Rush Hudson Limbaugh III (born January 12, 1951 in Cape Girardeau, MO) is the conservative host of The Rush Limbaugh Show, a radio talk show program in the United States. His show discusses politics and is centered around Limbaugh's point of view, which usually coincides with that of the Republican Party. Limbaugh does not claim to give an unbiased view of the facts; rather, his shows are presented as political commentary on the news, though much news is presented along with the commentary — a juxtaposition some find misleading, and others find interesting and informative. Limbaugh has been the subject of several notable scandals involving claims of racism and drug addiction. As of 2004 Rush Limbaugh is the most listened to radio talk-show host in the United States, and has an audience exceeding 20 million listeners weekly.

Contents

1 Overview 2 Biography 2.1 Early radio career 2.2 Talk radio and television career 2.3 ESPN controversy 2.4 Drug use and investigation 2.5 Divorce 2.6 AFRTS controversy 3 Jargon 4 Bibliography 5 External links

Overview

Limbaugh began his syndicated program in 1988, and as the program grew in popularity, it was carried on stations with larger audiences. The Rush Limbaugh Show was responsible for the shift in AM broadcasting to a news-talk format after a decline in listenership in the 1970s. The program has for years been the most popular talk radio show in the United States, however Limbaugh refers to "the media" as not including himself.

Many liberal critics decry the lack of a balance between liberal and conservative viewpoints on talk radio. Limbaugh's response to this accusation is to assert that most news reporting is liberally biased (in particular, television and newspaper news); as he says, "I am equal time." He also does not claim to be a neutral reporter, and contrasts his stance with the major news media's claims of objectivity (in the United States). He also has excused himself on occasion as being an entertainer, not a reporter.

Many think Limbaugh's satire is very sharp, and it has been criticized for its unkindness. For example, news about the homeless is often preceded with the Clarence "Frogman" Henry song "Ain't Got No Home". The song "I Know I'll Never Love This Way Again" preceded reports about people dying of AIDS. His references to Ted Kennedy invariably allude to alcohol use and Chappaquiddick. His humor also includes self-inflation, in a "blowhard", self-aggrandizing style.

Rush Limbaugh is as much a political symbol as he is a broadcaster, comedian, and political satirist. Shortly after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, President Bill Clinton blamed Limbaugh (not by name, but it was fairly obvious that Clinton was talking about Limbaugh) for fostering a "climate of hate", which conservative commentators gleefully derided. In 1992, President George H. W. Bush made an appearance on Limbaugh's show as part of his re-election campaign, in an effort to regain the support of the right wing of his own party (which he had earlier alienated by breaking a pledge not to raise taxes).

Critics often try to expose Limbaugh's own fallacies, misstatements, and biases. Comedian and political satirist Al Franken released a book and CD titled Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations (ISBN 0440508649) which, among other political humor from a liberal perspective, included harsh criticism of Limbaugh and his allegedly meager fact-finding efforts. The title of the book came from the fact that during the time in which it was first published, Rush Limbaugh's weight was pushing the 400-pound mark, a few months afterward, Limbaugh began to go on various diets and his weight dropped down to around 270 pounds around the time the book's second edition was being released.

A Left-wing/Progressive group called Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) released a report on October 17, 1994 listing forty-three errors Limbaugh allegedly made during various shows. Limbaugh responded to about half of the original claims; FAIR then rebutted his rebuttal. For the full text of the original, the rebuttal and the rebuttal of the rebuttal, see [1] http://www.fair.org/press-releases/fair-limbaugh-rebuttal.html .

FAIR later published an entire book, 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 (ISBN 156584260X), documenting errors and alleged lies by Limbaugh.

Rush Limbaugh does not only receive criticism from the left. He has often recieved criticism from the far right, most notably Michael Savage and The New American magazine. Even more mainstream conservatives who call his show will sometimes note that they agree with him "most of the time".

