0:00

The Life of Rush Limbaugh, Chapter

0:02

one, narrated by America's

0:05

Mayor Rudy Giuliani. I

0:09

knew what I wanted to do when I was eight years

0:12

old. How did I know? Well,

0:14

you know the story. I hated school. It was

0:17

prison. I just hated

0:19

it. Here I'm locked in this place. I'm having

0:21

to learn about whatever you learn about

0:23

in first grade, you know how to pace

0:26

things instead of in in the last place I wanted

0:28

to be. So every morning, getting

0:30

ready to go to this prison,

0:32

this school, my mother had the radio

0:34

one and she's listening to the guy, a

0:36

local jock. And this guy sounds like he's having

0:39

fun doing whatever he's doing.

0:41

He's playing records, he's doing commentary,

0:44

a little weather forecast. It's sound like he's having fun.

0:46

That's how I want my day to be.

0:48

I don't want to begin my day in drudgery

0:50

and something I don't want to do. But

0:52

I had no choice. You have to go to school. If

0:55

ever a man was born for radio, it was

0:57

Rush Hudson Limbaugh, the third.

1:00

He entered this world in January of n right

1:04

in the heartland of America, Cape

1:06

Girardo, Missouri. He was born

1:08

into a family of lawyers who

1:11

enjoyed success at nearly every

1:13

level, and he almost seemed destined

1:15

to be the same. His paternal grandfather,

1:18

Rush Hudson Limbaugh the First served

1:20

as a United States ambassador. His father,

1:23

Rush Hudson Limbaugh the Second, was

1:25

a lawyer, as was his uncle, and

1:27

even his younger brother David was also since

1:29

gone on to becoming a best selling author. But

1:32

no Rush had different

1:34

plans. As you can imagine,

1:37

a deviation from the family business wasn't

1:39

received all too well. Even Rush would have

1:41

said later, there's no way my dad

1:44

could have anticipated that Rush

1:46

would break all odds and being phenomenally

1:48

successful, not going the conventional route.

1:50

So in the end it just worked out for

1:52

the best. Though Russia's family initially

1:55

frowned upon his aspirations for a career

1:57

in radio, they didn't completely ignore

1:59

his passion for broad guest the age

2:01

of nine, Rushwood broadcast from

2:03

his own bedroom using a toy

2:05

radio given to him by his parents

2:08

that could only transmit throughout

2:10

his house. There was a device

2:12

called a Rimco carat Vlle and

2:15

it was the most amazing thing. My

2:17

parents got it for me for Christmas one year, and

2:20

my mother actually dutifully

2:23

put a radio on her lap, and

2:25

I would go upstairs where the bedroom was,

2:28

and I would have my photo. And you

2:30

had to have an external microphone

2:32

to put into the speaker of the phonograph

2:34

that you were playing records on. You had to

2:36

move the microphone to your mouth when you were

2:39

doing DJ stuff, and then you'd

2:41

hould the microphone near the speaker for the phonograph

2:43

to play the record. And my mother would dutifully

2:46

sit down there and listen to this, and

2:48

that the quality was just was was horrible,

2:51

but it allowed me to

2:53

get started on on living

2:56

out my my dreams. As

3:02

time passed, Rush came to believe that his family

3:04

had a change of heart about his pursuit

3:06

of broadcasting. Even though the family didn't

3:09

understand it, the

3:11

fact that I hadn't quit it was enough for them

3:13

to encourage me to stay

3:15

in it, and I did, and

3:19

all that happened happened, and it's

3:21

it's been so rewarding.

3:24

It has been so

3:26

so meaningful to me, and there have been so many people

3:29

that have made it possible. Among them all

3:31

of you, thankfully

3:33

for the rest of us, my friend Rush

3:35

Hudson Limbo the third spent

3:38

the next seven decades in

3:40

his relentless pursuit of broadcast

3:42

excellent, and he set the

3:45

standard that will be

3:47

very, very hard to beat. The

3:53

Life of Rush Limbaugh Chapter

3:55

two, narrated by Mark Stein.

3:59

Rush Hudson Limbo the Third

4:01

Land as his first job when he was

4:03

just thirteen shining shoes at a Cape

4:06

Gerardo barbershop. And our

4:08

Betty was a pretty good shoe shine boy. But

4:10

what he really wanted to be was that

4:12

guy on the radio. For us, being

4:15

a disc jockey represented more fun

4:18

than a junior human being should be allowed

4:20

to have. My wildest dreams when I

4:22

was a young kid pretending

4:24

to be a DJ on the radio. When

4:26

I was eight years old, he

4:28

fell in love with a toy radio

4:31

transmitter that allowed him to

4:33

broadcast inside the house two

4:35

members of his family. Any kid

4:37

who's wanted to be on the radio will know the thrill

4:40

of making your own cassette tapes

4:42

of you doing voiceovers

4:44

over Frankie Avalon and the McGuire

4:46

sisters or whoever's singles

4:49

it was back then. But as one of those

4:51

gazillions, it would be boss jocks. I certainly

4:53

envy rushed that transmitter gizmo

4:56

some kids have to make do with bringing an old

4:58

baby monitor down for the attic was

5:00

the most amazing thing. It's

5:03

plastic. It was about

5:05

three ft long and two feet high,

5:08

and it transmitted over

5:10

a m within the confines

5:12

of a I don't know, a small house.

