After 25 Years, the Left Still Has No Idea Why This Show is Successful

Rush Limbaugh.com ^ | May 5, 2014 | Rush Limbaugh

[Kaslin]

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Every Monday Cookie goes through the -- well, whatever she uses to find -- she can't watch all this stuff. I guess she still does watch this stuff. Anyway, over the weekend I'm always mentioned on various programs, and on Monday the vast majority of the sound bites are about me. Actually, it's not the case today but there are two here, two or three -- just grab number two and three. This is the kind of thing I don't know how many times I have explained.

Twenty-five years I've been doing this program. You who listen to it know exactly what the purpose of the program is, why I do it, who I do it for, what goes into it. That's why you listen. That's why you're here. Twenty-five years and still people on the left or in the media, which is maybe the same thing, either refuse to get it, have never understood it or are purposely misstating it, and I think probably it is the former. I think they're just plain ignorant and associating this program and me with various prejudiced stereotypes that they've got.

Saturday morning, PBS One-on-One. The host is -- oh, well, this guy. I mean, he wouldn't get it right if his life depended on it. The host, I'm not gonna mention this clown's name. He's been around. But he's talking to Brian Lehrer, who's been on New York City public radio and all that for a long time. And the host asked this guy, "How would you describe the differences between what you do in talk radio and what most other commercial talk radio -- What is the big difference, Brian, between what you do?" Of course he's highbrow, PBS, no ratings, smart, soft-spoken, reasonable, inoffensive, thoughtful. Boring! And so he's asking, what's the difference in what you do and what these clowns on commercial radio do?

LEHRER: I'll tell you it this way. Rush Limbaugh has a line that he uses sometimes. He has this line that he uses sometimes: "This show is not about what you think. It's about what I think."

ADUBATO: It's true.

LEHRER: And it's sort of a laugh line, but then again it is absolutely true.

ADUBATO: He doesn't care what you think.

LEHRER: My show really is about what everybody thinks ‘cause we are really an open forum.

RUSH: And the misunderstanding continues. When this all started early on in the program's history, the left, one of the initial criticisms of this program was of you, the audience, that you were a bunch of mind-numbed robots, that you didn't know diddly-squat about anything until I told you. You were brainless. You were brain-dead, and you didn't know or do anything until I commanded you. And after not too long a time of the left doing that, I started tweaking them, as you know well that we do here. I love tweaking these people in the media and these highbrows and these effete elites who think they're better than everybody else.

So on a Friday, for example, I will say, "And for those of you who don't want to worry about what happens over the weekend, don't worry about it. You don't have to worry about a thing. I'll do it for you, and as an added bonus I will tell you what to think," just to tweak them. And they fall for it. After 25 years they continue to fall for it. They haven't the slightest idea. And I'll tell you, this is crucial. They haven't the slightest idea why this program is successful. They have not the slightest idea and therefore can in no way replicate the process for themselves.

They have no idea about actually connecting and bonding with the audience or an audience, no idea. They have this condescending, everybody talks down to people. They think they're open-minded and they listen to all points of view and so forth and so on. They have no clue what they're doing. It also is one of the reasons why they have no audience.

So on CNN on Saturday morning, another discussion similar to this, Michael Smerconish is speaking with this Brian Stelter. This is a different Brian, not Brian Lehrer. This is a different Brian. This is a guy that used to be at the New York Times. Now he's at CNN doing media analysis. And Brian, they swapped seats and the media guy started interviewing Smerconish about him and his new book called Talk. And during the discussion they had this little exchange.

STELTER: I have heard you say in the past, people like Rush Limbaugh, you wonder if they believe everything they’re saying on the radio.

SMERCONISH: How could you?

STELTER: You’re skeptical.

SMERCONISH: Yeah, how could you? Come on, a broken clock is right twice a day, isn’t that the old adage? How can everything that Barack Obama does be wrong? How can he be the anti-Christ in every single situation?

RUSH: Who ever said he's the anti-Christ? But he is wrong. What's he been right about? He's a liberal. But the point is they don't believe that I actually believe what I say. (imitating Stelter and Smerconish) "Limbaugh is just saying this for his audience. He doesn't really believe half the stuff he says." They don't get it. They don't get that I believe everything I say, other than, of course, when we're doing the sarcasm or the parodies or what have you. So those are the two sound bites featuring me.

END TRANSCRIPT

[driftdiver]

If they were smart they wouldn’t be lefties.

[skinkinthegrass]

It's called, "s.u.c.c.e.s.s"...drive to succeed.

[Telepathic Intruder]

If they could they would use the “fairness doctrine” to shut down conservative radio. Nancy Pelosi has literally stated this. Their own radio programs, such as Air America, always flop because they’re not entertaining and seldom tell the truth. Liberals have yet to name any lies told by people like Rush.

