah Palin">{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_110608/content/01125106.guest.html |title=Unconscionable: McCain Staffers Attempting to Destroy Sarah Palin |publisher=RushLimbaugh.com |date=November 6, 2008 |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref> |
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Limbaugh is critical of environmentalism and climate science.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_112509/content/01125106.guest.html |title= So we have now the Four Corners of Deceit, and the two universes in which we live. The Universe of Lies, the Universe of Reality |publisher=Rushlimbaugh.com |date= |accessdate=2009-11-24}}</ref> He has disputed claims of [[anthropogenic]] [[global warming]], and the relationship between [[CFCs]] and depletion of the [[ozone layer]], saying the scientific evidence does not support them.<ref name = "ontheissues-rush">On the Issues.org. [http://ontheissues.org/Rush_Limbaugh.htm Rush Limbaugh].</ref> Limbaugh has argued against the [[scientific opinion on climate change#Scientific consensus|scientific opinion on climate change]] saying the alleged scientific consensus "is just a bunch of scientists organized around a political proposition. You can't have consensus in [[science]] ... they think consensus is the way to sell it because, 'Oh, but all these wonderful people agree.'"<ref>RushLimbaugh.com. [http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_020107/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html Transcript]</ref> Limbaugh has used the term "environmentalist wacko" when referring to left-leaning environmental advocates.<ref>See, for instance, {{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/estack/idiot_bird_extinct.guest.html.html|title=Idiot Bird Extinct, Future of World at Risk (Transcript)|date=December 1, 2004|publisher=The Rush Limbaugh Show}}</ref> As a rhetorical device, he has also used the term to refer to more mainstream climate scientists and other environmental scientists and advocates with whom he disagrees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Rush_Limbaugh_Energy_+_Oil.htm|title=Rush Limbaugh on energy & oil|date=January 24, 2001|author=Rush Limbaugh, Wednesday Morning Update}}</ref> |
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Limbaugh is critical of [[feminism]], saying that "Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,976829,00.html|title=An Interview with Rush Limbaugh|publisher=''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine|author=Margaret Carlson|date=October 26, 1992}}</ref> He also popularized the term "[[feminazi]]", referring to about two dozen feminists "to whom the most important thing in life is ensuring that as many [[abortion]]s as possible occur."<ref name="TheWayp296">Rush H. Limbaugh, ''The Way Things Ought to Be'', Pocket Books, 1992 [http://books.google.com/books?id=XDVMk6q_pm4C&q=%22a+Feminazi+is+a+feminist+to+whom%22&pgis=1 p.296] |
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:''“Feminazi: Widely misunderstood by most to simply mean ‘feminist’. Not so, boobala [sic]. A Feminazi is a feminist to whom the most important thing in life is ensuring that as many abortions as possible occur. There are fewer than twenty-five known Feminazis in the United States...”''</ref> He credited his friend [[Tom Hazlett]], a professor of law and [[economics]] at [[George Mason University]], with coining the term.<ref name="TheWayp193">Rush H. Limbaugh, ''The Way Things Ought to Be'', Pocket Books, 1992 [http://books.google.com/books?id=XDVMk6q_pm4C&q=%22Tom+Hazlett%22+%22coined+the+term%22&pgis=1%20 p.193] |
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:''"I prefer to call the most obnoxious feminists what they really are: feminazis. Tom Hazlett, a good friend who is an esteemed and highly regarded professor of economics at the University of California at Davis, coined the term to describe any female who is intolerant of any point of view that challenges militant feminism. I often use it to describe women who are obsessed with perpetuating a modern-day holocaust: abortion. There are 1.5 million abortions a year ..."''</ref> |
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Limbaugh supports [[capital punishment]], saying "the only thing cruel about the death penalty is last-minute stays."<ref name = "ontheissues-rush"/> |
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On the [[Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse]] scandal, Limbaugh said, "This is no different than what happens at the [[Skull and Bones]] initiation ... And we're going to ruin people's lives over it and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time. You know, these people are being fired at every day [referring to the U.S. Military service members]. I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release?"<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/23/magazine/23PRISONS.html?pagewanted=3&ei=5007&en=a2cb6ea6bd297c8f&ex=1400644800&partner=USERLAND | title=Regarding the Torture of Others | work=The New York Times | first=Susan | last=Sontag | date=May 23, 2004 | accessdate=March 31, 2010}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/06/opinion/meyer/main616021.shtml |title=Rush: MPs Just 'Blowing Off Steam', Limbaugh: Abuse Story 'Media-Generated': CBS' Meyer Says Beware |publisher=CBS News |date= May 6, 2004|accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref> |
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Limbaugh has asserted that African-Americans, in contrast with other minority groups, are "left behind" socially because they have been systematically trained from a young age to hate America through a widespread movement headed by figures such as [[Jeremiah Wright]], [[Bill Ayers|William Ayers]], and Barack and Michelle Obama.<ref name="October 14, 2008 transcript">{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_101408/content/01125113.guest.html |title=October 14, 2008 transcript |publisher=RushLimbaugh.com |date= |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref> |
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James Rainey of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' quoted Limbaugh as saying after the 2008 election of [[Barack Obama]] as the 44th President of the United States that the Democrats will "take your [[401(k)]], put it in the [[Social Security Trust Fund]]."<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-onthemedia9-2008nov09,0,800478.story Right-wing media feeds its post-election anger], James Rainey, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', November 9, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2008.</ref> |
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=== Entertainment props === |
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Limbaugh utilizes [[Theatrical property|props]] to introduce his [[monologue]]s on various topics. On his radio show, news about the [[homeless]] has often been preceded with the [[Clarence "Frogman" Henry]] song "Ain't Got No Home."<ref name="Grossberger-p58">{{cite news |first=Lewis |last=Grossberger |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=The Rush Hours |url= |work=The New York Times| publisher= |pages= |page=58 | date=1990-12-16 | accessdate= | language= }}</ref> For a time, [[Dionne Warwick]]'s song "I Know I'll Never Love This Way Again" preceded reports about people with [[AIDS]].<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Remnick |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Day of the Dittohead |url= |work=The Washington Post| publisher= |pages= |page=C1 | date=1990-12-16 | accessdate= | language= }}</ref> These later became "condom updates" preceded by [[The 5th Dimension|Fifth Dimension]]'s song, "Up, Up and Away (in My Beautiful Balloon)."<ref name="Grossberger-p58" /> For two weeks in 1989, on his Sacramento radio show, Limbaugh performed "caller abortions" where he would end a call suddenly to the sounds of a vacuum cleaner and a scream. He would then deny that he had "hung up" on the caller, which he had promised not to do. Limbaugh claims that he used this gag to illustrate "the tragedy of abortion" as well as to highlight the question of whether abortion constitutes murder.<ref>{{cite news|first=Rush |last=Limbaugh|author=|title=The Way things Ought To Be|publisher=Simon and Schuster|pages=62–66 |page= |date=1990-12-16|accessdate=}}</ref> During the Clinton administration, while filming his television program, Limbaugh referred to media coverage of [[Socks (cat)|Socks]], the Clintons' cat. He then stated, "But did you know there is also a White House dog?" and a picture of [[Chelsea Clinton]] was shown. When questioned about it, Limbaugh claimed that it was an accident and that without his permission some technician had put up the picture of Chelsea.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1882947,00.html | title=Conservative Radio Host Rush Limbaugh | date=March 4, 2009 | work=Time | first=Claire | last=Suddath}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/inaug/players/chelsea.htm | date=January 14, 1997 | work=The Washington Post | title=16 Candles for Chelsea}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://motherjones.com/politics/1995/05/lyin-bully |title=Lyin' Bully |publisher=Mother Jones |date= |accessdate=2011-12-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/complaints_and_anger_dominate_talk_radio_95564684.html |title=Complaints and anger dominate talk radio - San Antonio Express-News |publisher=Mysanantonio.com |date=2010-06-04 |accessdate=2011-12-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/toplists/getting_the_bum_rush/getting_the_bum_rush.html | location=New York | work=Daily News | title=Getting the 'Bum Rush' | date=March 8, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/16/hillaryclinton.uselections2008 | location=London | title=How Chelsea Clinton finally came of age | date=March 16, 2008 | work=The Guardian}}</ref> |
