How did Rush Limbaugh become so prominent in the first half of the 90s?
       |           

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 28, 2024, 08:25:33 PM
News: Election Simulator 2.0 Released. Senate/Gubernatorial maps, proportional electoral votes, and more - Read more

  Talk Elections
  General Discussion
  History (Moderator: Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee)
  How did Rush Limbaugh become so prominent in the first half of the 90s?
« previous next »
Pages: [1]
Author Topic: How did Rush Limbaugh become so prominent in the first half of the 90s?  (Read 1206 times)
darklordoftech
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 12,390
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« on: August 29, 2020, 03:58:47 AM »

What events led people to start listening to his show? What event did he first become prominent for talking about?
Logged
Benjamin Frank
Frank
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 7,069


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2020, 10:39:12 AM »
« Edited: August 29, 2020, 10:48:14 AM by Frank »

1.He started in the late 1980s.  

2.There were national late night talk show hosts before Rush Limbaugh, he did not pioneer that format as some people have falsely claimed.  Larry King (T/N Larry Zeiger) was doing it long before Limbaugh and King often on his program mentioned somebody who started the late night national format.  

Larry King discussed politics on his program but did not editorialize. According to Wikipedia, Rush Limbaugh started up nationally anyway shortly after the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine.  So, in that sense, his success may have been simply because he was the first out of the gates.

3.According to Wikipedia, his audience grew significantly during the run up to the first Gulf War, but I remember hearing of him, and listening once or twice before that.

4.Rush Limbaugh started out similar to the way the right still operates in terms of grievance politics. In fact, he was synonymous with the rise of the 'angry white male' in the early 1990s. I think the 'angry white male' phenomena of the early 1990s has more to do with the rise of Limbaugh than the Gulf War.

As now, a lot of this is strawman attacks or cartoonish characterizations, but for the first few years he tended to make a lot of broad attacks that were neither falsifiable not verifiable. They were red meat for the base that wanted to have their biases and prejudices confirmed.

There is, in fact, a guidebook for radio station owners and that is what it says about right wing listeners of political talk shows: 'they listen to have their biases and prejudices confirmed.'  That may even be the direct quote.  


5.The 1993 movie 'Falling Down' with Michael Douglas has been mis-characterized by some as a character study of a specific individual.  In fact, the writer of the film has said that the character is meant as a composite of the 'angry white male' in California (more specifically Southern California.)  If you want to get a good sense of the views of the 'angry white male' in the early 1990s, I'd recommend seeing that movie.

6.I don't know this for certain, but what I suspect happened is that, after a few years on the air, one day Limbaugh said something that was outright false, but nothing happened to him and that's when he realized he could lie with impunity.  This was not something that happened right away, but evolved over time.  
Logged
vitoNova
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 3,267
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #2 on: August 31, 2020, 11:02:37 AM »

2 words:  Bill Clinton.
Logged
Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers
olawakandi
Atlas Institution
*****
Posts: 87,798
Jamaica
Political Matrix
E: -6.84, S: -0.17


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2020, 07:18:39 AM »

Evangelists and Archdioses which are the Salvation Army, Protestant, Martin Luther Church and Catholic Church were always conservative. But, now during since 2008, the Churches after Pope John Paul II have followed the footsteps of Mother Teresa, rather than John Paul conservative teachings, due to the Income Inequality Gap that has been exacerbated by the 2008 Great Recession and 2020 Pandemic.

Evangelicals, followed the footsteps of Rev Bill Graham Sr, a Nixon supporter, gave rise to Limbaugh
Logged
World politics is up Schmitt creek
Nathan
Moderators
Atlas Superstar
*****
Posts: 34,249


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2020, 09:02:28 AM »

Evangelists and Archdioses which are the Salvation Army, Protestant, Martin Luther Church and Catholic Church were always conservative. But, now during since 2008, the Churches after Pope John Paul II have followed the footsteps of Mother Teresa, rather than John Paul conservative teachings, due to the Income Inequality Gap that has been exacerbated by the 2008 Great Recession and 2020 Pandemic.

..."John Paul conservative teachings" were exactly what Mother Teresa was all about, OC.
Logged
Beet
Atlas Star
*****
Posts: 28,805


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2020, 10:12:34 PM »

The Fairness Doctrine was repealed in 1987. Prior to that, a show like Limbaugh's would have been illegal. The deregulation allowed the nascent demand for right-wing talk radio, which was always there, to bubble up to the surface. Limbaugh was the man who took advantage of it best.
Logged
StateBoiler
fe234
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 3,890


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #6 on: September 09, 2020, 03:45:46 PM »


