Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Feb 17, 2021 9:34:34 GMT -8
Rush has passed. Apparently it was his wife who gave an extended statement upon the opening of the show.
It looks as if they weren't prepared for this for right now they are just replaying an old show of his. I would have thought some kind of tribute show — with lots of call-in big-wigs — would have been the norm. Perhaps that's coming.
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Post by artraveler on Feb 17, 2021 9:47:08 GMT -8
I heard the same. Rush lived a life doing what he loved to do. His contribution to the zeitgeist of our culture can not be measured.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Feb 17, 2021 9:59:44 GMT -8
I followed him in the middle years. It was probably three or four years after his show began that I began to tune in. He was an institution on Seattle’s 570 KVI AM. Later (for reasons I still don’t understand), the show moved to 770 KTTH where it remains today.
I mostly tuned out the last six years or so, checking in when big news events were breaking. I thought Rush did his best work in his earlier years. I thought he had a brilliant analytical mind, almost unmatched in today’s media.
But the show more and more became like a circus or a gigantic commercial. Rush became extremely wealthy and I think lost the common touch. Instead of clearly parsing the day’s events in terms of overt conservative principles, it became more of a rant-fest. I just couldn’t listen to it anymore. One reason Mark Steyn is such a good fill-in host is because he reminds me of the old Rush. Steyn could get right to the point and humorously skewer his subject while doing so.
But as Rush has often pointed out, he makes it look easy. One reason these shows tend to fail (especially when liberals try it) is because it takes a special commitment to sit in front of a microphone each day, as well as doing all the prep work.
And with any great success like this, it seems you eventually reach the Johnny Carson era when guest hosts almost predominate while the super-rich star takes more and more time off. That is their right. But as a listener, things just changed to the point where it wasn’t worth the bother.
But he’ll certainly be missed. And he won’t easily be replaced. It will be interesting to see what they do with the show. Frankly, it rakes in far too much money for them to not try to continue with something. The only heir apparent is Mark Steyn. But could he do three or four show each week? I don’t know.
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Post by artraveler on Feb 17, 2021 10:20:36 GMT -8
Rush big break was inn Sacramento at KFBK. He took a morning slot 0900-1200 that had historical low ratings and got everyone tuning in. A friend and stockbroker, Tom Sullivan introduced him to me. Tom had a financial show on KFBK and off air Rush was no different than on air. His sense of humor aimed at demonstrating absurdity by being absurd. He was not a saint. He married 3 or was it 4 times ? One of the most important things he said to me was that no one should get rich by making some one else poor.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Feb 17, 2021 10:25:17 GMT -8
I think a man earns his vices. But I would always groan when Rush would gush about his cigar fixation. I just thought it was a very dumb idea. And it turned out to be. This isn’t an “I told you so.” But I didn’t sign up for “the cigar club” when listening to the show. Unlike others, I did not live vicariously through Rush. To me, his greatest appeal was when he functioned as an educator.
And regarding conservative principles, aside from Reagan, there was no better. I know people who got into the whole cult-of-Rush. They’d subscribe to his newsletter, etc. But I admit to remaining more on an intellectual basis with Rush.
It reminds me of what Prager said just yesterday. I think it was during his Ultimate Issues Hour. He frequently talks about discussions he has with atheists and others. And his stance is that he doesn’t believe in god by faith. He believes in god via reason. And I understood that approach, although Dennis was careful to say that those who approach by faith are just as legitimate.
So when Rush veered from more of an instructor to a ranter, I just didn’t keep in touch like I used to.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Feb 17, 2021 10:32:42 GMT -8
That’s extremely cool that you got a chance to meet him. And what a great philosophy. Indeed, in this world we should advance by making others richer or contributing something to their lives that enhances their lives (in a way that doesn't make them dumb dependents).
I’m an old Apple/Mac guy. The buzz at the time when the graphical user interface came about was that it would (and it did) free the user from centralized control and arcane methods and put the power of the computer under his or her creative control.
That is exactly what happened. Since then, we’ve seen legions of yutes walking into telephone poles as they stare like Zombies into their phone screens. This is where Apple really made its money and lost whatever soul it could say to ever have (for a corporation…which tend not to have souls but balance sheets).
That’s how I feel about Rush. There was a time when he helped free people from the dark veil of the monoculture of liberal news. It’s not that many of us were dumb or actually liberal. We’d simply never knew we were in a bubble. Rush’s greatest contribution, as far as I’m concerned, was showing us the bubble we were in. He pulled back the curtain. He will be missed. Frankly, I was missing him years ago.
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Post by kungfuzu on Feb 17, 2021 10:57:47 GMT -8
You might be surprised at how such productions/organizations are really one-man shows. Yes, Rush had people working for him, but I think it was pretty clear that he pulled all the strings and gave all the directions. To put such a tribute show together would take some time and consideration. Who ever organized it would have to think about how best to put together a theme which showed Rush at his best, how he developed, etc. I suspect that those around him relied on his guidance/instructions regarding the show and are at a psychological loss as to what to do.