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===Claims of inaccuracy=== |
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Some groups and individuals have criticized Limbaugh's accuracy. The July/August 1994 issue of ''Extra!'', a publication of the [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]] group [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]] (FAIR), alleges 50 different inaccuracies and distortions in Limbaugh's commentary.<ref>[http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1895 The Way Things Aren't] ''Extra!'', July/August 1994</ref><ref>''The Way Things Aren't: Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error : Over 100 Outrageously False and Foolish Statements from America's Most Powerful Radio and TV commentator'', Rendall, Steve; Naureckas, Jim; and Cohen, Jeff; W.W. Norton and Company, 1995</ref> Others have since joined FAIR in questioning Limbaugh's facts. [[Al Franken]], a former comedian and current Democratic Senator of Minnesota, wrote a satirical book (''[[Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations]]'') in which he accused Limbaugh of distorting facts to serve his own political biases.<ref>[[Al Franken|Franken, Al]], ''[[Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations]]'', Delacorte Press, 1996</ref> |
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Limbaugh has been criticized for inaccuracies by the [[Environmental Defense Fund]]. A defense fund report authored by [[Princeton University]] endowed geoscience professor [[Michael Oppenheimer]] and professor of biology David Wilcove lists 14 significant scientific facts which, the authors allege, Limbaugh misrepresented in his book ''[[The Way Things Ought to Be]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.edf.org/documents/2432_WayThingsReallyAre.pdf|title=The way things really are|publisher=Environmental Defense Fund|year=1994|format=PDF}}</ref> The authors conclude that "Rush Limbaugh ... allows his political bias to distort the truth about a whole range of important scientific issues." |
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On October 14, 2011 Limbaugh questioned the U.S. move against the [[Lord's Resistance Army|LRA]] on the grounds that "Lord's Resistance Army are Christians. They are fighting the Muslims in Sudan. And Obama has sent troops, United States troops to remove them from the battlefield, which means kill them." "So that’s a new war, a hundred troops to wipe out Christians in Sudan, Uganda." Later, Limbaugh stated that he would research the group as he was made aware of accusations of their atrocities, including kidnapping whole schools for use as child soldiers.<ref>{{cite web|author=Wednesday |url=http://www.irt.org.uk/irt-blog/2009/9/9/aboke-abductions-girl-escapes.html |title=International Refugee Trust - IRT NEWS BLOG - Aboke Abductions girl escapes |publisher=IRT |date=2009-09-09 |accessdate=2011-12-10}}</ref><ref name=targets>{{cite web |url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2011/10/14/obama_invades_uganda_targets_christians |title=Obama Invades Uganda, Targets Christians |publisher=[[The Rush Limbaugh Show]] |date=2011-10-14 |accessdate=2011-10-19}}</ref> Contrary to this assertion, however, he later allowed the show's written transcript to be posted on his website under the title "Obama Invades Uganda, Targets Christians".<ref name=targets /><ref>http://mediamatters.org/blog/201110140018 Limbaugh's Latest Smear: Obama Is "Target[ing] Christians" In Uganda Originally posted Oct. 14, 2011. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2011.</ref><ref>[http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/10/15/rush_limbaugh_on_lords_resistance_army_obama_invades_uganda_targets_christians Rush Limbaugh on Lord's Resistance Army: "Obama Invades Uganda, Targets Christians" Originally posted Oct. 15, 2011. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2011.]</ref> |
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==Charitable work== |
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===Leukemia and lymphoma telethon=== |
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Limbaugh holds an annual fundraising telethon called the "EIB Cure-a-Thon"<ref>{{cite web|title=EIB Cure-a-Thon|work= Rush Limbaugh|publisher=RushLimbaugh.com|url= http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_042806/content/eib_cure_a_thon.member.html | accessdate= 2006-08-04}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> for the [[Leukemia & Lymphoma Society]].<ref>{{cite web | title= Leukemia and Lymphoma Society | work= 501(c) | publisher = Leukemia and Lymphoma Society | url= http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org | accessdate= 2006-08-04}}</ref> In 2006, the EIB Cure-a-Thon conducted its 16th annual telethon, raising $1.7 million,<ref>{{cite web | title= EIB Cure-a-Thon | work= Rush Limbaugh | publisher = RushLimbaugh.com | url= http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/rushwire/the_operative_words_are_not_guilty.guest.html | accessdate= 2006-11-15 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071013112420/http://rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/rushwire/the_operative_words_are_not_guilty.guest.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-10-13}}</ref> totaling over $15 million since the first cure-a-thon.<ref>Newsweek. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12555181/site/newsweek/ Rehabbing Rush]. 2006.</ref> According to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society annual reports, Limbaugh personally contributed between $100,000 and $499,999 from 2000–2005 and 2007,<ref name="autogenerated2">Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. [http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=9556 Annual reports].</ref> and Limbaugh claims to have contributed around $250,000 in 2003, 2004 and 2005.<ref>Rush Limbaugh Show. [http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/rush_photos_main/the_american_dream_is_no_myth.guest.html Transcript]. April 28, 2005.</ref> NewsMax reported Limbaugh donated $250,000 in 2006,<ref>[[NewsMax Media]]. [http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/4/29/110359.shtml?s=ic Rush Limbaugh Donates $250K for Cancer Cure] April 29, 2006.</ref> and the Society's 2006 annual report placed him in the $500,000 to $999,999 category.<ref name="autogenerated2" /> Limbaugh donated $320,000 during the 2007 Cure-a-Thon<ref>{{cite web | title= Rush Limbaugh Donates $320,000 to Kick Off 2007 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Cure-A-Thon | work= Rush Limbaugh | publisher = RushLimbaugh.com | url= http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_042007/content/01125106.guest.html | accessdate= 2007-04-20}}</ref> which the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society reported had raised $3.1 million.<ref>Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. [http://lls.org/all_news_detail.adp?item_id=472343&cat_id=140 Rush Limbaugh Cure-A-Thon Raises $3.1 Million for Society Mission]. May 1, 2007.</ref> On his radio program April 18, 2008, Limbaugh claimed to pledge $400,000 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society after being challenged by two listeners to increase his initial pledge of $300,000.<ref>{{cite web | title= Rush Donates $400,000 to Kick Off Annual Blood Cancer Cure-A-Thon | work= Rush Limbaugh | publisher = RushLimbaugh.com | url= http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_041808/content/01125106.guest.html | accessdate= 2008-04-18}}</ref> |