5:15

The quality was horrible, but it

5:17

worked. At sixteen, Rush, with

5:20

a little help from his dad, advanced

5:22

from the toy transmitter to the real thing.

5:25

He got an internship at KGMO

5:28

fifty a m. And then

5:30

the intern realized his

5:33

childhood dream and got on the

5:35

s spinning classes under

5:37

the name Rusty Sharp. That's

5:40

a fabulous radio monica,

5:42

but only half true. In this case,

5:45

Brush was always sharp and

5:47

never rusty. Gerda

5:49

was very steven. It's my hometown. How are you, sir? Good

5:52

greetings from the city of Roses. Thank you, Thank

5:54

you sir very much. It was six years

5:56

behind you in school, but I used to listen to you on

5:58

KGMO.

6:01

I was the one that called every day and say, man,

6:03

play in a got a davida? Will you? Once

6:06

he was on the radio, he never looked back, working

6:08

mornings and afternoons at KGMO.

6:11

And then ed happened. Rusty

6:13

Sharp got fired and kicked

6:15

off the air, the first too many firings

6:17

for Rush over the years, all of which setbacks

6:20

he overcame and learned from

6:22

on his way up to the One Gig, the

6:25

third of a century engagement that

6:27

ultimately only God could terminate

6:30

him from. He wasn't your typical

6:32

nineteen sixties teen age, didn't need

6:34

and never sought the approval of the high

6:36

school in crowd. He preferred

6:39

to socialize with older, more mature

6:41

friends. Although he won the admiration

6:43

of his school's upperclassman with

6:46

his quick wit and sharp mind

6:48

and fearlessness in debate, he

6:50

wasn't afraid to stand out to be contrarian.

6:53

He refused, for example, ever

6:56

to wear blue jeans. Come

6:58

on, let's face it, it's looks like a b of ore,

7:00

a sab. It's it's it's it's a prius.

7:02

It's it's a liberal status symbol. Genes are liberal

7:05

status symbols. At least they were. I know everybody

7:07

wears them. Now it's another battle we've lost. Absolutely.

7:10

They used to be a status symbol, carbalized

7:12

our startorial splendor. That we run around

7:15

looking like a bunch of hippies, And

7:17

I'm not gonna do it. He had yet to finish

7:19

high school, but already there was

7:21

a Rush Limbaugh style and a Rush

7:23

Limbo brand. After graduating

7:26

from Cape Grado Central in nineteen

7:28

nine, Rush was expected by his

7:30

father to go to college, so

7:33

he enrolled at nearby Southeast

7:35

Missouri State University,

7:37

but after only two semesters,

7:41

Rush dropped out for good.

7:43

Radio was calling, and

7:46

Rush chose to pursue his dream,

7:49

confident that it was

7:51

about to become reality. The

7:56

Life of Rush Limbaugh, Chapter three,

7:59

narrated by On Hannity.

8:01

After enduring a painful year of

8:03

college at Southeastern Missouri University,

8:06

young Rush Limbaugh he bid farewell

8:08

to college life and then immersed

8:11

himself into his next big

8:13

radio job. After loading up his nineteen

8:16

sixty nine Pontiac Leman's Rush

8:18

headed east with dreams of making it

8:20

big in the Iron City, and d J.

8:23

Rusty Sharp from Cape Toronto, Missouri

8:25

was soon reborn as Bachelor

8:28

Jeff Christie, first hosting an

8:30

afternoon drive shift and later holding down

8:32

the morning show on Wixie thirteen

8:34

sixty, known as one of Pittsburgh's

8:37

premier top boardy radio stations,

8:41

continues Rock

8:45

and Goal seven three in the morning. I wish

8:47

he silent God Bachelor Jeff Radio Network

8:49

from just want to have a big hand

8:52

for Mr and Missus Arnold PELUSI a couple

8:54

of new members of Christy Radio Network this morning

8:56

celebrating refrigerators.

9:01

Jeff Christie lasted barely eighteen

9:03

months on w i X before

9:06

he was fired. I was in the fall of

9:08

nineteen seventy two over what

9:10

were described as quote differences

9:13

over format. His departure

9:15

from Wixie thirteen sixty quickly

9:17

led to a bigger opportunity for Rush. S

9:20

k H Jeff Christie and in early nineteen

9:22

seventy three, Crosstown Top forty

9:24

competitor k q V Radio

9:27

Well, they hired him to be their new nighttime

9:29

DJ. That afforded Rush an

9:31

even bigger platform and another

9:33

opportunity to further develop

9:35

his on air persona q v V

9:44

three g K Jeff

9:46

Christy Rocky Radio Sean Friday Night justin

9:49

minutes away from forteen not stop right

9:51

now of statistics, Jeff Christie was beginning

9:54

to hone future on air skills

9:56

would eventually become the trademarks of Rush

9:59

Limbaugh was excellence in broadcasting.

