Yesterday was the end of an era. The driving force behind talk radio, as he would so eloquently put it, has assumed room temperature. There will never again be a voice as powerful and talented as Rush Limbaugh. He was truly an icon in American culture over the last several decades.
Rush would always say on his show that his work was not done until 100% of the country agreed with him. At the time he left us, his beloved country has never been more polarized, but this does not necessarily mean that he had failed.
On the contrary, Rush has inspired thousands of writers, shows, and entire media networks to come into existence. Many of those who he inspired do not actually agree with a lot of his opinions, like this website for example. Although I barely exist in the arena of political thought and ideas at the moment, the intention of this very article is to give Rush the credit that he deserves.
The Excellence in Broadcasting Network provided a daily, free education on how to think critically and deliver your ideas with passion and integrity. Rush believed in his message and delivered it in a truly captivating manner. He did this so well that it became easy to spot other hosts that did not believe in what they were saying and dismiss them accordingly.
A few years ago I had decided to move on from my daily consumption of the program. I had become jaded to the message of American Exceptionalism and its seemingly contradictory standing with true human rights and freedom. I did attempt to tune into the show a couple of times since but, in all honesty, found myself getting rather annoyed with the message.
Although I was no longer a believer in his philosophy, the news that Rush had been diagnosed with cancer was upsetting. After all, politics is only skin deep and barely that. Disagreements over ideas are usually rendered meaningless when it comes to life and death. That is if you have any kind of a conscience (unlike those who are currently celebrating the death of a man they merely disagreed with).
I was ill-prepared for the sadness that I felt when hearing that Rush had died. It feels like the death of a mentor, or as another talk show host said yesterday, “…like I lost a friend, that I had never met.”
We may not all agree with you Rush, but you are responsible for the expansion and enrichment of the arena of ideas and political thought. There are so many of us that owe a huge debt of gratitude to you for the years of enlightening conversation. Thank you my friend, and may you rest in peace.