Biography

Early radio career

Rush Limbaugh started out in radio as a teenager in the late 1960s in his hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, using the name Rusty Limbaugh. His father, a conservative judge whose wealth and power gave him considerable influence in Southeastern Missouri, had once owned the radio station where Limbaugh started his career.

Limbaugh achieved his first taste of radio success in Pittsburgh, as host of a Top 40 music radio show on station KQV , using the name "Jeff Christie." It was in Pittsburgh that many of Limbaugh's trademarks developed, including a character named "Snerdley" and his claim to use a "golden microphone".

Talk radio and television career

After several years in music radio, Limbaugh accepted a position as director of promotions with the Kansas City Royals baseball team. In 1984, Limbaugh returned to radio as a talk show host in Sacramento, California. After achieving some local success, he moved to New York City in the late 1980s and eventually became syndicated via a company called Premiere Broadcasting. Limbaugh refers on-air to the "Excellence In Broadcasting Network", or "E-I-B", however there is no such actual organization.

He has a dynamic voice and dramatic presentation; even many of his critics admit that he is an excellent broadcaster. He attracted widespread support and attention in 1998 when he complained that some radio stations were shortening his programs by cutting out his dramatic pauses to make room for more commercials.

Limbaugh hosted a syndicated television show running from 1992 through 1996. The television show discussed many of the same topics as his radio show. Reportedly, Limbaugh ended the show citing disappointment that it aired too late in the evening in many markets.

Limbaugh was the 1992, 1995, and 2000 recipient of the Marconi Radio Award for Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year, given by the National Association of Broadcasters. He was inducted into Broadcasting's Hall of Fame in 1993.

By September 2001, Limbaugh's listeners had noted changes in his voice and diction, changes that Limbaugh initially denied. However, on October 8, 2001, Limbaugh admitted that the changes in his voice were due to complete deafness in his left ear and substantial hearing loss in his right ear. He also revealed that his radio staff was aiding him in concealing his rapidly progressing hearing loss by setting up a system where he could appear to hear his callers. The system worked remarkably well, but did not deceive all listeners, some of whom noted a long delay between a caller ending his point and Limbaugh responding, and occasionally speaking over a caller.

In December 2001, Limbaugh underwent cochlear implant surgery, which restored a measure of hearing in one ear, and his voice and diction improved. Following the news story of his addiction to painkillers, it was suggested that his deafness was probably due to a known side effect of the class of painkillers he abused, a charge Limbaugh later denied.

When Limbaugh himself is not hosting, he usually has guest hosts fill in for the 3 hours that the show takes. Typically, these hosts are well-known conservatives such as Mark Belling , Censored page, Sean Hannity, Tony Snow, Tom Sullivan , or Walter Williams. Rarely, a "Best of" show will air when Limbaugh is absent, often on nationally recognized holidays.

ESPN controversy

In September of 2003, Limbaugh ignited a controversy [2] http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1627887 when, speaking as a football commentator on ESPN, he criticized media support for Donovan McNabb, the African-American quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. The controversy centered on his comment:

"I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well ... There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."

McNabb was the highest paid NFL player in history at the time [3] http://www.bet.com/articles/1,,c1gb4043-4730,00.html , and defenders of Limbaugh's comments point out that McNabb had the worst start of his career in the 2003 season and was the NFL's lowest-rated starting quarterback.

McNabb's defenders say that to his credit, McNabb was a runner-up for the year 2000 league Most Valuable Player, a member of three Pro Bowl teams, and led his team to two straight NFC championship games. McNabb had suffered a broken leg during the 2002 season, and had been slow to recover.

The Reverend Al Sharpton, a Democratic Party candidate for President, demanded Limbaugh's firing from ESPN, and threatened a boycott of all Disney companies, including the American Broadcasting Company, Disneyland, and Walt Disney World. Limbaugh responded by saying that he must have been right; otherwise, the comments would not have sparked such outrage. Presidential candidates Howard Dean and Wesley Clark joined in the criticism, as did the NAACP.