10:02

Now. Rush would soon learn success in radio

10:04

is kind of fickle, especially a station

10:06

ownership change his hands and a dramatic

10:09

turn of events the lame duck KQUB

10:11

management will They pushed the new program

10:14

director to fire Rush, and ninety days

10:16

later Rush Limbaugh Jeff Christie

10:18

was out of work. When I got fired,

10:21

I thought I was finished. I'd give

10:23

it my best shot. D J didn't work

10:25

out. I didn't want to do anything

10:27

else. This has been my

10:31

one passion. And in a stinging rebuke

10:33

that Rush would remember for decades, the station's

10:36

general manager told the twenty something Rush

10:38

Limbaugh that he would quote never make

10:40

it in radio as an air talent, and that he should

10:42

strongly consider the sales end of

10:44

the radio business. I had an

10:47

interview with a sales manager

10:49

at a station. To the guy was a genuine lunatic.

10:52

He's I'm just me. I'm interviewed for the job,

10:54

and he's yelling and screaming at me about what his

10:56

demands will be and what they are.

10:59

And since he's I gonna face this every day. So,

11:01

after three years of trying to make a go

11:03

of it in Pittsburgh, while Rush was out of another

11:06

radio gig, feeling defeated and dejected,

11:08

the return to the security and comfort

11:10

of his home in Cape Girardo, Missouri. Rush

11:13

was down, but as we all know, far from

11:15

out. His determination for

11:17

success far outweighed the idea

11:19

of failure. The long version here

11:22

of telling you that this has been That's

11:24

why I'm so fortunate I've I

11:26

was able to end up doing what I think I

11:28

was born to do. I've never had passion for

11:31

anything else, I mean, career

11:34

wise like I've got for this unforgettable.

11:38

That's the impression that you, the Russia Limbaugh

11:41

audience made with your support

11:43

for Russia's last charitable effort

11:46

while Rush was still with us, through

11:49

the Stand Up for Betsy Ross campaign.

11:51

Your generosity resulted in a five

11:54

million dollar donation to the

11:56

Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Rush

11:59

said it best. We chose Tunnel to Towers

12:02

to be the beneficiary of

12:04

the campaign because we love the work they do and

12:07

the story about how they

12:09

started. When a family experiences

12:12

significant loss the mother or father

12:14

passes while serving our country, Tunnel

12:17

to Towers steps in freeze

12:20

that family of a major worry

12:22

during their time of crisis. Tunnel

12:25

to Towers pays off mortgages

12:27

in full for these families and

12:30

provides them with the comfort of a home when

12:33

their world has literally been turned upside

12:36

down. The foundation does the same for

12:38

first responders and also build smart

12:40

homes for our most catastrophically

12:43

injured veterans and first responders.

12:46

More heroes need your help.

12:49

Do good by donating eleven

12:51

dollars a month to Tunnel to Towers

12:54

at T two t dot

12:57

org. That's the letter T, the

13:00

number two the letter T dot

13:03

org. The Life of Rush

13:05

Limbaugh, Chapter four, narrated

13:08

by Mark Levine. Despite

13:11

being fired from his first three jobs in

13:13

radio, Jeff Christie a k

13:15

A. Rush Limbaugh didn't stay down for long.

13:18

He worked aggressively to return to the

13:20

airwaves, and by nineteen seventy

13:22

five landed the afternoon show at top

13:25

forty k u d L in Kansas City.

13:30

Still, Russia's time at k U d L was

13:32

short lived, listening

13:35

barely two years before he was let go. For

13:39

the first time in his life, Russia had become

13:41

disenchanted with radio. After serious

13:44

thought, he chose to temporarily walk away

13:46

from his dreams of a successful radio

13:48

career. In nineteen seventy nine,

13:51

Rush set a new career course major

13:53

League Baseball. Remember my father when

13:55

I when I quit radio, was the happiest

13:58

he ever was. I quit radio age of ye

14:00

because I figured it burned out. That was playing

14:02

records the son what does that mean? I mean, where's

14:04

that gonna take you? When I got that job of

14:06

the Cantony Royals, making thirteen

14:09

thousand dollars, he was happier than

14:11

he had ever been. Russia's four years with the

14:13

Royals were successful. I had led to

14:16

a lifelong friendship with Hall of Famer

14:18

George Brett. After baseball, Rush returned

14:20

to radio in three as the afternoon

14:23

news and sports anchor at k m

14:25

b Z Radio. The

14:30

first time in his career used his

14:32

given name on the airwaves, Rush Limbaugh.

14:34

But he even boasted to his general manager

14:36

quote, it's only a matter of time before

14:39

you're going to fire me. Russia's prediction

14:41

became his reality, and after less

14:43

than a year at camb Z, he was

14:45

out by four. Rush

14:48

replaced Morton Downey Jr. In mid days

14:50

on kf b K and Sacramento. Kf

14:53

K was a perfect fit for Rush, and

14:56

he was soon dominating the market in his time

14:58

slot. I finally got to do a radio show of the way

15:00

I wanted to do it the things that I cared

15:02

about, the things I thought people would listen to, and it

15:04

was basically just sharing

15:06

my passions. I love sharing my

15:09

passions. I come up with things or passion and I want

15:11

everybody to know about it and want everybody experience

15:13

it. I want everybody to agree. And

15:15

it finally all came together for me in Sacramento,

15:17

California. After three years of ratings

15:19

success in Sacramento, Rush left

15:22

KFBK to become part of Ed McLaughlin's

15:24

newly formed e f M Media

15:27

Network. Still, his departure

15:29

from kf b K was better. Sweet. I'm

15:31

just the guy on the radio. When I started this

15:34

thirty years ago. I never envisioned

15:36

any of this happening. What I wanted to

15:38

become was the best radio guy

15:40

in the country, and I had this great opportunity.

