BRETT: It is wonderful to be here, to think back about all the great times we’ve had with Rush. But it’s always, always, always been about the program. It’s always been about connecting you with the passion that Rush carried with him, for you, for this nation, for the opportunities that we have presented to us. The odds of us being born anywhere in the history of time, anyplace else, are absolutely astronomical.
We were brought to this place at this time for a specific reason, and Rush understood the glory and the power and the passion that was out there in this country. And it was never more on display when we would go to the phones and we would hear Rush talk to folks who heard that motivation, felt positively about finding passion even amidst the fear. Here are a couple of those instances with Rush.
BEGIN ARCHIVE CLIP
RUSH: Back to the phones. This is Larry in Fall River, Massachusetts. Hey, Larry, great to have you. I’m glad you waited, sir. Hi.
CALLER: Thank you, and dittos. I wanted to say that I thank you, and I’m glad I got the chance to do this, but I became a doctor thanks to you. I’ve been a doctor a long time now, but it’s thanks to you. And my second point is, I remember —
RUSH: Wait. What kind of doctor are you?
CALLER: I’m a spine specialist.
RUSH: A spine specialist. And how did this program make you want to become a doctor?
CALLER: I was a schoolteacher, and you talked about following your passion and how you’ve never worked a day in your life because you love what you did. And I was convincing myself that, you know what, I should do that too. And of course I had the grades and the academic ability, and of course I went to school in New York, NYU, so they’re probably gonna lose credit now, but that’s okay.
RUSH: I love hearing stories like that. I really do. Because, see, it was in you all the time.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: This passion was in you all the time. You just needed a little kick that told you you could do it.
CALLER: Absolutely. And the money and everything just appeared. It was a miracle, if you want to use that term. But it just occurred. And I’ve been practicing a lot now, and I’m still passionate about it. I’m getting a little older in my years and long in the tooth, but I have as much passion today than the day I walked into the school and walked into the anatomy lab. So it’s there.
RUSH: Well, thank you very much. I love hearing stories like that, when anybody is able to get out of a rut, find out what they really love doing, and go do it. That’s fabulous. Thank you very much.
RUSH: Phillip in Austin, Texas. It’s great to have you with us today on the program, sir. Hello.
CALLER: Good afternoon, Mr. Limbaugh. Professor Limbaugh, it is a distinct honor to be able to speak with you.
RUSH: Thank you, sir, very much. A distinct honor to have you here with us.
CALLER: A 28-year student of the Rush Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies. It was a proud moment for me to watch you receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
RUSH: Thank you.
CALLER: And I feel like you’re so deserving because you speak truth and life values, and what you’ve taught to millions of people across different generations, and I’m one of those. And what I’ve received of huge value from you is not to live in fear. May I say one thing?
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: I feel like not only are you my professor, but you’re also a friend and a mentor and somebody that I’ve looked up to and I dare say a hero, due to the values, the true life values that you’ve expounded out there. I remember many years ago you spoke to — it was some information you had put out about being able to get a job. And you talked about the different levels and what’s required and whether it was a high school or college education. And I think at the top level of that had something to do with integrity and respect. And I think that those are parts of values that you teach out there that are invaluable. And I’m thankful that I’ve been able to experience you for all these years and many years to come.
RUSH: Well, I thank you very much. You know, I’m always flattered and deeply appreciative when I find out how detailed people’s listening is. And you have heard the details. And they’ve obviously made an impression on you. I remember many of the times — not all, I’m sure — but I remember many of the times I’ve talked about getting a job versus finding a career versus becoming productive versus finding what it is that you are born to do. We are all born to do something, including being lazy. Some people just have to find what they were born to do is. And, yeah, it’s a rewarding thing to get calls like yours. I deeply and profoundly appreciate it. That’s Phillip in Austin, Texas.
END ARCHIVE CLIP
BRETT: You’re listening to two people pursuing their dreams and feeling that connection with Rush Limbaugh. One of the things that I found to be such a hallmark for what Rush stood for, what he represented, was not that there was this zero-sum game when it came to success or that there was a limited supply of opportunity. It’s unlimited. You’re limited only by your mind, your dreams, your talents.
And one of the quotes I came across in the last weeks was from Rush saying, “One of the things that makes me happiest and proudest is that the talk radio venue, the whole market has expanded. There are all kinds of people doing it.” There’s a difference between the idea of wanting to succeed, get that success, and then try to deny people their success in a similar way to which you went about it.
