OF COURSE HE WAS GOING TO DO
THAT WITH TENS OF MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE.
JOINING US ON THE PHONE NOW IS
SEAN HANNITY.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS DAY?
WE HAVE LOST RUSH LIMBAUGH, HIS
WIFE CATHERINE HAS ANNOUNCED IT
ON HIS RADIO SHOW.
>> HARRIS, THANKS FOR HAVING ME
ON, I WAS JUST CATCHING THE END
OF MARC’S COMMENTS AND BILL HEMMER’S COMMENTS AND I’M
BILL HEMMER’S COMMENTS AND I’M
LOOKING AT THESE PICTURES AND I
HEARD CATHERINE TODAY, THE LOVE
OF HIS LIFE, VERY CLOSE WITH HIS
FAMILY AS I THINK YOU KNOW AND
HIS WONDERFUL BROTHER DAVID AND
HIS SISTER-IN-LAW LISA, THEIR
KIDS, WE’VE ALL BEEN VERY CLOSE
FOR A LONG TIME.
THERE IS ONE THING, I THINK MARK
WAS TOUCHING ON THIS A LOT.
THERE IS NO TALK RADIO AS WE KNOW IT WITHOUT RUSH LIMBAUGH.
KNOW IT WITHOUT RUSH LIMBAUGH.
I EVEN MAKE THE ARGUMENT IN MANY
WAYS THERE IS NO FOX NEWS OR EVEN THESE OTHER OPINIONATED
EVEN THESE OTHER OPINIONATED
CABLE NETWORKS AND HE DID IT
GIVING SOME CONTEXT OF THIS,
IT’S JUST HEARTBREAKING AND I
WATCHED HIM SINCE THE DAY, OVER
A YEAR AGO NOW, LATE STAGE,
STAGE FOUR LUNG CANCER.
HE WAS VERY HONEST WITH HIS
AUDIENCE, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT
THE THINGS, GOD, FAITH, FAMILY,
COUNTRY AND HE MEANT IT AND HE
LIVED IT.
AND HE EMBODIED IT AND THERE ARE
NOW GENERATIONS OF US THAT HAVE
LITERALLY, CHANGE THE HEARTS AND
MINDS OF GENERATIONS OF
AMERICANS.
WHEN HE STARTED ON NATIONALLY
SYNDICATED RADIO, LESSON 200
TALK RADIO STATIONS IN THIS
COUNTRY, NOW THERE ARE 4,000.
HE SAVED THE AM BAND OF RADIO
SINGLE-HANDEDLY AND THEN HIS
RADIO LISTENING SHIFTED AND TALK
RADIO STARTED MOVING TO THE FM
BAND, HE SAVED THAT, TOO, IN SO
MANY WAYS.
MY GOOD FRIEND, ANOTHER
TALK SHOW HOST ALWAYS SAID HE
WAS BABE RUTH, THE BABE RUTH OF
TALK RADIO, COULD NEVER REPLACE
BABE RUTH.
I TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER, HE WAS
BABE RUTH, LOU GEHRIG, HANK
AARON, DEREK JETER AND EVERYONE
IN BETWEEN.
THE THING THAT I THINK IT
DEFINES IN THE MOST, HE LOVED
THIS COUNTRY.
HE WAS A PATRIOT, HE LOVED HIS
FAMILY.
HE LOVED HIS WIFE, I’M LOOKING
AT THESE PICTURES, WHAT A LIFE
HE LED AND WE SHOULD ALL ASCRIBE
IN OUR PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS TO
ME WHAT HE’S DONE BUT JUST TO
GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF TEXTURE
TO THIS, IF YOU LOOK AT
SYNDICATED TALK RADIO WHICH
NOBODY THOUGHT YOU COULD DO IN
THE DAYTIME.
WITH SYNDICATED TALK RADIO AND
THE DAYTIME IT WAS RATHER NEW
AND IT BECAME AN INSTANT
PHENOMENON ANTI-CHANGE THE
ENTIRE INDUSTRY BUT WHEN HE
STARTED OUT HE WAS LOOKING AT A
FOREST AND NOT A SINGLE TREE WAS
CUT DOWN AND EVERYONE OF US US
THAT IS ON RADIO TO DAY AND
FRANKLY ON FOX AND OTHER PLACES
AS WELL, HE SINGLE-HANDEDLY
KNOCKED DOWN ALL OF THOSE TREES
AND MADE IT EASIER BY FORGING
THAT PATH FOR THE REST OF US TO
FOLLOW.
