| Rush Limbaugh |
Rush Limbaugh, 2009 |
| Born |
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III
(1951-01-12) January 12, 1951 (age 61)
Cape Girardeau, Missouri, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
Southeast Missouri State University (did not graduate) |
| Occupation |
Radio host, political commentator, author, television host (former) |
| Years active |
1967–present |
| Spouse |
Roxy Maxine McNeely (1977–1980, div.)
Michelle Sixta (1983–1990, div.)
Marta Fitzgerald (1994–2004, div.)
Kathryn Rogers (2010–pres) |
| Website |
| www.rushlimbaugh.com |
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III (
/ˈlɪmbɔː/; born January 12, 1951) is an American radio talk show host and political commentator. Since he was 16 Limbaugh has worked a series of disc jockey jobs. His talk show began in 1984 at Sacramento radio station KFBK, featuring his ongoing format of political commentary and listener calls. In 1988 Limbaugh began broadcasting his show nationally from radio station WABC in New York, New York. He currently lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, from where he broadcasts the The Rush Limbaugh Show, the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United States.[1][2]
In the 1990s Limbaugh's books The Way Things Ought to Be (1992) and See, I Told You So (1993) made The New York Times Best Seller list. Limbaugh frequently criticizes, in his books and on his show, what he regards as liberal policies and politicians, as well as what he perceives as a pervasive liberal bias in major U.S. media.
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the son of Mildred Carolyn "Millie" (née Armstrong) and Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Jr. His father was a lawyer and a U.S. fighter pilot who served in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. His mother was a native of Searcy, Arkansas. The name "Rush" was originally chosen for his grandfather to honor the maiden name of family member Edna Rush.[3]
His family has many lawyers, including his grandfather, father and brother David. His uncle, Stephen N. Limbaugh, Sr. is a Ronald Reagan-appointed federal judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. His cousin, Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr., is currently a judge in the same court, appointed by George W. Bush. Rush Limbaugh, Sr., Limbaugh's grandfather was a Missouri prosecutor, judge, special commissioner, member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1930 until 1932, and longtime president of the Missouri Historical Society.[4] The Federal Courthouse in Cape Girardeau is named for Limbaugh's grandfather.
Limbaugh began his career in radio as a teenager in 1967 in his hometown of Cape Girardeau, using the name Rusty Sharpe.[3][5] Limbaugh graduated from Cape Girardeau, Missouri Central High School, in 1969. Because of his parents' desire to see him attend college, he enrolled in Southeast Missouri State University but left the school after two semesters and one summer. According to his mother, "he flunked everything", and "he just didn't seem interested in anything except radio."[3][6]
Limbaugh was not drafted during the Vietnam War draft lottery, as his birth date's high rank (152) was well above the 125 rank below which service members were drafted. He was classified as "1-Y" (later reclassified "4-F") due to a pilonidal cyst.[3][7]
After dropping out of college, Limbaugh moved to McKeesport, Pennsylvania. In 1972, he became a Top 40 music disc jockey on WIXZ, a small AM radio station that reached much of the Pittsburgh area. He started with an afternoon show and later did mornings, broadcasting under the name Jeff Christie. Limbaugh moved to Pittsburgh station KQV in 1973 as the evening disc jockey, succeeding Jim Quinn. He was fired in late-1974, when the station was sold to Taft Broadcasting. Limbaugh was reportedly told by management that he would never make it as on air talent, and should consider going into sales.[3] Unable to find another job in local radio, Limbaugh moved back home to Cape Girardeau. He became a lifelong fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers from his time in the region.[8]
For the rest of the decade Limbaugh took jobs at several radio stations, working in music radio, before settling in Kansas City. In 1979, he left radio and accepted a position as director of promotions with the Kansas City Royals baseball team.[3] There he developed a close friendship with then-Royals star third baseman and future Hall of Famer George Brett; the two remain close friends.[9]
In 1984, Limbaugh returned to radio as a talk show host at KFBK in Sacramento, California, where he replaced Morton Downey, Jr.[3] The repeal of the Fairness Doctrine—which had required that stations provide free air time for responses to any controversial opinions that were broadcast—by the FCC in 1987 meant stations could broadcast editorial commentary without having to present opposing views. Daniel Henninger wrote, in a Wall Street Journal editorial, "Ronald Reagan tore down this wall (the Fairness Doctrine) in 1987 ... and Rush Limbaugh was the first man to proclaim himself liberated from the East Germany of liberal media domination."[10]
On August 1, 1988, after achieving success in Sacramento and drawing the attention of former ABC Radio President Edward F. McLaughlin, Limbaugh moved to New York City and began his national radio show. He debuted just weeks after the Democratic National Convention, and just weeks before the Republican National Convention. Limbaugh's radio home in New York City was the talk-formatted WABC, and this remains his flagship station (although Limbaugh now hosts his program from West Palm Beach).[3]
In December 1990, journalist Lewis Grossberger wrote in The New York Times that Limbaugh had "more listeners than any other talk show host" and described Limbaugh's style as "bouncing between earnest lecturer and political vaudevillian".[11] Limbaugh's rising popularity coincided with the Persian Gulf War, and his support for the war effort and his relentless ridicule of peace activists. The program gained more popularity and was moved to stations with larger audiences, eventually being broadcast on over 650 radio stations nationwide.
In 1992, Democrat Bill Clinton was elected president of the United States. Limbaugh satirized the policies of Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well as those of the Democratic Party. When the Republican Party won control of Congress in the 1994 midterm elections, the freshman Republican class awarded Limbaugh an honorary membership in their caucus. This event confirmed him as an influential figure on the national political scene.[12]
Limbaugh had publicized personal difficulties in the 2000s. In late 2001, he acknowledged that he had gone almost completely deaf, although he continued his show. He was able to regain much of his hearing with the help of cochlear implants.
In 2003, Limbaugh had a brief stint as a pro football commentator with ESPN. He resigned a few weeks into the 2003 NFL season after making comments about the press coverage for quarterback Donovan McNabb that caused controversy and accusations of racism on the part of Limbaugh. His comment about McNabb was: "I don't think he's been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They're interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well. I think there's a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he really didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."[13] For example, a sportswriter construed the comment as racist against himself and other sportswriters.[14] Another sports analyst wrote Limbaugh's viewpoint was shared by "many football fans and analysts" and "it is ... absurd to say that the sports media haven't overrated Donovan McNabb because he's black."[15]
In April 2006, Limbaugh turned himself in and was arrested "on a single charge of prescription fraud".[16] His record was later expunged after 18 months of rehabilitation and paying court costs.
[edit] The Rush Limbaugh Show
Limbaugh's radio show airs for three hours each weekday beginning at noon Eastern Standard Time on both AM and FM radio. The program is also broadcast worldwide on the Armed Forces Radio Network.