15:43

I could be me, I could be honest,

15:46

I could talk about whatever I wanted to talk

15:48

about, and there was nobody that could tell me I

15:50

couldn't. And I have, folks, I have

15:52

to tell you it is the greatest blessing

15:54

that I've ever had, is to have the opportunity

15:57

I do each and every day. The

16:00

life of Rush Limbaugh Chapter five,

16:03

narrated by Megan Kelly In

16:07

A retired radio executive named Edward

16:09

F. McLaughlin decided to use his golden

16:12

parachute from ABC Radio Networks

16:14

to form his own brand new talk

16:16

radio network apt LEE titled e

16:19

FM Media. After meticulous

16:21

planning for a successful launch, McLaughlin

16:24

knew he needed more than just a talented

16:26

host, but a force behind the mic and

16:28

cast a wide net in his search. A

16:31

hot tip led him out west, where

16:33

a thirty eight year old talk radio host

16:35

was burning up the airwaves of Sacramento,

16:38

California. There are any number

16:40

of people Ed McLaughlin could have chosen,

16:42

but I've fortunately met some people

16:45

along the way after moving the Sacramento

16:47

that Ed McLaughlin knew and trusted

16:50

implicitly and when he was looking unbeknownst

16:52

to me, I don't know any of this is going on. My

16:54

name is in the list of people he

16:56

should look into. He

16:59

could have picked any This was his guy,

17:01

and McLoughlin made him an offer leader described

17:04

as impossible to turn down. Rush

17:06

Limbaugh created the capital of California

17:09

for the bright lights of the Big Apple. He relocated

17:11

to New York City and established first

17:14

a local ten am to noon show on w

17:16

ABC Radio, Rush Limball in New York. Twenty

17:18

minutes after ten back to the Fallows, we go, Vinny,

17:21

Hello, I'm glad you're with us, all right. I

17:23

wanted a California Beats name. Go no No,

17:26

I'm originally Beach Names

17:28

in New York. Limbaugh's early days were

17:30

an unqualified success, even

17:32

with the challenge of a meddling program director

17:35

who unsuccessfully tried to get Rushed to change

17:37

what would become his signature on air

17:40

style, Rush being Rush

17:42

dug in and ultimately prevailed. After

17:45

his first shows on w ABC Radio

17:47

went off without a hitch. Rush's

17:49

mentor and new boss, Ed McLaughlin proudly

17:51

recalled after hearing his first show the quote,

17:54

I knew he could handle it. Ed McLaughlin

17:56

never wavered a single time.

17:59

He never asked me to tone it down,

18:01

to change things, to do whatever to accommodate

18:04

this complaint or that safe to say, Rush

18:06

Limbaugh more than just handled

18:08

it. He crushed it. People credit

18:11

me with this, but I couldn't

18:13

have done any of this if it hadn't been for Ed McLaughlin.

18:16

Ed McLaughlin saved DAM Radio by

18:18

investing in it. Fast lane to nationwide

18:21

syndication for the Rush Limbaugh Show

18:24

was just around the corner. It really hit me

18:27

how damn lucky I am

18:29

and have been. I try

18:31

to never ever forget it. The

18:36

Life of Rush Limbaugh, Chapter six,

18:39

narrated by Glenn Beck. The

18:43

landscape of national syndication of daytime

18:45

talk radio shows was

18:48

lonely compared to the daytime syndication

18:51

space of today. The idea

18:53

of the time was bold and full

18:55

of risk. But Ed McLaughlin

18:58

knew intimately the power of spoken

19:00

word radio, and he knew the time

19:02

to strike was then you have a giant

19:05

in the radio business. Ed McLaughlin, who

19:07

retires from ABC, is

19:10

given two hours of satellite time to fill

19:12

as he wishes. He could have chosen

19:15

to do anything with these two hours. He could have played

19:17

music. He could have done you know, polka,

19:21

he could have done Chinese opera. But he

19:23

believed in the power of spoken

19:25

word radio. He

19:28

believed it could win. So on

19:31

August one, nationwide

19:33

syndication of the Rush Limbop

19:36

program began. The

19:38

initial offering was two hours a day,

19:41

and fifty six brave stations

19:43

stood with Rush as true believers

19:46

and loyal affiliates. On day one.

19:48

It took off. It took

19:50

off faster and

19:53

bigger than anybody had expected.

19:56

It took off and exploded

20:00

the way you dream about. The

20:02

flagship station of the Rush Limbaugh program

20:04

was seventy W a d C in

20:07

New York. In the beginning, Rush also

20:09

hosted a local show from ten

20:11

till noon, and then his national

20:13

radio program from noon to two

20:16

pm Eastern every day on

20:18

the inaugural affiliates scattered all across

20:20

America. The reason I had to do that was

20:22

that we started with fifty six stations. That's not

20:25

enough stations for national advertisers

20:27

to care. And I faced

20:29

for a year and a half derision and

20:32

criticism and mockery and all after what

20:34

I was trying to do and

20:36

the way we did it. The reason I had to do that

20:38

in New York show is because that's where

20:41

we were given three minutes an hour to sell

20:43

national advertising. So we were

20:45

able to tell advertisers their commercials

20:48

would be heard in New York City.

