Nine quick days ago tragedy struck a globally iconic figure-Kobe Bryant. He was full of life and had much more to live. Yesterday, another iconic figure, although a far more polarizing one, announced on his now 32 years and running AM radio talk show that he had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer-Rush Limbaugh.
What do the two have in common? The answer is very little, save one thing. Both rose to the very top of their very difficult and highly skilled professions and flourished for an abnormally long time.
In the mid-’80s Rush stopped trying to be what others wanted him to be on air and started being Rush. By 1988 he was in New York and his conservative talk show entered syndication. Soon radio stations coast to American coast picked him up and began revamping their station lineups around him. The number of stations in his mid-’90s zenith was nearly 700. Today it’s still 590 or so. His listenership peaked at nearly 20 million per week. It remains the #1 talk show today with over 16 million. He single-handedly changed talk radio.
Along the way Rush made many new friends, made many new enemies, and found himself embroiled in more than a few controversies.
In 2003 he was extra busy. He joined the ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown. He didn’t last long. He questioned Donovan McNabb’s ability as a QB. “Sorry to say this, I don’t think he’s been that good from the get-go,” Limbaugh said. “I think what we’ve had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback does well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb.”
He also was extra busy in 2003 consuming way too many prescribed pain killers. A court case was settled and one count of obtaining them illegally was dismissed.
His campaign to marginalize Sandra Fluke in 2012 was strongly worded and unrelenting. It cost him and his show dozens of sponsors.
There is a softer side too. His work leading charitable causes and his private monetary donations are numerous and generous in the many millions.
But, make no mistake about it, Rush has been Rush and has been great at it for a long time. His appeal in conservative circles is unmatched. He’s been at odds with the Republican Party more than once as well. There’s a difference in being a conservative and a Republican.
His shtick is uncanny and unrelenting. “Sitting high atop the EIB (Excellence in Broadcasting) Network Broadcast Building with talent on loan from God, it’s Rush Limbaugh at the Golden Mic, the center for advanced conservative studies. I have half my brain tied behind my back just to make it fair.” And on he pushes.
A colleague called him the Babe Ruth of broadcasting just a few weeks back. Babe did it his way. Legend has it that Babe once pointed to where he then hit the next pitch for a home run. Rush has had a clear vision of the future cultural and political changes that few others could foresee. Babe hit 714 in all and retired in 1935. It took until 1974, or 39 years for Hank Aaron to break the home run record. There is and has been no one on the radio that has come close to Rush’s combination of passion, wit, knowledge, and ability to convey the complex in a simple way for 32 years and counting. Rush does it his way.
You can argue his political takes, but be prepared for the long game. His work ethic is unparalleled. Try being the solo host of a three-hour show, five days a week, and fifty-two weeks a year. Now do that for 32 years and counting.
His show is his life. And, now he is in the fight of his life.