Rush Limbaugh has passed away.
Months ago, millions of Americans were heartbroken to find out that a beloved member of our family was diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer — and in a matter of hours, we were moved beyond measure when our beloved relation was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor, live on national television during the State of the Union address.
Because to so many of us, Rush Limbaugh wasn’t just a guy on the radio that we agree with. He was part of our daily life. He was someone we talked to five days a week, for three hours a day. We laughed with him, cried with him, seethed with him, and blew off steam with him. He was who we turned to when the events of the day seemed impossible to process, when tragedy happened, when the actions of the government were incomprehensibly stupid and unfair — he was there with us.
He was more than a friend. He was a member of the family.
In 1990 I was living in North Carolina with my wife and newborn daughter and driving long distances for auditions, trying to get my acting career started. Many of my trips were from Western North Carolina to Wilmington, NC, a 400-mile, 6 1/2 hour drive, one way. As you might imagine – this was pre cell-phone, pre-internet, pre-SiriusXM – there was nothing but the radio to keep you awake and alive. I would flip through the FM dial I got tired of singing along, and then over to AM, with mostly rural preachers and the odd Craigslist type show, people selling antiques or old appliances or cars, et cetera.
And then I heard this voice — this warm, jocular, joyful, sonorous, pleasant voice — talking about politics, the news of the day, the silly things he read in the news, playing funny song parodies — and he was making fun of DEMOCRATS. And at that time, this simply was not done.
And I thought, “Who the hell is this guy?”
For you young whipper-snappers out there, it is hard to understand what life was like before Rush. There was NO ONE, and I mean no one, like him. There was no Fox News, no Sean Hannity, not really even a talk radio format, not on a national level. Rush started it ALL. And the bond he built with his audience was based not on politics as much as it was humor. No one was funnier than Rush. He was fearless taking on the leftists.
Perhaps his greatest gift to us was how he modeled COURAGE in the face of the most vociferous hate from horrified leftists that anyone could imagine. Because he upset their system. He screwed up the bullying game they had going. And he showed us all that it could be done, that the world could call you all the favorite names meant to silence you — racist, sexist, bigot, homophobe —and you could laugh at it, and ridicule it, just like Rush did, and you would be fine.
He showed us all that the Left did not define him — or, by extension, us. And he talked to us like every single one of us was a dear friend — and in our hearts, we made friends with Rush.
And that is another thing the Left never will get right about Rush. It isn’t that we were all looking for someone to tell us what to think. It was that we heard Rush and thought “Finally, someone who thinks like I do!”
It is nearly impossible for me to put into words how much Rush has meant to me over the years. Working in Hollywood amongst the leftists in power, Rush was the thing I organized my day around. If I had a commute, I tried to schedule it so that I would be in the car between 12 PM and 3 PM EST so I could listen. I even bought a short wave radio from Radio Shack (Google that, kids) so I could hear Rush from anywhere on Earth, even if he was pre-empted by current events, etc.
Replies
Rush was a true American. His spirit lives on!
I am with you, Louis.
My condolences to all of you, for the death of the man with "Talent on loan from God". I heard him in the 1980s, and even saw him once at UCD.
Thank you, Lord, for giving us Rush... for his wonderful presence in a time when the world seemed to be coming apart he made sense of the non-sensical, exposed the shenanigans of the left, and most importantly gave us real hope where there was none... We will never forget this great man and his gift to humanity... his humor and simple delivery of the complex and his steadfast tenacity in the face of overwhelming opposition.
God bless Rush and his family... may they know that his name shall forever reverberate in the hearts and minds of all free people, for Rush was greater than the sum of one...he was greater than our problems ... he was a bright light in a world shrouded in darkness, a beacon of inspiration to a people in need of encouragement and direction.... always positive, never trite, he was and is an inspiration for greatness... the epitome of American Greatness. I will miss him but never forget him. There will always be a seat reserved at my table for Rush Limbaugh.... may God grant him swift entry and his family peace in knowing Rush will always be with us.
Exactly!
Also my condolences to his family, and he will be missed deeply by his followers.
I agree
My condolences to all of you, for the death of the man with "Talent on loan from God". I heard him in the 1980s, and even saw him once at UCD.
I agree
It is our duty, and honor for Rush, to push forward with the MAGA movement he wholeheartedly supported.
"Rush" forward with the MAGA movement.!!
Rest in Peace, and thank you !, our fellow Patriot...we'll miss you.