Rush Limbaugh dead at 70

[Pouring Rain and Blairing Music]

I just remember a bunch of lefties doing handwringing about celebrating Bin Laden or Castro's death

No you don't, lol

I do know one IRL who was handwringing about Osama.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

I will say I fondly remember his "Deficit Spending Awareness Ribbon". It was a folded up dollar bill in the shape of the multiplicity of various awareness ribbons that proliferated in the 1990s.

And let me guess, when a Republican was in the White House you could spend the ribbon on bullets, until  the GOP screwed up so badly that a Democrat won again and you had to fold a new one.

[HisGrace]

I just remember a bunch of lefties doing handwringing about celebrating Bin Laden or Castro's death

No you don't, lol

Yes I do, both people I actually knew and internet commentators. Plus a lot of crying over whether Bin Laden got a proper Islamic burial as if he deserved anything better than his body being chucked into the ocean.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

I heard on the radio that he turned towards God at the end of his life. I genuinely hope that's true.

Rush himself said that he did.

[leonardothered]

For good or for ill, many say he set the stage for today’s political climate.

It was for ill

He used to have a segment celebrating and noting AIDS deaths with foghorns and samples. Dude was terrible and talking more and more about sedition near the end. I wouldn't wish death on someone usually but I'm not going to coddle his image now that he's gone.

[Pro-Israel, anti-Bibi]

I just remember a bunch of lefties doing handwringing about celebrating Bin Laden or Castro's death

No you don't, lol

Yes I do, both people I actually knew and internet commentators. Plus a lot of crying over whether Bin Laden got a proper Islamic burial as if he deserved anything better than his body being chucked into the ocean.

Luckily for Bin Laden his body wasn't chucked into the ocean.

[McGarnagle]

Anybody feeling a sense of sadness or loss at this news really should look at themselves in the mirror and re-evaluate their lives. They should examine what made them so enthralled by bullies like him who constantly lied and peddled disinformation.

[ꙮ]

I just remember a bunch of lefties doing handwringing about celebrating Bin Laden or Castro's death

No you don't, lol

Oh please, I remember the handwringing about it and I was in 5th grade at the time. Doesn't mean those people are the same ones grave dancing now, but it was definitely a thing that happened.

[pbrower2a]

I heard on the radio that he turned towards God at the end of his life. I genuinely hope that's true.

Rush himself said that he did.

He has much atoning to do. He had a death sentence, and it's easy to understand that his high-priced real estate and cars won't be of any use wherever he is going.

Considering what he called for for the vast majority of people, it could easily be poverty in a plutocratic, materialistic Afterworld. I became poor once... and it is not fun. 

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

People used to think that simply not listening to his show was enough to avoid his toxic style, sadly it simply metasized and spread to the point you have to listen to it.

[Benjamin Frank]

There wasn't necessarily a great deal of 'wasn't he wonderful?' eulogizing about Limbaugh in this thread, but I think there is a problem with the mods in calling for 'civility', allowing 'wasn't he wonderful?' comments while deleting any rebuttals. 

I think the mods did a decent job here generally.  If people would hold off on trying to deify the newly dead, I think people who are more critical would also be more willing to hold off on making critical comments.

Anyway, anytime some public figures dies and others try to make them out to be candidates for sainthood, it always reminds me of this

[Badger]

I just remember a bunch of lefties doing handwringing about celebrating Bin Laden or Castro's death

No you don't, lol

Yes I do, both people I actually knew and internet commentators. Plus a lot of crying over whether Bin Laden got a proper Islamic burial as if he deserved anything better than his body being chucked into the ocean.

(Yawn) I really don't use some internet commentators representing literally .1% of the lab to even remotely represent the other 99.9% of us the dance with Glee at that bastard's death.

[GP270watch]

People used to think that simply not listening to his show was enough to avoid his toxic style, sadly it simply metasized and spread to the point you have to listen to it.

