The Biggest Thing That Rush Limbaugh Left Us To Do
Yesterday, an American icon passed away. Despite the despicable, disgusting, abhorrent, and bigoted language coming from many on the Left, I am choosing to remember Rush Limbaugh as a one-of-a-kind trailblazer who got to see the fruits of his labor. Rush’s rise gave way to people like Andrew Breitbart, Ben Shapiro, et. al. But, if nothing else, men who aspire to be real men, should take a page out of the manner in which he faced his impending death, right up until the end. Rush displayed fortitude and a determination rarely seen.
It isn’t my intention to eulogize Rush Limbaugh today. Moreover, I’m not going to expound on all the advances Mr. Limbaugh has brought forth, that enabled the Conservative movement. Rather, my intent is to bring into focus what is likely the single greatest and most important of Rush’s contributions to America and American conservatives.
Limbaugh pushed back against the machine that is the mainstream everything and taught conservatives to be unafraid of the left. He has often accurately and brutally exposed them for the tyrants they are toward those who dare push back at their ideas even if done so in the slightest way. I’ll let Rush explain what I mean in his own words:
liberals are not about choice; they are about imposition. The way they live, the way they believe, must be imposed on people, otherwise they won’t do it on their own,” he added. “It’s taken them 50, 60 years to get to this point of conditioning people, of taking hold of the education system, the university, academia system, the media. It’s taken a long time to condition people not to stand up for themselves, not to exercise freedom, not to speak outside the acceptable norms. What is political correctness but speech censorship, is all it is.
Further…
Every Democrat constituency group has at least two things in common. They hate us. They despise opposition. That’s why they created political correctness. Speech censorship. They hate opposition and they’ll do anything they can to eliminate it.
Rush’s eloquence isn’t limited by words spoken or shared but rather demonstrated by his personal example. He led the way knowing that it is possible to stand up to corporate CEOs who use their financial means to stifle and quell conservative communications. Rush demonstrated that standing up to virtue signaling CEOs need not be the kiss of death.
In 2012, Rush brought into focus the financial ignorance of one Sandra Fluke, an ObamaCare advocate. He questioned the cost of $2,000.00 annually for contraception. Limbaugh jokingly applied that number to the price of condoms, did the math, and then interestingly connected the resulting number and a lifestyle that might require that large of a supply.
Radio and TV often require corporate sponsorship in order to keep the lights out and expand the reach. Essentially, no sponsors equal no revenue. No revenue means no program. On the flip-side is viewership. Those programs with a large audience can charge premium prices for coveted advertising slots. The Rush Limbaugh Show averaged 35 million weekly listeners. This means he sat at the top of the AM Radio advertising market.
Over at CDN, back in January of 2019, Terry Ponick wrote of some unintended, yet entirely predictable consequences for CEOs who virtue signal instead of minding the store. One of the more egregious examples was the CEO of Carbonite, the data backup company, who decided to take Limbaugh to task for his remarks.
Regular readers know that for years in these columns, I’ve recently criticized companies like Gillette whose CEOs or marketing chiefs embark on public virtue-signaling sprees. The current wave of corporate PC nonsense arguably started with the grandstanding exit of advertiser Carbonite from the popular Rush Limbaugh radio show. Since that day in 2012, ongoing, business-destroying virtue-signaling nonsense has cost many of the companies involved in it — and their stockholders and employees — money, jobs, and prestige.
Mr. Ponick expanded on Limbaugh’s 2012 remarks and called into question the ability of the Carbonite CEO, David Friend, to understand brand economics, finishing with the numbers (emphasis mine):
Prior to the Limbaugh flap, Carbonite had already retreated this year to slightly below its IPO offering price. Since then, it’s continued its downward cascade, closing today at $8.05 per share, roughly a 20% drop pre-Limbaugh / Fluke and a nearly 60% drop from its 2011 peak.
If you were to go back and listen to that particular episode with Limbaugh’s commentary, you’ll notice Rush never backs down and remained adamant that even if Friend asked to come back, he (Rush) wouldn’t take him on as a sponsor of his popular show.
I listened to that episode and Limbaugh’s commentary during and after the incident. I’m pretty sure I remember Rush Limbaugh never backing down and being adamant that even if Friend asked to come back, he (Rush) wouldn’t take him on as a show sponsor.
There are very few examples of people I can recall that would be willing to push back on the popular, politically correct position. The first that comes to mind is the most recent example of former President Donald Trump. Likely the reason Trump and Rush got along so well. Working backward the next name is Rush himself. Third, is the amazing Ronald Reagan. His quips, one-liners, and push back were equally launched at anyone lobbing those softballs at him. Finally, the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I saved the best for last because no one did as much with as much push back as Dr. King received. Moreover, the time period and the volatility facing the Black community in the South.
Conservatives and Republicans can take heart! Sit down, Mitt Romney! You’re not included in either category. Ultimately, those who believe and live out the things Rush discussed were blessed to have such a man to take up the cudgel on our behalf. He provided us the strength we need when we needed it most. We’d all do well to take a page out of Rush’s book. Especially those in the business of providing pro forma eulogies and corporate media elites.
Don’t be afraid as people will try and attack you for telling the truth. You will be threatened. There are companies out there who will try to control your speech by force or financial coercion. You might be shunned by co-workers. It is vital that conservatives stand up for what is right.
We must be like Rush Limbaugh. We must be stalwart, bold, and resilient. Has there ever been a more perfect time? Our country will be going through some difficult days ahead.
But 2022 is near! Be. Not. Afraid.
Content syndicated from TheLibertyLoft.com with permission.