Radio broadcasting shifted from AM to FM in the late 1970s because of the opportunity to broadcast music in stereo with better fidelity. Limbaugh's show was first nationally syndicated in August 1988, in a later stage of AM's decline. Limbaugh's popularity paved the way for other conservative talk radio programming to become commonplace on the AM radio. In March 2006, WBAL in Baltimore became the first major market radio station in the country to drop Limbaugh's nationally syndicated radio program.[17] In 2007, Talkers magazine again named him #1 in its "Heavy Hundred" most important talk show hosts.
Limbaugh frequently mentions the EIB (Excellence In Broadcasting) network, but this is a mythic construction, as he told The New York Times in 1990.[18] In reality, his show was co-owned and first syndicated by Edward F. McLaughlin, former president of ABC who founded EFM Media in 1988, with Limbaugh's show as his first product. In 1997, McLaughlin sold EFM to Jacor Communications, which was ultimately bought up by Clear Channel Communications. Today, Limbaugh owns a majority of the show, which is syndicated by the Premiere Radio Networks.
According to a 2001 article in U.S. News & World Report, Limbaugh had an eight-year contract, at the rate of $31.25 million a year.[19] In 2007, Limbaugh earned $33 million.[20] On July 2, 2008, Matt Drudge reported that Limbaugh signed a contract extension through 2016 that is worth over $400 million, breaking records for any broadcast.[21] A November 2008 poll by Zogby International found that Rush Limbaugh was the most trusted news personality in the nation, garnering 12.5% of poll responses.[22]
Limbaugh had a syndicated half-hour television show from 1992 through 1996, produced by Roger Ailes. The show discussed many of the topics on his radio show, and was taped in front of an audience. Rush Limbaugh says he loves doing his radio show[23] but not a TV show.[24]
Limbaugh's first television hosting experience came March 30, 1990, as a guest host on Pat Sajak's CBS late-night talk show, The Pat Sajak Show.[25] ACT UP activists in the audience[26] heckled Limbaugh repeatedly; ultimately the entire studio audience was cleared. In 2001, Sajak said the incident was "legendary around CBS".[27]
On December 17, 1993, Limbaugh appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman.[28] Limbaugh also guest-starred (as himself) on a 1994 episode of Hearts Afire. He appeared in the 1995 Billy Crystal film Forget Paris, and in 1998 on an episode of The Drew Carey Show.
In 2007, Limbaugh made cameo appearances on Fox News Channel's short-lived The 1/2 Hour News Hour in a series of parodies portraying him as the future President of the United States. In the parodies, his vice president was fellow conservative pundit Ann Coulter. He also made a cameo in the Family Guy episode "Blue Harvest" that year. More recent Family Guy appearances have been: the 2010 episode "Excellence in Broadcasting", and the 2011 episode "It's a Trap!", a parody of Return of the Jedi, in which Limbaugh can be heard on the radio claiming that, among other things, the "intergalactic liberal space media" was lying about climate change on the planet Hoth, and that Lando Calrissian's administrative position on Cloud City was a result of affirmative action.
His persona has often been utilized as a template for a stereotypical conservative talk show host on TV shows and in movies, including an episode of The Simpsons (as a conservative talk radio host named Birch Barlow), as Gus Baker on an episode of Beavis and Butt-head, as Lash Rambo (host of "Perfection in Broadcasting") on an episode of The New WKRP in Cincinnati, and as Fielding Chase in the Columbo spinoff film Butterfly in Shades of Grey.
As a result of his television program, Limbaugh became known for wearing distinctive neckties. In response to viewer interest, Limbaugh launched a series of ties[29] designed primarily by his then-wife Marta.[30] Sales of the ties reached over US$5 million in their initial sales year, but were later discontinued.
In January 2010, Chicago's Second City announced a new production, Rush Limbaugh: The Musical, a musical parody-pastiche following in the footsteps of 2009's successful run of Rod Blagojevich Superstar, which has been written and developed by the same creative team.
On January 30, 2010, Limbaugh was a judge for the 2010 Miss America pageant in Las Vegas.[31] In early 2011, Limbaugh was the subject of the third season of Golf Channel's The Haney Project, in which instructor Hank Haney coached him in eight episodes.[32]
In his first New York Times best seller, Limbaugh describes himself as conservative, and is critical of broadcasters in many media outlets for claiming to be objective. He has criticized political centrists, independents, and moderate conservatives, claiming they are responsible for Democrat Barack Obama's victory over Republican John McCain in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election and inviting them to leave the Republican party. He calls for the adoption of core conservative philosophies in order to ensure the survival of the Republican party.[33][34][35]
James Rainey of the Los Angeles Times quoted Limbaugh as saying after the 2008 election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States that the Democrats will "take your 401(k), put it in the Social Security Trust Fund."[36]
Limbaugh has been noted for making controversial race-related statements with regard to African-Americans. He has drawn connections between African-American appearance and criminality on several occasions, once opining that all newspaper composite pictures of wanted criminals resembled Jesse Jackson, and another time that "the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons."[37][38] While employed as what he describes as an "insult-radio" DJ, he used a derogatory racial stereotype to characterize a black caller he could not understand, telling the caller to "take that bone out of your nose and call me back."[38] In March, 2010, Limbaugh used the similarity of recently resigned Rep. Eric Massa's surname to the slavery-era African-American pronunciation of "master" to make a pun on the possibility that Gov. David Paterson, New York's first African-American governor, would pick Massa's replacement: "Let's assume you're right [caller]. So, David Paterson will become the massa who gets to appoint whoever gets to take Massa's place. So, for the first time in his life, Paterson's gonna be a massa. Interesting, interesting."[39]
Limbaugh has asserted that African-Americans, in contrast with other minority groups, are "left behind" socially because they have been systematically trained from a young age to hate America through a widespread movement headed by figures such as Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, and Barack and Michelle Obama.[40]
Limbaugh supports capital punishment, saying "the only thing cruel about the death penalty is last-minute stays."[41]
Limbaugh has been an outspoken critic of what he sees as leniency towards criminal drug use in America. On his television show in October 5, 1995, Limbaugh stated, "too many whites are getting away with drug use" and illegal drug trafficking. Limbaugh proposed that the racial disparity in drug enforcement could be fixed if authorities increased detection efforts, conviction rates, and jail time for whites involved in illegal drugs.[42]
In 2006, the Palm Beach County State Attorney charged Limbaugh with doctor shopping to obtain OxyContin. The State Attorney subsequently reached an agreement with Limbaugh in which the charge was dropped after Limbaugh agreed to pay $30,000 to defray the investigation cost and to complete an 18-month therapy regimen with his physician.[43]
Limbaugh is critical of environmentalism and climate science.[44] He has disputed claims of anthropogenic global warming, and the relationship between CFCs and depletion of the ozone layer, saying the scientific evidence does not support them.[41] Limbaugh has argued against the scientific opinion on climate change saying the alleged scientific consensus "is just a bunch of scientists organized around a political proposition."[45] Limbaugh has used the term "environmentalist wacko" when referring to left-leaning environmental advocates.[46] As a rhetorical device, he has also used the term to refer to more mainstream climate scientists and other environmental scientists and advocates with whom he disagrees.[47]
