I don't know how well known this is or if anybody even cares any more, but Rush Limbaugh hosted the Pat Sajak Show for one episode on March 30, 1990. This was a late night program that aired on CBC from Jan 1989 to the April 1990. Rush Limbaugh did not kill the show, but he was clearly on in an attempt to bring in likely non viewers (I.E listeners to the Rush Limbaugh show) to try to build up the audience for the Pat Sajak Show.
Pat Sajak is a genial and funny person, and was probably too genial to be a late night comedic success, but his politics is similar to Limbaugh's, so I expect Sajak hand picked Limbaugh to host for the night.
It's a fairly interesting show. Limbaugh displays an enormous ego in the first segment, but it's also clear he's being somewhat facetious with his boasts. The problem is, in his egotistical statements he claims he has a "laser like focus to nuke liberal arguments." (I believe that's a mixed metaphor, but I could be wrong.)
He then starts the second segment saying 'we're going to have a little fun', and then brings up the abortion issue. Did Pat Sajak or anybody at CBS not think that's not necessarily a great topic for late night comedy television? Even though Roe V Wade was obviously still the law of the land, the Idaho legislature had shortly before passed legislation greatly restricting abortion. As a result, there were economic boycotts of Idaho to pressure the governor to veto the legislation, which Limbaugh announced on the show that the governor did do.
Limbaugh tried to guilt trip the boycotts, 'you're not boycotting Idaho, you're boycotting Idaho farmers.' True enough, but not the full story, because those who don't buy Idaho potatoes spend their money on other things instead. From an economics perspective, this is the generally right wing capitalist notion of 'dollar democracy.'
(As an economist, I would have loved it if an audience member had said that, but obviously abortion is too emotional and significant for those sorts of secondary arguments.)
About half the audience cheered the news of the veto, and Limbaugh no doubt confident of his 'laser like focus to nuke liberal arguments' went into the audience where he put the microphone in front of a passionate woman who shouted at him 'anti abortion laws only kill women.' Limbaugh told her to 'calm down' and she (and a couple hecklers) replied 'this is a free country and I don't have to calm down.' Limbaugh then professionally allowed the situation to defuse (keeping in mind though that he brought up the abortion issue in the first place) and went back to the stage where his 'laser like' response was 'the majority of the country agrees with me.' Not only was that very likely false in 1990, it's essentially a non sequitor to her argument that anti abortion laws don't prevent abortion but only result in women dying.
So, this is subjective as to Limbaugh's performance. On the one hand, he did remain calm throughout, on the other hand, his only response was lame.
After that, Limbaugh interviewed Sydney Biddle Barrows! (the Mayflower Madame) and did a couple more audience interactions.
After this program, Limbaugh only appeared in front of hand picked audiences on his own short lived television program or quickly cut off callers who tried to debate him on his radio program.
Anyway, this is the program.