20:50

Because if you couldn't do that back

20:52

then, you couldn't have a

20:54

nationally syndicated program. In

20:57

a matter of months, the program expan ended

21:00

to three hours of daily national

21:02

syndication, airing noon to three,

21:04

and the program's rapid growth demanded

21:07

more attention and focus from Rush, ultimately

21:10

leading to the end of his local midday

21:12

program on w ABC. ED

21:15

McLaughlin's brilliant bet on

21:17

daytime syndication paid off, exceeding

21:20

even the wildest expectations of

21:22

his now superstar host Rush

21:24

Limbaugh. The show's growth was

21:27

unstoppable, reaching an unprecedented

21:30

five hundred national affiliates in

21:32

only three years, and that's

21:34

a number that only continued to grow in

21:37

the thirty that followed. Hey,

21:39

James Golden here. You might remember

21:41

I told you a few weeks ago that my Pillow had

21:43

sent me their entire collection. Well,

21:46

you know what, it's amazing.

21:48

They are so luxurious, and it's

21:51

time that you experienced some

21:53

of that luxury. To My pillow

21:55

makes more than pillows. I love the pillow.

21:58

I sleep on it every night. But you know what

22:00

else they have. They have sheets that are

22:02

simply incredible. They're smooth,

22:04

they're soft, they're comfortable.

22:07

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22:46

icon. The Life

22:48

of Rush Limbaugh, Chapter seven, narrated

22:51

by Neil Vortz. When

22:54

you think about what it means to be inducted

22:57

into the Paul of Fame, you might think first

23:00

of legendary names like Ruth Aaron,

23:02

maybe Montana Marino. Here's

23:04

a few more for you, Freed Harvey

23:07

Limbaugh. That's right, members of the Radio

23:10

Hall of Fame, and Rush Limbaugh is obviously

23:13

right there a member. But unlike

23:15

the others who typically have to wait until

23:17

the end of their careers, it was clear

23:20

early on that the Hall needed to make room

23:22

for Rush. After only five years

23:24

of syndication and overwhelming

23:27

record breaking success, he became part

23:29

of a prestigious class of inductees

23:32

in nineteen For

23:34

a guy from Cape Girardo Missouri, fired

23:37

from his first seven radio

23:39

jobs before finding any sort

23:41

of success behind the microphone. The

23:44

entire experience was nothing

23:47

short of humbling. So many standards

23:49

of excellence have been set by previous

23:51

inductees, including tonight's, that

23:54

all I can hope to do is try to approximate

23:56

them as I go through my career, and if I am one day

23:59

judged to have done and I will consider it to have

24:01

been worth it. In the success, I say what I say

24:03

to the American people, and any chance I have a chance

24:05

to speak to them, I do, and I am so grateful

24:07

and so honored. Regardless what I mean to them,

24:10

I am certain that I will never mean

24:12

as much to them as they mean to me. After

24:14

patiently waiting through a critical introductory

24:17

speech from Sally Jesse Raphael

24:20

based on their political differences, Rush

24:23

confidently strolled up to the podium and delivered

24:25

an acceptance speech full of class,

24:28

grace, and gratitude. Into speech, he

24:30

offered his thanks to the American people,

24:32

family, and colleagues, and ironically,

24:34

enough is competition and those who

24:37

disagreed with you. When I came to New York, there

24:39

was one man I said, here's the standard. That's what I'm

24:41

up against. Here's who I consider my competition

24:43

to be. If Larry King had not shown

24:45

that syndicated talk programming would work, I

24:48

wouldn't have had the chance. I thank Larry King as

24:50

well. I thank all of you, Thank you so much for allowing

24:52

you to run along. No

24:54

matter if you're an athlete, a musician, or

24:57

a broadcaster, being inducted into

24:59

the Hall of Fame is usually the crowning

25:01

achievement of a long career, finished

25:04

as you head off in the sunset.

