Limbaugh Ranks Among Conservative Greats

As far as I’m concerned, the giants of modern day conservatism are William Buckley, Milton Friedman, Ronald Reagan, and Rush Limbaugh. While much has been said and written about the contributions of the first three men, not enough attention has been paid to Rush’s accomplishments.

Yet today Rush’s influence on the conservative movement and the public debate is unparalleled. He has a unique ability to move from issue to issue, from the complex to the every day, with uncommon ease.

On any given day, Rush provides his 20 million listeners with insight into a wide variety of subjects.

During the first hour of a three-hour program, he might discuss the principles of America’s founding with specific references to the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War, the Articles of Confederation, the Federalist Papers and the U.S. Constitution, to the Civil War, the New Deal, World War II and the Civil Rights movement.

In the second hour he might talk about the federal budget and government spending, entitlement programs, capitalism, the Federal Reserve and supply-side economics.

In the third hour, he might address cultural issues, the environment, the feminist movement, politics, an injustice in some part of the world, or share a personal experience.

At all times, Rush is well prepared, thought-provoking and entertaining. And the common theme that underlies all he discusses, and to which he is committed, is an abiding belief in individual liberty, limited government, and the rule of law—the three cornerstones of our republic.

Impeachment: Rush was a guiding light during Bill Clinton’s impeachment. Despite the fact that this was only the second presidential impeachment in American history, Rush was able to walk his listeners through some of the most arcane issues of constitutional precedent and congressional procedure.

When some contended that Clinton’s offenses were not "high crimes and misdemeanors," Rush proved them wrong. When certain members of Congress and even some conservative pundits were urging the Senate to forgo an impeachment trial for a resolution of censure, Rush was the most outspoken opponent of this extra-constitutional ploy. To this day, Rush admonishes the Senate for failing to conduct a serious trial and thereby failing to uphold its constitutional responsibility.

Sen. John McCain: When John McCain’s presidential candidacy was gaining legs, with the mainstream media’s support, after a primary victory over George W. Bush in New Hampshire, Rush was both thoughtful and tenacious in his opposition to McCain’s brand of Republicanism. McCain, he pointed out, backed numerous liberal policies, from so-called campaign-finance reform to opposing serious tax cuts. Rush also challenged McCain’s frontal assault on the religious right and the National Rifle Association, and his campaign’s smear tactics in South Carolina and Michigan.

Gov. George W. Bush: While Rush made no apologies for his preference for George Bush, he was, as always, intellectually honest in his analysis of Bush’s positions.

During an early campaign speech in New York, for example, Bush made a derogatory reference to Robert Bork. Rush was the first to criticize Bush for seeking political capital at the expense of a renowned conservative. Bush never repeated the mistake.

Presidential Recount: The Bush-Gore presidential race proved to be one of the most controversial, complicated and constitutionally challenging elections in U.S. history. In the five weeks following election day—while trial lawyers, state and federal courts, and the media grappled with the election process—Rush was a voice of clarity helping his listeners work their way through a maze of historical, legal and political questions.

Rush described the intricacies of the Electoral College, the role of the Florida legislature as the final authority in determining the awarding of the state’s electoral votes under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, and the limitations of judicial review (especially by the rogue Florida Supreme Court). And Rush was not altogether comfortable with the U.S. Supreme Court’s reliance on the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause in its final ruling—a view he shared with his audience.

Sen. Thomas Daschle: Rush was the first to label Sen. Tom Daschle (D-.S.D.) "the illegitimate Senate majority leader" when Daschle seized the leader’s position from Trent Lott by persuading Vermont’s Jim Jeffords, who had just been reelected as a Republican, to leave the GOP in exchange for a committee chairmanship and support for continuing milk price supports. Rush has also been one of the most effective counterweights to Daschle’s dishonest rhetoric and liberal agenda by denouncing his efforts to thwart Bush’s tax-cut plan, judicial nominations, energy bill and—prior to September 11—increased defense spending.

Rep. Bill Thomas: Rush was a vocal critic last spring of the timidity of the GOP House tax-cut plan, authored by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R.-Calif.). Thomas, having been cowed by the class warfare propaganda of the Democrats, rejected conservative efforts to cut retroactively all income tax rates—including those in the higher brackets.