Limbaugh has written that "there are more acres of forestland in America today than when Columbus discovered the continent in 1492," a claim that is disputed by the United States Forest Service and the American Forestry Association, which state that the precolonial forests have been reduced by about 24% or nearly 300 million acres.[48][49]
Limbaugh is critical of feminism, saying that "Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society."[50] He also popularized the term "feminazi", referring to about two dozen feminists "to whom the most important thing in life is ensuring that as many abortions as possible occur."[51] He credited his friend Tom Hazlett, a professor of law and economics at George Mason University, with coining the term.[52]
On the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal, Limbaugh said, "This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation ... And we're going to ruin people's lives over it and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time."[53][54]
Limbaugh utilizes props to introduce his monologues on various topics. On his radio show, news about the homeless has often been preceded with the Clarence "Frogman" Henry song "Ain't Got No Home."[55] For a time, Dionne Warwick's song "I Know I'll Never Love This Way Again" preceded reports about people with AIDS.[56] These later became "condom updates" preceded by Fifth Dimension's song, "Up, Up and Away (in My Beautiful Balloon)."[55] For two weeks in 1989, on his Sacramento radio show, Limbaugh performed "caller abortions" where he would end a call suddenly to the sounds of a vacuum cleaner and a scream. He would then deny that he had "hung up" on the caller, which he had promised not to do. Limbaugh claims that he used this gag to illustrate "the tragedy of abortion" as well as to highlight the question of whether abortion constitutes murder.[57] During the Clinton administration, while filming his television program, Limbaugh referred to media coverage of Socks, the Clintons' cat. He then stated, "But did you know there is also a White House dog?" and a picture of Chelsea Clinton was shown. When questioned about it, Limbaugh claimed that it was an accident and that without his permission some technician had put up the picture of Chelsea.[58][59][60][61][62][63]
Some groups and individuals have criticized Limbaugh's accuracy. The July–August 1994 issue of Extra!, a publication of the progressive group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), alleges 50 different inaccuracies and distortions in Limbaugh's commentary.[64][65] Others have since joined FAIR in questioning Limbaugh's facts. Al Franken, a former comedian and current Democratic Senator of Minnesota, wrote a satirical book (Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations) in which he accused Limbaugh of distorting facts to serve his own political biases.[66]
Limbaugh has been criticized for inaccuracies by the Environmental Defense Fund. A defense fund report authored by Princeton University endowed geoscience professor Michael Oppenheimer and professor of biology David Wilcove lists 14 significant scientific facts that, the authors allege, Limbaugh misrepresented in his book The Way Things Ought to Be.[67] The authors conclude that "Rush Limbaugh ... allows his political bias to distort the truth about a whole range of important scientific issues."
On October 14, 2011, Limbaugh questioned the U.S. military initiative against one of the most wanted men in the world Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), based on the assumption that they were Christians. "They are fighting the Muslims in Sudan. And Obama has sent troops, United States troops to remove them from the battlefield, which means kill them." Upon learning about the accusations leveled against Kony, which included kidnapping whole schools of young children for use as child soldiers, Limbaugh stated that he would research the group. [68][69] The show's written transcript on his website was not changed.[69][70]
Limbaugh holds an annual fundraising telethon called the "EIB Cure-a-Thon"[71] for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.[72] In 2006, the EIB Cure-a-Thon conducted its 16th annual telethon, raising $1.7 million,[73] totaling over $15 million since the first cure-a-thon.[74] According to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society annual reports, Limbaugh personally contributed between $100,000 and $499,999 from 2000–2005 and 2007,[75] and Limbaugh claims to have contributed around $250,000 in 2003, 2004 and 2005.[76] NewsMax reported Limbaugh donated $250,000 in 2006,[77] and the Society's 2006 annual report placed him in the $500,000 to $999,999 category.[75] Limbaugh donated $320,000 during the 2007 Cure-a-Thon,[78] which the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society reported had raised $3.1 million.[79] On his radio program April 18, 2008, Limbaugh claimed to pledge $400,000 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society after being challenged by two listeners to increase his initial pledge of $300,000.[80]
Limbaugh conducts an annual drive to help the Marine Corps–Law Enforcement Foundation collect contributions to provide scholarships for children of Marines and law enforcement officers/agents who have died in the line of duty.[81][82] The foundation was the beneficiary of a record $2.1 million eBay auction in October 2007 after Limbaugh listed for sale a letter critical of him signed by 41 Democratic senators and pledged to match the selling price.[83] With the recent founding of his and his wife's company Two if by Tea, they have pledged to donate at least $100,000 to the MC-LEF beginning in June 2011.[84]
Limbaugh has been married four times and has no children.[85] He was first married at the age of 26 to Roxy Maxine McNeely, a sales secretary at radio station WHB in Kansas City, Missouri. They were married at the Centenary United Methodist Church in Limbaugh's hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri on September 24, 1977. McNeely filed for divorce in March 1980, citing "incompatibility." They were formally divorced on July 10, 1980.[3]
In 1983, Limbaugh married Michelle Sixta, a college student and usherette at the Kansas City Royals Stadium Club. They were divorced in 1990, and she remarried the following year.[3]
On May 27, 1994, Limbaugh married Marta Fitzgerald, a 35-year-old aerobics instructor whom he met on the online service CompuServe in 1990.[86] They were married at the house of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who officiated.[87] They were separated on June 11, 2004.[88] Limbaugh announced his divorce on the air. The divorce was finalized in December 2004.[89] In September 2004, Limbaugh became romantically involved with then-TV personality Daryn Kagan, and they broke up in February 2006.[90]
On December 30, 2009, while vacationing in Honolulu, Hawaii, Limbaugh was admitted to Queen's Medical Center with intense chest pains. His doctors attributed the pain to angina pectoris.[91]
He dated Kathryn Rogers, a party planner from Florida, for three years[92] before he married her on June 5, 2010.[93][94] During the wedding reception after the ceremony, Elton John entertained the wedding guests for a reported $1 million fee; however, Limbaugh himself denied that the $1 million figure was accurate on his September 7, 2010, radio show.[95][96]
Through a holding company, KARHL Holdings (KARHL meaning "Kathryn and Rush Hudson Limbaugh"), Limbaugh launched a line of bottled iced tea beverages, entitled "Two if by Tea"[97] after a line from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride."[98]
On October 3, 2003, the National Enquirer reported that Limbaugh was being investigated for illegally obtaining the prescription drugs oxycodone and hydrocodone. Other news outlets quickly confirmed the investigation.[99] He admitted to listeners on his radio show on October 10, 2003, that he was addicted to prescription painkillers and stated that he would enter inpatient treatment for 30 days, immediately after the broadcast.[100] Limbaugh stated his addiction to painkillers resulted from several years of severe back pain heightened by a botched surgery intended to correct those problems.
