A friend of mine loves Rush Limbaugh, and years ago, when his radio show was moved to a 1am (or some other early morning hour) in her area, she had a fit that it was part of the “liberal conspiracy” to shut him up. I must note that this move to the early morning hours in her area was during the first Clinton administration.
Oh, boy! It was actually rather amusing listening to her repeat Rushisms, as if they were fucking truths. From Clinton bashing, to feminist bashing, to constitution bashing, and on and on. And believe me, she had a treasure trove of Rushisms as she never missed a show, she was also receiving his newsletter (paid, of course).
The longer this man was spewed his rhetoric, the nuttier and more disconnected from reality she became. This is a woman whose family actually prospered under a Clinton administration, after being financially cut-off at the knees during the Reagan/Bush1 years. To wit, she and her husband lost their jobs which lead to the foreclosure of their home, all during the Reagan/Bush1 years. Believe me, the economy bled them dry, and note this was before all the credit excesses started. Yet, during the Clinton administration, they both found jobs, found a new home and was able to buy a home (again).And then there is health care, in short they lost and could not get until the Clinton administration.
Seriously, this family is the poster child of everything that is wrong for the “little people” under Republican control of government, and they never saw it. Why? Because they were sucked into the rhetoric of Rush’s rhetoric.
So, I ask, is Rush’s opinions really worth $50 million per year?
The A.M. radio host will be paid about $400 million to continue serving up his daily dose of conservative patter through 2016. His $50 million a year paycheck represents a raise of about $14.4 million a year over his current contract, which was paying him $285 million over eight years and was set to expire in 2009.
Despite the fact that this man won’t leave the airwaves until “everyone agrees with him,” which thinking people know will never happen, what I find scary is that Clear Channel believes that this brand of rhetoric (and falsehoods) will have a place on the airwaves into the next decade.
The deal amounts to a major bet by Clear Channel Communications and its syndication subsidiary, Premiere Radio Networks, that Mr. Limbaugh’s brand of conservative talk will prosper well into the next decade. The company announced the contract renewal on Wednesday, though the financial details were supplied by Mr. Limbaugh in an interview with The New York Times Magazine for an article that was posted online at www.nytimes.com on Wednesday and will appear in print on Sunday.
My best guess is that republican propoganda network Clear Channel, which shuts out liberal points of view, ignoring the Fairness Doctrine, is betting that Obama will win the presidential election in November. A capitalistic attempt to cash in on disparaging remarks that have no truths, and thus disrupting any future attempts to move towards a more progressive government.
But, again, I have to ask, is Rush really worth $50 million per year?
Unfortunately, Rush will always have a market for his views, because despite the fact that A) he makes it up, B) We KNOW he makes it up, C) He KNOWS we KNOW he makes it up, and D, even his listeners know in their heart of hearts, if they have any, that he makes it up.
It’s because they desperately WANT to believe that it’s the fault of liberals, non-whites, women, etc. That’s the saddest thing of all.
I am looking at the post about Rush Limbaugh, and it’s great.
Is he worth 50 million? Please. Is he worth cover story on the NYT Magazine, again, please I think it’s hilarious that the NY Times is giving him the goldstar treatment and is not even taking a look at my client’s show, fem•i•nä•zi, which has been running Off Broadway since March. fem•i•nä•zi is a smart, comedic response to Limbaugh and his anti-feminist rhetoric. But alas, intelligent women are very rarely heard.