On October 1, 2003, Limbaugh resigned from ESPN with the statement:

"My comments this past Sunday were directed at the media and were not racially motivated. I offered an opinion. This opinion has caused discomfort to the crew, which I regret. I love NFL Sunday Countdown and do not want to be a distraction to the great work done by all who work on it. Therefore, I have decided to resign. I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the show and wish all the best to those who make it happen."

Limbaugh insisted that his comments were aimed at the media, and not at McNabb or African Americans.

Drug use and investigation

In early October 2003 and in the same week as the McNabb controversy, the National Enquirer reported that Limbaugh was being investigated for illegally buying prescription drugs. Limbaugh's former housekeeper, under investigation for drug dealing, alleged that Limbaugh was addicted to prescription opiate painkillers such as OxyContin, Lorcet (a combination of Tylenol and hydrocodone), and hydrocodone, and that he went through detox twice. Other news outlets quickly confirmed the beginnings of an investigation. The highly addictive painkillers function similarly to morphine, heroin, or a stronger form of codeine.

Following Limbaugh's admission of drug addiction, his detractors reviewed prior statements by him about drug addicts. Several statements from the 1990s were found, in particular, on October 5, 1995:

"There's nothing good about drug use. We know it. It destroys individuals. It destroys families. Drug use destroys societies. Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. And the laws are good because we know what happens to people in societies and neighborhoods which become consumed by them. 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."

He went on to note that black drug addicts go to prison more often than white drug addicts:

"What this says to me is that too many whites are getting away with drug use. Too many whites are getting away with drug sales. Too many whites are getting away with trafficking in this stuff. The answer to this disparity is not to start letting people out of jail because we're not putting others in jail who are breaking the law. The answer is to go out and find the ones who are getting away with it, convict them, and send them up the river, too."

and in 1998:

"What is missing in the drug fight is legalization. If we want to go after drugs with the same fervor and intensity with which we go after cigarettes, let's legalize drugs. Legalize the manufacture of drugs. License the Cali cartel. Make them taxpayers, and then sue them. Sue them left and right, and then get control of the price, and generate tax revenue from it. Raise the price sky high, and fund all sorts of other wonderful social programs."

On October 10, 2003, Limbaugh admitted to listeners on his radio show that he was addicted to prescription painkillers and stated that he would enter inpatient treatment for 30 days, immediately following the broadcast. He did not specifically mention to which type of pain medication he was addicted. Speaking about his behavior, Limbaugh went on to say:

"I am not making any excuses. You know, over the years, athletes and celebrities have emerged from treatment centers to great fanfare and praise for conquering great demons. They are said to be great role models and examples for others. Well, I am no role model. I refuse to let anyone think I am doing something great here, when there are people you never hear about, who face long odds and never resort to such escapes."

"They are the role models. I am no victim and do not portray myself as such. I take full responsibility for my problem. At the present time the authorities are conducting an investigation, and I have been asked to limit my public comments until this investigation is complete."

An article in the January 12, 2004 issue of Human Events (The National Conservative Weekly) presents the conservative reaction to the media attention of Limbaugh's addiction, calling it a 'Network War' against Limbaugh. It charges network anchors with engaging in exaggerated and inflammatory rhetoric by implying Limbaugh was involved in "drug sales" or "drug gangs." Additionally, Limbaugh's attorney Roy Black alleges that the chief county prosecutor investigating Limbaugh, an elected Democrat, is also politically motivated.

The ACLU, an organization often lambasted by Limbaugh, has come to his defense, claiming that the district attorney violated Limbaugh's constitutional rights by "fishing" through his private medical records. Timeline http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=2787 .

Divorce

On Friday, June 11 2004, Rush Limbaugh announced that he was separating from his third wife Marta Limbaugh after ten years of marriage. Rush indicated that he initiated the divorce. In a September, 2004 Washington Post article [4] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58117-2004Sep3.html , he was rumored to be dating CNN news anchor Daryn Kagan.

