Limbaugh Was Partly Scalia and Bork's Fault

[no_hypocrisy]

The racist talk-show host didn’t just materialize from the free market. A policy change created him.

The admittedly and lamentably glorious career of the most prominent racist, sexist, poisonous radio host of our time probably never would have happened if it weren’t for a policy change: the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine, under Ronald Reagan. And that repeal wouldn’t have happened without the efforts of three men, one of whom most people forget today but the other two of whom loom very large indeed in the annals of the right-wing takeover of the country.

-snip-

At the time of that ruling, Rush Limbaugh had a radio show in Sacramento, skirting the doctrine with his extremely partisan lancing of Democratic California pols. But the ratings were good, and soon enough, ABC Radio noticed, and he moved to New York and went national. Ratings went through the roof. Imitators followed. And followed.

-snip-

His career, summed up in one sentence, is that he taught hundreds of imitators that they should and could say anything for the purpose of partisan advantage, because they could probably get away with it. No one had ever before hinted that the First Lady was a lesbian or a crook or any number of the other things he called Hillary Clinton. But she was a public figure, and Times v. Sullivan established an awfully high bar, under which you could traffic in all manner of insult and innuendo.

He’s done more to poison our politics than anyone I can think of in the last 50 years outside of Newt Gingrich and Donald Trump. And he probably would never have become the star he became without the efforts of a sexual predator senator and two of the most right-wing jurists of the last half century. Limbaugh’s career is one of the most conspicuous examples of how the right-wing feedback loop amplified itself and changed discourse forever, and for the worse.

https://democracyjournal.org/arguments/limbaugh-was-partly-scalia-and-borks-fault/?fbclid=IwAR2iv7Ibn32NiRgvxKaCQJ1cSnGIEjnwwtuOwaKVP4iTP95MvY0tNQXcSAE

[Just_Vote_Dem]

1. He was heavily funded by powerful right-wing benefactors

which is why in many areas of the country his show kept getting renewed even when his ratings were in the toilet. Neil Rogers, who was a Miami talk show host years ago, would openly talk about this when he discussed his own ratings.

[Midnight Writer]

3. I think this is an area that needs more exposure.

The mantra on the Right has always been that these Hate Radio shows flourished while Liberal radio failed is a Free Market story.

Actually, in many markets, stations are paid to air these Hate Radio shows.

This is another example of wealthy oligarchs astroturfing a movement that is bad for the country but good for their wallets.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

4. You are correct.

Many stations were paid to broadcast him, and that is hardly reported in the media.

[themaguffin]

2. Yep, the end of the Fairness Doctrine created a large right wing safe space of toxic bullshit