Think back to the folks who have become fabulously wealthy, typically progressives who have become fabulously wealthy, right? Think Silicon Valley. Think Hollywood. Think those kinds of people. And what they will then do is attempt to crush the little guy, right? We watched deplatforming take place. We’ve seen a president thrown off of Twitter and Facebook. And these folks all started out as little, tiny concerns, right? The usual sort of social media outlets and the Big Tech companies. And what do they do? They then turn around and try to destroy the strivers.
You see, it’s the strivers that drive America, the people who get up every single day and try to pursue it, try to run after it, get it, catch it, and know that if they don’t do it today, they’re gonna do it tomorrow and each day means they’re closer to achieving that dream and that goal. Rush was a great supporter of the strivers, the people who said, “You know what? I’m gonna work this job, but I’m also trying to do this. I’m gonna start a second business, I’m gonna start a side business, I’m gonna save my money, I’m gonna take the risk and pursue my dream.”
You heard that from the doctor calling out of Fall River, Massachusetts. He was a schoolteacher, heard Rush and said, “I want to go be a medical doctor.” And he’s a spine specialist. Think of the lives he’s touched and changed over the years. Phillip in Austin, Texas. And a little bit behind the curtain here real quick, I used to talk to these people all the time, these sort of folks who were so enthusiastic, and Rush loved hearing about it. It wasn’t like Rush climbed up the side of a castle on a huge ladder, got to the top, and saw people coming up behind him, other talk show hosts, other folks who are trying to get into the industry and then he pushes the ladder over the side to deny them that opportunity. He offered encouragement for everybody.
I remember distinctly some of his most profound advice when I was in the room hearing him do the show. And it was learn all the rules and then break them. Learn all the rules of how you do it and then break those rules, become your own person, become your own personality, become your own best ally. And the reason why 99% of the folks out there will feel apprehension at trying to pursue whatever endeavor they’re trying to pursue is they don’t have anybody in their life who’s been successful in that way that can tell them how to do it, ’cause every path is different.
But what we all had for three hours every day, for three hours every day and for 32 years was an advocate, a cheerleader, and somebody who said you could do it. People have tons of folks in their lives, “Ah, it’ll never work, they won’t let you succeed, they’re gonna shut you down, it will never happen, it’s never happened before, how can you do it?” Rush said go for it. He said go for it, take the shot.
As I said earlier in the hour, it’s no coincidence that this program’s on right around lunchtime throughout the country. Sitting in your car, getting that dose of optimism, getting that dose of information, getting that dose of encouragement that might have been the only encouragement maybe you had all day long. But it was there. And Rush is still here.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
BRETT: Let’s go to the phones. I’ve been talking a lot and sharing with you a lot of the memories of Rush. Let’s hear what you have to say. Let’s start with Mark right here in beautiful North Carolina, Winston-Salem. Mark, welcome to the program. What is on your mind today?
CALLER: Well, I just really wanted to call and offer condolences to Rush’s family and to, as much as anything, express some gratitude because Rush had really said a lot of things over the years that made me keep my chin up and help me change my life. You know, I had a really bad drug and alcohol problem for a long time and struggled to stay employed, and ultimately, you know, I changed my life and started taking personal responsibility for myself. And now I’m basically a successful businessman. I’m in business for myself as a paint contractor. And I owe a lot of the attitude that I have about the way I work and the way I conduct myself to what I learned from listening to Rush. And I’m gonna really miss him.
BRETT: Was there a lightbulb moment for you, Mark, where you just said, Okay, I gotta do this, this is it, I’m done, I’m gonna do this and I’m gonna get in the right direction on this and Rush has helped me do that?
CALLER: Yeah, actually there was. I went to jail, I went to prison for a long time for stuff related to drugs and alcohol. And when I got out, I realized, I don’t get any more do-overs. I’ve either gotta take responsibility for my life and do what it takes to become successful in some sort of way or I was gonna fall by the way. And I decided, well, I gotta do something different. I worked hard. I saved my money. And, basically, I’m relatively successful now. I’m not gonna get rich being a painter, which is what I am, but at the same time I’m in business for myself and I’m my own boss.
BRETT: That’s right. And you, everything you’ve built, you’ve built. You’ve built this. And the fact that —
CALLER: Absolutely.