AFRTS controversy

On May 26, 2004, the article "Rush's Forced Conscripts http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/05/26/rush_limbaugh/index.html " appeared on the online left-leaning news and opinion magazine Salon.com. The article discussed the controversy surrounding the fact that 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."

Critics have pointed out that other programs, such as the Howard Stern show, which draws 8 million listeners a week is absent from AFRTS. Other claims - for example, that there is no political counterbalance to Limbaugh on AFRTS - have been rebutted by Byron York, a columnist for the 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 CBS News anchorman Dan Rather."

On June 14, 2004, US Senator Tom Harkin (D-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." As of now, the first hour of Limbaugh's show is still on AFRTS.

Jargon

Rush Limbaugh uses his own on-air jargon, some of which is explained here:

• Dittoheads
• EIB
• Emotional punditry: describes advocating/arguing for a particular objective using purely emotional pleas with little regard for logical arguments for/against the objective. Some opponents claim that Limbaugh's use of ad hominem terms constitutes such punditry.
• Environmentalist Wacko
• Feminazi
• Hardboiled: a term for the show Hardball with Chris Matthews.
• Larry King Alive: a term for the show Larry King Live.
• Meet the Depressed: a term for the show Meet the Press.
• NAALCP (National Association for the Advancement of Liberal Colored People): a term for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Rush originally coined the term NAALCP to mean the “National Association for the Advancement of LAZY Colored People.” The unceremoneous change from Lazy to Liberal appears to be an uncharacteristic bow to political correctness. Limbaugh claims that the insertion of the word "liberal" refers to the NAACP's support for left-leaning African Americans, while ignoring African Americans on the right side of the political spectrum, such as Condoleezza Rice and Clarence Thomas.
• NAG (National Association of Gals): a term for the National Organization for Women (NOW).
• Slay the Nation: a term for the show Face the Nation.
• Stack of stuff: a number of relevant web links offered to subscribers of his website, that his staff has found on the Internet. The links are culled from a variety of current on-line news organizations, and highlight various issues of the day. Rush uses the material here as show prep, and refers to it throughout the broadcast. It also refers to his show's daily agenda.
• "Updates" on everything from the Kennedy family to homelessness.
• "For those of you in Rio Linda...": Rio Linda is, according to The Way Things Ought to Be, a suburb of Sacramento, most of its residents being lower-middle-class and having a low average education level. Rush will occasionally "clarify", somewhat condescendingly, a slightly difficult-to-understand statement by preceding it with this phrase. Since the Florida butterfly ballot controversy during the 2000 Presidential Election, Rush has been using "for those of you in Rio Linda and West Palm Beach..." instead. Rush described how he wanted to base his radio program and encourage economic development in the city on the condition that the city rename itself to "Rio Limbaugh."

Bibliography

• Books written
  • See, I Told You So (Atria, 1993) ISBN 067187120X the best selling non-fiction hardback book of 1993
  • The Way Things Ought to Be (Pocket Books, 1992) ISBN 067175145X the best selling non-fiction hardback book of 1992

