Priceless Gifts from Rush Limbaugh

My friend Rush Limbaugh, who died today, was a force of nature. More than any other individual, he was responsible for breaking the Left’s media monopoly. His voice on the radio, where he has promoted Hillsdale College for more than 10 years, will never be equaled. He loved our country always, and came to a deep love of God. His massive audience will miss him, I will miss him, and the country will miss him. Our prayers go out to his family. Rest in peace.
—Larry Arnn, President of Hillsdale College, in an email to individuals on his email subscription list, on February 17, 2021—

Im not ready to speak yet but I Im so proud of my amazing, loving brother. Thousands of you have shared how much he meant to you. My brother was the real deal. I can’t describe how sad I am but also how proud I am of my big brother. I love and adore you Rush. Thank you all.

— David Limbaugh (@DavidLimbaugh) February 18, 2021

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Key point: Rush Limbaugh’s legacy needs to live on in American conservatives as they emulate his courage and his confidence in holding tenaciously to timeless American values.

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Rush Limbaugh died on Wednesday morning, February 17 from lung cancer. I will miss hearing him on the radio. He gave conservatives great hope and confidence, in part because he understood that America’s founding values are true and timeless. Below I list 20 gifts Rush gave to Americans.

I’m not naïve, however; I know he offended many. To this I would say two things. First, in a country that recognizes the right of free speech, there is no right not to be offended. I wrote about this in an earlier post, observing in 2016:

We are a nation obsessed with positive rights [rights created to cater to desires and whims]—like the “right” not to be offended! Mark it down. It is very telling that as our obsession has increased, so has the number of incidents in which offended people actively have sought to silence others. Many have become hyper-sensitive, offended over things they simply should see as expressions of opinions different from their own. Can’t you see it? The right to free speech and the “right” not to be offended cannot coexist with each other.

The second thing I would say is that it’s clear to me that Rush was not the bigot or the ogre he was made out to be. If you really want to see manifestations of hatred, look at how extremist, left-wing radicals are responding to Rush’s death. They’re guilty of hate-filled actions far worse than any of which they’ve accused Rush.

In a brief television interview following Rush’s death, Tyler Cox, Rush’s former program director, spoke about the man he knew personally. We’ll cite this interview again momentarily.

Here are 20 Priceless Gifts Rush Limbaugh Gave to Americans.

1. 1. 1. Rush Limbaugh believed in timeless values and knew they were both timeless and of infinite value.
      2. Rush was unashamed of what he believed. Moreover, he had a knack for honing in on the truth with precision and with a sense of humor. Here are his original 35 undeniable truths of life. Here is his revised and updated list.
      3. Rush didn’t mind being misunderstood and hated for the right reasons.
      4. Rush believed in America, American values, and American exceptionalism. He abhorred the lies that were being told about America and American history. Here you can listen to Rush tell “The True Story of Thanksgiving” on his radio program. We’ve explored this historical event at Word Foundations as well.
      5. Rush was not a racist. Just ask his black producer, James Golden, also known to millions as Bo Snerdly.
      6. Rush was confident in what he believed. Oh, how desperately we need that confidence among conservatives today!
      7. Rush never lost his sense of humor.
      8. Rush was generous.
      9. Rush was a truth lover and a truth giver.
      10. Rush was loyal to his audience and to the values he held.
      11. Rush did not allow his material success to distance him from ordinary Americans.
      12. Rush was an incurable optimist, but he never allowed his optimism to compel him to deny reality.
      13. Rush was grateful. To me, his gratitude was abundantly evident—most obviously for his audience, but more recently for many other intangible assets as well, including every day he was privileged to enjoy. Mark it down. Gratitude fosters humility, and I believe Rush was a humble man, although he was not known for that trait. Yet, how else can you account for his repeated affirmations that he was using “talent on loan from God”?
      14. Rush was an extremely effective storyteller and communicator. He did indeed have an ability to “mark the complex understandable.”
      15. It’s clear that Rush was able, not just to see apples on apple trees, but to see trees in an apple. Just contrast AM radio before Rush came on the scene and what it is like today. In it for the long haul, he worked to win everyone who would listen to him over to his views. Refreshingly, he believed he was right about the things that are most important.
      16. Rush refused to acquiesce to cultural trends and politically correct thought. He understood that the war being waged between good and evil was, at its core, a war between truth and lies.
      17. Rush inspired millions to take advantage of natural opportunities and to create additional ones, and to use these, along with hard work and creativity, to accomplish and achieve what they might otherwise have believed to be impossible. Consider Rush’s tenacity in continuing his work as a radio talk show host after he became almost totally deaf. He led not only with verbal encouragement, but also by example.
      18. Related to item 17, Rush believed strongly that “Most Limitations Are Self-Imposed.” He abhorred a victim mentality.
      19. Rush Limbaugh was able to see through the façade liberals wear and expose them for who they really are. This is perhaps the real reason why they hated him so thoroughly.
      20. Rush Limbaugh was unashamed of his faith in Jesus Christ. He said publicly on one of his last radio programs, “I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is of immense value, strength, confidence. That’s why I’m able to remain fully committed to the idea that what is supposed to happen will happen when it’s mean[t] to.”

In early 2020, after learning of his brother’s cancer diagnosis, David Limbaugh took to his blog to express gratitude for the outpouring of support Rush and the entire Limbaugh family had received. David wrote in part,

When Rush began his nationally syndicated radio show, the liberal media monopolized television news, and his show became an oasis and a lifeline for millions who felt their voices had been ignored. He gave them a sense of community, as they came to realize that the principles they believed in, their love for America and its founding ideas, were still commonly held.

He has been depicted as a bombastic shock jock who barely believes his own words and simply exploits his talents to enrich himself. In fact, he has been a calming voice of good cheer, humor and optimism — a respite from the message of negativity and moral chaos emanating from liberal America every day.

David Limbaugh nailed it! Thank you Rush, for your contributions to America and Americans. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insights with us and for not being intimidated by those who disagreed with and attacked and vilified you. May we be as far-sighted as you were, and may we never give up on what is right and true.

 

Copyright © 2021 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.

top photo: Limbaugh shortly after being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on February 4, 2020

image credit: Rush on The Phil Donahue Show in 1991