A subsequent investigation into whether Limbaugh had violated Florida's doctor shopping laws was launched by the Palm Beach State Attorney, which raised privacy issues when investigators seized Limbaugh's private medical records looking for evidence of crimes. On November 9, 2005, following two years of investigations, Assistant State Attorney James L. Martz requested the court to set aside Limbaugh's doctor–patient confidentiality rights and allow the state to question his physicians.[101] Limbaugh's attorney opposed the prosecutor's efforts to interview his doctors on the basis of patient privacy rights, and argued that the prosecutor had violated Limbaugh's Fourth Amendment rights by illegally seizing his medical records. The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement in agreement and filed an amicus curiae brief in support of Limbaugh.[102][103] On December 12, 2005, Judge David F. Crow delivered a ruling prohibiting the State of Florida from questioning Limbaugh's physicians about "the medical condition of the patient and any information disclosed to the health care practitioner by the patient in the course of the care and treatment of the patient."[104]
On April 28, 2006, a warrant was issued for his arrest on the charge of doctor shopping. According to Teri Barbera, spokeswoman for the sheriff, during his arrest, Limbaugh was booked, photographed, and fingerprinted, but not handcuffed. He was then released after about an hour on $3,000 bail.[105][106][107] After his surrender, he filed a "not guilty" plea to the charge. Prosecutors agreed to drop the charge if Limbaugh paid $30,000 to defray the cost of the investigation and completed an 18-month therapy regimen with his physician.[108]
Limbaugh asserted that the state's settlement agreement resulted from a lack of evidence supporting the charge of doctor shopping. Under the terms of the agreement, Limbaugh may not own a firearm for eighteen months and must continue to submit to random drug testing, which he acknowledges having undergone since 2003.[109]
Before his addiction became known, Limbaugh had condemned illegal drug use on his television program, stating that "Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country... And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up."[110][111]
Roy Black, one of Limbaugh's attorneys, stated that "Rush Limbaugh was singled out for prosecution because of who he is. We believe the state attorney's office is applying a double standard."[112]
In June 2006, Limbaugh was detained by drug enforcement agents at Palm Beach International Airport. Customs officials confiscated Viagra from Limbaugh's luggage as he was returning from the Dominican Republic. The prescription was not in Limbaugh's name.[113]
After he was released with no charges filed, Limbaugh joked about the incident on his radio show, claiming that he got the Viagra at the Clinton Library and was told they were blue M&M's. He also stated that "I had a great time in the Dominican Republic. Wish I could tell you about it."[113]
In the early 1990s, when the cigar boom was gaining momentum, Limbaugh was seen frequently with a cigar in hand and by the end of the 1990s, cigars had become Limbaugh's staple in many public appearances. Often starting segments of his show with the phrase, "Amid billowing clouds of fragrant and aromatic first-, second-, and sometimes third-hand premium cigar smoke" as well as mentioning a story print-out in his "formerly nicotine-stained fingers", cigars became a common topic of discussion. In the spring of 1994, Limbaugh appeared on the cover of the magazine Cigar Aficionado and shared the story of his conversion to cigars. He has since been a frequent participant in many events such as "The Big Smoke", hosted throughout the year by the magazine. Limbaugh has participated in many charity cigar auctions hosted by the magazine, and is known to talk frequently with his listeners about his and their cigar interests, preferences and recommendations. "I think cigars are just a tremendous addition to the enjoyment of life."[114] He is also frequently seen in his studio smoking a cigar during his show.
Rush Limbaugh has described himself as being "100%, totally deaf".[115] In 2001, he was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED), which, in the span of three months, rendered his right ear completely deaf and left ear severely deaf. "I cannot hear television. I cannot hear music. I am, for all practical purposes, deaf – and it's happened in three months."[116] On December 19, 2001, doctors at the House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles were able to successfully restore a measure of his hearing through cochlear implant surgery. Limbaugh received a Clarion CII Bionic Ear.[117] In 2005, Limbaugh was forced to undergo "tuning" due to an "eye twitch", an apparent side-effect of cochlear implants.[118]
On May 26, 2004, a Salon.com article criticized the presence of the Rush Limbaugh Show on American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS).[119] The article opposed the AFRTS carrying the first hour of Limbaugh's show. Melvin Russell, director of AFRTS, defended Limbaugh's presence, by pointing to Limbaugh's high ratings in the US; in addition, AFRTS produced a ballot of radio and television shows asking troops worldwide, "Who do you want that we don't at present carry?" The Rush Limbaugh Show was not listed on the ballot, but won the vote as a write-in by the troops. A later poll by Lund Media Research found that a majority of soldiers preferred that talk show programs be replaced by hip hop and rap stations.[120]
In October 2006 Limbaugh said Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, had exaggerated the effects of his affliction in political TV ad advocating for funding of stem cell research. Limbaugh said that Fox in the ad had been "shameless" in "moving all around and shaking", and Fox had not taken "his medication or he's acting, one of the two". [121] Fox said "the irony of it is I was too medicated", adding that there was no way to predict how his symptoms would manifest. Limbaugh said he would apologize to Fox "bigley and hugely...if I am wrong in characterizing his behavior on this commercial as an act".[122] In 2012 Fox said Limbaugh in 2006 had acted on "bullying instincts" when "he said I faked it. I didn't fake it", and said Limbaugh's goal was to have him marginalized and shut down for his Stem Cell stance.[123]
Media Matters' reported radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh in 2007 saying that Iraq war veterans opposed to the war as "the phony soldiers." Limbaugh later said that he was speaking of, Jesse MacBeth, a soldier who falsely claimed to have been decorated for valor but, in fact, had never seen combat. Limbaugh said Media Matters was trying to smear him with out of context and selectively edited comments. After Limbaugh published what he said was the entire transcript of phony soldiers discussion, Media Matters said that over a minute and 30 seconds of the transcript was omitted without "notation or ellipsis to indicate that there is, in fact, a break in the transcript."[124][125] Limbaugh said during the minute and a half gap Media Matters had pointed out, he was waiting for relevant ABC news copy on the topic, and the transcript and audio edits were “for space and relevance reasons, not to hide anything.”[126]
On January 16, 2009, Limbaugh commented on the Obama presidency, "I hope he fails."[127] Limbaugh later said that he wants to see Obama's policies fail, not the man himself.[128] Speaking of Obama, Limbaugh said, "He's my president, he's a human being, and his ideas and policies are what count for me."[127]
On February 29, 2012, during his show, Limbaugh called Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke a "slut and a "prostitute", based on her testimony before House Democrats. Fluke was appearing in support of mandating health insurers to cover contraceptive costs. Limbaugh said:[129][130]
"[Fluke] essentially says that she must be paid to have sex -- what does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She's having so much sex she can't afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex."