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===Rush 24/7 Adopt-A-Soldier Program=== |
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Limbaugh's website maintains a page where US soldiers can register for a free subscription to Limbaugh's online premium service, ''Rush 24/7'', through memberships purchased by donors who buy a subscription (at a reduced price) as a gift.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/rush_24_7_adopt_a_soldier.member.html |title=Rush 24/7 Adopt-A-Soldier Program |publisher=RushLimbaugh.com |date= |format=Registration required |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref> |
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===Marine Corps–Law Enforcement Foundation=== |
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Limbaugh conducts an annual drive to help the [[Marine Corps–Law Enforcement Foundation]] collect contributions to provide scholarships for children of Marines and law enforcement officers/agents who have died in the line of duty.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/eib15th/leuk_award.member.html |title=Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation Marine Corps-Law Enforcement charity article |publisher=RushLimbaugh.com |date= |format=Registration required |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mc-lef.org/Home.aspx |title=Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation Home Page |publisher=Mc-lef.org |date= |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref> The foundation was the beneficiary of a record $2.1 million eBay auction in October 2007 after Limbaugh listed for sale a letter critical of him signed by 41 Democratic senators and pledged to match the selling price.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1930617020071019 "Reid-Limbaugh spat raises $2.1 million for children"], ''[[Reuters]]'', October 19, 2007</ref> |
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With the recent founding of his and his wife's company "Two if by Tea", they have pledged to donate at least $100,000 to the MC-LEF beginning in June, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.twoifbytea.com/support.php |title=Two If By Tea™ - Support Our Patriots |publisher=Twoifbytea.com |date= |accessdate=2011-12-10}}</ref> |
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==Personal life== |
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Limbaugh has been married four times and has no children.<ref>[http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/rushlimbaugh.htm "The Marriages of Rush Limbaugh"], by By Sheri & Bob Stritof, About.com, retrieved July 26, 2010</ref> He was first married at the age of 26 to Roxy Maxine McNeely, a sales secretary at radio station [[WHB]] in [[Kansas City, Missouri]]. They were married at the Centenary United Methodist Church in Limbaugh's hometown of [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri]] on September 24, 1977. McNeely filed for divorce in March 1980, citing "incompatibility." They were formally divorced on July 10, 1980.<ref name="Colford"/> |
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In 1983, Limbaugh married Michelle Sixta, a college student and usherette at the [[Kansas City Royals]] Stadium Club. They were divorced in 1990, and she remarried the following year.<ref name="Colford"/> |
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On May 27, 1994, Limbaugh married Marta Fitzgerald, a 35-year-old aerobics instructor whom he met on the online service [[CompuServe]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite web |
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| author=Sheri & Bob Stritof |
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| title=The Marriages of Rush Limbaugh |
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| url=http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/rushlimbaugh.htm |
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| accessdate=2009-06-03}}</ref> They were married at the house of [[U.S. Supreme Court]] Justice [[Clarence Thomas]], who officiated.<ref>{{cite news | work = [[New York Times]] | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/30/nyregion/chronicle-248584.html | title = Wedding Announcements | first = Nadine | last = Brozan | date = May 30, 1994 | accessdate = April 20, 2009}}</ref> They were separated on June 11, 2004.<ref>{{cite news |
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| first=Scott |
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| last=McCabe |
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| title=Limbaugh, third wife parting after 10 years |
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| url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/news/limbaugh/c1a_rush_0612.html |
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| publisher=[[Palm Beach Post]]. |
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|date=June 12, 2004 |
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| accessdate=2006-11-04}}</ref> Limbaugh announced on the air, "Marta has consented to my request for a divorce, and we have mutually agreed to seek an amicable separation.<!-- this platitude seems completely irrelevant: As I said, it's a personal matter and I want to keep it that way. I don't intend to say any more about this on the air.-->" The divorce was finalized in December 2004.<ref>Herald Staff. "Rush's divorce final" ''[[The Miami Herald]].'' February 19, 2005. Pg. 4A</ref> In September 2004, Limbaugh became romantically involved with then-TV personality [[Daryn Kagan]], and they broke up in February 2006.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/392895p-333176c.html | location=New York | work=Daily News | title=New York News, Traffic, Sports, Weather, Photos, Entertainment, and Gossip - NY Daily News}}</ref> |
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He dated Kathryn Rogers, a party planner from Florida, for three years<ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.nationalledger.com/ledgerpop/article_272632213.shtml |
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|title=Rush Limbaugh Marries Fourth Wife Kathryn Rogers in Florida - Wedding Day |
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|work=National Ledger |
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|date=June 5, 2010 |
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|accessdate=June 10, 2010}}</ref> before he married her on June 5, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/05/rush-limbaughs-girlfriend_n_411726.html|title=Rush Limbaugh's Girlfriend Kathryn Rogers Gives Inside Story On Heart Scare|publisher=The Huffington Post|date=2010-01-05|accessdate=2010-01-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Powers |first=Doug |url=http://michellemalkin.com/2010/06/05/rush-to-the-altar-and-the-wedding-singer-is/ |title=Rush to the Altar — And the Wedding Singer Is… |publisher=Michelle Malkin |date=2010-06-05 |accessdate=2011-12-10}}</ref> During the wedding reception after the ceremony, [[Elton John]] entertained the wedding guests for a reported $1 million fee; however, Limbaugh himself denied that the $1 million figure was accurate on his September 7, 2010 radio show.<ref>Silverman, Stephen.[http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20391620,00.html Elton John Sings at Rush Limbaugh's 4th Wedding], [[People|People.com]], June 7, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2010/06/love_etc_rush_limbaugh_marries.html?hpid=artslot Love, etc: Rush Limbaugh marries for the fourth time.] ''The Washington Post.'' June 6, 2010.</ref> |
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Through a [[holding company]], KARHL Holdings (KARHL meaning "Kathryn and Rush Hudson Limbaugh"), Limbaugh launched a line of bottled [[iced tea]] beverages, entitled "Two if by Tea" after a line from [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]]'s "[[Paul Revere's Ride (poem)|Paul Revere's Ride]]."<ref>Roberts, Fiona (2011-06-16). [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004451/Rush-Limbaugh-launches-brand-iced-tea.html It's Rush Revere! Rush Limbaugh launches his own brand of (patriotic) iced tea]. ''The Daily Mail''. Retrieved 2011-06-17.</ref> |
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===Prescription drug addiction=== |
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{{Undue|section|date=July 2010}} |
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[[File:Rush Limbaugh.jpg|thumb|right|Mugshot of Rush Limbaugh taken on April 28, 2006.]] |
