I've been a listener since about 1991 and as Rush frequently says, his listeners can always remember the first time they heard his show. I still remember that morning.
At the time I was a Vice President of a Savings and Loan and was in charge of our branch system. I had branches in a lot of upscale cities in Southern California (Beverly Hills, Century City, Corona del Mar, La Jolla, etc) and at least once a month would get out and visit the branches. Carpool lanes were new on L.A. freeways at that time, so whenever I had to go to Beverly Hills from my office in Mission Viejo I would try and take a carpool buddy to save some time.
A frequent partner on these trips was Bob, our sales manager. Bob would probably be described today as a moderate Democrat. He wasn't way out on the left wing, but certainly wasn't a Republican. We got along very well and usually had interesting discussions.
This particular day we were heading up the freeway to Beverly Hills and were listening to country music or something on the radio. Bob said "how'd you like to listen to some crackpot radio?" I was game, so he turned on KFI and the Rush Limbaugh Show. I'd never heard of Rush or listened to talk radio. As we headed north I kept waiting for the "crackpot" stuff to start, but instead I heard a guy articulating things I had believed for years. He was confident, funny, and devastating to Democrats and liberals. I began to realize that if this was "crackpot radio", I must be a crackpot because so far I agree with everything this guy has said.
Rush says you need to listen to the show for six weeks before you can fully understand what he's doing and how he does it, but I was hooked the first day. When I got home I dug an old radio out of storage and took it to the office with me the next day. At 9am I turned on the show and listened as I worked. That pattern has remained to this day.
One of life's great disappointments was in 1993 when I was unable to attend the now famous Dan's Bake Sale in Fort Collins, CO. I had a concert that weekend, but if I hadn't been committed, I would have jumped on a plane and joined the massive throng of 80,000 that showed up that weekend.
I occasionally listen to other hosts, but they just don't deliver the information the way Rush does. One of the things I like about Rush is he rarely has guests. Other hosts like Sean Hannity, Michael Medved or Hugh Hewitt like to have lefty guests on and carry on these lengthy debates. I frankly don't care to hear dummies try and defend themselves on the air. They're not going to change my mind and I'm not interesting in listening to their drivel.
Rush has battled through many obstacles over the years, some of his own making. His drug problem certainly could have damaged or ended his career, and the day he announced he was deaf I wondered how in the world he would be able to continue his show. He's overcome both situations and is bigger today than ever.
Rush has often been accused of being a Republican shill and just blindly repeating GOP talking points. Those critics clearly don't listen to the show. Rush is a conservative, and not just a Republican, he has often been as tough on President Bush, John McCain or other Republicans who have strayed from conservative ideals as he has been on Democrats. That's good for conservatism and good for the country.
We can also thank Rush every Christmas when we bring out our Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CDs. I had never listened to Mannheim Steamroller, but every Christmas Rush would work their Christmas songs into his bumper music rotation, and at the end of his last broadcast before Christmas he always plays their full-length haunting version of "Silent Night". We became fans of Steamroller's Christmas music because of hearing it on his show, and I now have every one of their Christmas CDs in my collection.
There is one threat on the horizon and that's a Democrat congress and Democrat president who might be inclined to try and shut him and other conservatives up by reenacting the "Fairness" Doctrine. There's nothing fair about stifling discussion on the airwaves, and just yesterday there was a story that San Fran Nan will not allow a vote on a bill that would eliminate the "Fairness" Doctrine once and for all. In fact, she very much wants it back. The left has had one dismal attempt after another to create their own Bizarro Rush and they've left crushing debt and bankruptcy in their wake. Nobody wants to hear what they're peddling, so since they can't compete in the marketplace they have to shut it down. The lefties have yet to see the kind of outrage that will erupt if they reenact a regulation that destroys talk radio.
I'm not too worried. Rush has kept at it for 20 years, and with any luck, he'll be on the air as long as he wants to be. And I hope that's a long, long time. Congrats, El Rushbo!
UPDATE: The first caller of the day was none other than President Bush (43) who called along with his dad, George H.W. Bush (41) and Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida. Not bad.
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