During and following his continued branding of Fluke as a slut for the next two days, Limbaugh lost several national advertisers, and political figures, including President Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner, voiced disapproval.[131] On March 3 Limbaugh apologized to Fluke for some of his comments saying his "insulting word choices" were meant to be "humorous", and that he never thought she was a slut or a prostitute.[132][133] Fluke rejected the apology as dubious and inadequate.[134]
A month after Bill Clinton's defeat of George H. W. Bush in 1992, Ronald Reagan sent Limbaugh a letter in which he thanked him "for all you're doing to promote Republican and conservative principles ... [and] you have become the Number One voice for conservatism in our Country."[135][136]
Limbaugh was the 1992, 1995, 2000 and 2005 recipient of the Marconi Radio Award for Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year (given by the National Association of Broadcasters), joining the syndicated Bob & Tom Show as the only other four-time winners of a Marconi award. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1993.
In 2002, Talkers Magazine ranked him as the greatest radio talk show host of all time.[137] Limbaugh is the highest-paid syndicated radio host.[138]
On March 29, 2007, Limbaugh was awarded the inaugural William F. Buckley, Jr. Award for Media Excellence, by the Media Research Center, a conservative media analysis group.[139]
On January 5, 2008, the conservative magazine Human Events announced Limbaugh as their 2007 Man of the Year.[140]
On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that Limbaugh was selected as one of America's top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special that aired on December 4, 2008.[141]
On February 28, 2009, following his self-described "first address to the Nation" lasting 90 minutes, carried live on CNN and Fox News and recorded for C-SPAN, Limbaugh received CPAC's "Defender of the Constitution Award", a document originally signed by Benjamin Franklin, given to someone "who has stood up for the First Amendment ... Rush Limbaugh is for America, exactly what Benjamin Franklin did for the Founding Fathers ... the only way we will be successful is if we listen to Rush Limbaugh".[142]
Zev Chafets, whose book Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One was published May 25, 2010, wrote after the first primaries of the 2010 U.S. election season that Limbaugh was "the brains and the spirit behind" the Republican Party's "resurgence" in the wake of the 2008 election of President Barack Obama. In his May 20, 2010, New York Times op-ed column, Chafets pointed among others to Sen. Arlen Specter's defeat, after being labeled by Limbaugh "Republican in Name Only," and to Sarah Palin, whose "biggest current applause line—Republicans are not just the party of no, but the party of hell no—came courtesy of Mr. Limbaugh." More generally, Chafets wrote, Limbaugh has argued the party-of-no Ronald Reagan conservative course for the Republicans vigorously, notably since six weeks after the Obama inauguration, and has been fundamental to, and encouraging to, the more prominently noted Tea Party movement.[143]
In 1992, Limbaugh published his first book, The Way Things Ought To Be, followed by See, I Told You So in 1993.[144] Both became number one on the New York Times Best Seller list, The Way Things Ought to Be remaining there for 24 weeks.[145] Limbaugh acknowledges in the text of the first book that he taped the book and it was transcribed and edited by Wall Street Journal writer John Fund. In the second book, Joseph Farah of WorldNetDaily is named as his collaborator.[146]
- ^ Wheeler, Brian (March 5, 2012). "BBC News Magazine". BBC News Magazine. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17263546. Retrieved March 18, 2012. "Currently hosts USA's highest-rated show, with approximately 15 million listeners."
- ^ "The Top Talk Radio Audiences". Talkers Magazine. 2011. http://www.talkers.com/top-talk-radio-audiences/.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Paul D. Colford. The Rush Limbaugh story: talent on loan from God: an unauthorized biography. New York. St. Martin's Press, 1993. ISBN 0-312-09906-1.
- ^ St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The loudest limb on the family tree, radio's Rush Limbaugh is the 'big mouth'; branch of a solid old Cape Girardeau family. September 27, 1992.
- ^ "Rush Limbaugh Gives Sean a Rare Interview". Fox News Channel. October 19, 2005. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,172675,00.html.
- ^ "Rush is Always Right." USA Weekend, 24 – January 26, 1992, p. 7
- ^ Mikkelson, Barbara; Mikkelson, David P. "Draft Notice." Snopes. December 16, 2002. Retrieved on October 13, 2006.
- ^ http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_052209/content/01125104.guest.html
- ^ Toma, George; Goforth, Alan & Brett, George (2004). Nitty gritty dirt man. Www.SportsPublishingLLC.com. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-58261-646-9. http://books.google.com/?id=l1xauXzmbvkC&pg=PA164&lpg=PA164&dq=rush+limbaugh+george+brett.
- ^ Henninger, Daniel (April 29, 2005) "Rush to Victory". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Grossberger, Lewis (December 16, 1990). "The Rush Hours". The New York Times. p. SM58.
- ^ Seelye, Katherine Q. (December 12, 1994). "Republicans Get a Pep Talk From Rush Limbaugh". The New York Times. pp. A16. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE1DC1E39F931A25751C1A962958260.
- ^ "Was Limbaugh Right to Resign from ESPN?"
- ^ King, Peter (September 30, 2003). "Open mouth, insert foot, Limbaugh's comments on McNabb aren't racist, but they are boneheaded". SI.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/writers/peter_king/09/30/mcnabb_limbaugh/.
- ^ Palmer, Brian (2011-12-05). "Rush was right about Donovan McNabb. - Slate Magazine". Slate.com. http://www.slate.com/id/2089193/. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
- ^ Limbaugh admits addiction to pain medication. Retrieved 20010-01-04.
- ^ Hiaasen, Rob (14 March 2006). "WBAL Radio Cancels Rush Limbaugh: Station is First to Drop Show, Wants to Focus on Local News". The Baltimore Sun. http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/427188/wbal_radio_cancels_rush_limbaugh_station_is_first_to_drop/index.html.
- ^ Lewis Grossberger, "The Rush Hours", The New York Times, December 16, 1990, section 6, p. 58
- ^ "Vital Statistics", U.S. News & World Report, July 30, 2001, p. 7
- ^ The Celebrity 100: #36 Rush Limbaugh. Forbes. June 14, 2007.
- ^ "LIMBAUGH SIGNS THROUGH 2016; $400 MILLION DEAL SHATTERS BROADCAST RECORDS". Drudgereport.com. July 2, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20080731002506/http://www.drudgereport.com/flashrl.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ Zogby poll
- ^ "Rush Receives 'Freedom of Speech Award' from Talkers Magazine". Rushlimbaugh.com. 2009-06-06. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_060909/content/01125106.guest.html. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ^ "Rush and Roger Ailes Speak at Boy Scouts Awards Dinner". Rushlimbaugh.com. 2009-11-11. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_111309/content/01125106.guest.html. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ^ [1] Rush Limbaugh guest-hosts the Pat Sajak show in 1990
- ^ Gehr, Richard (1990-10-08). "Mouth At Work". Newsday: p. 4.
- ^ Sajak, Pat (2001-05-03). CNN Larry King Live (TV series). CNN.
- ^ Maurstad, Tom (1993-12-20). "Stern, Limbaugh meet their match; Hosts Leno, Letterman hold their own in war". The Dallas Morning News: p. 1C.
