Remembering Rush Limbaugh

Missing the voice of the Mayor of Realville

My cartoon appeared on Fox News when they interviewed Rush’s wife, Kathryn after his death.

Two years ago, I along with millions of others, lost a close friend I had never met.

I first heard the “Big Voice on the Right,” in September, 1988. My brother and I were traveling with a good friend to Midland, Michigan for a men’s fast pitch softball tournament when our friend asked, “Have you ever heard Rush Limbaugh?”

The show had just started with that iconic guitar riff and then I heard, “Greetings, conversationalists across the fruited plain, this is Rush Limbaugh. I'm your host, with half my brain tied behind my back – just to make it fair. The views expressed by the host on this program have been documented to be almost always right 99.7% of the time.”

We listened, laughed and contemplated Rush’s wisdom and common sense conservatism. I became a Dittohead (a listener who loved the show).

It soon became my daily lunchtime habit to sit in my car and listen to America’s Truth Detector, the Doctor of Democracy, El-Rushbo, Maha Rushie, the Lovable Little Fuzzball. He joked about sitting in his Attila the Hun Chair while talking into his golden EIB (Excellence in Broadcasting) microphone.

The left called Rush arrogant and boastful when he often claimed to have “Talent on loan from God.” But actually Rush was right. If you have any talent, it came from our Creator God. After all, the Bible says, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Rush recognized that God had blessed him with a great mind, memory and the gift of speaking that enabled him to do what very few can do; Talk for 3 hours everyday for 32 years without being boring.

But the thing that impressed me the most was his courage. He was fearless. Rush upset the left by calling the National Organization of Women, the National Organization of Gals (NAGS). He called pro-abortion feminists, Femi-nazis. I always loved his, “Environmental Wackos Update” theme music, “Born Free” sung by Andy Williams with sounds of gunfire and animals stampeding in the background.

Here was a guy on the radio painting pictures with words by “Illustrating absurdity by being absurd.” If he would have had the ability to draw, he probably would have been an incredible editorial cartoonist.

Rush impacted my thinking about communicating conservative principles. I proudly admit that I was a student of the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies. I never graduated, of course, because the learning never stops.

Like 30-plus million other faithful listeners, I was saddened by Rush’s passing on February 17, 2021, so I drew the cartoon tribute that you see below. Then I heard from some stone-throwing haters who called Rush names and questioned my depiction of his eternal destiny.

For those people, I refer you to Rush’s own words, "I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is of immense value, strength, confidence and that's why I'm able to remain fully committed to the idea that what is supposed to happen will happen when it's meant to.”

No one gets to heaven by being good because we’re all sinners. But Rush’s confidence was not in himself but in Jesus who said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). Based solely on that testimony, I believe that I will meet Rush one day when I too, will return my talent on loan from God.

Click the on the cartoon for information on how to purchase a signed print.