25:06

But for Russia Limbaugh, it was only

25:09

the beginning, with still more than

25:11

twenty five years of excellence

25:13

and broadcasting to come. The

25:18

Life of Russia Limbaugh, Chapter

25:20

eight, narrated by Mary

25:22

Madaline. You

25:25

wouldn't note at the time, but in election

25:29

a battle for the ages was born, and

25:31

not between incumbent President George

25:34

H. W. Bush and its challenger, a

25:36

young, smooth talking Democratic governor

25:38

from Arkansas. That election

25:40

was over. Now at this point a political

25:43

chess match for the ages began

25:45

between that very governor, now President

25:48

elect Clinton, and the hero of

25:50

this story, talk radio

25:53

icon Brush Limbaugh. It is

25:55

it's fundamental to remember that here

25:57

are the Clinton's admitting their paranoia because

25:59

they did know how to deal with

26:01

a non supportive media, and all it was

26:04

was just me on the radio and some other local talk

26:06

show guys in the Wall Street Journal at a trull page, and they're

26:08

acting like it is the biggest threat

26:10

to their existence ever. In

26:12

the process, and Russia became the number

26:15

one voice of Conservatism, a mantle

26:17

literally passed on by none other

26:20

than President Ronald Reagan himself in

26:22

a treasured written letter. Russia's

26:24

political savvy, combined with an uncanny

26:27

reality based ability to make

26:29

the complex understandable, helped

26:32

the Party of Reagan get back on track. In

26:34

fact, with Russia at the helm, the GOP

26:36

one long shot landslide victories

26:39

across the fooded plane, up and

26:41

down the ballot, plus the House

26:43

majority for the first time in over a half

26:46

a century, now known as

26:48

a Republican revolution in

26:52

it was the peak. It was huge. I'll tell

26:54

you what shocked me, and it really did. Clinton

26:56

was flying into St. Louis In on

27:00

Air Force One. He's doing an interview before

27:02

he arrives with the morning crew at camel

27:04

X, our affiliate St. Lucie, starts complaining about

27:06

me you got Rush Limpball coming

27:09

up here. When you guys finish, you can come up at News.

27:11

You a three hours, three hours

27:13

say whatever he wants, and nobody's gonna say

27:16

anything other way, And no trick, Detective.

27:18

Here's the President of the United States, for the biggest

27:20

bully pulpit in the world, complaining

27:23

about some guy in the radio for three hours. It's

27:25

no coincidence that the Rush Limbaugh program

27:27

is you note actually began during

27:29

the Reagan administration, and though the Clinton

27:31

ears were filled to the brim with

27:34

easy fodder for Rush to feast on, he

27:36

spent the years after battling a

27:38

misperception that the show's

27:41

success was primarily built on the daily

27:43

Melo drama dished up by the Clintons.

27:45

In reality, the show's popularity exploded

27:48

long before the presidency was

27:50

even a twinkle in Bill Clinton's eye. I

27:52

can't tell the number of people who believe that

27:55

this program arose to its

27:57

current heights because Bill Clinton won

27:59

the elect This program got off the ground

28:01

and became the most listened to radio

28:03

talk show in three years before

28:06

Bill Clinton never thought about running for In

28:08

the end, Rush reminded his listeners

28:11

that his program never depended on the party

28:13

that was in power. I've often had a phrase, my

28:15

success doesn't depend on who

28:18

wins elections. I can't control who's gonna win elections

28:20

anyway, regardless who's in the White House

28:22

or not. By the way, just because your

28:24

team wins doesn't mean they don't screw

28:27

up the whole objective hears to have a

28:29

good show, Rush Limbaugh hosted

28:31

far more than a good show. In

28:34

fact, for decades after the Clinton

28:36

administration had come and gone, he proudly

28:39

carried the conservative tords forward,

28:41

both on the air and off

28:43

the air. For

28:46

the Life of Russia Limbaugh, Chapter

28:49

nine, narrated by George Mary.

28:52

The nineties drew new lines in the political

28:55

battlefield, ultimately leading to a hotly

28:57

contested two thousand presidential election.

28:59

But by the time George W. Bush was

29:01

inaugurated and the dust began

29:03

to settle, the era of compassionate

29:06

Conservatism seemed poised for

29:08

smooth Saley. The Clinton presidency

29:10

was in the rear view mirror, the House had a Republican

29:13

majority, and because Conservatives were riding

29:15

high, Russia's critics predicted,

29:17

without anyone to complain about, his show

29:20

would soon be on the decline, and

29:22

then on a clear Tuesday morning, everything

29:25

changed. Debris

29:28

is just falling off the building. I mean

29:30

it's under looking at the trade towers exactly

29:33

what it happened. We need to unite, We need to understand

29:36

together. September eleven,

29:38

two thousand one profoundly impacted

29:40

America, the Bush presidency and

29:43

Russia limpus. All different sets

29:45

of emotions start

29:48

taking over. Then in the

29:50

course of the next few weeks, learned

29:54

that I knew people who lost

29:56

people, family members and friends of the

29:58

World Trade Center. They are

30:01

still not the same. The tone of politics

30:03

changed on a dime, and Russia's audience

30:05

grew dramatically as Americans turned to a

30:08

familiar, soothing voice to calm

30:10

the chaos, pick up the pieces, and

30:12

move America forward. The Bush

30:14

White House also recognized the breach

30:17

of his program, as both President

30:19

Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney became

30:21

regular contributors. Welcome back to the program

30:23

the Vice President, Dick Cheney, Mr Vice President,

30:26

thank you as always, it's a it's an honor and

30:28

a delight to have you here with us. Talk

30:31

to you again. After two successful terms

30:33

and despite expertly guiding America through

30:35

an unprecedented crisis early in his

30:37

administration. President Bush left

30:40

Washington with waning popularity

30:42

and a missed harsh criticism. In the

30:44

years that followed, Rush tried to set

30:46

the record straight the Bush was a

30:49

solid leader dealing with mind eleven of it. How in

30:51

the world you go from that perception

30:53

to go to being approval, hated

30:56

and reviled. You

30:58

do that by letting the media to story you are

31:00

not fighting back and not getting political because

31:02

you don't want to sully the office or whatever. To the end,

31:05

Russell Limbaugh had profound respect for his

31:07

friend President George W. Bush

31:09

and his stewardship of the American presidents.