BRETT: — he was able to motivate you to do that, see, that’s the legacy living on with Rush.
CALLER: Absolutely.
BRETT: Mark, God bless you. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with this audience and please continue to call in the coming weeks, months, and beyond. We so appreciate you being out there, Mark. All the best. That’s Mark.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
BRETT: Victor will be up next. Victor, welcome to the program. Your memory of Rush, and it says here that you may have spoken to me in February of ’05. What’s going on, Victor?
CALLER: Well, on that day, February 18th ’05 I called C-SPAN and told Ann Coulter that my wife back in ’93 gave me an ultimatum with her, the marriage, or Rush Limbaugh. I had to choose one.
BRETT: Uh-huh.
CALLER: So I chose Rush, and she said, okay. So she divorced me. And Rush heard me on C-SPAN and said, “I gotta talk to this guy.” And I got through, and I told you that I was the guy on C-SPAN. Rush and I had a nice talk. I told them a little bit about me and being blind and everything. And he said, “You’ll never find a conservative in Silver Spring.” Well, I called him about a year later, September 1st, 2006, and said, “I met somebody from Gaithersburg, and she and her brother are Dittoheads.”
BRETT: Uh-huh.
CALLER: We’ve been together for 15 years now and we’re gonna get married I hope this fall.
BRETT: Oh, congratulations, Victor. Look, I’m so happy to see that out of a tough set of circumstances came something that was lasting and strong, and I know Rush is smiling at that notion as well. That is great to hear, Victor.
CALLER: He asked me how I could tell —
BRETT: Yeah.
CALLER: — the good women, and I laughingly said, “Well, I have to ask them if they’re in Braille.”
BRETT: Well played, Victor. I appreciate you checking in on the Rush Limbaugh Show. You see, this is what is amazing about this program. It is able to motivate you to change your life, to motivate you to call in with such fervor and passion that you’re willing to change your voice, and to even give marital advice and to help this man, Victor, in Silver Spring who thought he couldn’t find anybody who was a conservative in Silver Spring so he had to go to Gaithersburg find true happiness, and he did.
This is what is so wonderful about the Rush Limbaugh Show.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
BRETT: Let’s go to the phones. I’ve been talking a lot and sharing with you a lot of the memories of Rush. Let’s hear what you have to say. Let’s start with Mark right here in beautiful North Carolina, Winston-Salem. Mark, welcome to the program. What is on your mind today?
BRETT: Was there a lightbulb moment for you, Mark, where you just said, Okay, I gotta do this, this is it, I’m done, I’m gonna do this and I’m gonna get in the right direction on this and Rush has helped me do that?
CALLER: Yeah, actually there was. I went to jail, I went to prison for a long time for stuff related to drugs and alcohol. And when I got out, I realized, I don’t get any more do-overs. I’ve either gotta take responsibility for my life and do what it takes to become successful in some sort of way or I was gonna fall by the way. And I decided, well, I gotta do something different. I worked hard. I saved my money. And, basically, I’m relatively successful now. I’m not gonna get rich being a painter, which is what I am, but at the same time I’m in business for myself and I’m my own boss.
BRETT: That’s right. And you, everything you’ve built, you’ve built. You’ve built this. And the fact that —
CALLER: Absolutely.
BRETT: — he was able to motivate you to do that, see, that’s the legacy living on with Rush.
CALLER: Absolutely.
BRETT: Mark, God bless you. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with this audience and please continue to call in the coming weeks, months, and beyond. We so appreciate you being out there, Mark. All the best. That’s Mark.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
BRETT: Victor will be up next. Victor, welcome to the program. Your memory of Rush, and it says here that you may have spoken to me in February of ’05. What’s going on, Victor?
CALLER: Well, on that day, February 18th ’05 I called C-SPAN and told Ann Coulter that my wife back in ’93 gave me an ultimatum with her, the marriage, or Rush Limbaugh. I had to choose one.
BRETT: Uh-huh.
BRETT: Uh-huh.
CALLER: We’ve been together for 15 years now and we’re gonna get married I hope this fall.
BRETT: Oh, congratulations, Victor. Look, I’m so happy to see that out of a tough set of circumstances came something that was lasting and strong, and I know Rush is smiling at that notion as well. That is great to hear, Victor.
CALLER: He asked me how I could tell —
BRETT: Yeah.
