1/21/2024 0 Comments Rush limbaugh online3.4 Sandra Fluke Comments Lead to Limbaugh Apology and Sponsor Exitsĭrug Addiction and Former Condemnation of Drug Users.1 Drug Addiction and Former Condemnation of Drug Users.The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. (SOUNDBITE OF HELGE LIEN TRIO'S "JAZZKORAL")Ĭopyright © 2021 NPR. INSKEEP: NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik on the late Rush Limbaugh, who is dead at age 70. INSKEEP: Although, as we just heard from Sarah McCammon, he also did, in fact, make things up. But the one thing that I don't do is make things up or say things I don't believe just to cause a reaction because that takes no talent.įOLKENFLIK: And, Steve, one of the things about Limbaugh is he gave sort of license for the more conservative arm of the Republican Party to give voice to the policies and positions that might have been seen outside the pale in the 1980s and early '90s. RUSH LIMBAUGH: And there is a lot of schtick and a lot of humor to it. Here's the approach that he said he brought to it. That is, he wanted to gouge people paid for commercials on his show. He said, I'm trying to both say things that I believe strongly and also to charge what he called confiscatory ad rates. It's almost quaint to think that in 2007 we were worried about that compared to the way things are now. INSKEEP: When you talked with him, what were your impressions?įOLKENFLIK: You know, I talked to Limbaugh for a series NPR did about bridging partisan divides. He helped to instill in it a sense of grievance and therefore built upon it the idea that they weren't being served. And then here was the genius for him - he helped to stoke that audience. And then he spoke to this audience he identified. When that was cast aside, Rush Limbaugh could absorb great swaths of real estate without any fear from the owners that they had to do something with somebody equally incendiary on the left. And you have to also acknowledge that he was an incredible beneficiary, perhaps the first big one, of - the Reagan administration set aside something called the fairness doctrine, which essentially said that on radio stations and television stations, anywhere that had a license across the country from the FCC, they had to give equal amount of time to somebody on an opposing side if there was a real strong point of view being expressed. INSKEEP: Did you just describe what made him successful, that mixture of racism and bigotry?įOLKENFLIK: Well, I think you first have to start with the idea that he identified an audience that felt it wasn't being served, people who felt that the mainstream media, people felt that the greater establishment wasn't serving people who were conservatives or culturally conservative. But there were a lot of people who took great exception with what he offered and for very good reason. And he was a very charismatic figure on the air. He wove this into what he saw as satire and pastiche. He would go after people of color and women, gays and lesbians and even AIDS victims for being AIDS victims, you know, in ways that trafficked in stereotypes and sometimes were outright bigoted. But, you know, it's worth pointing out he was a guy who kind of owned the libs before the phrase existed, decades before. Maybe they listened to it some, maybe they heard about it. And then there were a cohort of people who took great exception to what he had to say. But what did he mean to people who were not listening?įOLKENFLIK: Well, you know, people would hear the name Rush Limbaugh and think, oh, well, he's a conservative or, oh, well, he's an important voice out there, a successful radio host. Millions of people listen to that show and loved Rush Limbaugh. INSKEEP: What we just heard from Sarah at the end there is right. David, good morning.ĭAVID FOLKENFLIK, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik has covered conservative media and Rush Limbaugh for years.
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