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On October 3, 2003 the ''[[National Enquirer]]'' reported that Limbaugh was being investigated for illegally obtaining the prescription drugs [[oxycodone]] and [[hydrocodone]]. Other news outlets quickly confirmed the investigation.<ref>{{cite news|last=Candiotti|first=Susan|title=Limbaugh mostly mum on reports of drug probe|publisher=CNN|date=2003-10-03|url= http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/News/10/03/rush.drugs/}}</ref> He admitted to listeners on his radio show on October 10, 2003 that he was addicted to prescription painkillers and stated that he would enter inpatient treatment for 30 days, immediately after the broadcast.<ref>{{cite news|author= George Bennett & John Pacenti|url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/news/limbaugh/101103_limbaugh.html|title= Talk host Limbaugh to enter drug rehab|publisher=[[Palm Beach Post]]|page=1A|date=2003-10-11}}</ref> Limbaugh stated his addiction to painkillers resulted from several years of severe back pain heightened by a botched surgery intended to correct those problems. |
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A subsequent investigation into whether Limbaugh had violated Florida's [[doctor shopping]] laws was launched by the [[Palm Beach County|Palm Beach]] [[State Attorney]], which raised privacy issues when investigators seized Limbaugh's private medical records looking for evidence of crimes. On November 9, 2005, following two years of investigations, Assistant State Attorney James L. Martz requested the court to set aside Limbaugh's doctor–patient confidentiality rights and allow the state to question his physicians, stating it was necessary because "I have no idea if Mr. Limbaugh has completed the elements of any offense yet."<ref>{{cite news | date= November 9, 2005 | title= Prosecutors Push to Speak with Limbaugh Doctors | publisher= The Palm Beach Post | pages=3B}}</ref> Limbaugh's attorney opposed the prosecutor's efforts to interview his doctors on the basis of patient privacy rights, and argued that the prosecutor had violated Limbaugh's [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourth Amendment]] rights by illegally seizing his medical records. The [[American Civil Liberties Union]] issued a statement in agreement and filed an [[amicus curiae]] brief in support of Limbaugh.<ref>{{cite news | date= January 13, 2004 | title= Improbable ally joins Limbaugh privacy fight | publisher= The St. Petersburg Times | pages=1B}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aclufl.org/news_events/?action=viewRelease&emailAlertID=41 |title=Palm Beach Appeals Court to Hear Argument in Limbaugh Medical Records Case |publisher=Aclufl.org |date=April 7, 2004 |location=WEST PALM BEACH |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref> On December 12, 2005, Judge David F. Crow delivered a ruling prohibiting the State of Florida from questioning Limbaugh's physicians about "the medical condition of the patient and any information disclosed to the health care practitioner by the patient in the course of the care and treatment of the patient."<ref>{{cite news | date= December 13, 2005| title= Judge Limits Limbaugh Inquiry|publisher= The Palm Beach Daily News|page=1}}</ref> |
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On April 28, 2006 a warrant was issued for his arrest on the charge of doctor shopping. According to Teri Barbera, spokeswoman for the Sheriff, during his arrest, Limbaugh was [[arrest|booked]], photographed, and fingerprinted, but not handcuffed. He was then released after about an hour on $3,000 [[bail]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/28/national/main1561324.shtml |title=Rush Limbaugh Arrested On Drug Charges, Conservative Radio Commentator Turns Himself In But Claims Innocence |publisher=CBS News |date= April 28, 2006|accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/28/ldt.01.html |title=LOU DOBBS TONIGHT|work=LOU DOBBS TONIGHT |format=Transcript |publisher=CNN.com |date=April 28, 2006 |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/04/28/limbaugh.booked/index.html |title=Rehab, $30,000 to keep Limbaugh out of court|publisher=CNN.com |date=April 29, 2006 |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref> After his surrender, he filed a "not guilty" plea to the charge. Prosecutors agreed to drop the charge if Limbaugh paid $30,000 to defray the cost of the investigation and completed an 18-month therapy regimen with his physician.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/rushwire/settlement_agreement_ends_state_investigation_of_rush_limbaugh.guest.html | date= April 28, 2006 | title= Settlement Agreement Ends State Investigation of Rush Limbaugh | publisher= RushLimbaugh.com}}</ref> |
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Limbaugh asserted that the state's settlement agreement resulted from a lack of evidence supporting the charge of [[doctor shopping]]. Under the terms of the agreement, Limbaugh may not own a firearm for eighteen months and must continue to submit to [[drug test#Random drug testing|random drug testing]], which he acknowledges having undergone since 2003.<ref>{{cite news|first=Brian|last=Skoloff| url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/limbaugh_painkillers;_ylt=AoXk6dXtazOH3nAUdJKIsQys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--|date=2006-05-01 | agency= Associated Press | title= Limbaugh Facing Drug Tests Under Deal}}</ref> |
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Before his addiction became known, Limbaugh had condemned [[illegal drug use]] on his television program, stating that "Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. ... And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up."<ref>Murphy, Jarrett. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/28/national/main1561324.shtml Rush Limbaugh Arrested On Drug Charges.] ''CBS News.'' April 28, 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12536446/ Limbaugh reaches settlement in drugs case.] ''[[Associated Press]].'' April 29, 2006.</ref> |
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Roy Black, one of Limbaugh's attorneys, stated that "Rush Limbaugh was singled out for prosecution because of who he is. We believe the state attorney's office is applying a double standard."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.sptimes.com/2004/01/04/State/Limbaugh_may_face_a_r.shtml | date=2004-01-04 | agency= Associated Press | title= Limbaugh may face a rarely used charge}}</ref> |
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In June 2006, Limbaugh was detained by drug enforcement agents at [[Palm Beach International Airport]]. Customs officials confiscated [[Viagra]] from Limbaugh's luggage as he was returning from the [[Dominican Republic]]. The prescription was not in Limbaugh's name.<ref name=viagra/> |
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After he was released with no charges filed, Limbaugh joked about the incident on his radio show, claiming that he got the Viagra at the [[William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park|Clinton Library]] and was told they were blue [[M&M's]]. He also stated that "I had a great time in the Dominican Republic. Wish I could tell you about it."<ref name=viagra>{{cite news|title=Rush Limbaugh Detained With Viagra|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/27/national/main1753947.shtml|date=2006-06-27|accessdate=2008-09-30|publisher=[[CBS News]]}}</ref> |
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===Cigar aficionado=== |
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In the early 1990s, when the [[cigar boom]] was gaining momentum, Limbaugh was seen frequently with a cigar in hand and by the end of the 1990s, cigars had become Limbaugh's staple in many public appearances. Often starting segments of his show with the phrase, "Amid billowing clouds of fragrant and aromatic first, second, and sometimes third hand premium cigar smoke" as well as mentioning a story print-out in his "formerly [[nicotine]]-stained fingers", cigars became a common topic of discussion. In the spring of 1994, Limbaugh appeared on the cover of the magazine ''[[Cigar Aficionado]]'' and shared the story of his conversion to cigars. He has since been a frequent participant in many events such as "The Big Smoke", hosted throughout the year by the magazine. Limbaugh has participated in many charity cigar auctions hosted by the magazine, and is known to talk frequently with his listeners about his and their cigar interests, preferences and recommendations. "I think cigars are just a tremendous addition to the enjoyment of life."<ref>{{cite news|first=Mervyn| last=Rothstein|title=Rush's Judgment|url=http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/People_Profile/0,2540,18,00.html| publisher=[[Cigar Aficionado]]|accessdate=2006-11-04}}</ref> He is also frequently seen in his studio smoking a cigar during his show. |
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===Deafness=== |