CALLER: — the good women, and I laughingly said, “Well, I have to ask them if they’re in Braille.”
BRETT: Well played, Victor. I appreciate you checking in on the Rush Limbaugh Show. You see, this is what is amazing about this program. It is able to motivate you to change your life, to motivate you to call in with such fervor and passion that you’re willing to change your voice, and to even give marital advice and to help this man, Victor, in Silver Spring who thought he couldn’t find anybody who was a conservative in Silver Spring so he had to go to Gaithersburg find true happiness, and he did.
This is what is so wonderful about the Rush Limbaugh Show.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
BRETT: James in Ruckersville, Virginia, joining us on the EIB Network. James, welcome to the program. What’s on your mind, sir?
CALLER: Hey, I really appreciate it. And I know you’ve all heard it a lot, but mega condolences not only to Kathryn and the rest of the family but to all of us —
BRETT: Yeah.
CALLER: — in Rush’s extended family.
BRETT: Amen.
CALLER: Yes, sir. I appreciate the opportunity to share a couple quick stories of how Rush had such a profound impact on my life. The first memory I have of listening to radio was Rush Limbaugh. It was a really young age, my dad listened to him, and proudly from that point on to today and onward I wear the Rush baby badge.
And one of the first things I remember of Rush is talking about the Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies. And growing up from that point I remember thinking, okay, that’s where I want to go to college, I want to go there, and it really wasn’t until high school when I started looking at colleges I realized that I’ve been a student of the Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies my whole life and still am. And it was so impactful. And then as an adult I listened to Rush going to college overseas and then I got stationed over in South Korea —
BRETT: Wow.
CALLER: — and I would listen to him, found a way to listen to his stream or his show when I was on night shift. And we found out we were having our first child when we were stationed over there —
BRETT: Wow.
BRETT: Wow. Wow. That’s three generations. That’s unbelievable. What’s your son’s first name?
CALLER: His name is Nathaniel.
BRETT: Nathaniel. And you’re sharing the book with him?
CALLER: Yes, sir. Yeah. We’re reading through the series, and it actually kind of really inspired him to want to read more. It would kind of be a fight sometimes at night when say okay – (call drop)
BRETT: Oh. We lost him. So very sorry we lost him. That’s a shame. I think we got the sense of what he was saying, though, about the impact, profound impact on his life that the show had and of course on his son, who is now being raised and will be raised in the tradition of the Rush Revere books, which is tremendous. That is absolutely fabulous to see that. And it’s all because obviously his dad exposed him at a young age to the program, and he wanted to go to the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies where there are no graduates. In fact, I heard Mark Steyn yesterday say he’s an exchange student, or was an exchange student, at the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies.
Let me take one more here. Mike in Kissimmee, Florida. Mike, welcome the program.
CALLER: Brett, how are you?
BRETT: I’m well. Thank you for calling.
CALLER: I like what the gentleman just said before he got cut off, with the mega condolences. That’s for the Limbaugh family immediate and worldwide.
BRETT: Amen.
CALLER: Just a couple of quick things. I remember the television show very well. I was fortunate enough to be living in New York in 1994. My dad turned me on to Rush in ’88, and we used to hang out on the boat up in Tarrytown and listen all the time. And me and my dad were two Irish guys from the Bronx. We didn’t get along that well, but when we were on the boat and listening to Rush or, you know, just watching the TV show, listening to the parodies, the Ted Kennedy stuff, the Algore, it was just fantastic.
I did go to the studio twice for tapings. In ’94 I found the book and Rush sign it to my dad, and he was very gracious, and it was just a buzz back then. We were coming in, and what a family of people. In fact, even back then the Limbaugh fans were just something special. Walking in through those big, old metal detectors back then, primitive, I’d never seen one before. We walked through, and everybody was goofing it was like a liberal detector.
BRETT: (laughing)
CALLER: (laughing) And then we met Rush. We told him when he came out, and he laughed at it. There was about 50 or 60 of us with the books, and he stayed and signed every one, back when he was shaking hands, shook all our hands, and I’ll never forget it.
BRETT: He was a transcendent, amazing, once in a lifetime guy, Mike, and I’m so happy that you got to see him in person.