   Yeah it doesn't work when somebody's grandma or crazy uncle is parroting his thoughts word for word at the dinner table, the same way they do with FoxNews and more recently "I saw it on Facebook".

[bagelman]

He celebrated the death of gay men due to AIDs, as has likely already been mentioned in this thread.

[pbrower2a]

Rush Limbaugh  lost all credibility once he delved into one of the purest repositories of evil: cruelty. He was an odd combination of social darwinism with a heaving helping of personal indulgence. I could imagine someone endorsing conservative economics and politics, but if one does so one had better find a cause to allow people to believe that such works out better than some  not-so-conservative practice. Economic inequality and insecurity, harsh management, great hardships for non-elites, and conspicuous indulgence for economic elites are the sorts of things that fit Karl Marx' depiction of capitalism in the purest.  Such is bad even for social peace. If the common man has a stake in the system, then he has little chance of falling for anti-capitalist ideology in some catastrophic time for the political order.   

He have been entertaining for a while, but I dislike entertainment with a cruel streak. The Romans may have had some coarse entertainment such as damnatio ad bestiae... we do not do such, even with condemned offenders. Limbaugh was cruel, and I can imagine his devoted fans prefectly suited to Donald Trump, who is also a fundamentally-cruel person. 

[South Dakota Democrat]

RIP to a legend.

Weren't you supposed to leave the forum for a year?

[Santander]

[Fuzzy Bear]

Limbaugh had his high and low moments.  He certainly got caught in his own hypocrisy on the drug issue when he got caught with drugs himself.  His behavior over AIDS victims was over the top.  And (regrettably) he has supported most of the unwise wars and attacks on Civil Liberties (Patriot Act) because the bulk of the GOP supported them over time.  

The thing that used to peeve me the most about Limbaugh was his overt professing of Rugged Individualism as his philosophy of life and government.  The "I pulled myself up by my bootstraps; you can, too!" worldview.  Rush was an accomplished broadcaster and radio personality; indeed, he was at the top of his game longer than anyone else and he, almost single-handedly, made his brand of talk radio a NATIONAL institution, enabling people to bypass the "mainstream media" to get their points across.  HE did that himself.  But he also had more than a little help from his Dad at the start of his career to get opportunities when he was a nobody that others don't get.  His professions often failed to note the lack of "connections" on the part of so many that make the first step on the ladder to success in any area that much harder.  For many in America, "opportunity" meant a chance to get in on the ground floor . . . and stay there.  That wasn't Rush's experience, but it's the experience of probably a majority of Americans.  That, of course, has to be balanced against the fact that Rush Limbaugh did view America as a fundamentally GOOD nation.  This is far, far better than the Woketopians of today that view America as a Racist and Dystpopic Hellhole.  

Did Rush Limbaugh deserve the "Presidential Medal of Freedom"?  As much as most recipients, yes.  That's like asking if Curt Schilling should be in the Hall of Fame.  The answer to that question is that most people who did what Schilling did on the mound are in the HOF, although some are not.  Most people who dominate a field as Limbaugh has, and who have "pioneering" credentials receive honors on the level of the MOF, although some do not.  My own belief on the MOF (and on sports HOFs as well) is that if someone is a "borderline" candidate I would prefer that the person be granted the honor while they (and their families) are alive to enjoy it.

If we want to talk about the flaws of people upon their death, we should expand this to all across the Spectrum.  I, for one, think there should be one standard for all.  It's either De mortuis nil nisi bonum" ("Of the dead, nothing but good.") or "My brother need not be enlarged in death beyond what he was in life." (a quote from Edward M. Kennedy's iconic eulogy of RFK, his brother).  The former is not the standard for Rush Limbaugh; it should not be the standard for RBG, either.  

[darklordoftech]

I wonder if David Kessler and Dick Morris (people Limbaugh claimed exaggerated the dangers of smoking) are thinking, “Told you”.

