From the Right: Losing Rush Limbaugh, the greatest personality ever on radio

Russ Sloan
Guest columnist

This past Wednesday America lost its greatest radio voice for free speech, our constitution, our military and the values that built America. That voice of clarity, vision and wisdom was Rush Limbaugh, whose "talent was on loan from God." 

Rush would always open up his radio show with that tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment but it was a truer statement than even he fully realized. Rush did have an immense talent that has been unmatched in radio history and likely will never be replicated. 

His three-hour show had no guests and no performers. It was Rush, his listeners and his wisdom, wit and ability to cut through the political fog that created the largest radio audience in history. It is quite likely that his success saved AM radio from disappearing from the airwaves. His success became a catalyst for launching many, many more conservative talk radio shows. 

God works in mysterious ways; our oldest son became an attorney and his first job as an attorney was becoming part of the Rush Limbaugh's family law firm in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Our son had graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, then got his law degree at the University of Missouri Law School in Kansas City. He returned to Cape and joined the Limbaugh Law firm. 

Three Limbaugh's had made up the law firm: Rush's dad, brother and grandfather. Rush's dad had died but Rush's grandfather was still practicing law at age 100 and interviewed our son to join the Limbaugh Law Firm. At age 100, Mr. Limbaugh was the oldest practicing attorney in America. 

Rush had other Limbaugh relatives attain legal excellence as one became a federal judge and one became a member of the supreme court of Missouri. A family of gifted attorneys, yet Rush Limbaugh will be the most remembered for what he achieved in keeping America on the path created by our founding fathers. 

Listening to Rush for 30 years, it was amazing the many talents he had. He created classics in political parodies when he would talk about the "Justice Brothers," Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton, and their extracting money from large corporations. Or the fun days when there sprung up "Rush Rooms" in eating establishments in America during the noon hour in which people could eat and still hear Rush. Then there was "Dan's Bake Sale" in which 70,000 people showed up in Ft. Collins, Colorado. A neat story you need to google. He loved golf and the Pittsburg Steelers. And Rush did know his football. 

As I write this column I am listening in the background the tributes on TV paid to Rush and rightly so. Admittedly it is affecting my emotions as I write. In this past year since we learned of Rush having stage four lung cancer almost every single caller to Rush's show conveyed their prayers for Rush. I'm pretty sure he lived longer than what was originally expected and I think all of those prayers gave him more days with the audience he loved and cherished. 

Rush, after learning of his terminal condition, talked about how he never understood the final speech of the great Yankee slugger Lou Gehrig, who had been diagnosed with a fatal disease, yet telling Yankee fans that he felt he was the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. Rush told his audience that he finally understood what Gehrig meant. Both Rush and Gehrig knew they had a fatal disease yet both men knew that their fans were loyal to the core and that intense loyalty had blessed their lives beyond their grandest expectations. 

Rush had an uncanny ability to assess certain political trends earlier than anyone else on radio or TV. When Donald Trump came down the elevator to launch his run for the presidency, Rush was the first major personality who saw Trump as the candidate who could win. Admittedly, I did not initially see the strength and appeal of Trump. But as he defeated a tremendously talented field of Republican candidates, he then won the presidency in the greatest political upset in our history. 

Rush not only saw the potential of Trump as president but Trump proved worthy by his many successes. Rush's early assessment was correct. Now, the "talent on loan from God " has returned to the lender. Thank you God for loaning us Rush Limbaugh!