There.  I said it.

I can’t stand Rush Limbaugh.

The funny thing is that I didn’t realize how long I’ve felt that way about him until recently when I was remembering my first computer nastalgically. (It was one of those “When I was a kid, we had computers that didn’t even have hard drives!” conversations with someone younger than me; okay?)

Anyway…while telling my story, I remembered the first time I hosed a computer.  It was a Mac Performa — the nifty high tech version of the Mac that came out a few years after the all-in-one Mac Classic.  The Performa had a separate monitor that was 15 inches and a 2600 baud modem.  I thought it was smokin’.  Within a few days, I was on AOL, which only had 50,000 members at the time. 

I immediately began looking for ways to modify my computer in cool ways on AOL’s technical forums. One of the first things I found that I wanted was a file that would change my regedit file so that my trash can would look like Rush Limbaugh.  Unfortunately for me, I edited the wrong file and hosed the entire system.  The next time I tried to reboot, I got that little sad face floppy disc that said, “You’re screwed.” Luckily, back then, computers and AOL were such that you could just insert the AOL disk in your floppy drive and boot up from it.  I went into AOL’s technical help chat room, and the guide there walked me through fixing my system. (She and I became great friends; but that’s a story for another day.)

That was 1991 or so. That’s how long I’ve loathed Rush Limbaugh. Sixteen years.

Fast forward to 2007, and I’m a fan of talk radio.  I listen to FM 1000 eCan't you tell he just thinks his crap doesn't stink?very day, which means that Rush is on my radio during my lunch hour.  Yes, I could change it to another station, but listening to Rush is like watching a train wreck. I can’t take my ears off of him.

In doing so, I’m constantly amazed at the ridiculous comments he makes.  Frankly, I don’t know why he’s become so successful unless it’s because half the audience is made up of idiots who believe what he says simply because he says it in a confident and forceful way while the other half is made up of intelligent people waiting to see what inane comment he’ll make next. The truth is, Rush Limbaugh does not know how to make a cogent argument. Instead, he makes illogical connections and uses ad hominem attacks. There’s nothing else in his arsenal. The cubbard is bare.

Case in point, a man called into his show today who said he was a republican who was also an ex G.I.  The caller believed we should get out of Iraq and was attempting to talk to Rush about it. Because the man disagreed with Rush’s viewpoints, instead of answering his questions, Rush began talking over him, yelling that he couldn’t possibly be a republican and then implying that he was lying about having been in the military.  He couldn’t discuss the man’s points, because he couldn’t think fast enough or he’s not smart enough — I don’t know which — so he resorted to attacking him personally. And that, in a nutshell, is the way he handles all discussions.

Add to that, his narcissistic behavior, and you’ve got a recipe for bad commentary.  If the persona he has on the radio is the real him, I believe the man needs psychological help. He makes comments like, “This is just more proof that, when I have spoken on a subject, there is nothing left to say.”  And folks, he believes it.  He believes that the world revolves around him, that he is the be all and end all of human civilization, and for that reason, I believe he’s a dangerous man.

If you have the opportunity sometime, just listen to a couple of his shows.  I guarantee you’ll feel like you’re in the presence of a sociopath.  Frankly, I don’t know why I listen to him; I feel I need a shower afterward. He makes me ill.

I hope that one of these days, he’ll decide he’s had enough pontificating and puffing out his chest and get off the airwaves. Until then, his circus show will stay on the air. The stations that run him are enjoying the money they make while we laugh at him.

I think I’ll sign off now and look for a way to turn my trash can into Rush’s head again. I have 16 years of technical know-how under my belt now, and I think I can do it easily. It’ll feel so good emptying out his bloated head at the end of every day.

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