[Fuzzy Bear]

I wonder if David Kessler and Dick Morris (people Limbaugh claimed exaggeratee the dangers of smoking) are thinking, “Told you”.

Perhaps.  Although Morris doesn't appear to have missed too many meals.  (I say this as I watch my carbs to re-lose gained weight.)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Limbaugh had his high and low moments.  He certainly got caught in his own hypocrisy on the drug issue when he got caught with drugs himself.  His behavior over AIDS victims was over the top.  And (regrettably) he has supported most of the unwise wars and attacks on Civil Liberties (Patriot Act) because the bulk of the GOP supported them over time.  

The thing that used to peeve me the most about Limbaugh was his overt professing of Rugged Individualism as his philosophy of life and government.  The "I pulled myself up by my bootstraps; you can, too!" worldview.  Rush was an accomplished broadcaster and radio personality; indeed, he was at the top of his game longer than anyone else and he, almost single-handedly, made his brand of talk radio a NATIONAL institution, enabling people to bypass the "mainstream media" to get their points across.  HE did that himself.  But he also had more than a little help from his Dad at the start of his career to get opportunities when he was a nobody that others don't get.  His professions often failed to note the lack of "connections" on the part of so many that make the first step on the ladder to success in any area that much harder.  For many in America, "opportunity" meant a chance to get in on the ground floor . . . and stay there.  That wasn't Rush's experience, but it's the experience of probably a majority of Americans.  That, of course, has to be balanced against the fact that Rush Limbaugh did view America as a fundamentally GOOD nation.  This is far, far better than the Woketopians of today that view America as a Racist and Dystpopic Hellhole.    

I had a hot and cold relationship with Rush. I listened to him mostly in the late 2000s to the early 2010s. The two things that really peeved me about Rush at the time, was his buying into the Obama birth certificate conspiracy and the whole Sandra Fluke controversy. I was listening to Glenn Beck at the time as well and he had no patience for the former and even saw it as a leftwing plot to damage the right. The fact that the whole controversy reached its crescendo just before Bin Laden was found and killed, certainly lent some credence at the time to Beck's allegation that the conspiracy was itself a conspiracy to undermine and embarrass Obama's opponents.

The Sandra Fluke controversy was typical Rush absurdity taken to its extreme ends, but the timing of it could not be worse and was just another unneeded distraction from the objective of unseating Obama in 2012. For all of the criticisms, much of it fair, leveled at Mittens many people did a crap ton of things that undermined and distracted from the primary desired objective.

I actually found Jason Lewis much more reasonable when he was being broadcast in the six o'clock slot after Hannity on local 106.1, because he was willing to at least consider a dialogue with libertarian inclined people and had a more open mind while Hannity was still neck deep in neocon world and seeking to purge opponents as "liberal traitors". Amazing what a difference eight years can make. The other one that I liked and still do was Todd Schnitt, who I listen to now on the way home since it airs 9-12. He is more neocon than my tastes, but he has no patience of conspiracy theorists and is the most grounded and realistic of the talk radio types. He also didn't buy into the stolen election and took a lot of heat for "breaking with Rush" on that front.

My least favorite of these personalities was Hannity, as I don't think he is that smart and I found his TV program much more tolerable on Fox when Colmes was alive and partnered with him. Especially whenever Dick Morris came on and started mouthing his stupid about elections.

[Kingpoleon]

My least favorite of these personalities was Hannity, as I don't think he is that smart and I found his TV program much more tolerable on Fox when Colmes was alive and partnered with him. Especially whenever Dick Morris came on and started mouthing his stupid about elections.

Even talking to Hannity’s fans, they all say that he’s “not the smartest guy.” It’s impressive that such a stupid man makes it on TV.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Limbaugh had his high and low moments.  He certainly got caught in his own hypocrisy on the drug issue when he got caught with drugs himself.  His behavior over AIDS victims was over the top.  And (regrettably) he has supported most of the unwise wars and attacks on Civil Liberties (Patriot Act) because the bulk of the GOP supported them over time.  