AND WE’VE ALL BENEFITED FROM IT
AND ME PERSONALLY, MY WHOLE
CAREER BENEFITED FROM THE GREAT
SUCCESS AND OPPORTUNITIES HE
CREATED FOR OTHERS AND
CELEBRATED.
HE LIKED OTHER PEOPLE’S SUCCESS
AND MARK WAS MENTIONING, HE
LOVED THE CONSTITUTION, HE READ
THE CONSTITUTION, HE LOVED
POLITICS.
SOMETHING ABOUT RUSH DURING THE
CLINTON YEARS, I DON’T KNOW HOW
ANY OF US WOULD HAVE SURVIVED
WITHOUT RUSH ON THE RADIO EVERY
DAY LIFTING US UP BUT IT’S
DEEPER THAN THAT.
HE SYNDICATED IN 1988.
THE FIRST TIME I EVER GOT BEHIND
A RADIO MICROPHONE WAS AROUND
THE SAME TIME, 1987 OR ’88 AND
REMEMBER, I WAS IN A RADIO
STUDIO, SOMEBODY TOLD ME, YOU’VE
GOT TO HEAR THIS GUY ON THE
RADIO, THE SNOWFLAKES IN THAT
DAY, THEY WERE MELTING THAT HE
WOULD SAY IT BUT MEANWHILE IF
YOU LOOK A LITTLE BIT DEEPER
INTO THE TIME, IT’S REALLY, ALL
TALENT COMES FROM GOD, IT WAS A
VERY HUMBLE STATEMENT.
EVERYONE TOOK IT THE WRONG WAY
AND WITH HIS OWN MISCHIEVOUS
HUMOR IN THAT SIDE OF IT WAS
INCREDIBLE.
>> HEY, SEAN, IT’S BILL HEMMER.
I’M REALLY SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS,
I KNOW AFTER KNOWING YOU FOR SO
MANY YEARS AND MARK LIVE-IN AS
WELL, JUST HOW MUCH HE LOOKED UP
TO HIM AND ADMIRED HIM FOR
HIS -- HE WAS JUST SO STEADFAST
IN HIS BELIEFS AND HE HAD HIS
DETRACTORS AND I KNOW YOU ARE WELL AWARE OF THAT.
WELL AWARE OF THAT.
I WANT TO READ YOU ONE QUOTE.
"I DID WHAT I ALWAYS DONE, I DIDN’T CHANGE, YOU CAN CALL IT
DIDN’T CHANGE, YOU CAN CALL IT
BORING IF YOU WANT.
I HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT FOR THE
ENTIRE WHEN IT WAS YEARS I’VE
BEEN HOSTING THIS PROGRAM."
."
I DON’T THINK THERE’S A SINGLE
PERSON WHO EITHER LISTEN TO
LIMBAUGH OR CHOSE TO DEMONIZE
HIM WHO WOULD DISAGREE WITH THAT
QUOTE, SEAN.
SEAN, YOU STILL WITH US WHY >>
YEAH, I’M STILL WITH YOU.
YOU KNOW, I -- HE DIDN’T CHANGE.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE
CONSERVATISM, I ALWAYS SAY NOW,
PEOPLE ASK ME, A REAGAN, MAKE
AMERICA GREAT, CONSERVATISM IS
OFTEN DEFINED IN EVERY ELECTION,
IF YOU ARE CONSERVATIVE, YOU ARE
RACIST, SEXIST, XENOPHOBIC,
HOMOPHOBIC, DIRTY AIR AND WATER.
WE WANT FREEDOM, LIBERTY, LOWER
TAXES, SAFE CITIES AND TOWNS,
GOOD SCHOOLS, SECURE BORDERS,
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE, PEACE
THROUGH STRENGTH, FREE AND FAIR
TRADE AND WE LIKE OUR
SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
RUSH IS 1000% RIGHT, HE STAYED
CONSISTENT.