Such was the outcry over Thomas’s plan after Rush questioned it that the chairman called Rush on the air in a futile attempt to defend his position. Rush politely yet persuasively dismantled the congressman’s arguments. No one has been more consistent and vocal in advocating tax cuts than Rush.

Terrorism: The Bush Administration has been attacked for its antiterrorism policies by certain conservatives and liberals. First, after only a few weeks of battle, the armchair generals complained that the President had not introduced thousands of ground troops into Afghanistan, a move they claimed was necessary to win the war. Rush insisted otherwise, arguing that the U.S. military had destroyed most of the Taliban and al Qaeda’s infrastructure in short order, that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his commanders were highly experienced warriors who knew what they were doing and, besides, that the U.S. could not support such a large deployment so early in the campaign because it lacked forward bases in the region for launching such an operation.

Shortly thereafter, the U.S. began ratcheting up its bombing runs and increasing coordination with the Northern Alliance. The Taliban and al Qaeda forces have been on the run ever since. The armchair generals’ defeatism was misguided, just as Rush had said. Others are now questioning Bush’s order reestablishing military commissions to try non-citizen combatants (terrorists) and the administration’s detention of several hundred aliens who either have ties to al Qaeda or have violated federal law. Again, Rush has been at the forefront of this debate. Both on his radio program and in a widely applauded Washington Post op-ed piece, Rush described the historical and legal justifications for the President’s actions.

Moreover, Rush dared to tread where others would not. Both on the radio and in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, he exposed the failure of the Clinton Administration to take effective steps in response to repeated acts of terrorism committed by this same al Qaeda network, dating back to 1993 and the original bombing of the World Trade Center. Rush confuted Clinton and his minions who had been appearing on television and in print rewriting the record of their miserable failures.

With a combination of seriousness and humor, Rush has been devastating in his commentaries on a host of other subjects: the radical environmental movement ("environmental wackos"), the extremist feminist movement ("feminazis"), campaign-finance reformers ("anti-free speech crowd"), gun-control advocates ("gun confiscation advocates"), the trial lawyers, the anti-tobacco lobby, the teachers’ unions, political correctness, abortion, cloning and stem cell research, and on and on.

Rush’s success is not due solely to his knowledge and intellect. He has also succeeded because his audience identifies with, and relates to him. As Rush likes to say, he confirms what his listeners and so many Americans believe in a time when tradition and common sense are often turned on their heads. He is a voice of reason and sanity to many.

And unlike many in his profession, Rush does not use his golden "Excellence In Broadcasting" microphone to ridicule or abuse his callers in order to make himself look clever. He is positive, polite, respectful and a gentleman. He not only tolerates dissent, but liberals are given preference when they call his show.

As someone who is privileged to count him as a good friend, I can attest that Rush is selfless, considerate and compassionate. He’s a genuine article. I marvel at his strength and fortitude in dealing with his sudden hearing loss. What would have devastated most people has energized him. I have no doubt that, as Rush likes to say with tongue in cheek, his talent is on loan from God. But I know for a fact that his character comes from the heart.

Golf stuff drives you nuts huh? LOL Well...I just take it all in stride and just enjoy Rush. Have you heard him over the past summer at all especially lately since he has completely lost his hearing? What a trooper! It is hard to believe but I think he is enjoying his show more now than he has in the past year or two. Rush Rules!

I've been listening more lately. I've always enjoyed his (non-golf) commentaries even more then when he takes calls.

I hope he gets his hearing back, for his sake, but he's doing great now.

(But I hate golf.)

Wrong. Get a clue.

Right. Check the archives. Rush said, because the Democrats in the Senate had the votes to block indictment and vowed not to indict no matter what, impeachment by the House was futile. His punch line was, 'if you attack the king, with out a chance of prevailing, you can 'lose your head'.

Only when the House prevailed, due to great leadership of Hyde, did Rush get on board. If it were up to Rush, there would have been no House impeachment. Those are the facts. Ask Rush, he won't take the credit for it, he's not that way. My only point is that Levin is wet. Credit should go to the likes of Hyde, Delay, Barr and the House GOP leadership.

Check the record, Rush was against the house impeaching Clinton, he didn't think they would convict, and on that he was right.

Wrong! Where in the world did you hear that?