The thing that used to peeve me the most about Limbaugh was his overt professing of Rugged Individualism as his philosophy of life and government.  The "I pulled myself up by my bootstraps; you can, too!" worldview.  Rush was an accomplished broadcaster and radio personality; indeed, he was at the top of his game longer than anyone else and he, almost single-handedly, made his brand of talk radio a NATIONAL institution, enabling people to bypass the "mainstream media" to get their points across.  HE did that himself.  But he also had more than a little help from his Dad at the start of his career to get opportunities when he was a nobody that others don't get.  His professions often failed to note the lack of "connections" on the part of so many that make the first step on the ladder to success in any area that much harder.  For many in America, "opportunity" meant a chance to get in on the ground floor . . . and stay there.  That wasn't Rush's experience, but it's the experience of probably a majority of Americans.  That, of course, has to be balanced against the fact that Rush Limbaugh did view America as a fundamentally GOOD nation.  This is far, far better than the Woketopians of today that view America as a Racist and Dystpopic Hellhole.    

I had a hot and cold relationship with Rush. I listened to him mostly in the late 2000s to the early 2010s. The two things that really peeved me about Rush at the time, was his buying into the Obama birth certificate conspiracy and the whole Sandra Fluke controversy. I was listening to Glenn Beck at the time as well and he had no patience for the former and even saw it as a leftwing plot to damage the right. The fact that the whole controversy reached its crescendo just before Bin Laden was found and killed, certainly lent some credence at the time to Beck's allegation that the conspiracy was itself a conspiracy to undermine and embarrass Obama's opponents.

The Sandra Fluke controversy was typical Rush absurdity taken to its extreme ends, but the timing of it could not be worse and was just another unneeded distraction from the objective of unseating Obama in 2012. For all of the criticisms, much of it fair, leveled at Mittens many people did a crap ton of things that undermined and distracted from the primary desired objective.

I actually found Jason Lewis much more reasonable when he was being broadcast in the six o'clock slot after Hannity on local 106.1, because he was willing to at least consider a dialogue with libertarian inclined people and had a more open mind while Hannity was still neck deep in neocon world and seeking to purge opponents as "liberal traitors". Amazing what a difference eight years can make. The other one that I liked and still do was Todd Schnitt, who I listen to now on the way home since it airs 9-12. He is more neocon than my tastes, but he has no patience of conspiracy theorists and is the most grounded and realistic of the talk radio types. He also didn't buy into the stolen election and took a lot of heat for "breaking with Rush" on that front.

My least favorite of these personalities was Hannity, as I don't think he is that smart and I found his TV program much more tolerable on Fox when Colmes was alive and partnered with him. Especially whenever Dick Morris came on and started mouthing his stupid about elections.

I thought some of the comments Limbaugh made about Fluke to be untoward and over the top.  But the issue of whether or not a Catholic University should be required to fund an employee's birth control, however indirectly, is not unreasonable.  I'm not anti-contraceptive but I understand that the Catholic Church is.

[darklordoftech]

My least favorite of these personalities was Hannity, as I don't think he is that smart and I found his TV program much more tolerable on Fox when Colmes was alive and partnered with him. Especially whenever Dick Morris came on and started mouthing his stupid about elections.

Even talking to Hannity’s fans, they all say that he’s “not the smartest guy.” It’s impressive that such a stupid man makes it on TV.

When Bill Clinton tried to have Bin Laden killed, Hannity claimed that Al Qaeda’s existence was a hoax created by Clinton to distract voters from Lewinsky.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

“In Honor of Rush Limbaugh,” $425,000 in Donations to Planned Parenthood

The goal of donating $10,000 to reproductive health care has been far exceeded. More than $425,000 and counting has already been raised by 17,000 donors in Limbaugh’s memory. Read more about his legacy here.