• Biographies and commentary
  • The I Hate Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity...Reader: The Hideous Truth About America's Ugliest Conservatives by Clint Willis (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2004) ISBN 1560256141
  • 2004 Conservatives and Liberals: The Political Spectrum from Al Franken to Rush Limbaugh by U.S. Government (Progressive Management, 2003) ISBN 1592485545 CD-ROM
  • Confessions of a Hollywood Publicist: Revelations on How Publicists Create Star Power - and What Happens Behind the Scenes Everywhere...Stanley Kubrick, George Burns, and Rush Limbaugh by Daniel D Meyers (Four-Star Press, 2001) ISBN 0971058709
  • Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot by Al Franken (Delacorte Press, 1996) ISBN 0385314744
  • 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 by Steve Rendall , Jim Naureckas , Jeff Cohen (New Press, 1995) ISBN 156584260X
  • Logic and Mr. Limbaugh: A Dittohead's Guide to Fallacious Reasoning by Ray Perkins , Ray Jr. Perkins (Open Court Publishing Company, 1995) ISBN 0812692942
  • Why Rush Limbaugh is Wrong, or, The Demise of Traditionalism and the Rise of Progressive Sensibility by Michael Rahman (Mighty Pen Pub, 1995) ISBN B0006F58V0
  • The Rush Limbaugh Story: Talent on Loan from God an Unauthorized Biography by Paul D. Colford (St Martins, Reprint 1994) ISBN 0312952724
  • Rush to Us/Americans Hail Rush Limbaugh by D. Howard King , Geoffrey Morris (Pinnacle Books, 1994) ISBN 0786000821
  • The Rise of Rush Limbaugh Toward the Presidency by J. Bradford Davis (MacArthur Pub. Group, 1994) ISBN 0964261901
  • Flush Rush by Brian Keliher , Brian Keliber , C. Laurin (Ten Speed Press, 1994) ISBN 0898156106
  • The Bum's Rush: The Selling of Environmental Backlash by Don Trent Jacobs (Legendary Publishing, 1994) ISBN 096250405X
  • The Great Limbaugh Con: And Other Right-Wing Assaults on Common Sense by Charles M. Kelly (Fithian Press, 1994) ISBN 1564741028
  • Rush Limbaugh and the Bible by Daniel J. Evearitt (Christian Pubns, 1993) ISBN 0889651043
  • Rush! by Michael Arkush (Avon Books, 1993) ISBN 0380775395
  • Rush Hour: Talk Radio, Politics, and the Rise of Rush Limbaugh by Philip M. Seib , Philip Seib (Summit Publishing Group, 1993) ISBN 1565301005

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about Rush Limbaugh

• Website of The Rush Limbaugh Show http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/
• An aircheck of Rush as "Jeff Christie" on KQV-AM http://www.reelradio.com/jay/index.html#kqv74jc
• Limbaugh: A Color Man Who Has A Problem With Color? http://www.fair.org/articles/limbaugh-color.html , editorial by Jeff Cohen and Steve Rendall, FAIR, June 7, 2000.
• Rush Limbaugh reportedly involved in pill investigation http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6917777.htm News of Limbaugh's alleged drug addiction
• Transcript of Limbaugh's comments on his painkiller addiction http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/a/2003/10/10/national1534EDT0646.D
  TL
• Timeline and Article in Human Events, accusing the three major news networks' anchors of bias in covering Limbaugh's drug dependence http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=2787
• Site critical of Rush Limbaugh http://www.rushlimbaughonline.com/
• Limbaugh, Newspeak and Fascism http://www.cursor.org/stories/fascismi.php An exegesis
• Story breaking Rush Limbaugh's divorce http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/politics/8902292.htm Tallahassee Democrat, June 11, 2004
• Notes on Rush's draft deferment http://www.snopes.com/military/limbaugh.htm
• Audio clip of Limbaugh's comments on the Abu Ghraib Prison torture scandal http://mediamatters.org/items/200405050003
• LookSmart - Rush Limbaugh http://search.looksmart.com/p/browse/us1/us317836/us317911/us53715/us62204/us913
  819/us10135946/us10134340/us10137217/us1173414/ directory category
• Open Directory Project - Rush Limbaugh http://dmoz.org/Arts/Radio/Formats/Talk_Radio/Programs/Political/Limbaugh,_Rush/ directory category
• Yahoo - Rush Limbaugh http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/U_S__Government/Politics/News_and_Media/Radio_Pr
  ograms/Rush_Limbaugh/ directory category

• Saturday Night Live Controversy http://www.drudgereport.com/snl.htm