- ^ Parker, Penny (1996-03-20). "Ties loud, just like Limbaugh.". Denver Post. p. C–1.
- ^ Vinciguera, Thomas (1996-08-04). "No Talk Show, But a Loud Tie". The New York Times: p. 43.
- ^ "Rush Limbaugh Named Miss America Judge: Conservative Radio Host Joins Vivica Fox, Shawn Johnson on 2010 Panel". CBS News. January 29, 2010. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/29/entertainment/main6154147.shtml. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Steve DiMeglio (January 11, 2011). "Hank Haney will dissect Rush Limbaugh's golf game". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2011-01-10-haney-project-rush-limbaugh_N.htm. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
- ^ "Wednesday Quotes: Your Conservative Rock". RushLimbaugh.com. November 5, 2008. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_110508/content/01125100.guest.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Get Off the Ledge, Conservatives! We Have Two Battles on Our Hands". Rushlimbaugh.com. November 6, 2008. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_110608/content/01125108.guest.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Unconscionable: McCain Staffers Attempting to Destroy Sarah Palin". RushLimbaugh.com. November 6, 2008. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_110608/content/01125106.guest.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ Right-wing media feeds its post-election anger, James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, November 9, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
- ^ "January 19, 2007 transcript". RushLimbaugh.com. http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200910120009. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
- ^ a b Gehr, Richard (1990-10-08). "Mouth At Work". Newsday: p. 4. ""For all his bravado, however, Limbaugh is immensely sensitive to charges of insensitivity. When asked about the racist they-all-look-alike connotation of a statement like `Have you ever noticed how all newspaper composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?` this professional talker from a family of lawyers pleads total innocence.`You may interpret it as that, but I, no, honest-to-God, that's not how I intended it at all. Gee, don't get me in this one. I am the least racist host you'll ever find.` Recalling a stint as an `insult-radio` DJ in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he admits feeling guilty about, for example, telling a black listener he could not understand to `take that bone out of your nose and call me back.`""
- ^ "Limbaugh: "For the first time in his life, Paterson is gonna be a massa" if he chooses Massa's replacement". The Rush Limbaugh Show. 201-03-09. http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201003090035. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
- ^ "October 14, 2008 transcript". RushLimbaugh.com. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_101408/content/01125113.guest.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ a b On the Issues.org. Rush Limbaugh.
- ^ "FAIR". FAIR. http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1159. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ^ "Settlement Agreement Ends State Investigation of Rush Limbaugh". RushLimbaugh.com. April 28, 2006. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/rushwire/settlement_agreement_ends_state_investigation_of_rush_limbaugh.guest.html.
- ^ "So we have now the Four Corners of Deceit, and the two universes in which we live. The Universe of Lies, the Universe of Reality". Rushlimbaugh.com. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_112509/content/01125106.guest.html. Retrieved 2009-11-24.
- ^ RushLimbaugh.com. Transcript
- ^ See, for instance, "Idiot Bird Extinct, Future of World at Risk (Transcript)". The Rush Limbaugh Show. December 1, 2004. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/estack/idiot_bird_extinct.guest.html.html.
- ^ Rush Limbaugh, Wednesday Morning Update (January 24, 2001). "Rush Limbaugh on energy & oil". http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Rush_Limbaugh_Energy_+_Oil.htm.
- ^ "Hey Mr. Green: Tree Lies". Sierra Magazine. http://sierraclub.typepad.com/mrgreen/2011/08/tree-lies-.html. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ "Big Fat Lies". Excerpted from The Way Things Aren't: Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error (N.Y.: The New Press, 1995. Mother Jones. http://motherjones.com/politics/1995/05/big-fat-lies. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ Margaret Carlson (October 26, 1992). "An Interview with Rush Limbaugh". Time magazine. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,976829,00.html.
- ^ Rush H. Limbaugh, The Way Things Ought to Be, Pocket Books, 1992 p.296
- ^ Rush H. Limbaugh, The Way Things Ought to Be, Pocket Books, 1992 p.193
- "I prefer to call the most obnoxious feminists what they really are: feminazis. Tom Hazlett, a good friend who is an esteemed and highly regarded professor of economics at the University of California at Davis, coined the term to describe any female who is intolerant of any point of view that challenges militant feminism. I often use it to describe women who are obsessed with perpetuating a modern-day holocaust: abortion."
- ^ Sontag, Susan (May 23, 2004). "Regarding the Torture of Others". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/23/magazine/23PRISONS.html?pagewanted=3&ei=5007&en=a2cb6ea6bd297c8f&ex=1400644800&partner=USERLAND. Retrieved March 31, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ "Rush: MPs Just 'Blowing Off Steam', Limbaugh: Abuse Story 'Media-Generated': CBS' Meyer Says Beware". CBS News. May 6, 2004. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/06/opinion/meyer/main616021.shtml. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ a b Grossberger, Lewis (1990-12-16). "The Rush Hours". The New York Times: p. 58.
- ^ Remnick, David (1990-12-16). "Day of the Dittohead". The Washington Post: p. C1.
- ^ Limbaugh, Rush (1990-12-16). "The Way things Ought To Be". Simon and Schuster. pp. 62–66.
- ^ Suddath, Claire (March 4, 2009). "Conservative Radio Host Rush Limbaugh". Time. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1882947,00.html.
- ^ "16 Candles for Chelsea". The Washington Post. January 14, 1997. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/inaug/players/chelsea.htm.
- ^ "Lyin' Bully". Mother Jones. http://motherjones.com/politics/1995/05/lyin-bully. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
- ^ "Complaints and anger dominate talk radio - San Antonio Express-News". Mysanantonio.com. 2010-06-04. http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/complaints_and_anger_dominate_talk_radio_95564684.html. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
- ^ "Getting the 'Bum Rush'". Daily News (New York). March 8, 2009. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/toplists/getting_the_bum_rush/getting_the_bum_rush.html.
- ^ "How Chelsea Clinton finally came of age". The Guardian (London). March 16, 2008. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/16/hillaryclinton.uselections2008.
- ^ The Way Things Aren't Extra!, July–August 1994
- ^ The Way Things Aren't: Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error : Over 100 Outrageously False and Foolish Statements from America's Most Powerful Radio and TV commentator, Rendall, Steve; Naureckas, Jim; and Cohen, Jeff; W.W. Norton and Company, 1995
- ^ Franken, Al, Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations, Delacorte Press, 1996
- ^ "The way things really are" (PDF). Environmental Defense Fund. 1994. http://apps.edf.org/documents/2432_WayThingsReallyAre.pdf.
- ^ Thernstrom, Melanie (2005-05-08). "Charlotte, Grace, Janet and Caroline Come Home". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/08/magazine/08UGANDA.html. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ a b "Obama Invades Uganda, Targets Christians". The Rush Limbaugh Show. 2011-10-14. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2011/10/14/obama_invades_uganda_targets_christians. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ^ http://www.mediaite.com/online/rush-limbaugh-attacked-president-obama-for-targeting-joseph-konys-christian-lra/
- ^ "EIB Cure-a-Thon". Rush Limbaugh. RushLimbaugh.com. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2011/04/18/leukemia_lymphoma_society_cure_a_thon_breaks_3_million_mark. Retrieved 2006-08-04. |bot=H3llBot}}
- ^ "Leukemia and Lymphoma Society". 501(c). Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org. Retrieved 2006-08-04.
