A Year Without Rush

rush limbaugh anniversary
Progress Missouri, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

There are a few events in a lifetime that we remember exactly where we were and what we were doing. So many of us remember where we were and what we were doing a year ago today when we heard of the passing of great Rush Limbaugh.

It is kind of appropriate that it is rainy and gloomy in Missouri today as we remember the passing of one of her most famous sons.

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Remembering That Day

When Rush announced his cancer diagnosis, he talked about how he would be gone from time to time, but would get back to the golden EIB microphone just as soon as he was able. 

We all knew that treatment would be a big part of life for Rush then, but we would just hang out with his amazing guest hosts, Todd Herman, Ken Matthews, and Mark Steyn, and wait for him to come back.

This time though, Rush had been gone a bit longer than usual. I sat at my desk working, with Rush’s show on in the background like I always did. I heard Chrissie Hynde and “My City is Gone.” There was no guest host announcement. I thought, “Oh good! Rush is back!”

Then, there was silence, maybe a good five or six seconds. Then Katherine, Rush’s wife began to speak. At first I thought that she was just giving an update on Rush’s condition. But it was worse than that.

Katherine’s voice was very calm and almost soft as she told millions of Rush’s closest friends that the man who had not only revolutionized conservative talk radio, but conservative media and conservatism itself, had passed away earlier that morning with his family and loved ones gathered around him. 

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What Do We Go From Here?

I am pretty sure that all 50 million of us were feeling the same way. Numb, not wanting to believe it, like we had lost a member of our own family. We felt that way because we had.

What were we going to do without Rush to guide and help us get through the next two years that the Democrats were in charge? In the immediate aftermath, it seemed like just too tall of an order.

But as we know, grief has a way of shapeshifting and it can change how we feel daily. Since that awful day, I began to think of things that Rush talked about more and more. It was kind of a natural progression.

When people would call on Open Line Friday and ask Rush the secrets to his success, one of the first things he would tell them is, “Think of what it is that you are passionate about, what it is you absolutely love to do, and then figure out a way to make money at it.”

Easier said than done, to be sure. But I did think about it, figured out what it was, and at age 52, went back to school. I graduate with a Journalism degree in three months.

How many others were inspired by Rush’s words and stories of being fired seven or eight times, and always giving it another shot?

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What Rush Would Be Saying Today

We all wish we could get Rush back for one day. One day to hear what he thinks about what has happened to our nation in the year since he left us. He would rail against Joe Biden, “Plugs,” or “Joe Bite Me” to Rush fans.

He would remind us that politics is “show business for ugly people.” He would have plenty to say about American Olympic athletes who compete for other countries. What would he tell us about Russia and Ukraine?

The Durham probe into the Hillary Clinton campaign? He would have a field day with that one. Maybe we would even be lucky enough to get one of those imaginary conversations between himself and Bill Clinton, the ones where Rush being the voice of Clinton would refer to himself as “Limbaugh.” And my personal favorite, “It ain’t braggin’ if you can do it.”

If we only could. But Rush prepared us. He equipped us to take the knowledge he imparted on us and continue the fight not only for what we believe as conservatives to be true, but to fight for our nation. That fight is more important now than it has ever been.

Rush Limbaugh described himself as “Just a kid from Cape Girardeau, Missouri who wanted to be on the radio.”

Rest in peace Rush. We will take it from here. 

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