I grew up with Rush Limbaugh listening in my junk car AM only radio and smoking cigarettes over lunch in High School. For many of us and before Internet he was the counter narrative information source as well as entertainment and conversation. The original subversive social media!
I grew up with Rush Limbaugh listening in my junk car AM only radio and smoking cigarettes over lunch in High School. For many of us and before Internet he was the counter narrative information source as well as entertainment and conversation. The original subversive social media!
It's probably hard for younger people to put this into proper context.
It's probably hard for younger people to put this into proper context.
There are some things that Rush shows us looking backwards, and I've never considered these until today.
One of his standard lines was that listeners tune in to have their own opinions validated. Before the internet Rush was a lone voice - this kind of content and analysis was not available in adult dosage other than the Rush Limbaugh Show. Today we see the (((slavers))) working diligently to make sure that the internet will be a place where your deviant opinions will not be shareable and will not be validated. You may think that Rush Limbaugh self-censored, or was censored, or not, but Rush was always broadcasting live from outside the Overton Window.
Rush Limbaugh allowed going viral before the internet. To the (((people that own the country))) it is critical that you do not have that kind of distribution. You can be shadowbanned and throttled on social media today, but with Rush a good caller could gain 10 million ears for 90 seconds or better if they could present the message. You could honestly call him up and change the national discussion if you were good. This was the first venue where everyman had a shot at that kind of reach. Today we see the big microphones or faceberg groups or themtube creators derated when they counter (((the narrative))). The next Rush Limbaugh will have to build their own powerful distribution network. Today (((the agenda))) is what to do about those podcasts which aren't adequately censored.
It was hard to find forbidden information before internet, but Rush Limbaugh regularly delivered the goods and it was timely. He changed the trajectory of the US government when he broke the story on the national stage that the federal budget was automatically increased by 10% every year before the specifics were worked out ("Baseline Budgeting.") Nobody knew this stuff, but insiders brought it it him and the information spread using his large platform which propelled Newt Gingrich to take Congress from the Democrats. Want another? Obamacare was widely discussed in public as the bill made its way through the house. Along comes Rush telling us that we haven't seen the bill - there was this thing called a "Managers' Amendment" in the Senate - "That's the bill, folks." Sure enough when ACA gets to the Senate from the House the entire text is substituted with Harry Reid's amendment. Leaks would get to him and he could get them out. These leaks have an outsize impact on culture when they change the game by reframing the entire conversation.
You’re easy.
You’re easy.
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