[Billthedrill]

My congratulations on 25 years of driving them nuts. I sympathize a little with Smerconish's disbelief that literally everything 0bama does is wrong. Of course it's hard to believe. Can we seriously state that a President of the United States could possibly be so incompetent, unqualified, bitter, hostile, and divisive in everything he does? Everything? Absolutely everything?

Yes.

Next question?

[Arthur McGowan]

Anyone who is still hiding out from the fact that the President of the U.S. is an illegal alien is on a slippery slope to irrelevance. The day is coming when people will be remembered for whether they strove to bring out the truth, or to run away from it.

[stockpirate]

I enjoy listening to Rush, but he is wrong on several issues, the left gets his show, they just lie about it to demean to show.

He is wrong about GOP leadership and they cave or betray their core values, no Rush they are socialists who have lied about being conservatives, they support the socialist/fascist agenda to a T.

[Kenny Bunk]

Rush really, really tried to become an Establishment Republican, but they apparently turned him down.

Are you too young to remember that Rush used to say that illegal immigration was no big deal and was the sign of a healthy economy?

Rush is a broadcast genius. He is a super salesman. He is a niche marketing man. He was a rock'n'roll DJ (awful at it). He is not a political philosopher and doesn't pretend to be. His audience pretends he is, which is a key part of his genius.

I just wish more of his audience would actually vote. Even Rush tells them that "Turnout is the answer to vote fraud." Which isn't quite true, either ... but it would be a start.

But WTF, I'm a good sport, I'll tune in when he mentions Sheriff Joe and the CCP. I don't expect him to endorse him or his findings,just cover him as a newsworthy item. Ditto Hannity, Levin, et al.

[Elsie]

I just wish more of his audience would actually vote.

HMMMmmm...

Got any DATA?

[stockpirate]

Rush pretends to be right on many issues. He is a radio talk show host not an expert, but tries to be.....

[Kenny Bunk]

Got any DATA?

Why yes, Elsie, as a matter'o'fact. It's called the "Kenny Bunk VFW Bar Poll." While I cannot scientifically state that it has garnered world-wide acclaim, it is a frequent topic of conversation ... at the VFW.

When serving as the duly elected Judge of Elections it came to my attention that while I had to keep an eye on the illegally registered illegal aliens working at the chicken packing plant, I could rely on my vociferous "conservative" compadres at the VFW Bar to somehow completely miss the election. No absentee ballot, no show up at the precinct, no nothin'. In fact, the louder the "conservative" the less likely ....IMNVHO of course .... of the yahoo in question actually voting.

AHA! Anecdotal evidence, you surmise. No, Elsie. In my area, FAR fewer people showed up to vote for The Mormon Milquetoast than showed up to vote for GW.

Since I am no longer in office, (vox populi and all that) I have issued dire threats to the subjects of my scientific poll.

Either show up at the polls and be counted in Fall '14, or I will personally visit your home and administer a Louisville Slugger Neurological Treatment to your thick "conservative" skull." Of course, I may drag offenders to their precinct first, THEN throw'em a beatin'. In the meantime, I making sure that every "barroom conservative" I encounter is actually registered. Many, dear Elsie, are not, you know.

That's my DATA!

[GOPJ]

Twenty-five wonderful years of pure excellence - that's amazing...

When I see men like Rush Limbaugh holding back the horrors liberal elites would inflict upon us I feel the country's been blessed.

Thanks Rush... let's go for another twenty-five...

[RipSawyer]

If he were merely incompetent but well-intentioned he would get something right by accident but give him a clear cut choice between a French Silk pie and a cow pie and he will take the cow pie every time.

[Rebelbase]

Normal people take Limbaugh’s schtick of “I am the greatest”, “You don’t need to think, I’ll do that for you” and other bombastic boasts as being just that, a bunch of jock like bravado.

No problem there unless one is an elitist metrosexual who was never in a locker room or around real men; in that case they take it word for word as gospel truth unable to discern and dismiss the bravado from the actual message.

[Elsie]

Many, dear Elsie, are not, you know.

True.

Sometimes anecdotal 'evidence' is right on the money!

[Osage Orange]

Actually I think plenty of lefties have no idea or get what Rush is talking about....because they don't listen long enough.

That said...there's plenty on the right..that don't "get" him either.

[Osage Orange]

Ha!!

[Osage Orange]

Bovine Scat.......

[Alas Babylon!]

I think he’s talking about Obama... Not Rush.

[Osage Orange]

Ummm...never thought that!!

Ha!!

If so....my mistake.