So often, we seem to remember people on the anniversaries of their deaths. But today, it might be appropriate to remember someone on the anniversary of their birth. Because not only were they born, but what they eventually went on to do was born as well. Today, we are remembering the great Rush Limbaugh on what would have been his 73rd birthday. It is hard to think of a way to begin to describe what he did, what he achieved, and the indelible mark he made on, not just American politics but American culture as well. He was the man the left loved to hate, and he loved that they did.

So thankful you were born! Rush showed us all the tremendous difference one life can make. He touched the minds and hearts of millions.

Wishing you all a great day,
Kathryn pic.twitter.com/JzFJc4iX9S

— Official Rush Limbaugh (@OfficialRushUSA) January 12, 2024

Missouri conservatives have always had a special affinity for Rush. He was one of the Show-Me state's favorite sons, hailing from Cape Girardeau in southeast Missouri. Rush always said that he knew what he wanted to do from the time he was eight years old. He worked his way up through local and regional AM radio stations, spinning all the hits of the late 1960s. He often talked about how he was fired seven times from various radio stations for various things, among them, as Rush describes it, "not following orders." He started to think that radio might not be for him, even as much as he loved it, and took a job with the Kansas City Royals front office. But as we all know, that didn't last.  

Ultimately, Rush would be heard by roughly 32 million people on 650 radio stations for 32 years. Something not ever seen before and that will probably not be seen again. Rush told his viewers exactly what he thought and also what he thought would happen on many occasions. So many of those times, he was right. Rush Limbaugh had a deep love for America. That love of country is instilled in those of us from the Midwest in a unique way. It was from that love of country that sprang Rush's conservative principles. 

Rush Limbaugh always said it best! pic.twitter.com/Jj3Xg4cLR1

— ACT For America (@ACTforAmerica) January 11, 2024

It was those conservative principles that all those people tuned in to hear. Rush was the one person who validated their beliefs and taught the masses what conservatism was. They knew they were not alone. But they also tuned in to hear Rush call out the left, liberal Democrats, and their never-ending absurdities and hypocrisy. Rush also branded the mainstream media for exactly what they do. He began calling them the "drive-by media" and eventually the "drive-bys." He explained that the media would show up at a breaking news story, get any crowd that might be on hand ginned up, spread falsities about the story, and then move down the road to the next one. I am willing to bet that practice is still used today somewhere. Rush loved to tweak the "drive-bys," but he also loved to tweak the left on their virtue signaling. One night, on his short-lived television show, Rush came out wearing nine or ten different colored ribbons for various causes and concerns. Rush also created the "35 Undeniable Truths of Life." Some can be updated by plugging in different countries, but none are no longer true. 

Rush always insisted that good humor had a grain of truth to it, and you were always guaranteed a chuckle from Rush's show. From his imitations of Presidents Clinton and Obama to dubbing Vice President Al Gore "AlGore," to parodies like "In a Yugo" and "Banking Queen," to giving then-CNN anchor Chris Cuomo the nickname "Fredo," and in August of 2019, relating a story of a man approaching Cuomo in a bar and asking, "Hey Fredo, can I have a picture?" Rush mixed the serious with the silly, and it was awesome.

As we look at the state of the nation and the world with Joe Biden and his merry band of buffoons at the helm, how many of those 32 million faithful listeners wonder what Rush would have to say about all of it? He always said he would tell everyone "when to panic." With the state the country is in and the world around us on fire, would Rush finally be telling us it's now time to panic? Well, here is what he said about that.

"It isn't time to panic, because I'm never gonna panic. I'm never gonna give up. So, no, it's not time to panic. It's not time to run away. It's not time to walk away. It's never gonna be time to run away or walk away from the country. I'm never gonna run away from the United States of America."  

Rush Limbaugh created conservative media with just one radio show. For anyone in conservative media, whether you are a writer, a podcaster, or a radio or television host, it is a pretty safe bet that we would not be doing what we do were it not for Rush. Happy Birthday, Rush. We will do our best to carry on what you created, and because we are Americans, we will try not to panic.

References:

Limbaugh, David & Limbaugh, Kathryn Adams. "Radio's Greatest of All Time: Rush Limbaugh. Simon & Schuster, New York, 2022. Pgs. 5,6,7, 17, 404, 477.

Rush Limbaugh was correct!!!!! A must watch👇

Rush Limbaugh: "They can't separate you from Trump.
And more importantly, they can't separate you from the ideas.
They can't separate you from MAGA.
They can't separate you from MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, which I think remains one of… https://t.co/omiM3DQEQY pic.twitter.com/AZCxHDOWCf

— 🕊 𝓐𝓷𝓷 𝓲𝓼 𝓡𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 🕊 𝐗𝐋𝐕 (@Ann_Lilyflower) January 8, 2024