Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh (1951 -) is an American radio host and right-wing political commentator. He currently hosts the nationally syndicated The Rush Limbaugh Show, which is broadcast for three hours a day on weekdays. In the past, he has identified as an "entertainer", but increasingly presents himself as the leader of the U.S. Republican Party and American conservatism.

The show has an estimated 13.5 million listeners per week. Limbaugh has written two books - The Way Things Ought To Be and See, I Told You So.

On his website, he describes himself as

America's Truth Detector; the Doctor of Democracy; the Most Dangerous Man in America; the All-Knowing, All-Sensing, All-Everything Maha Rushie; defender of motherhood, protector of fatherhood and an all-around good guy.

There is a "consensus" among the American people, who have made this the most listened to program, that it is also the most accurate, most right, and most correct. People who disagree with this are Rush Deniers.

Media interaction

Limbaugh fans often refer to themselves as "dittos" or "dittoheads". He explains the usage:

The national media was all liberal. Here was this conservative program that reflected the views of millions of people. As people would call in, the first couple minutes of their call, literally, they'd spend thanking me and talking about how great it was to have something like this on the radio, finally, it was so great, and I of course loved hearing it. After awhile, after about six months, it finally just grew old. It was delaying getting to the discussion of the issues. A woman called from I think it was like New Hampshire, and after just one of those calls, said, "Ditto to what they guy just said." So ditto means, "I love the program. Don't ever go away." It doesn't mean, "I agree with you." It doesn't mean, "You're always right." It means, "I love the program." Mega dittos means, "I really love -- I, mean I adore -- this program. It's the only program!" That's what mega dittos means.

He has varied opinions about other conservative commentators. He does like Ann Coulter and her ability to outrage liberals. As far as Bill O'Reilly, “somebody’s got to say it,” he told me. “The man is Ted Baxter.”

Sean Hannity, his one-time stand in and now perpetual No. 2 on the Talkers list is described with affectionate condescension. “I have no competitors...Hannity isn’t even close to me.” He considers Camille Paglia and Thomas Sowell AS honest thinkers. Speaking of Christopher Hitchens, “He’s misguided sometimes, but when you read him, you finish the whole article.”

Comments about race

He also hosted a television show from 1992 to 1996, and was a commentator for the ESPN sports cable channel on Sunday NFL Countdown, resigning after stating that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb received favorable treatment from the media because of his race.

In 2008, he told ABC News that Colin Powell had endorsed Barack Obama only because Obama is black.

Secretary Powell says his endorsement is not about race...OK, fine. I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexperienced, very liberal, white candidates he has endorsed. I'll let you know what I come up with.

I was also unaware of his dislike for John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, [[Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy and Antonin Scalia. I guess he also regrets Reagan and Bush making him a four-star and secretary of state and appointing his son to head the FCC. Yes, let's hear it for transformational figures."

Limbaugh has deflected some criticism by saying he is an "entertainer" rather than a serious political commentator, as with his song "Barack the Magic Negro", and referring to Barack Obama as "Halfrican American". He has said "magic negro" is a historical cultural term, a reference to benevolent African-Americans portrayed in old films, and was recently used by a black commentator in the Los Angeles Times.

Criticism from Republicans and conservatives

In March 2009, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele began calling Limbaugh's rhetoric "incendiary" and "ugly", and responded to Limbaugh's claims that he represented the Republican mainstream with "Rush will say what Rush has to say; we'll do what we have to do." After Limbaugh counterattacked, saying "saying the Republican chairman appears to be supporting President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.... [Steele seems] obsessed with seeing to it President Obama succeeds. I frankly am stunned that the chairman of the Republican National Committee endorses such an agenda...I have to conclude that he does, because he attacks me for wanting it to fail."

Steele said, to an online reporter, that he "was maybe a little bit inarticulate."

Limbaugh has been attacked as destructive to the conservative movement by conservative commentators such as David Frum, who argue that his policies are exclusionist, and are cutting the U.S. Republican Party and American conservatism down to a "base" of extremists that cannot win elections.