31:12

Bush has been rehabilitated. In the eyes

31:14

of the drive by media, Bush is gracious.

31:16

Now. What's missing in this transformation, of course,

31:18

Bush the evil, to Bush the gracious is

31:21

the acknowledgment that he has always comported

31:23

himself this way. Despite the relentless attacks

31:25

these past eight years, George W. Bush has

31:27

been a class act. He considered Bush

31:29

a strong leader who was unfairly defined

31:32

by his opponents, and for his part, George

31:34

W. Bush had a mutual respect for Rush,

31:37

and a statement after his death, Bush

31:40

praised Russia's belief in God and country

31:42

as an indomitable spirit with a big heart

31:45

like his father forty one before

31:47

him. Perhaps the same could be said about

31:49

number forty three, The

31:53

Life of Russia Limbaugh, Chapter ten.

31:56

They're rated by Scott Bao. In

32:00

November fourth, two thousand and eight, America

32:02

made history by electing its first black president,

32:04

and known for his signature cutting edge analysis

32:07

and insight Russia. Limbau was quick to explain

32:09

how Barack Obama was able to convince so many

32:11

Americans to vote for him. In fact, Rush

32:14

was very detailed as to why Obama's election

32:16

victory was so decisive. The main reason

32:18

Obama was elected was a bunch

32:20

of people in this country very

32:23

distressed and fed up but

32:25

the ongoing allegation that they and

32:27

the rest of the country were a bunch of racists

32:30

and bigots, and they believed that

32:32

if they participated in electing

32:35

the first African American

32:37

president, that they could do away with

32:39

that charge, They could do away with that

32:42

notion, that idea. I firmly believe

32:44

that the vast majority outside

32:47

of the Democrat for the vast majority of white

32:49

votes for Obama were made with

32:51

that hope. After eight years of conservative

32:54

leadership by the President George W. Bush.

32:56

Rush was eager, willing, and ready to resume

32:58

his role as chief concerned of critic in opposition

33:01

to the Obama regime. As he frequently labeled,

33:03

it fits what the hell else is it? But

33:05

not a regime. It didn't take long

33:08

for Rush to start making waves with only

33:10

four little words just before inauguration

33:12

Day. I hope he fails. I wanted

33:15

Obama to fail so that my country would

33:17

not. I wanted Obama's liberal

33:20

agenda, his socialist community

33:22

organizer agenda, to fail.

33:25

I did not, and never have and never

33:27

will want America to fail.

33:30

Never, no way. I wanted

33:32

America to be saved. Rush soon

33:34

found plenty more to criticize and what became

33:37

the signatures of the Obama administration,

33:39

from Obamacare to the closing of GIBMO,

33:41

the Iran nuclear deal, to Obama's border

33:44

tactics, and much much more for Russia,

33:46

Limbaugh, the Obama years were chocked full of policies

33:48

and bad politics. The Dissect for

33:51

tens of millions of listeners daily and

33:53

throughout Obama's two terms in office, rushed

33:55

to great pride in telling his listeners that

33:57

he had no doubt the President was one of them.

34:00

As he often explained on air, not only was

34:02

Obama paying attention to him, he was fixated

34:05

on the Republicans are only concerned about

34:07

what's on Fox News or what Rush

34:09

Limbaugh is saying, and Democrats are looking

34:11

at the New York Times or Huffington Post. So

34:14

Obama comes into office telling

34:16

Republicans that they can't listen

34:18

to Rush Limbaugh anymore and get things

34:21

done. That's just not how it happens in Washington.

34:24

And he's leaving office having

34:26

failed to remove one of his

34:28

main impediments from his equation, and

34:31

that would be me. So after eight years,

34:33

Obama he comes into office

34:36

with me living rent free in

34:38

his head, and I'm still there. It

34:40

could be said today that during the Obama administration,

34:43

Rush Limbaugh was at his best, staunchly

34:45

defending conservative principles and standing up

34:47

for America and its exceptionalism.

34:50

But in the end, whether at his best or

34:52

even on a bed day, a few could

34:54

touch Rush Limbaugh. The Obama chapter

34:57

was but just eight years of more than third

35:00

of unprecedented broadcast

35:02

excellence. The

35:06

Life of Russia Limbaugh Chapter eleven,

35:09

narrated by Nick Searcy. After

35:13

the election of Barack Obama in two thousand

35:15

and eight, Russia Limbaugh was immediately concerned

35:18

for the direction America was headed, as

35:20

he intuitively sensed the growing loss of

35:22

freedoms and liberty to come over the next

35:24

eight years, and as the end of the Obama

35:27

regime neared, Russ's listeners trusted

35:29

him more than ever as Conservatism's

35:31

most vocal champion and opinion maker.

35:34

As a well known businessman, a non

35:36

political outsider started gaining

35:39

steam in a long shot bid for the Republican

35:41

presidential nomination, Rush made

35:43

clear where his priorities stood. Whatever

35:46

you think I'm advocating, it's not because

35:48

I care what happens to the Republican Party.

35:50

I care about what happens to America, and

35:53

I know that any more of what we've had the

35:55

last eight years, it's gonna be America.

35:57

But it's not going to be the America you and I know.