Rush did used to have a TV show, and I remember watching one episode some point in 1993, and Limbaugh's mannerisms as far as the show were very Jon Stewart-ish as far as he was more satirizing than he was a person that kept on screaming at liberals. One show I remember of Limbaugh in a small screen reacting to a protester getting up at an event Clinton was at and detailing his list of complaints about Clinton. Clinton then talks about how the protester had the right to do this and he was right to say those things, which Limbaugh in a Jon Stewart fashion oversells with his facial reactions, drawing laughs.
Logged
Samof94
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,312
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2020, 06:31:45 AM »

Well, there was a guy more radical an than Rush for a while but got brought down for being too problematic even for the time.
Logged
Bootes Void
iamaganster123
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 5,682
Canada


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #8 on: September 14, 2020, 03:17:07 PM »

I remember hearing the culture wars around political correctness came in early 90s , I wonder if that plays a role.
Logged
Benjamin Frank
Frank
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 7,069


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #9 on: September 14, 2020, 11:55:04 PM »

Well, there was a guy more radical an than Rush for a while but got brought down for being too problematic even for the time.

If you're referring to a person on radio, I don't know who that would be.

If you're referring to a person on television, that would be Morton Downey Jr.
Logged
Samof94
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,312
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #10 on: September 15, 2020, 06:02:31 AM »

The latter is who I’m referring to.
Logged
Obama-Biden Democrat
Zyzz
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 5,828


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #11 on: September 16, 2020, 11:13:32 PM »

Well, there was a guy more radical an than Rush for a while but got brought down for being too problematic even for the time.

If you're referring to a person on radio, I don't know who that would be.

If you're referring to a person on television, that would be Morton Downey Jr.


I randomly watched Morton Downey Jr, TV show a few years ago. He was more deplorable and in your face then Rush. He was also a militant smoker's right supporter, and chain smoked live on his show. He died of lung cancer a decade or so later.
Logged
Benjamin Frank
Frank
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 7,069


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2020, 02:23:41 AM »

Well, there was a guy more radical an than Rush for a while but got brought down for being too problematic even for the time.

If you're referring to a person on radio, I don't know who that would be.

If you're referring to a person on television, that would be Morton Downey Jr.


I randomly watched Morton Downey Jr, TV show a few years ago. He was more deplorable and in your face then Rush. He was also a militant smoker's right supporter, and chain smoked live on his show. He died of lung cancer a decade or so later.

I'm pretty sure there was some nepotism in the rise of Morton Downey Jr.  Morton Downey Sr was a jazz singer and pianist who hosted a television show in the early 1950s. 
Logged
Fubart Solman
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 9,696
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #13 on: September 17, 2020, 02:12:45 PM »

Sacramento wasn’t sending their finest back then. At least we can now point to Greta Gerwig and Jessica Chastain as positive contributions to the world.
Logged
Battista Minola 1616
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,282
Vatican City State


Political Matrix
E: -5.55, S: -1.57

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2020, 02:52:10 PM »

Sacramento wasn’t sending their finest back then. At least we can now point to Greta Gerwig and Jessica Chastain as positive contributions to the world.

When Sacramento sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing unhinged hot takes. They’re bringing conspiracy theories. They’re hacks, nutjobs. And some, I assume, are good people.
Logged
Fubart Solman
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 9,696
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #15 on: September 17, 2020, 03:24:32 PM »

Sacramento wasn’t sending their finest back then. At least we can now point to Greta Gerwig and Jessica Chastain as positive contributions to the world.

When Sacramento sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing unhinged hot takes. They’re bringing conspiracy theories. They’re hacks, nutjobs. And some, I assume, are good people.

Well... actually, they are.
Logged
Battista Minola 1616
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,282
Vatican City State


Political Matrix
E: -5.55, S: -1.57

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #16 on: September 17, 2020, 03:26:42 PM »

Sacramento wasn’t sending their finest back then. At least we can now point to Greta Gerwig and Jessica Chastain as positive contributions to the world.

When Sacramento sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing unhinged hot takes. They’re bringing conspiracy theories. They’re hacks, nutjobs. And some, I assume, are good people.

Well... actually, they are.

Are you actually from Sacramento? I have no idea where you live except it's somewhere in California.
Logged
Fubart Solman
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 9,696
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #17 on: September 17, 2020, 04:14:05 PM »

Sacramento wasn’t sending their finest back then. At least we can now point to Greta Gerwig and Jessica Chastain as positive contributions to the world.

When Sacramento sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing unhinged hot takes. They’re bringing conspiracy theories. They’re hacks, nutjobs. And some, I assume, are good people.

Well... actually, they are.

Are you actually from Sacramento? I have no idea where you live except it's somewhere in California.

The Sacramento region, yeah.
Logged
Pages: [1]  
« previous next »
Jump to:  


Login with username, password and session length

Terms of Service - DMCA Agent and Policy - Privacy Policy and Cookies

Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines

Page created in 0.044 seconds with 11 queries.