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Rush Limbaugh has described himself as being "100%, totally deaf".<ref name="RushLimbaugh.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_101207/content/01125106.guest.html |title=Rush to Excellence Speech for WPHT-AM Philadelphia |publisher=RushLimbaugh.com |date=October 11, 2007 |work=Transcript |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref> In 2001, he was diagnosed with a rare [[autoimmune inner ear disease]] (AIED), which, in the span of three months, rendered his right ear completely deaf and left ear severely deaf. "I cannot hear television. I cannot hear music. I am, for all practical purposes, deaf – and it's happened in three months."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/10/08/politics/main314011.shtml | work=CBS News | title=Limbaugh Losing His Hearing | date=October 8, 2001}}</ref> On December 19, 2001, doctors at the House Ear Clinic in [[Los Angeles]] were able to successfully restore a measure of his hearing through a surgical procedure known as a [[cochlear implant]] surgery. Limbaugh received a Clarion CII Bionic Ear.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_3_18/ai_82554117 |title=Limbaugh learning to listen again: Rush Limbaugh lost most of his hearing because of a rare disease, but the conservative icon says he has not lost his ability to communicate with his audience |publisher=Insight on the News |date=January 28, 2002 |first=Timothy W. |last=Maier |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref> In 2005, Limbaugh was forced to undergo "tuning" due to an "eye twitch", an apparent side-effect of [[cochlear implants]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.4hearingloss.com/archives/2005/04/rush_to_get_bio.html |title=Rush to get bionic tune up |publisher=4 Hearing Loss |date=April 28, 2005 |work=Transcript |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref> |
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===Hospitalization for chest pains=== |
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On December 30, 2009, while vacationing in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]], Limbaugh was transported to [[Queen's Medical Center]] where he was admitted in serious condition with intense [[chest pains]]. Testing revealed nothing specific and his doctors attributed the pain to [[angina pectoris]], which is an obstruction or spasm of the coronary arteries.<ref>[http://www.kitv.com/politics/22094469/detail.html Limbaugh Says Tests Found Nothing Wrong.] ''KITV.com'' January 1, 2010.</ref> |
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==Controversies== |
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===Armed Forces Radio=== |
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On May 26, 2004, the article "Rush's Forced Conscripts" appeared on the online news and opinion magazine [[Salon.com]].<ref>[http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/05/26/rush_limbaugh/index.html Rush's forced conscripts - Salon.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The article discussed the controversy surrounding the fact that [[American Forces Network|American Forces Radio and Television Service]] ([[AFRTS]]), (which describes itself as "[providing] stateside radio and television programming, 'a touch of home', to U.S. service men and women, DoD civilians, and their families serving outside the continental United States"), carries the first hour of Limbaugh's show. Melvin Russell, director of [[AFRTS]], defended Limbaugh's presence, by pointing to Limbaugh's high ratings in the US: "We look at the most popular shows broadcast here in the United States and try to mirror that. [Limbaugh] is the No. 1 talk show host in the States; there's no question about that. Because of that we provide him on our service." In addition, AFRTS produced a [[ballot]] of [[radio]] and [[television]] shows asking troops worldwide, "Who do you want that we don't at present carry?" ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'' was not listed on the ballot, but won the vote as a write-in by the troops. A later poll by [[Lund Media Research]] found that a majority of soldiers preferred that talk show programs be replaced by hip hop and rap stations, bringing into question the future of content such as the Rush Limbaugh Show on AFRTS.<ref>[http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=36735&archive=true Future military radio menu could be more pop, less talk | Stars and Stripes<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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Critics have pointed out that other programs, such as the eight-million listener per week ''[[The Howard Stern Show|Howard Stern Show]]'', are absent from AFRTS. (This statement was made before Stern left for satellite radio in 2006.) Other claims—for example, that there is no political counterbalance to Limbaugh on AFRTS—have been rebutted by [[Byron York]], a columnist for the predominantly conservative ''[[National Review]]'': "American military men and women abroad have access, for example, to the talk show of liberal host [[Diane Rehm]] ... [[Jim Hightower]] and [[Columbia Broadcasting Service|CBS]] News [[news anchor|anchorman]] [[Dan Rather]]." Another possible political counterbalance to Limbaugh is [[Harry Shearer]], who emphasizes his presence on AFRTS at the end of every episode of his satirical ''[[Le Show]]''. |
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On June 14, 2004, [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] [[Tom Harkin]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]-[[Iowa|IA]]) introduced an amendment to the 2004 Defense Authorization bill that called for AFRTS to fulfill its stated goal of providing political balance in its news and public affairs programming. The amendment passed unanimously in the Senate. Limbaugh responded by calling the move "censorship". On his June 17 radio show, he commented that: "This is a United States senator [Tom Harkin] amending the Defense appropriations bill with the intent being to get this program—only one hour of which is carried on Armed Forces Radio—stripped from that network." The amendment never became law. As of 2005, the first hour of Limbaugh's show is still on AFRTS. Limbaugh visited US forces in [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]] in 2005. |
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This treatment of ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'' proved to set a precedent for Congressional debate on [[AFRTS]] content. The [[Ed Schultz]] show, a liberal talk radio show with over one million listeners a week, was originally scheduled to be broadcast on AFRTS on October 17, 2005. It was subsequently pulled, with some alleging political motivation, which was later debated in Congress. A few weeks after this debate, AFRTS added Schultz to the line-up along with other talk show hosts: [[Al Franken]] and [[Sean Hannity]]. |
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===Michael J. Fox=== |
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In October 2006, [[Michael J. Fox]], who suffers from [[Parkinson's disease]], was featured in a political TV ad in which he advocated funding for [[stem cell research]]. In response to the ad, Limbaugh said the following: "He is exaggerating the effects of the disease. He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act. ... This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting."<ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{cite news| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/24/AR2006102400691.html | work=The Washington Post | first=David | last=Montgomery | title=Rush Limbaugh On the Offensive Against Ad With Michael J. Fox | date=October 25, 2006}}</ref> Major media outlets criticized Limbaugh for his characterization of Fox's symptoms,<ref name="washingtonpost.com"/> while Fox himself remained largely silent, responding simply, "I'm kind of lucky right now. It's ironic, given some of the things that have been said in the last couple days, that my pills are working really well."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/24/politics/main2121910.shtml | work=CBS News | title=Fox Responds To Limbaugh Accusation}}</ref> |
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==="Barack the Magic Negro" parody=== |
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{{Main|Barack the Magic Negro}} |
