Earlier this year President Obama told republicans that they need to “quit listening to Rush Limbaugh if you want to get things done.” The remark was picked up by almost every news outlet, some praising the effort to silence a “hate monger”, others expressing concern that the President of the United States would be telling representatives what they should and should not be listening to. Regardless of either observation it is obvious, that for the leader of the free work to make this statement, Rush was having an impact in Washington.
This started a barrage of both attacks against Rush and attacks against his attackers. Both sides of the issue were angry and some attacks, in my opinion, were getting off base and mean.
Because of the controversy, I started tuning into Rush a little more when I got the chance. However his air time on the east coast if 12 – 3, a time when I am usually buried in work with no access to a radio. I would only tune in on those odd days when I would leave work early or for some reason have the day off. Because I was hearing his show so seldom, I couldn’t really say that I was forming an opinion one way or another about it.
One day in April I was able to catch part of his show. He was discussing with a caller all the “lies” that the news organizations were spreading about him by taking his words out of context. He told the caller that if people would just listen to him for 6 months, they would come to see that he was right and they were wrong. That felt like a fun challenge, so when I got home that day I went over to RushLimbaugh.com and signed up for a years 24/7 “Ditto Head” membership. The membership allowed me to download shows in MP3 format and listen to them on my iPod. That next day, and every day since, I have listened to every show he’s had for about 6 months. (Minus one week I was on vacation.)
After testing the 6 month premise this is what I’ve decided.
A couple facts before we proceed:
() The shows I’ve been listening to are not the first time I’ve listened to Rush. When I was in college I would listen to his show whenever I found myself in a car while it was on.
() My political views already have a conservative slant. I like to think of myself as a person who can make up his mind about issues on an issue by issue basis and that I have some issues I’m liberal about, but if I had to join a camp (which it seems these days you have to) I’d sign up with the conservative camp.
() Arbitron, a radio audience research company, estimates Rush’s weekly audience to be over 20 million viewers. Despite personal feelings, an overwhelming amount of people tune in and apparently agree with what he is saying.
() In 2008 Rush signed a $400 million dollar contact (earning him $33 million) to extend his show 8 years. This broke pay records for radio and TV personalities alike. Despite personal feelings, people see value in what he does.
() Rush has not ever held, and communicates no desire to have a political office. He has no official political power.
What I’ve found to be true:
() First and foremost, Rush is an entertainer. He’s brash, over the top and he is intentionally so. His opinions are his own and you’re free to agree or disagree as you see fit.
() Rush is correct stating the media always quotes him out of context, and I found myself surprised with how often this happened. Most notably for this illustration was his comment that he wanted President Obama to fail. I had listened to the show when he first made that remark and was shocked to see what the news companies did with it. Was it the nicest thing to say? Of course not, but this statement was turned into something it was not.
() Rush is arrogant. The man is full of himself. Some may say in a quasi-charming way, but I can see a lot of people being put off by his presentation.
() Rush cites sources, something that is lost in journalism today. Every story he referenced, every quote his says, even when he quote himself from years past, he cites his sources. Taking this a step further, as a 24/7 Ditto Head, he provides links on his site to the source of the article so you can read it for yourself and make up your own mind.
() Rush’s arguments are almost completely air tight. This is for his factual arguments and not his personal opinions. I would hate to go against the man in a debate where facts and logic would prevail. Most would lose.
() Rush makes a convincing argument that the media is “in the tank” for President Obama. He often mentions stories (some written by over seas journalists) that never even get mentioned because they contain a negative outlook about President Obama. And this doesn’t just happen a few times, this happens constantly.
() Rush’s political predictions come true. In my 6 month listening window he has predicted numerous thing would happen and each one of them has come to pass. The man has been waist high in the political scene for so long I’m starting to think he knows what some politicians will do before they do. This is astounding really.
() Rush loves sports. As a non sport fan myself, I wish he didn’t cause it does seem that he dedicates good chunks of his show to sports. I find this kind of boring.
After my 6 months of listening I don’t think that people who write off Rush as a “hate monger” (I hate that term) really don’t have a leg to stand on. You are certainly allowed to disagree with his opinion, you have that right, but this idea that Rush is bad for a America is just not true. With an audience of 13.5 million strong, and growing, he certainly isn’t lone voice. If anything I’d say that he’s giving those people a voice.
Those are my thoughts, brief and to the point.
September 27, 2009
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