- ^ "EIB Cure-a-Thon". Rush Limbaugh. RushLimbaugh.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20071013112420/http://rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/rushwire/the_operative_words_are_not_guilty.guest.html. Retrieved 2006-11-15.
- ^ Newsweek. Rehabbing Rush. 2006.
- ^ a b Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Annual reports.
- ^ Rush Limbaugh Show. Transcript. April 28, 2005.
- ^ NewsMax Media. Rush Limbaugh Donates $250K for Cancer Cure April 29, 2006.
- ^ "Rush Limbaugh Donates $320,000 to Kick Off 2007 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Cure-A-Thon". Rush Limbaugh. RushLimbaugh.com. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_042007/content/01125106.guest.html. Retrieved 2007-04-20.
- ^ Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Rush Limbaugh Cure-A-Thon Raises $3.1 Million for Society Mission. May 1, 2007.
- ^ "Rush Donates $400,000 to Kick Off Annual Blood Cancer Cure-A-Thon". Rush Limbaugh. RushLimbaugh.com. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_041808/content/01125106.guest.html. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
- ^ "Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation Marine Corps-Law Enforcement charity article" (Registration required). RushLimbaugh.com. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/eib15th/leuk_award.member.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation Home Page". Mc-lef.org. http://www.mc-lef.org/Home.aspx. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Reid-Limbaugh spat raises $2.1 million for children", Reuters, October 19, 2007
- ^ "Two If By Tea™ - Support Our Patriots". Twoifbytea.com. http://www.twoifbytea.com/support.php. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
- ^ "The Marriages of Rush Limbaugh", by By Sheri & Bob Stritof, About.com, retrieved July 26, 2010
- ^ Sheri & Bob Stritof. "The Marriages of Rush Limbaugh". http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/rushlimbaugh.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
- ^ Brozan, Nadine (May 30, 1994). "Wedding Announcements". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/30/nyregion/chronicle-248584.html. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
- ^ McCabe, Scott (June 12, 2004). "Limbaugh, third wife parting after 10 years". Palm Beach Post.. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/news/limbaugh/c1a_rush_0612.html. Retrieved 2006-11-04.
- ^ Herald Staff. "Rush's divorce final" The Miami Herald. February 19, 2005. Pg. 4A
- ^ "New York News, Traffic, Sports, Weather, Photos, Entertainment, and Gossip - NY Daily News". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/392895p-333176c.html. [dead link]
- ^ Limbaugh Says Tests Found Nothing Wrong. KITV.com January 1, 2010.
- ^ "Rush Limbaugh Marries Fourth Wife Kathryn Rogers in Florida - Wedding Day". National Ledger. June 5, 2010. http://www.nationalledger.com/ledgerpop/article_272632213.shtml. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ Weiner, Rachel (2010-01-05). "Rush Limbaugh's Girlfriend Kathryn Rogers Gives Inside Story On Heart Scare". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/05/rush-limbaughs-girlfriend_n_411726.html. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
- ^ Powers, Doug (2010-06-05). "Rush to the Altar — And the Wedding Singer Is…". Michelle Malkin. http://michellemalkin.com/2010/06/05/rush-to-the-altar-and-the-wedding-singer-is/. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
- ^ Silverman, Stephen.Elton John Sings at Rush Limbaugh's 4th Wedding, People.com, June 7, 2010.
- ^ Love, etc: Rush Limbaugh marries for the fourth time. The Washington Post. June 6, 2010.
- ^ Two if by Tea web site. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
- ^ Roberts, Fiona (2011-06-16). It's Rush Revere! Rush Limbaugh launches his own brand of (patriotic) iced tea. The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
- ^ Candiotti, Susan (2003-10-03). "Limbaugh mostly mum on reports of drug probe". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/News/10/03/rush.drugs/.
- ^ George Bennett & John Pacenti (2003-10-11). "Talk host Limbaugh to enter drug rehab". Palm Beach Post. p. 1A. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/news/limbaugh/101103_limbaugh.html.
- ^ "Prosecutors Push to Speak with Limbaugh Doctors". The Palm Beach Post. November 9, 2005. pp. 3B.
- ^ "Improbable ally joins Limbaugh privacy fight". The St. Petersburg Times. January 13, 2004. pp. 1B.
- ^ "Palm Beach Appeals Court to Hear Argument in Limbaugh Medical Records Case". West Palm Beach: Aclufl.org. April 7, 2004. http://www.aclufl.org/news_events/?action=viewRelease&emailAlertID=41. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Judge Limits Limbaugh Inquiry". The Palm Beach Daily News. December 13, 2005. p. 1.
- ^ "Rush Limbaugh Arrested On Drug Charges, Conservative Radio Commentator Turns Himself In But Claims Innocence". CBS News. April 28, 2006. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/28/national/main1561324.shtml. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Lou Dobbs Tonight" (Transcript). Lou Dobbs Tonight (CNN.com). April 28, 2006. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/28/ldt.01.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Rehab, $30,000 to keep Limbaugh out of court". CNN.com. April 29, 2006. http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/04/28/limbaugh.booked/index.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Settlement Agreement Ends State Investigation of Rush Limbaugh". RushLimbaugh.com. April 28, 2006. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/rushwire/settlement_agreement_ends_state_investigation_of_rush_limbaugh.guest.html.
- ^ Skoloff, Brian (2006-05-01). "Limbaugh Facing Drug Tests Under Deal". Associated Press. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/limbaugh_painkillers;_ylt=AoXk6dXtazOH3nAUdJKIsQys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--.
- ^ Murphy, Jarrett. Rush Limbaugh Arrested On Drug Charges. CBS News. April 28, 2006.
- ^ Limbaugh reaches settlement in drugs case. Associated Press. April 29, 2006.
- ^ "Limbaugh may face a rarely used charge". Associated Press. 2004-01-04. http://www.sptimes.com/2004/01/04/State/Limbaugh_may_face_a_r.shtml.
- ^ a b "Rush Limbaugh Detained With Viagra". CBS News. 2006-06-27. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/27/national/main1753947.shtml. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ^ Rothstein, Mervyn. "Rush's Judgment". Cigar Aficionado. http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/People_Profile/0,2540,18,00.html. Retrieved 2006-11-04.
- ^ "Rush to Excellence Speech for WPHT-AM Philadelphia". Transcript. RushLimbaugh.com. October 11, 2007. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_101207/content/01125106.guest.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Limbaugh Losing His Hearing". CBS News. October 8, 2001. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/10/08/politics/main314011.shtml.
