MARK: The Rush Limbaugh Show on the Excellence in Broadcasting Network. Most of today’s show has been devoted to you and Kathryn, and obviously there were a lot of people who couldn’t get through to speak to Kathryn. so we want to pick up a couple of them right now before we close it out for today. Let’s go to Dave in Pittsburgh where, almost half a century ago, Rush was a disc jockey on the radio in that town. Dave, you’re on America’s number-one radio show. Great to have you with us.

CALLER: Hi, Mark. I just wanted to call to share how I’ve always felt about Rush Limbaugh. I started listening to his show in ’89. I saw his TV show, which I think I had to stay up ’til like 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning to watch the show —

MARK: (chuckles)

CALLER: — setting my alarm while going to college to do that. I’ve listened to the show consistently since, like, the early nineties, late eighties. If somebody were to ask me during the many years, “If you had the chance to speak to anyone in the world — anybody who’s anybody — who would it be?” it wouldn’t have been the president of the United States.

It wouldn’t have been anybody. It would have been Rush. And finally, two years ago I got the guts to call, and I got through, and I got to talk to Rush on the air. And that was a moment, it was an honor. That was such a good thing to get to talk to Rush after listening for all those years.

MARK: There’s a lesson there, Dave, if you feel like that, ’cause you said you started listening ’89, something like that? And you finally called him, what was that, eight years ago. Is that right?

CALLER: I’m not sure what… I think it was more recent than that. I think it might have been 2016 or, no, 2015, maybe.

MARK: Okay. So basically it took you a quarter of a century to pluck up the courage to dial? (laughs)

CALLER: (laughs) Well, I was going to college. It was a national show, and I just used to think, “You know, I don’t know if I’m gonna get on a national show. Rush Limbaugh, he’s got so many devoted listeners and millions of people are listening.”

MARK: Well, you know, Rush would have told you that that’s one of the greatest and most basic of all Rush Limbaugh lessons. (chuckles) When there’s something you want to do, you don’t think of all the obstacles that are in the way to achieving it. (chuckles) You just go for it and do it. So thank you for doing it. I’m glad. I’m seriously glad you finally got through, Dave.

But, you know, you could have called in 1989 or 1990, 1991, and maybe you would have got through then. That is a lesson, one of the core lessons of life that Rush taught is, “Don’t think, ‘Oh, it’s a national show; I’ll never get through. I’ll be behind Betsy from Presque Isle, Maine, and Mabel from Juneau, Alaska, and I’m never gonna get through.'” Just go for it, and that was how Rush lived his life. He went for it, and he achieved it, and he wants the same for you, Dave. So don’t leave it another quarter century next time.

CALLER: Okay, Mark.

MARK: Thank you. Thank you so much for that call. You know, we were joking about that, but it actually is a very good lesson. And Rush taught innumerable good lessons over these decades.