Of course, Rush would be the best one to do this, but it was clear that he had been under tremendous physical stress for months. Frankly, I am amazed how often he turned up for the show after what were clearly tough chemotherapy bouts. He always sounded on point.
By the way, my point about one-man shows applies to Donald Trump. He tried to run to much himself and didn't have enough good, competent people around him to do a lot of things effectively. Sadly, too many of those he did rely on were not the right people, e.g. his children and their spouses.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Feb 17, 2021 11:34:10 GMT -8
Well, you’re probably right. I just feel short-changed. I would have had Mark Steyn (or even Trump) hosting the show with a lot of call-in reminiscing, etc. Plus some highlights (as they are doing now, for sure). But a de facto “best of Rush” show for such a major event?
Yeah, he really courageously toughed it out. He went as far as he he could — and he could go further than most, so that was a lot. Almost super-human.
I do believe Trump could still be yugely effective. But he needs to be harnessed like a good horse. He needs a strong team around him. Not including Ivanka and her boy-toy idiot husband.
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Post by kungfuzu on Feb 17, 2021 11:48:38 GMT -8
Whatever one thinks about the man, Rush Limbaugh the radio host was a force of nature. He was unique. We all remember where we were and what we were doing when Kennedy was assassinated or when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers.
But how many people, who through their force of personality and reasoned argument make an immediate and lasting impression on us? How often do we, decades later, still remember the first time we heard someone who was not famous at the time? Other than a very few personal friends and my wife, the only one I can remember is Rush Limbaugh. And the amazing thing about this is that he was the disembodied voice of a complete stranger coming to me over the radio waves, yet I felt as if I were talking to myself.
I was sitting in a rented car, either at the airport parking lot or at some small strip mall somewhere in Reno, Nevada. I was visiting for business.
I started the engine and turned on the radio. I heard the voice of a man who was talking about politics. For some reason, I was immediately taken with what he said and how he said it. So much so that I sat listening to him some time before putting the car into gear and driving to my destination.
The first thing that came to mind when I listened, and I recall this clearly, was an excited "Who is this guy?" "He sounds just like me. Where is he from?"
Hearing Rush for the first time gave me hope that people like me had a new and powerful voice for our beliefs. A fighter who was tough and articulate.
This must have been some time in 1988, as I distinctly recall the lead in to the program (after commercials) stating that Rush's program was broadcast on 60 stations across the USA. As he started with 56, I must have heard him in the first month or two of his 32 year run.
As I lived overseas, at the time, I could only listen to him when I happened to visit the States for business or personal reasons. I would also sometimes see him on TV when I visited my parents, who loved him. My father even had some of those garish ties Rush promoted.
Rush's voice stuck with me and when I returned to Texas 20 years ago, he became a regular contributor to my daily schedule. Although I listened less often over the last year or so, he will be missed.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Feb 17, 2021 12:12:55 GMT -8
They played a great segment of Rush talking to a little girl about the Rush Revere books. You have to hand it to him. He touched a lot of lives in a positive way. I really ought to read those books one of these days.
And I thought while listening to that how hard it must have been for many of Rush’s friends and family to hear him on the radio knowing that he was gone. Or maybe, as the one caller said, Rush did beat this thing and has a perspective that is unavailable to us.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Feb 17, 2021 12:22:17 GMT -8
Funny thing is, I don’t have much of a clue about that. I do remember the specific day when I heard the space shuttle blew up.
It was appropriate that this (generally) old-fashioned man mastered a tried-and-true old-fashion medium: radio. You have an intimacy in radio that is impossible with TV.
Having had the RINOs hold up the football like Lucy for Charlie Brown and then have it pulled away at the last minute, I’ve become jaded regarding expecting real reform. Rush inspired people to hope for different, and to actually work for that. But, by and large, one man wasn’t going to be able to deprogram in 3 hours (no matter how fantastic he was) what the culture was doing to people the other 13 waking hours.
So I began to eventually understand conservative talk radio not as a catalyst for opinion but as a way to soothe angry people, as a way for them to vent. And then I saw it as not only a method for venting but as an actually a counterproductive medium. It became a method (unintentional, of course) for people to not actually do anything having sufficiently vented.
And so we got the Facebook generation of conservatives where people would post graphics of God, Guns, and Bacon online but who could not look their HR director in the face and say “I’m not taking ‘sensitivity training.’ I don’t accept the premise that I’m a racist until proven otherwise.”
This StubbornThings guy is just too obstinate and stubborn not to do that, although I’ve never had the opportunity to be in that situation being self-employed.
So I wish Rush’s family, friends, and followers well. But I’ve been bittersweet about this talk radio stuff for quite some time now.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Feb 17, 2021 12:28:43 GMT -8
What keepsakes those are now. Here’s a spattering of images from the web: I actually didn’t know (or had forgotten) that he had this as part of his merchandise.
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Post by kungfuzu on Feb 17, 2021 12:39:34 GMT -8
I can't disagree with that, but in 1988 there was still hope. Since then, people saw the economic potential for "conservative" commentary and opinion. This has become a major business with all sorts of grifters and know-nothings getting in on the action. NRO is a perfect example. I do not believe Buckley made much of anything on the National Review, he was already wealthy as his father had made a killing in Mexican oil. But after he sold it, types such as Goldberg have simply used it as a springboard to book deals, TV dealing, think tank deals, etc.