THIS IS A GREATNESS OF RUSH,
RUSH HAD A GENIUS THAT ALL OF
THE JUST COULD ENVY BECAUSE HE
WOULD GIVE YOU A TAKE ON
WHATEVER THE ISSUES OF THE DAY
WERE THAT YOU NEVER THOUGHT OF
YOURSELF BUT YOU ALWAYS WISH YOU
DID AND THAT WAS THE MAGIC.
WITH THE TONGUE AND THE CHEEK
AND THAT HUMOR AND TALENT ON
LOAN FROM GOD AND THE WAY HE
WOULD ENGAGE PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER BACK IN MY
DAYS AS A LOCAL HOST ATLANTA AND
I GO TO THESE RUSH ROOMS FOR
LUNCH, THERE’D BE HUNDREDS AND
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, RUSH BLARING
THROUGH THE RESTAURANTS.
WE JUST WALK AROUND AND SAY
HELLO TO PEOPLE AND HAVE FUN
AND...
IT WAS A PRECURSOR.
CONSERVATISM, WE JUST SAW IT I
BELIEVE WITH DONALD TRUMP, WHEN
THOSE PRINCIPLES ARE PUT IN PLAY
PLAY, THEY WORK.
LOWER TAXES, LESS REGULATION,
ET CETERA, ALL OF THOSE
PRINCIPLES, YOU KNOW, CREATE
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND HE
BELIEVED IT WITH A PASSION.
HE LOVED AMERICAN GREATNESS.
HE LOVED OUR CONSTITUTION.
HE BELIEVED IN FREEDOM, HE
BELIEVED IN LIBERTY, HE BELIEVED
IN THE INDIVIDUAL.
HE ALWAYS TAUGHT HIS AUDIENCE.
I LEARNED FROM HIM, IT’S NOT A
ZERO-SUM GAME IN THIS LIFE AND
THAT COLLECTIVELY WE WANT TO
HAVE A RISING TIDE.
HE, I WILL TELL YOU, THERE’S
NEVER BEEN ANYBODY LIKE THIS MAN
AND ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, I KNOW
STORIES, I’D PROBABLY GET IN
TROUBLE, OF HIS GENEROSITY IF I
TOLD THEM BECAUSE HE NEVER
WANTED PEOPLE TO KNOW BUT I
KNEW.
AND THAT SIDE OF HIM, WE’D SEE
IT ONCE A YEAR, HE’D RAISE TENS
AND TENS AND TENS OF MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS FOR THE LEUKEMIA SOCIETY
IN THE COURSE OF HIS LIFE AND
DEFEATING THAT AND...
IT IS JUST A SHOCK TO THE
SYSTEM, I CAN’T REALLY IMAGINE
THE NEXT POLITICAL MODEL WITHOUT
HIM.
>> YOU KNOW, HE WOULD AGREE WITH
THAT WHOLE GENEROSITY LINE,
SEAN, IF YOU ARE WITH US TODAY.
HE LOVED TO SHARE IT, TOO.
AT HIS WEDDING WITH KATHRYN IN
PALM BEACH, I THINK, FRANKLY, HE
GOT A THRILL OUT OF THE FACT
THAT HE CAN ENTERTAIN SO MANY OF
HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS.
>> I WAS THERE, IT WAS THE
GREATEST WEDDING I’VE BEEN TO IN
MY ENTIRE LIFE.
>> HE IN HIRED ELTON JOHN
BECAUSE KATHRYN WANTED HIM, ONE
OF HER PARENTS WERE STRUGGLING
WITH ILLNESS, RUSH HAD FLOWN OUT
THERE AND HE CAME TO GET TO KNOW
ELTON JOHN AND YOU THINK ABOUT
AN ODD COUPLE LIKE THAT,
LIMBAUGH ON ONE SIDE OF THE ROOM
AND ELTON JOHN ON THE OTHER BUT
HE HAD THE ABILITY TO BRING
PEOPLE TOGETHER.
WHAT I WANTED TO EMPHASIZE TO
YOU IS THAT RUSH WANTED TO
SHARE, HE WANTED PEOPLE TO