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On March 19, 2007, Limbaugh referred to a ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' editorial by [[David Ehrenstein]] which claimed that [[Barack Obama]] was filling the role of the "[[magic negro]]", and that this explained his appeal to voters.<ref>{{cite news | last = Ehrenstein | first = David | title = Obama the 'Magic Negro' | publisher = Los Angeles Times | date = March 19, 2007 | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,5335087.story?coll=la-opinion-center }}</ref> Limbaugh then later played a song by [[Paul Shanklin]] entitled "Barack the Magic Negro,"<ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://mfile.akamai.com/5020/wma/rushlimb.download.akamai.com/5020/New/barackthemagicnegro.asx |
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|title=Barack the Magic Negro |
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|author=[[Paul Shanklin]] |
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|publisher=Rush Limbaugh web site (cached via [[Akamai Technologies|Akamai]]) |
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}}</ref> sung to the tune of "[[Puff the Magic Dragon]]".<ref name="BBC">{{cite news | title = US DJ criticised over Obama song | publisher = BBC | date = 10 May 2007 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6642029.stm }}</ref> |
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===Phony soldiers=== |
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{{Main|Phony soldiers controversy}} |
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During the September 26, 2007, broadcast of Limbaugh's radio show, Limbaugh used the term "phony soldiers" when speaking to a caller who had brought up soldiers who criticize the war.<ref name="jkerry">{{cite news |
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| last =Mooney |
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| first =Alex. |
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| title = Top Democrat blasts Limbaugh for 'phony soldiers' comment |
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| publisher =CNN |
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| date= 2007-10-01 |
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| url =http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/01/reid.limbaugh/ |
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| accessdate = 2007-10-23 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,298556,00.html | work=Fox News | title=Democrats Criticize Rush Limbaugh's 'Phony Soldiers' Remark | date=September 28, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1004/p99s01-duts.html |title='Phony soldiers' comments continue to roil Iraq war debate / The Christian Science Monitor |publisher=CSMonitor.com |date=2007-10-04 |accessdate=2011-12-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Battenfeld |first=Joe |url=http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/politics/view.bg?articleid=1034890 |title=‘Phony soldiers’ remark provokes a Rush to judgment - BostonHerald.com |publisher=News.bostonherald.com |date=2007-09-29 |accessdate=2011-12-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/09/28/dems-seize-on-limbaughs-phony-soldier-comment/?fbid=54GDutdfEZM | work=CNN | accessdate=March 31, 2010 | title=Dems seize on Limbaugh's 'phony soldiers' comment}}</ref> The caller, saying he was currently serving in the Army for 14 years, said, "They never talk to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and spout to the media." Limbaugh interrupted, "The phony soldiers." The caller continued, "The phony soldiers. If you talk to a real soldier, they are proud to serve. They want to be over in [[Iraq]]. They understand their sacrifice, and they're willing to sacrifice for their country."<ref>[The Rush Limbaugh Show, Transcript]</ref> Several minutes later, after the caller had hung up, Limbaugh read from the AP story describing the story of [[Jesse Macbeth]]. Macbeth joined the Army but did not complete basic training, yet claimed in [[alternative media]] interviews that he and his unit routinely committed [[war crimes]] in Iraq.<ref name="peacefilms">http://www.peacefilms.org/index.html "Jessie Macbeth: Former Army Ranger and Iraq War Veteran" video, peacefilms.org, retrieved May 23, 2006 (inactive as of May 24, 2006)</ref><ref name="socialist">{{cite web|url=http://www.socialistalternative.org/news/article13.php?id=261 |title=Statement on Jesse MacBeth interview in Justice |publisher=Socialist Alternative |date=May 26, 2006 |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref> On June 7, 2007, Macbeth [[guilty plea|pleaded guilty]] to one count of [[making false statements]] to the [[U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs]] and was sentenced to five months in jail and three years [[probation]].<ref>''Seattle Times'' – |
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[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003739269_fakeranger08m0.html Man who lied about actions in Iraq admits faking forms]</ref><ref>''Seattle Post Intellegencer'' – |
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[http://www.seattlepi.com/local/332642_fakevet22.html Poster soldier for anti-war movement was a fake]</ref> [[Media Matters for America|Media Matters]] noted Limbaugh's use of the term "phony soldiers" in an article on their website. The article suggested that Limbaugh was saying that all soldiers who disagree with the Iraq War were "phony soldiers",<ref>[http://mediamatters.org/items/200709270010?f=h_top Limbaugh: Service members who support U.S. withdrawal are "phony soldiers" ] [[Media Matters for America|Media Matters]] September 27, 2007</ref> and was discussed in speeches by Presidential candidates [[John Edwards]] and [[Chris Dodd]].<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8RUQJB80&show_article=1&catnum=0?ftr=vidpgurl Dems Criticize Limbaugh's Comments] [[Associated Press|AP]] September 28, 2007</ref> Limbaugh said that, when he had made the comment about "phony soldiers", he had been speaking only of Macbeth and others like him who claim to be soldiers and are not, and that "Media Matters takes things out of context all the time".<ref>[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_092807/content/01125106.guest.html "Phony Soldiers" is a Phony Story] Rush Limbaugh Show Transcript, September 28, 2007</ref> Media Matters pointed out that Limbaugh did not mention Jesse Macbeth on his September 26 radio show until one minute and 50 seconds after talking about "phony soldiers" with the caller."<ref>{{cite web|author=— A.I. |url=http://mediamatters.org/research/200710220004 |title=AP reports on Limbaugh's "phony soldiers" comment have failed to correctly explain timeline of controversy | Media Matters for America |publisher=Mediamatters.org |date= |accessdate=2011-12-10}}</ref> The unedited transcript of the radio show in question can be found on Rush Limbaugh's website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_092607/content/01125113.guest.html |title=How Long Is Too Long for Victory? - The Rush Limbaugh Show |publisher=Rushlimbaugh.com |date=2007-09-26 |accessdate=2011-12-10}}</ref> |
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===Comments on Obama's policies=== |
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On January 16, 2009, Limbaugh read a letter on his radio show that he had received a request from a national print outlet: ... "If you could send us 400 words on your hope for the [[Obama administration|Obama presidency]], we need it by Monday night, that would be ideal." He responded, "I don't need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails." He explained that he didn't want "absorption of as much of the private sector by the US government as possible, from the banking business, to the mortgage industry, the automobile business, to health care. I do not want the government in charge of all of these things. I don't want this to work." He continued, "What is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what's gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here."<ref name="I Hope Obama Fails ">{{cite web | title = Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails | work = The Rush Limbaugh Show, Transcript | date = January 16, 2009 | url = http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_011609/content/01125113.guest.html | accessdate = March 23, 2009 }}</ref> |
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Limbaugh later said that he wants to see Obama's ''policies'' fail, not the man himself.<ref>{{cite news | last = Bacon | first = Perry, Jr. | title = GOP Seeks Balance With Conservative Icon Limbaugh | pages = A01 | publisher = The Washington Post | date = March 4, 2009 | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/03/AR2009030303946_pf.html}}</ref> Speaking of Obama, Limbaugh said, "He's my president, he's a human being, and his ideas and policies are what count for me."<ref name="I Hope Obama Fails "/> |
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===Remarks at 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference=== |