And it must be said that Rush was the biggest winner in this area. He made hundreds-of-millions entertaining people. He was a talker, not an activist. He openly admitted that he was, first and foremost, an entertainer.
His "Rush Revere" books are probably the most concrete thing he ever did to actually confront leftism and the lies spread against America. Teaching children the truth is very important.
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Post by artraveler on Feb 17, 2021 16:53:28 GMT -8
It would be a great gesture towards settling some of the animosity if it congress were to offer to host Rush to lie in state under the dome. It will never happen but it is a thought.
Perhaps Trump could offer Mar Largo so people could pay respects.
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Post by kungfuzu on Feb 17, 2021 17:25:39 GMT -8
That is a very good idea. I wonder if Rush's wife would accept such an invitation? Here is an example of the real influence Rush had. www.breitbart.com/the-media/2021/02/17/andrew-breitbart-how-rush-limbaugh-inspired-me/Regardless what one thinks of the man, there is no doubt he was the most influential voice for conservatism over the last 30+ years. I would also say that he was most likely the most influential radio host in history. And while we should not expect someone to de-program people with a 3-hour-a-day program, it is amazing what he did within those parameters. Perhaps more impressive is that he kept this up for over thirty years, while maintaining high standards and few guest hosts, until his last few months. Think of how many guest hosts Johnny Carson had over the last few years of his program and compare that to Rush. Overall, I believe Rush was most important to the country when it was being run by the scumbag Bill Clinton and America-hater Barry the Obamanation. It is a real shame he leaves us now when Demento Joe has just taken over.
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Post by kungfuzu on Feb 17, 2021 19:54:45 GMT -8
This is a wonderful obituary/tribute to Rush Limbaugh by Mark Steyn. I believe Steyn is the best critic in the business. The Indispensable Man
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Feb 17, 2021 21:19:14 GMT -8
My younger brother spotted something posted on Facebook by one of our libtard clients. She’s a chick. I don’t wish to spoil the atmosphere, but the post was of the type “I’m glad he’s dead.”
I propose three simple rules;
1) Atheism (or crackpot new age spiritualism) doesn’t make people nice or reasonable. It makes them stupid and mean. 2) Leftism shrinks the souls of people (despite their loud affectations of being God’s Gift to Compassion) and tends them towards anger and hate. 3) We must never follow their example but crack heads when necessary, literally or figuratively. Only wisdom can decide when long-suffering must shift to attack mode.
My brother simply defrended her. I told him to call her a cunt and take her business elsewhere. She’s a very minuscule client, although I always treat the small accounts the same as the large one. Next time this heathen is in, I’m going to bring the subject up and see if I can make her head explode.
And she puts on the air of being such a nicey-nice person. And I’ve always gotten along with her. But I’ve been aware for some time now that the nicey-nice exterior of liberals is extremely thin and typically hides a heart of stone.
The evil Democrats would rip out his heart and put his head on a pike if they could. There will be no state funeral although it’s a good idea. A big bash at Mar Largo sounds good.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Feb 17, 2021 21:30:23 GMT -8
Good eulogy by Steyn.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Feb 17, 2021 21:45:10 GMT -8
That is true. We really don’t know the effect he’s had unless we could sort of do an “It’s a Wonderful Life” thing and remove him from the timeline to see how Potterville was doing. He certainly completely changed my mind about things, although I was never a liberal. I was just uninformed. What views I had about anything were just the equivalent of secondhand smoke. But Rush laid bare the con. But the power of the Cult of Leftism is strong. It’s that divide between dopey-eyed utopians and realists. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make things better. But demanding that all discomfort (physical and mental) be removed is a totalitarian concept. It creates freak, ingrates, criminals, hucksters, zealots, and just plain awful people.
On the other hand, maturely dealing with the hardships of life and then making a decision to try to better oneself (and help others) despite the pain and setbacks is the noble American goal. The Christian goal. The Jewish goal. Comfort, help, produce, improve — but don’t go all ballistically stupid and blame someone else because you don’t roll out of your bed every morning to find a personal utopia. There’s no way to know what effect Rush had. I believe it was more of a comforting role. Certainly he very self-consciously called himself an entertainer. But it’s sobering to think that in those 30 years he was on the air, the size and reach of government exploded.
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Post by kungfuzu on Feb 17, 2021 22:05:20 GMT -8
This brought to mind my thoughts regarding faith. I believe I have previously stated my opinion that belief in God because one knows or has proof is not worth much. I was interested to see a reminder that Dostoevsky was of a similar cast of mind.
In the January 2021 edition of The New Criterion, Gary Saul Morson writes about Dostoevsky and I found his analysis of the Grand Inquisitor matched much of my thought. Two paragraphs will suffice.
I used to hear the later opinion i.e. being good for a reward has nothing to do with Christianity, from a Buddhist friend in Asia. He understood the meaning of Christianity better than many Christians, in my opinion. Such were the discussions I had some thirty five to forty years back.
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