Welcome Back Rush!

Rush Limbaugh returned today to his rightful place behind the "Golden EIB Microphone" after a five-week absence. It was a long time without "The Godfather" of talk radio. Agree with him or not, he puts on the best show in radio.

Welcome Back!

Comments

[Ginka]

Pa-leeese!! Enough with the Rush worship. What do I hate worse than a hypocrite like Rush? A conservative's life of black & white. To someone like Rush all drugs are bad, all gays should go to hell, all religious leaders are good and anyone who thinks otherwise is the enemy.

I happen to like my life of grays. It's makes things interesting. Black and white is for simple thinkers. Rush is exactly what you said he was....a showman.

[The Opinionator]

Ginka,

Those are some interesting points. However, if you were a regular listener to the Rush Limbaugh Show, I think your comments would be very different. You are right about his being a showman. He has often said that his goal is to have as large an audience as possible in order to charge the highest advertising rates possible.

In response to your other opinions, while I welcomed Rush back to the air and pointed out the entertainment aspects of his program; I do not "worship" him. We agree on much and his show often reminds me of the discussions around dinner tables all over the country. However, I also disagree with him as well. Sometimes it is with his phrasing of an issue. Other times, it is the content. I am much more socially liberal than Rush. For instance, I favor the decriminalization of marijuana. It seems like a waste of time and energy chasing down marijuana growers, dealers and users.

Additionally, I challenge you to find a quote that Rush has made saying that, "all drugs are bad, all gays should go to hell, all religious leaders are good and anyone who thinks otherwise is the enemy." He made one particular quote discussing drugs many years ago that has been taken out of context but for the most part, he avoided the subject of drug use. According to Rush, this was because he knew he had this problem. He is also far less based in faith than someone like Sean Hannity, whose Catholic faith influences many of his opinions.

In terms of Rush's drug use, I, like many of his listeners, am torn. On one hand, I feel let down and think that perhaps he has been hypocritical. On the other, his addiction is the result of prescribed medication for a medical problem. This is the same thing that has happened to numerous people and celebrities such as Liz Taylor. If I/we are willing to cut them some slack due to the consequences under which they became addicted, should I/we not do the same for Rush? Or do I/we hold Conservatives to a much higher standard than Liberals and the rest of society? In short, I am troubled by the revelation. But, I can also forgive him for being human.

Last, a life of grays is not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion. Very few people are monolithic in their views and have positions on different issues that vary all over the political and philosophical spectrum. However, in some areas of society, such a universities, and in some places, such as western Europe, a view of the world without black and white often means not being able to determine the difference between right and wrong as well as moral equivalence. The desire to not be judgmental has led to this problem. It is this that people like myself rail against.

I hope this answers some of your opinions. I may come back and add to this at a later date.

Happy New Year, The Opinionator!