CALLER: Even Roger Ailes was running around the studio like a mother hen. I was like, wow, that’s something. (laughing)
BRETT: It was an incredible time. It’s been an incredible time. It’s been an incredible journey — and what you saw — and let me just be clear about this. And I appreciate that call, Mike, and a very special remembrance. What you saw, that graciousness, that’s who Rush was. That’s who Rush was 24/7, 365. He was humble, he was gracious, he was kind, he was charitable, and he was in awe of the sacrifice that so many of our heroes have made for this country.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
BRETT: You know, we’re reflecting on this life so well lived — so graciously lived, so generously lived — by Rush, and it never ceases to amaze me the connections between the callers and Rush. In fact, I wanted to share with you this particular caller who called to say to Rush, “Rush, you changed my life.”
Go.
BEGIN ARCHIVE TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Here’s Tom in Newport, Vermont. Great to have you on the program today, sir. Hello.
CALLER: Hi, Rush. I’ve been trying for a long time to get through, and I’m glad that I did. It’s an honor to speak to you.
RUSH: Thank you, sir.
CALLER: I told the call screener, in 1993 I was running a small business of my own, my life savings went into it, and due to a series of circumstances, I was failing. But I was listening to you on the radio at the time, and I heard you tell your life story about failing a few times and being fired, and yet you went on to great success. And, frankly, that inspired me to pick myself up and dust myself off and go on. So I’ve been wanting for all these years to thank you for really essentially saving my life.
I did a series of shows that week asking some of these people what they were gonna do, and what they had done. And they said, much like you, that in the end it was a blessing, that it had forced them — it forced them. They had to. They got laid off; they didn’t have any money coming in. They had to go replace their salaries. They chose to do what they had always wanted to do with their lives but never did because they had to have a job.
So they turned their hobby, they turned their real passion for whatever it was into a money-making enterprise. That’s how they reacted to being laid off. And I remember those shows — there were, I think, three of them that week — received all kinds of accolades because they were inspiring and they were motivating, and they were actual people who had had everything stripped away from them. They had no choice but to go out and become self-starters.
And they told their stories and described how they did it, much like you did just here. And I’m happy to be associated with that. I really am. But you did the work. You’re the one that recognized what you had to do, and you did it. So don’t leave yourself out of the equation. I’m happy to have played a role in it, more than you know. But you did the work. So don’t ever leave yourself out.
END ARCHIVE TRANSCRIPT
BRETT: There’s so many naysayers in the world, and I oftentimes wonder. I don’t recall Rush ever specifically discussing this portion of his life in great detail, but I can only imagine the naysayers and the conversations that people tried to bring to him. “You can’t do it this way. It’s not gonna work. It’s never been tried before. You can’t do it. You can’t do it.”
I guess while Rush talked about having been fired seven times and had to battle to build the show he wanted to build in his vision, with his ideas. Not with guests that would come on and try to hawk a book or an album or whatever it was to be. But it was to be the center of the show, to be the reason people tuned in. I imagine we didn’t hear so much about the negativity, ’cause I don’t think he kept it as important.
Most people who tell you you can’t do whatever it is you’re trying to do have never done what you’re trying to do. And that’s really the sort of thing that you got and that you get when you listen to Rush, when you hear him talking about, “You can do it. You just have to put the work in.” And when this man calls and credits Rush for saving his life?
You know, because it’s not lost on me that this is obviously in the time we just lived through with Rush, this time where Rush is fighting the fight literally of his life, and Rush is giving that credit to the people who get up and do it every day. These are people that aren’t celebrated. They’re not celebrated in books. They’re not celebrated anywhere. If you’re a victim, you’ll get on any cable channel tonight. If you’re a hero, you might have a 50-50 shot. A lot to think about.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
BRETT: And I am Brett Winterble. It’s our final segment right here on the Rush Limbaugh Show. Important to remember to chase your dreams. Important to remember to chase your passions and to thank those people who help you get there along the way, and that’s why I am so genuinely grateful to Rush for all he did for me those years ago and the opportunity to come here and to still do this with him.
And it’s important to remember that the Rush Limbaugh Show isn’t going anywhere. It’s gonna be here for a long, long time. And you’re gonna continue to hear him, and you’re gonna continue to laugh, and there’s gonna be days that you’re gonna cry. But you are still going to be able to be a part of this, and that is so incredibly important. Because we are one, big family. We may not agree on everything all the time, but we agree on this.
Rush Limbaugh was special.
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