- ^ Maier, Timothy W. (January 28, 2002). "Limbaugh learning to listen again: Rush Limbaugh lost most of his hearing because of a rare disease, but the conservative icon says he has not lost his ability to communicate with his audience". Insight on the News. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_3_18/ai_82554117. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Rush to get bionic tune up". Transcript. 4 Hearing Loss. April 28, 2005. http://www.4hearingloss.com/archives/2005/04/rush_to_get_bio.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ Rush's forced conscripts - Salon.com
- ^ Future military radio menu could be more pop, less talk | Stars and Stripes
- ^ Montgomery, David (October 25, 2006). "Rush Limbaugh On the Offensive Against Ad With Michael J. Fox". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/24/AR2006102400691.html.
- ^ "Fox Responds To Limbaugh Accusation". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/24/politics/main2121910.shtml.
- ^ "Clips From Last Night: Michael J. Fox on Rush Limbaugh; Meredith Vieira and Richard Cohen on living with MS". CNN. http://piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/15/clips-from-last-night-michael-j-fox-on-rush-limbaugh-meredith-vieira-and-richard-cohen-on-living-with-ms/?iref=allsearch.
- ^ "Limbaugh falsely recasts "phony soldiers" smear". Media Matters. September 28, 2007. http://mediamatters.org/research/200709280010. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
- ^ "Limbaugh selectively edited "phony soldiers" clip, claimed it was "the entire transcript"". Media Matters. September 28, 2007. http://mediamatters.org/research/200709280009. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
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- ^ a b "Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails". The Rush Limbaugh Show, Transcript. January 16, 2009. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_011609/content/01125113.guest.html. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ Bacon, Perry, Jr. (March 4, 2009). "GOP Seeks Balance With Conservative Icon Limbaugh". The Washington Post. pp. A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/03/AR2009030303946_pf.html.
- ^ Jack Mirkinson (February 29, 2012). "Rush Limbaugh: Sandra Fluke, Woman Denied Right To Speak At Contraception Hearing, A 'Slut'". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/29/rush-limbaugh-sandra-fluke-slut_n_1311640.html. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ^ "Limbaugh slut slur student Sandra Fluke gets Obama call" BBC News. March 3, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
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- ^ Caldwell, Leigh Ann. "Limbaugh apologizes to Sandra Fluke". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57390101-503544/limbaugh-apologizes-to-sandra-fluke/. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
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- ^ http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/sandra-fluke-rush-limbaugh-apology-change/story?id=15849793
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- ^ "The 25 Greatest Radio Talk Show Hosts of All Time". Talkers magazine. September 2002. http://www.talkers.com/greatest/.
- ^ Weil, Dan. "Source: Limbaugh's New Radio Contract Worth $285 Million", The Palm Beach Post, July 20, 2001, pp. 1D.
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- ^ "Barbara Walters Gets Up Close with 2008's Most Fascinating People" TV Guide. December 1, 2008. Retrieved on December 3, 2008.
- ^ "Rush's First Televised Address to the Nation: Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Speech". RushLimbaugh.com. 28 February 2009. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2009/02/28/rush_s_first_televised_address_to_the_nation_conservative_political_action_conference_cpac_speech. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "The Limbaugh Victory" OpEd by Zev Chavets, The New York Times, May 19, 2010 (May 20, 2010, on p. A27 of NY ed.). Retrieved 2010-05-20.
- ^ Limbaugh, Rush (1993). See, I Told You So. New York: Atria. ISBN 0-671-87120-X.
- ^ Gregory, Ted (1995-08-18). "Right and wrong; Rush Limbaugh critics want to set the facts straight, but it's not easy". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Joseph Farah". Speakers and Talk Show Guests. WorldNetDaily.com. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/speakers/jfarah.asp. Retrieved 2006-07-19.
- Arkush, Michael (1993). Rush!. New York: Avon Books. ISBN 0-380-77539-5.
- Chafets, Zev (2010). Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One. New York: Sentinel. ISBN 978-1-59523-063-8.
- Colford, Paul D. (1995). The Rush Limbaugh Story: Talent on Loan from God: An Unauthorized Biography. New York: St. Martin's Paperbacks. ISBN 0-312-95272-4.
- Davis, J. Bradford (1994). The Rise of Rush Limbaugh Toward the Presidency. Norcross, Ga.: MacArthur Publishing Group. ISBN 0-9642619-0-1.
- Derych, Jim. Confessions of a Former Dittohead. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Ig Publishing. ISBN 0-9752517-8-3.
- Evearitt, Daniel J. (1993). Rush Limbaugh and the Bible. Camp Hill, Pa.: Horizon House Publishers. ISBN 0-88965-104-3.
- Franken, Al (1996). Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-14-101841-6.
- Franken, Al (2003). Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. New York: Plume. ISBN 978-0-452-28521-7.
- Jacobs, Donald Trent. The Bum's Rush: The Selling of Environmental Backlash: Phrases and Fallacies of Rush Limbaugh. Boise, Idaho: Legendary Publishing Company. ISBN 0-9625040-5-X.
- Keliher, Brian (1994). Flush Rush. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 0-89815-610-6.
- Kelly, Charles M. (1994). The Great Limbaugh Con: And Other Right-Wing Assaults on Common Sense. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Fithian Press. ISBN 1-56474-102-8.
- King, D. Howard (1994). Rush to Us. New York: Windsor Publishing Company. ISBN 0-7860-0082-1.
- Layne, Tom (2006). The Assassination of Rush Limbaugh. Kirkland, Wash.: Red Ginger Publishing Company. ISBN 0-9768515-0-4.
- Mahurin, Cecil (1993). A Public Rebuttal to Rush Limbaugh. New York: Vantage Press. ISBN 0-533-10766-0.
- Perkins, Ray, Jr. (1995). Logic and Mr. Limbaugh: A Dittohead's Guide to Fallacious Reasoning. Chicago: Open Court Publishing. ISBN 0-8126-9294-2.
- Rahman, Michael. Why Rush Limbaugh is Wrong, or: The Demise of Traditionalism and the Rise of Progressive Sensibility as Perceived. Santa Monica, Calif.: Mighty Pen Publishing. ISBN 0-9647470-0-6.
- Rendall, Steven, Jim Naureckas, Cohen, Jeff (1995). The Way Things Aren't: Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error: Over 100 Outrageously False and Foolish Statements from America's Most Powerful Radio and TV Commentator. Written for FAIR. New York: The New Press. ISBN 1-56584-260-X.
- Seib, Philip M. (1993). Rush Hour: Talk Radio, Politics, and the Rise of Rush Limbaugh. Fort Worth, Tex.: Summit Group. ISBN 1-56530-100-5.
- Tucker, R. K. (1997). The Rules According to Rush: The American people vs. Rush Limbaugh. Chapel Hill, NC; Bowling Green, Ohio: OptimAmerica; Professional Press. ISBN 1-57087-339-9.
- Varon, Charles (1997). Rush Limbaugh In Night School. New York: Dramatists Play Service. ISBN 0-8222-1534-9.
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