36:00

As then candidate Donald J. Trump took

36:02

off on a meteoric rise, the mainstream

36:05

media and political pundits were dumbfounded

36:07

by his success and his refusal

36:09

to play by the usual tired set of rules.

36:12

But Russ knew early on that Trump

36:14

was different and why he connected

36:16

with the American people. He's real, he

36:19

isn't phony, he is not politically

36:22

correct, and he's fearless. He's not afraid

36:25

to tell people what he actually thinks

36:27

about other people or things. Trump

36:30

is showing that the things

36:32

the Republican parties afraid of are

36:34

baseless. They don't need to be afraid. With

36:37

his signature insight, Limbaugh told

36:39

his listeners why the experts were failing

36:41

to understand the man who was promising

36:43

to make America great again. Despite

36:46

the scores of critics and doubters, Trump never

36:48

gave up, and he campaigned relentlessly

36:51

right until the early morning hours of election

36:53

day, November eight, two thousand sixty.

36:56

So is that officially Tuesday

37:00

November? Did

37:04

you ever think you'd be hearing amazing speech

37:07

like it? Around close to one o'clock in the

37:09

morning, A we phrase and as America

37:11

came alive the next morning, it discovered

37:14

Trump had shocked the world with a decisive

37:17

win over Hillary Clinton. For his

37:19

part, Rush became one of President Trump's most

37:21

vocal advocates throughout his presidency

37:23

and the election. He saw

37:26

Trump as a uniter who would be good for America

37:28

in the long run, he is out trying to get as

37:30

many people in this country as

37:32

he can to join his movement.

37:35

He's not trying to lose. He's not trying

37:37

to clean things up and make the party something

37:40

that it isn't. He's trying to rename

37:42

it, reshape it so that it is a

37:44

party of victory. And what's the slogan,

37:46

make America great again? America

37:49

first. Everything he's talking about is real.

37:52

The outcome of the last presidential election

37:54

of Russia's lifetime didn't produce the

37:57

results for which he had hoped. And if the world

37:59

ever needed his insight and commentary, it

38:01

does today more than ever. But

38:04

if you listen close, even though the golden

38:06

E i B microphone sits empty, through

38:09

the speakers of radio stations across

38:11

the country, you can still hear the man

38:13

we knew and loved for more than thirty years.

38:17

The voices offering their opinion on the radio

38:19

now may be different, but the footsteps

38:21

in which they follow undoubtedly

38:24

belonged to Rush Limbaugh. The

38:31

Life of Rush Limbaugh, Chapter twelve,

38:34

narrated by Clay Travis and Buck

38:37

Sexton. I

38:40

have to tell you something today that I wish I

38:42

didn't have to tell you. That's how

38:44

Rush began to break the news to you, to

38:47

us on February that

38:50

he had been diagnosed with advanced lung

38:52

cancer, and for the first time

38:54

in more than thirty years, we

38:56

had to confront the reality that

38:58

he wouldn't be there middle of our day forever.

39:01

Most people might have walked away from their professional life

39:04

for good at that point, especially somewhat

39:06

of his means, but not Russia. Limball

39:08

determined as ever, he dug in for the long

39:11

haul, no matter how painful or difficult

39:13

it would get. I thought about trying to do

39:15

this without anybody knowing, because

39:18

I don't like making things about me. But

39:20

there are going to be days that I'm not going

39:23

to be able to be here, and you know me, I'm

39:25

the mayor of real film. This has happened,

39:27

and my intention is to come

39:30

here every day I can. But what else would

39:32

you expect. This is a man whose

39:34

passion for his craft was unparalleled,

39:37

a man who taught us that no matter how many times

39:39

you get knocked down or in his case, even

39:42

fired seven times, you keep

39:44

getting up and pushing forward until you

39:46

reach greatness. Be humble, grateful,

39:49

and share your success with others, helping

39:51

others, even if you don't expect or want

39:53

credit publicly for it. The legacy of

39:55

Russia Limball and its surface, might be that he

39:57

was a groundbreaking broadcaster who had

40:00

a m radio or a savvy intellectual

40:02

who knew politics had started out, both things

40:05

true he surely was, But

40:07

his bigger legacy will live on even

40:09

brighter behind the scenes, with the people

40:11

who knew him best and loved him most. Checking

40:14

with a mother on his staff before asking her

40:16

to travel to make sure her daughter didn't

40:19

have any events at school she wouldn't want to

40:21

miss. Quietly helping an employee

40:23

pay off some debt or replace a broken

40:25

down vehicle, sending ten, twenty

40:28

or fifty thousand dollars to someone he'd

40:30

never met, whose stories he found

40:33

and touched his heart. You know, I have a philosophy.

40:35

There's good that happens and everything

40:37

that may not reveal itself immediately,

40:39

and even in the most

40:42

dire circumstances, if you

40:44

just wait, you just remain

40:47

open to things, the good

40:49

in it we'll

40:51

reveal itself. And that has happened

40:54

to me as well. These are the lesser known

40:56

measures of the man behind the Golden e I

40:58

B microphone. On air, it

41:00

was talent on loan from God, but

41:03

off the air his character resolved

41:05

and warm, loving heart. That

41:08

was all Rush Hudson Limbaugh the

41:10

third with integrity on

41:13

loan from Nobody,