Rush Isn't Going Anywhere

Despite the efforts of the Democrats to silence him or marginalize his impact on politics (or even get him in trouble with his syndicator as Harry Reid tried to do), Rush Limbaugh is bigger than ever and has just set all kinds of new records with a new contract that will keep him on the air until 2016:

The American broadcast industry is rocked, realigned and blasted into a new orbit, yet again, by Rush Limbaugh, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

In what is being described as an unprecedented radio contract, Limbaugh will keep his syndicated show on-the-air and e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e through 2016 with CLEAR CHANNEL and PREMIERE RADIO.

Already host of the most lucrative hours since radio's inception, Limbaugh's total package is valued north of $400 million, according to media insiders.

The NEW YORK TIMES will claim this weekend that Limbaugh, marking 20 years this summer as a national host, has secured a 9-figure signing bonus for the new deal, newsroom sources tell DRUDGE.

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In its controversial profile, the TIMES reports that Limbaugh is buying a new G550 jet and is making an estimated $38 million a year.

[The cover photo of the TIMES Sunday magazine depicts Limbaugh 'dark and sinister' in a theme of THE GODFATHER.]

While newspapers and traditional broadcast media are experiencing declining revenues, Limbaugh's golden microphone has turned diamond-laced:

Earnings now pace him ahead of the annual salaries for network news anchors: Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer — combined!

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The deal represents a stunning triumph over the establishment by an outsider who connected with and captured the spirit of the nation's heartland.

Congratulations, Rush! As I've written before, Rush has had a big impact on my interest in politics and indirectly helped get this blog started. Here's the story from my "Why I Blog" post:

I've been interested in politics since the 1980 presidential election, but really began to pay attention during the 1988 campaign. In 1991 I was driving to Beverly Hills with a Democrat colleague of mine when he suggested that we listen to some "crackpot" radio. I had never listened to talk radio before, and as we traveled down the freeway listening to Rush Limbaugh, a strange realization came over me. Rush was repeating everything I believed. If this was "crackpot" radio, I apparently was a "crackpot".

I've been a dittohead ever since and have written an op-ed or two, but blogging has given me the opportunity to regularly comment on the news of the day - at least the news that I find interesting (and hopefully you do too). I think my wife will agree that it's better for me to write on this site rather than scream and throw things at the TV. I call it cheap therapy.

I'm sure this news today will cause many Democrats to ramp up their efforts to reenact the "Fairness Doctrine", which of course is anything but fair and would effectively take conservative talk radio off the air. With some 20 million daily listeners, though, I doubt the voters would put up with such nonsense for long.

Rush has always said that he plans to stay on the air until everybody in America agrees with him, and apparently, he's not kidding.

UPDATE: The NY Times does a surprisingly good job on the profile piece which you can read here.