Depending on your definition of "conservitive", Friedman may be the only true conservative on the list

My understanding is that "conservatism" recognizes the "community" as a unit of society, and the necessity for some local control. I also understand conservatives to be more tolerant of limitations on rights. Libertarians, on the other hand, recognize individuals as the possessor of absolute rights, which outweigh any supposed "community" interest. They are also not apt to tolerate curtailment of rights, in theory anyway (in reality they are slogging along with the rest of us). Along those lines, Friedman is a libertarian, as far as I can tell.

I am sure there are better informed people around, who could get into the whole Burke, Locke, Hayek, Friedman, Jaffa, debate. I have just read a few books on the subject. I am not an expert. But I don't think Friedman is a "conservative", in the ordinary sense of the word, but Buckley and Limbaugh definitely are.

" My mother used to boast that her great uncle, Andrew Johnson, had been the only one."

huh Chuckster, it may surprize you that maw was right, until Sick Bubba, Nixon my man resigned, never was impeached, didn't happen.
So just between you and me, it's TWO president's have been impeached.

Where in the world did you hear that? On the radio, EIB. After the House vote to impeach, Rush joined in. I'm not knocking Rush, but every attempt by Barr and Delay to impeach was twarted by Gingrich and Chairman Hyde. Rush being part of the team also backed Newt.

Finally, after Clinton committed perjury, Hyde snapped and started the impeachment hearings. When the House voted to impeach, Rush then jumped in, as he die had been cast, he had no choice.

Mine you, I like Rush, I'm only a bit peeved that the credit was given to him for what was the greatest act by the House in this century, the House impeachment.

Rush was right, heads did roll!

Rush said, because the Democrats in the Senate had the votes to block indictment and vowed not to indict no matter what, impeachment by the House was futile. His punch line was, 'if you attack the king, with out a chance of prevailing, you can 'lose your head'. Only when the House prevailed, due to great leadership of Hyde, did Rush get on board. If it were up to Rush, there would have been no House impeachment. Those are the facts. Ask Rush, he won't take the credit for it, he's not that way. My only point is that Levin is wet. Credit should go to the likes of Hyde, Delay, Barr and the House GOP leadership.

Wrong. You can assert it all you want, but that doesn't make you correct. Levin is not wet; you are.

I was THERE.

I was THERE

So was I. Who deserves the credit for the House voting to impeach? Hyde and the 10 managers or Rush?

Rush had no belly for it. He was right on it being futile given the corruped Senate, but wrong that the impeachment in itself would be major accomplishment. He realized it only after the fact.

Again, the House deserves full credit. Rush has accomplished much, but Levin is off base on this point.

I'm only taking issue because the House that Newt built by recruiting has to be rewarded for their effords. Now under Hasterd, Delay and Armey, we are very fortunate. A few more Domocrats in the House and we would all be in deep dodo.

Live and learn and pay attention!

but you dont have to have an orgasm over the mere mention of his name.

AND SO WHAT IF WE DO??? Why should our orgasms concern YOU!!! I am so sick of conservatives that don't like someone because every one of their opinions don't line up with theirs.

I was a born and raised democrat and after the birth of my first child I had an awakening, I grew a brain. "IF YOU WERE NOT LIBERAL WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG YOU HAD NO HEART. IF YOU STAY LIBERAL WHEN YOU ARE OLD, YOU HAVE NO BRAIN." A friend of mine turned me on to RUSH and I was won over. I once was lost and NOW I AM FOUND, thanks to RUSH.

I don't agree with him 100% of the time but he has done more than YOU AND I have for the CONSERVATIVE CAUSE.

(Ashamedly)Bill is my representative. Arghhhhrrrr. I heard Rush when Bill called and, of course, Rush couldn't be horn swaggled. heh heh

I heard that! Thomas, the arrogant punk got his head handed to him. I hate that guy. He's always in such a crabby mood. (I know you're all saying the same thing about this poster. Now don't get snippy with me.)

I have to do it because My mother used to boast that her great uncle, Andrew Johnson, had been the only one. Of course that was before Nixon and Slick Willie.

Since we're discussing accuracy, you do know that Nixon wasn't impeached (or, of course, convicted either).

I stopped when he refused to address real conservative issues such as NAFTA, GATT,

Those two issues are NOT conservative issues they are Pat Buchanan populist pro-union issues.

And when he talks about his golf game, I turn him off.

LOL!

Golfers get absolutely obnoxious.I have people who suddenly remember they left something on the stove when I start talking about golf. My son tells me, "If you're going to talk about golf, I'm hanging up."

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