Without Rush, it is likely that we would be listening to President Gore. Rush's access to exit polls showed a neck and neck election, so Rush implored, begged and pleaded with Conservatives to GO VOTE!
The pre-election polls - and nearly every thread on FR - stressed that GWB had an 'insurmountable', 'overwhelming' lead in the polls. The theory was that Gore was wooden, tied to Clinton, the 'kiss' was so staged that people would not fall for it. Those polls left many people feeling that GWB did not need their vote. Guess what? He did. I know many people who thought GWB had a lock on the election, and only voted as a result of Rush.
I don't agree with Rush on everything (though I'm hard pressed to think of some area of disagreement now), but for years he has been the ONLY face of conservatism. Rush ALWAYS says he would prefer Bush to Gore, and that includes the morphing of Bush into Gore about one issue, one time, for the purpose of making a point.
Rush is correct in his criticism of the Farm Bill and CFR. He ALWAYS reiterates his understanding that these are political not philosophical decisions; however, he correctly points out that Bush has a bully pulpit and that his constant compromise has not resulted in a 'kindler, gentler' Democratic leadership.
Rush has been subjected to the death of a thousand cuts by the Libs and is still standing. In 2004, if the economy is still a mess and the WoT is not going well, the Conservatives, Republicans, and Bush will need a friend on the airwaves, and who're they gonna call: Rush.
He has been helpful in the past and I honor him for it. However, he has tunnelvision regarding President Bush, and I have lost faith in someone who has spent time bashing the President rather than bashing Daschle. If you still like him, that is fine. I just decided to not listen to him any more.