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Limbaugh was the keynote speaker at the 2009 [[Conservative Political Action Conference]]; his speech attracted widespread attention.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29478402/| title=GOP chief apologizes for Limbaugh remarks| date=March 3, 2009}}</ref> On March 1, 2009, CBS's ''[[Face the Nation]]'' asked White House Chief Of Staff [[Rahm Emanuel]] who he thought represented the Republican Party; Emanuel named Limbaugh as his choice.<ref name="CQ_0301">[http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003063742 Transcript: Rahm Emanuel on CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’], [[CQ Politics]], March 1, 2009</ref><ref name="fox0301">[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/01/limbaugh-leader-obama-chief-staff-calls-talk-host-barrier-progress/ Limbaugh the Leader? Obama Chief of Staff Calls Talk Show Host a Barrier to Progress], [[Fox News]], March 1, 2009</ref><ref name="ap0301">[http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jhQnx0JN9g6173fjFDB8sGtd4T0wD96LB4E80 White House aide casts Limbaugh as top GOP voice], [[Associated Press]], March 1, 2009</ref> |
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In remarks aired by [[CNN]] on March 1, 2009, Republican Party Chairman [[Michael Steele]] said that Limbaugh is "an entertainer" and his rhetoric at the convention was "incendiary" and "ugly".<ref name="CNN_0302">[http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/02/gop.steele.limbaugh/ RNC chief Steele: Limbaugh is more a performer than GOP leader], [[CNN]], March 2, 2009</ref> Steele later telephoned Limbaugh and apologized. Limbaugh stated he would not want to run the RNC in its "sad sack state".<ref name="Words for Michael Steele">{{cite web | title = A Few Words for Michael Steele | work = The Rush Limbaugh Show, Transcript | date = March 2, 2009 | url = http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_030209/content/01125111.guest.html | accessdate = March 23, 2009 }}</ref> |
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===NFL team ownership bid=== |
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On October 6, 2009, Limbaugh announced that he was planning on bidding to buy the [[St. Louis Rams]] of the [[National Football League]] along with current owner of the NHL's [[St. Louis Blues (ice hockey)|St. Louis Blues]], [[Dave Checketts]]. This was met with opposition by some players, and team owners.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/2009/10/09/2009-10-09_black_nfl_players_crush_prospect_of_playing_for_a_rush_limbaughowned_st_louis_ra.html | location=New York | work=Daily News | title=Black NFL players crush prospect of playing for a Rush Limbaugh-owned St. Louis Rams | first=Ohm | last=Youngmisuk | date=October 9, 2009}}</ref> NFL Players executive director DeMaurice Smith stated in his opposition that he had "spoken to the Commissioner <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Roger Goodell]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> and [he understood] that this ownership consideration is in the early stages. But sport in America is at its best when it unifies, gives all of us reason to cheer, and when it transcends. Our sport does exactly that when it overcomes division and rejects discrimination and hatred."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4551010 |title=Union opposes Rush Limbaugh's bid to buy St. Louis Rams - ESPN |publisher=Sports.espn.go.com |date=2009-10-12 |accessdate=2011-12-10}}</ref> Limbaugh was eventually dropped from the group that was putting in the bid due to the distraction that came from his consideration.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dave Checketts' statement regarding Rush Limbaugh|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2009-10-14/dave-chcketts-statement-regarding-rush-limbaugh|publisher=Sporting News staff reports}}</ref> |
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==Awards and recognition== |
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A month after [[Bill Clinton]]'s defeat of [[George H.W. Bush]] in 1992, [[Ronald Reagan]] sent Limbaugh a letter in which he thanked him "for all you're doing to promote Republican and conservative principles ... [and] you have become the Number One voice for conservatism in our Country."<ref>Letter from Ronald Reagan, quoted in National Review Cover story [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n17_v45/ai_14293009] accessed 2 MAY 2008</ref> |
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Limbaugh was the 1992, 1995, 2000 and 2005 recipient of the [[NAB Marconi Radio Awards|Marconi Radio Award]] for [[radio syndication|Syndicated]] Radio Personality of the Year (given by the [[National Association of Broadcasters]]), joining the syndicated ''[[The BOB & TOM Show|Bob & Tom Show]]'' as the only other four-time winners of a Marconi award. He was inducted into the [[National Radio Hall of Fame]] in 1993. |
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In 2002, ''[[Talkers Magazine]]'' ranked him as the greatest radio talk show host of all time.<ref>{{cite journal | title= The 25 Greatest Radio Talk Show Hosts of All Time | journal=[[Talkers magazine]] | month= September | year= 2002 | url=http://www.talkers.com/greatest/ }}</ref> Limbaugh is the highest-paid syndicated radio host.<ref>Weil, Dan. "Source: Limbaugh's New Radio Contract Worth $285 Million", ''The Palm Beach Post'', July 20, 2001, pp.1D</ref> |
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On March 29, 2007, Limbaugh was awarded the inaugural [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]] Award for Media Excellence, by the [[Media Research Center]], a conservative media analysis group.<ref>[[Media Research Center]]. [http://www.mediaresearch.org/press/2007/press20070320.asp Rush Limbaugh to accept media excellence award at MRC 20th anniversary gala]. March 20, 2007.</ref> |
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On January 5, 2008, the conservative magazine ''[[Human Events]]'' announced Limbaugh as their 2007 Man of the Year.<ref>Levin, Mark. ''Man of the Year: Rush Limbaugh'' January 7, 2007 http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24305</ref> |
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On December 1, 2008, ''[[TV Guide]]'' reported that Limbaugh was selected as one of America’s top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a [[Barbara Walters]] [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] special that aired on December 4, 2008.<ref>[http://www.tvguide.com/News/Barbara-Walters-Special-1000398.aspx Barbara Walters Gets Up Close with 2008's Most Fascinating People]" ''[[TV Guide]]''. December 1, 2008. Retrieved on December 3, 2008.</ref> |
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On February 28, 2009, following his self-described "first address to the Nation" lasting 90 minutes, carried live on [[CNN]] and [[Fox News]] and recorded for [[C-SPAN]], Limbaugh received [[Conservative Political Action Conference|CPAC]]'s "Defender of the Constitution Award", a document originally signed by [[Benjamin Franklin]], given to someone "who has stood up for the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] ... Rush Limbaugh is for America, exactly what Benjamin Franklin did for the Founding Fathers ... the only way we will be successful is if we listen to Rush Limbaugh".<ref>http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_030209/content/01125106.guest.html</ref> |
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[[Zev Chafets]], whose book ''Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One'' was published May 25, 2010, wrote after the first primaries of the 2010 U.S. election season that Limbaugh was "the brains and the spirit behind" the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]'s "resurgence" in the wake of the 2008 election of President [[Barack Obama]]. In the May, 2010 ''New York Times'' op-ed column, Chafets pointed among others to [[U.S. Senate|Sen.]] [[Arlen Specter]]'s defeat, after being labeled by Limbaugh "Republican in Name Only," and to [[Sarah Palin]], whose "biggest current applause line — Republicans are not just the party of no, but the party of hell no — came courtesy of Mr. Limbaugh." More generally, Chafets wrote, Limbaugh has argued the party-of-no [[Ronald Reagan]] conservative course for the Republicans vigorously, notably since six weeks after the Obama inauguration, and has been fundamental to, and encouraging to, the more prominently noted [[Tea Party movement]].<ref name="NYT01">[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/opinion/20chafets.html?hp "The Limbaugh Victory"] [[OpEd]] by Zev Chavets, ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 19, 2010 (May 20, 2010, on p. A27 of NY ed.). Retrieved 2010-05-20.</ref> |
