Special to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

Recently, my mom and I were listing to the radio when we heard the sad news delivered by Kathryn Limbaugh, the wife of Rush Limbaugh. She announced that he had finally succumbed to the complications caused by Lung Cancer. I wasn’t sure what to write in this tribute, since most of what I had to write about Limbaugh was already written in my article “Rush Limbaugh: Talk Radio Pioneer.” So, I am going to make this short and sweet. It wasn’t until recent years that I regularly listened to his broadcasts. I originally rejected Rush Limbaugh because I wanted to remain in my own libertarian echo chamber and hear only my viewpoints. Once I started listening to his broadcasts, I realized that I actually had more in common with this man than I originally thought. It was at a time when my views on conservatives started to soften, since they seem to provide the only counterbalance that we have to the left. Rush Limbaugh helped provide this very balance to the virtual monopoly that the left had over the mainstream media when he pioneered conservative talk radio.

In my last article about Rush Limbaugh, I mentioned how mean-spirted the left was acting over the news of his illness. This was only a small glimpse of how the left would act once Rush would finally leave this world. Left-wing activist and celebrities have been saying all kinds of vile and hateful things about the deceased commentator, as they did with Andrew Breitbart. I can certainly say that this does reaffirm the not so nice image that I already have of those on the “compassionate” left. Actually, I think I may be putting it mildly. Don’t get me wrong, I acknowledge that Rush was far from perfect. He could definitely be blunt and edgy at times, which sometimes put him in a position where he would have to apologize for what he said on the air. The left would use these instances to justify their hatred of the man though the real reason had more to do with the fact that they felt threatened by his influence. As we all know, the left has been fighting to keep a monopoly in the market place of ideas, which includes the media. So, the left-wing media not only felt threatened by his influence, but from the very fact that they couldn’t shut him down. Before Cancel Culture was as common as it is now, the left tried to silence him by going after his sponsors with the threats of boycott, to no avail. They ridiculed him, but good old Rush just welcomed it. They actually tried to compete with the market that he created with their own pathetic attempt at talk radio, only to realize that there weren’t very good at it. When they finally gave up on that foolish venture, they tried to reintroduce the so-called Fairness Doctrine, which would make it impossible for conservative talk radio to thrive. Despite all this, he stayed on the radio, until his illness took a turn for the worst.

My heart goes out to all the members of Rush’s family, friends and all those who are currently grieving about the loss of a great media pioneer. Sadly, there are many who don’t understand the significance of Rush’s legacy. There are libertarians and moderates who don’t understand the importance of the market that Limbaugh created. Whether you love or hate what Rush had to say, it is important to acknowledge that the market that he pioneered allowed viewpoints that fell outside the mainstream media to be heard by the public. While the state of this country is far from great, I don’t even want to imagine how it would be if the left was able to have total control over the flow of information. I also want to say to those who are celebrating this man’s death, I have nothing, but disgust for you. With all the horrible and vile words that I have heard come out of the mouths of some of the most prominent leftists, they have no room to be righteous. You say that Rush deserved to suffer from his cancer because he made fun of Chelsea Clinton all those years ago, while giving someone who tells the president’s daughter to prostitute herself to her own her father, a free pass. Yeah, I am looking at you, Samantha Bee. You are not fooling anybody by your righteousness. Your hatred of Rush Limbaugh stems from the views that he represented and your inability to silence them. You can whip out those overpriced bottles of champaign all you want. While Limbaugh may no longer be a thorn in your side, the market he created isn’t going anywhere. To all those in the alternative media platforms who are continuing Limbaugh’s fight, keep going. To Rush Limbaugh, go in peace, brother.