A year after Rush Limbaugh’s death, the legendary radio host’s words have continued to inspire conservatives and enrage liberals.
SO WHAT
Are you offended?
WHAT RUSH SAID
These 12 quotations by Limbaugh — who died from lung cancer at age 70 — show why he has been remembered by his critics as a bigot and by his fans as a brilliant pundit and humorist:
1. “Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women access to the mainstream of society.”
2. “Racist: a person who wins an argument with a liberal.”
3. “The Earth’s ecosystem is not fragile.”
4. “If you had to attach not a philosophy but an attitude to a leftist worldview, it’s one of pessimism and darkness, sadness. They’re never happy, are they? They’re always angry about something. No matter what they get, they’re always angry.”
5. “Women should not be allowed on juries where the accused is a stud.”
6. “There is something wrong when critics say the problem with America is too much religion.”
7. “If any race of people should not have guilt about slavery, it’s Caucasians. The white race has probably had fewer slaves and for a briefer period of time than any other in the history of the world.”
8. “Liberal Democrats are inexorably opposed to tax cuts, because tax cuts give people more power, and take away from the role of government.”
9. “I think it’s time to get rid of this whole National Basketball Association. Call it the TBA, the Thug Basketball Association, and stop calling them teams. Call ’em gangs.”
10. “I guarantee there’d be some people in the Republican establishment who will now think, yeah, we need to do this. We need to provide a home, we need to provide a comforting atmosphere for the tranny community and the gay community. But those people are voting Democrat anyway.”
11. “I come from a long ago era where men could be men and stereotypical humor didn’t offend anybody.”
12. “Enraging liberals is simply one of the more enjoyable side effects of my wisdom.”
THE FINAL WORD
Speaking to Fox New host Tucker Carlson in November, James Golden, aka “Bo Snerdley,” the longtime producer of “The Rush Limbaugh Show,” contrasted Limbaugh’s on-air bombast with his personal kindness.
“Tucker, he was one of the most exceptional human beings you could ever meet,” Golden said, after recounting how Limbaugh once quietly paid off his debt.
- “People have this image of him being so bombastic and all that. The bombasity was part of the show, and it was tongue in cheek and it was fun,” Golden continued.
- “He was humble, so polite. … If you brought Rush a cup of coffee, he never failed: ‘Thank you, sir,’ ‘Thank you, ma’am.’ It was kind of old school politeness that never left him. He was so generous to his staff.”