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==Bibliography== |
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*''The Way Things Ought to Be'' (1992) Pocket Books ISBN 0-671-75145-X |
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*''See, I Told You So'' (1993) Pocket Books ISBN 0-671-87120-X |
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In 1992, Limbaugh published his first book, ''The Way Things Ought To Be'', followed by ''See, I Told You So'' in 1993.<ref>{{cite book|title=See, I Told You So|author=Limbaugh, Rush|year=1993|location=New York|publisher=Atria|isbn=0-671-87120-X}}</ref> Both became number one on the [[New York Times Best Seller list]], ''The Way Things Ought to Be'' remaining there for 24 weeks.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gregory |first=Ted |url= |title=Right and wrong; Rush Limbaugh critics want to set the facts straight, but it's not easy|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=1995-08-18 }}</ref> Limbaugh acknowledges in the text of the first book that he taped the book and it was transcribed and edited by ''[[The Wall Street Journal|Wall Street Journal]]'' writer [[John Fund]]. In the second book, [[Joseph Farah]] of ''[[WorldNetDaily]]'' is named as his collaborator.<ref>{{cite web|title=Joseph Farah|work= Speakers and Talk Show Guests|publisher=WorldNetDaily.com|url= http://www.worldnetdaily.com/speakers/jfarah.asp|accessdate= 2006-07-19}}</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
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==Further reading== |
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*{{cite book|author=Arkush, Michael|title=Rush!|publisher=New York: Avon Books, 1993|isbn=0380775395|year=1993}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Chafets, Zev|title=Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One|publisher=Sentinel|year=2010|isbn=978-1595230638}} |
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*{{cite book|title=The Rush Limbaugh Story: Talent on Loan from God an Unauthorized Biography|author=Colford, Paul D.|year= 1995|publisher= St. Martin's|isbn=0312952724}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Davis, J. Bradford|title=The Rise of Rush Limbaugh Toward the Presidency|publisher=Norcross, Ga.:MacArthur Pub. Group, c1994.|isbn=0964261901|year=1994}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Derych, Jim|title=Confessions of a Former Dittohead|publisher=Brooklyn, N.Y. : Ig Pub., c2006.|isbn=0975251783 (pbk.)}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Evearitt, Daniel J.|year=1993|title=Rush Limbaugh and the Bible|publisher=Camp Hill, Pa.: Horizon House Publishers, c1993.|isbn=0889651043}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Franken, Al|year=1996|title=[[Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations]]|location=New York|publisher=Random House| isbn=978-0141018416}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Franken, Al|year=2003|title=[[Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right]]|location=New York|publisher=Plume| isbn=978-0452285217}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Jacobs, Donald Trent|title=The Bum's Rush: The Selling of Environmental Backlash : phrases and fallacies of Rush Limbaugh|publisher=Boise, Idaho : Legendary Pub., c1994.|isbn=0-9625040-5-X}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Keliher, Brian|title=Flush rush|publisher=Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press, c1994.|isbn=0898156106|year=1994}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Kelly, Charles M|title=The Great Limbaugh Con: And Other Right-Wing Assaults on Common Sense|publisher= Fithian Press, 1994.|isbn=1564741028|year=1994}} |
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*{{cite book|author=King, D. Howard|title=Rush to Us|publisher=Windsor Pub., c1994.|isbn=0786000821|year=1994}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Layne, Tom|title=The Assassination of Rush Limbaugh|publisher=Red Ginger Publishing Co., Inc|isbn=0976851504|year=2006}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Mahurin, Cecil|title=A Public Rebuttal to Rush Limbaugh|publisher=Vantage Press, 1993.|isbn=0533107660|year=1993}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Logic and Mr. Limbaugh: A Dittohead's Guide to Fallacious Reasoning|author=Perkins, Ray, Jr.|year=1995| publisher=Open Court Publishing|isbn=0812692942}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Rahman, Michael|title=Why Rush Limbaugh is Wrong, or, The Demise of Traditionalism and The Rise of Progressive Sensibility as Perceived|publisher=Mighty Pen Pub., 1995.|id=LCCN 95077891}} |
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*{{cite book|title=The Way Things Aren’t: Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error : Over 100 Outrageously False and Foolish Statements from America's Most Powerful Radio and TV Commentator|author= Rendall, Steven, [[Jim Naureckas]], [[Jeff Cohen (media critic)|Cohen, Jeff]]|others=Written for [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting|FAIR]]|year=1995|location=New York|publisher= The New Press|isbn=1-56584-260-X}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Rush Hour: Talk Radio, Politics, and the Rise of Rush Limbaugh|author=Seib, Philip M.|year=1993|publisher= Summit Group, 1993.|isbn=1565301005}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Tucker, R. K.|year=1997|title=The Rules According to Rush : the American people vs. Rush Limbaugh |
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|publisher= Bowling Green, Ohio : OptimAmerica ; Chapel Hill, NC : Professional Press, 1997.|isbn=1570873399}} |
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*{{cite book|author=Varon, Charles|title=Rush Limbaugh In Night School|publisher=Dramatists Play Service, c1997.|isbn=0822215349|year=1997}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Sister project links|Rush Limbaugh}} |
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*[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/ ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'' official site] |
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*{{C-SPAN|rushlimbaugh}} |
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*{{IMDb name|510754}} |
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*{{Nndb|428/000022362}} |
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*{{Worldcat id|lccn-n92-74505}} |
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*{{NYTtopic|people/l/rush_limbaugh}} |
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*[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/magazine/06Limbaugh-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp New York Times Magazine] |
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*[http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894410_1893836_1894425,00.html The 2009 TIME 100: Rush Limbaugh] by [[Glenn Beck]] |
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*[http://www.capecentralhigh.com/students/koran-burn-terry-jones-rush-limbaugh/ Koran-Burning Preacher Terry Jones and Rush Limbaugh: Class of 69], Cape Central High School Girardeau History and Photos (yearbook photos) |
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{{Persondata |
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|NAME=Limbaugh, Rush |
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|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Limbaugh, Rush Hudson, III |
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|SHORT DESCRIPTION=[[United States|U.S.]] [[radio talk show]] host, [[political commentator|Commentator]], [[Author]], and [[television personality]] |
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|DATE OF BIRTH=January 12, 1951 |
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|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Cape Girardeau, Missouri]], USA |
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|DATE OF DEATH= |
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|PLACE OF DEATH= |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Limbaugh, Rush}} |
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[[Category:Criticism of feminism]] |
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[[Category:Environmental skepticism]] |
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Revision as of 20:18, 15 December 2011
5 'And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward.
6 But when you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
7 'In your prayers do not babble as the gentiles do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard.
8 Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
matthew 6 5-8