2.17.21 Bee-otch of the Day: Rush Limbaugh

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Name: Rush Limbaugh
Age: was 70
Occupation: hellish serf
Last Seen: here
Bee-otched for: everything
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Here's a simple question: how many of you were lucky to have all four of your grandparents when you graduated high school?

Count me in as part of that club, at least for a year. However, just a few months after I got that prized diploma, I was given some sad news: my paternal grandfather was diagnosed with lung cancer.

My paternal grandparents smoked until the early 80s. When they started having grandchildren - and bear in mind that they had seven kids of their own - they wanted to set an example, so they quit smoking for good. 

In my grandfather's case, he was taking medication for his thyroid. Doctors wanted him to wean off of it. But, when he did, his immune system became shot, causing his cancer. 

My grandfather went under extensive radiation, which caused him to lose 40 pounds and a lot of energy. We thought that his cancer was beat and he could go into remission. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be. After doctors discovered that the radiation didn't eradicate all of his cancer, he decided that he had a good life. My grandfather died in May, 2001 at age 75.

While I was at school, I was scanning the AM band and heard a commercial for Rush Limbaugh's radio show. The ad was audio of him talking about how he claimed scientists found that nicotine cured cancer in lab rats. Needless to say, I rolled my eyes, knowing how much bullshit El Rushbo was spewing. 

But, that's the nature of his game. Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was someone who embraced the Reagan administration's abolishment of the Fairness Doctrine to use the power of broadcasting to trump his ultraconservative bullshit. Some people cry that it was Rush who saved AM radio since most stations were either simulcasts of FM counterparts or falling silent. However, he had to do it with racism, sexism and pure bigotry.

Rush thought he was the King of All Media. He had two best-selling books, a TV show along with his radio program. Thankfully by the late 90s, he started drifting in the ratings, his books were now in the bargain bin and his TV show canceled. However, his ratings shot back up thanks to the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal and 9/11. 

For years, Limbaugh was known for bashing those with drug problems, demanding that they be locked up. But, when he was caught doctor shopping for OxyContin, he simply went to a resort that acted like a rehab center. Oxy is also linked to deafness, which is why he ended up with cochlear implants. 

Last year, Limbaugh shocked his listeners with his lung cancer diagnosis. He continued to work through his pain. Shortly after he made his announcement, Drumpf awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, only one of three radio personalities ever to achieve such an award (the other two were Edward R. Murrow and Paul Harvey). 

Today at noon, Rush's fourth wife, Kathryn announced that earlier that day, he had passed from his lung cancer. A longtime smoker of cigars, it escalated Limbaugh's passing. As mentioned, he claimed that smoking had nothing to do with cancer. Well, it lead to a below average life. 

Granted, Rush had $600 million in the bank. He lived in a huge mansion in West Palm Beach, FL. He had 600 affiliates and 15 million listeners. But, he was below average. He hated liberals, people of color and women. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty damn sure that Rush purchased his last wife, who was 24 years his junior. Hell, he even paid Elton John a shitload of money to appear at their wedding.

The best thing that happened to Rush was that he did not bore any children. However, he had a ton of clones over the years with names like Hannity, Savage, Levin, Jones, Ingraham and more. When Howard Stern left terrestrial radio, there hasn't been a formidable replacement for him, period. Though Free Beer and Hot Wings have some 50 affiliates, they don't have the big markets Stern had. 

Question is, what will life be without Rush? I hope it will resemble that scene from the old Simpsons episode where Marge persuades the producers of the Itchy and Scratchy cartoons to tone down its trademark violence. When the kids all turn off the TV in disgust, they go outside, play and get some fresh air. For now, iHeartMedia plans to keep the show going with a mish-mash of old clips of Rush with some guest hosts. After that, who knows? 

Bear in mind that the majority of talk radio hosts are old farts. Rush was 70, Hannity's pushing 60, Glenn Beck is 57 and so on. Most people who still listen to shitty talk radio are boomers and they're dying off. Recently, Rush's affiliate in Mt. Pleasant, WMMI 830 dropped its format and is now country as Buck 92, utilizing their translator at 92.3. If many AMs have translators like WMMI, I'd imagine the same from there on. With Rush gone, it's time to restore sanity to terrestrial radio.

Now, who's the person uttering "See, I Told You So!"?

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