USA Today founder Al Neuharth used his weekly column on Friday to
ridicule Rush Limbaugh, marking the 22nd anniversary of Limbaugh's
national radio show by denouncing the conservative talk titan for
"ludicrous" assertions and deriding him for having "the best comedy show
on radio."
In the column titled "Limbaugh anniversary is a laughing matter [1],"
Neuharth condescendingly maintained: "I'm not a regular Limbaugh
listener because on most days when he peddles his diatribe, I'm busy
doing something worthwhile." But on a recent "long auto trip" he tuned
in and heard "laughables," scolding Limbaugh for making anti-Barack
Obama and Hillary Clinton "cojones" quips. So, he then recommended:
For the dog days of August, I suggest you have a portable radio with you in your car, on the beach or park outings. Laughing at Limbaugh will make all that more fun.
Two weeks ago Neuharth, who boasts about voting for Obama, used his column, "At 88, McGovern still doesn't mince words [2],"
to pay tribute to the liberal icon: "He's been known nationally for
plainly speaking his mind on major matters for nearly half a century..."
An excerpt from Neuharth's August 6 "Plain Talk" column:
....Most of his regular listeners take him very seriously. Many of my conservative friends actually agree with his ludicrous stuff and some worship him religiously. I love listening to him because I think he has the best comedy show on radio.
I'm not a regular Limbaugh listener because on most days when he peddles his diatribe, I'm busy doing something worthwhile.
But my radio stays tuned to his show when I take one of my frequent long auto trips, as I did recently to my native South Dakota and neighboring North Dakota....
After he quit bragging about himself, some of his other laughables:
- "Sarah Palin says the governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, has something that (President) Obama lacks: cojones."
- What James Carville, the former Clinton aide and supporter, said was, if Hillary gave Obama "one of her cojones they'd both have two."
I don't necessarily agree that anyone on the air should use that kind of language. But the fact that Limbaugh not only gets away with it but is the kingpin for so many otherwise cautious or discreet or intelligent people makes him almost as important as he thinks he is.
So, for the dog days of August, I suggest you have a portable radio with you in your car, on the beach or park outings. Laughing at Limbaugh will make all that more fun.
- Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here [3] to follow him on Twitter.