Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh enjoyed throwing darts at Senator Lindsey Graham.
Notably, in 2007, Limbaugh took aim at the Republican of South Carolina for supporting the then President George Bush immigration reform package, calling him “Lindsey Grahamnesty”.
But on February 17, when it was announced that Limbaugh had died at the age of 70 due to complications from lung cancer, Graham did not insist on cursing. He mourned the loss of a conservative and golf-friendly ally.
“Rush was a thought leader and passionate advocate who could punch and get one too,” said Graham. “I had the pleasure of meeting him in person on the golf course and enjoying my time with him.”
Limbaugh brought a rise to the conservative media through his relentless criticism of liberal politicians and policies on radio waves. But he also turned against Republicans like Graham, often criticizing them for not being conservative enough for him or his listeners.
“My prayers are with your family and your many fans and friends across the country,” added Graham. “He fought the good fight.”
Through his three-hour weekday radio program, broadcast on nearly 600 U.S. stations, including several in South Carolina, he broadcast recordings of millions of people aligned with Republicans and inspired many to join the conservative movement.
“Rush was able to explain American and conservative values to the masses in a way that few could,” said US Representative Ralph Norman, R-Rock Hill. “Your legacy will live on for many generations.”
But some academics and Democrats will remember how hard and fiercely partisan rhetoric has damaged political discourse. Limbaugh’s influence led to the rise of Donald J. Trump’s presidency and, more recently, fueled the president’s claim of a mandate that the election was rigged against the former commander-in-chief.
“Rush thought we won, and so did I,” Trump said during an interview with Fox News on February 17. “I think we won substantially.”
Limbaugh started broadcasting nationwide in 1988 from the New York WABC. Although his know-it-all comment quickly gained momentum, he was dismayed by the reception in the big city.
But his program gained followers in Republican states, such as South Carolina. His program aired on Charleston’s WTMA-AM from 1988 to 1999.
On February 17, WTMA said in a Facebook statement that “Every radio station owes a huge debt to Rush”.
One of the first listeners to the WTMA was the president of the Republican Party of South Carolina, Drew McKissick. He first heard the radio announcer in 1990, when he was tuning in while he was on a Burger King drive-thru line in Goose Creek.
McKissick told the Post and Courier that he was “devastated to hear the news” and worried that he hadn’t heard Limbaugh on the radio in the past few weeks.
“He was one of the first conservative voices I heard on the radio,” said McKissick. “He gave birth to an industry. He is a pioneer. But his voice can never be replaced.”
Limbaugh, a frequent cigar smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer in early February 2020. He has influenced names like Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and countless other conservative commentators who have gone beyond the limits of what is considered a speech acceptable audience. His show was often considered the pulse of the Republican Party.
AJ Punjabi, president of the iHeart media market in Charleston who represents 94.3 FM – where Limbaugh’s program aired in Lowcountry – said the death of the radio announcer is a sad day for listeners.
He said that many stations, including 94.3, plan to play reruns of Limbaugh’s show until the audience for Limbaugh’s “Dittoheads” is ready to say goodbye.
“His listeners will miss him,” said Punjabi. “He was a pioneer in radio.”
Long before Trump sent an offensive tweet, Limbaugh was already insulting his enemies on the radio waves, calling Democrats communists, nuts, feminazis, liberal and radical extremists.
He suggested that the Democrats’ position on reproductive rights would have led to the abortion of Jesus Christ. When a woman accused Duke University lacrosse players of rape, he ridiculed her as a “bitch”, and when a law student at Georgetown University supported contraceptive coverage, he dismissed her as a “slut”.
When Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, Limbaugh said, “I hope he fails,” the Associated Press reported.
He was often accused of intolerance and blatant racism for antics like playing the song “Barack the Magic Negro” on his show. The lyrics, in the tone of “Puff, the Magic Dragon”, describe Obama as someone who “makes guilty whites feel good” and is “black, but not authentically”.
CNN commentator and former Democratic state legislator Bakari Sellers of South Carolina said Limbaugh’s abrasive moments are painful reminders of where the Republican Party has gone.
“There would be no Donald Trump without Rush Limbaugh,” said Sellers. “He built the mainstream conservative media, but he also injected xenophobia, racism and intolerance into the mainstream media.”
Danielle Vinson, professor of politics at Furman University in Greenville, said it was Limbaugh’s divisive and offensive rhetoric that became the handbook of so many other hyped media commentators.
“He has become very good at feeding fear and anger, and it is something that other people have learned,” said Vinson. “Limbaugh may not have started this, but he certainly expanded his use.”
Several Republicans from South Carolina have voiced their views on Limbaugh’s death.
“Rush Limbaugh paved the way for countless conservative voices that otherwise would never have been heard, while working tirelessly to help others in their fight against cancer,” said Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Charleston. “We lost an absolute titan today.”
US Representative Joe Wilson, R-Lexington, remembered being Limbaugh’s driver for a visit to Palmetto State for a South Carolina Policy Council dinner and offered prayers to his family.
Governor Henry McMaster praised him as “a pioneer in the radio industry and a milestone in conservative comments”.
Before Limbaugh’s death, Trump awarded the radio host the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union speech. It is one of the country’s highest civil honors.