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00:00:07,424 --> 00:00:08,943
-Women are dying every day
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00:00:08,967 --> 00:00:10,695
all over the world
because of people like you.
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00:00:10,719 --> 00:00:12,572
-Rush Limbaugh is one of the
'90s most controversial figures.
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-Feminists in America today
are outdated.
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00:00:16,308 --> 00:00:19,287
-The reason that Trump was
so effective with fake news...
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It started with Limbaugh.
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{\an8}-First on radio, then TV.
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{\an8}-Whenever we see gays
in the military,
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we're gonna go... aah!
[ Laughter ]
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-Limbaugh attacks men...
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-The NFL all too often looks
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like a game between
the Bloods and the Crips.
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- women...
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-We're going to do
a feminazi update.
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- And even children.
- That's the kid!
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-I don't think anybody was
comfortable with that.
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-I got the sense that he was
beaten up when he was younger.
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-He'll spend the decade
and beyond
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spreading hate and conspiracies.
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-"Democrats are evil.
Democrats are not patriotic."
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-The modern Republican Party
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has been reshaped
in Limbaugh's image.
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-It's Limbaugh's rhetoric
that will fuel
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the right-wing populism
that taints our politics today.
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-He purposely divided America.
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-You will not replace us!
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{\an8}♪♪
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{\an8}[ Dial-up modems screeching ]
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{\an8}♪♪
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{\an8}[ Radios tuning ]
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{\an8}-The most dangerous man...
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- in the U.S.A.!
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-Well, Rush Limbaugh
bills himself
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as "the most dangerous man
in America."
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Why?
Well, why not?
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He has the hottest radio
talk show in the country.
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-[ Mimics fanfare ]
Ladies and gentlemen!
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-In the '90s,
one man gives voice
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to the id
of American conservatism.
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-It seems everywhere you look,
there he is,
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on the billboards
and in the bookstores.
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-With his radio and TV shows,
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00:02:06,543 --> 00:02:10,064
Rush Limbaugh will push together
a cult following
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by pulling America apart.
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-You know what all caused this?
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[ Crowd cheering ]
Me!
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-But Limbaugh's rise to become
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the king of blue-collar
conservatism
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is no rags-to-riches story...
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00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,706
More like riches
to even more riches.
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-This guy grew up
in Cape Girardeau, Missouri,
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relatively well-off,
very Republican family.
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-His dad was a corporate lawyer
and a Republican leader.
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-His father was very politically
opinionated and loved
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to spout off
at the dinner table.
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Friends remember this.
You know, when you went
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to the Limbaugh dinner table,
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you were getting
a seminar in things.
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-As a teenager,
Limbaugh dreams of one day
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spinning records
for a top 40 radio station.
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-He grew up loving radio,
loved radio,
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and he was a deejay,
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much to the consternation
of his lawyer father.
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He was kind of viewed
as the failure of the family.
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{\an8}I'm Brian Rosenwald.
I'm the author
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00:03:02,474 --> 00:03:05,203
{\an8}of "Talk Radio's America:
How an Industry Took Over
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00:03:05,227 --> 00:03:08,247
{\an8}a Political Party That Took
Over the United States."
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He goes off to college
and only lasts like one year
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because his heart's not in it,
he's not interested in it.
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And he heads off
to try to do radio.
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Limbaugh was a good deejay,
but he was exactly
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the type of person
who didn't listen to his boss.
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He was the kind of deejay who
would call the local pizza place
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and order 5,000 pizzas
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and tell them he was
from the competing station.
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And so, that's a very poor
strategy for remaining employed.
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-After getting fired from jobs
across the Midwest,
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Limbaugh scores his first real
break at KFBK in Sacramento.
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-He got the job because another
right-wing talk show host
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made some sort of ethnic slur
and was fired.
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His name was Morton Downey Jr.
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-You disagree with what
you hear, don't blame us...
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Blame it on Morton Downey Jr.
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-Morton Downey Jr. will soon
be known for his angry antics
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00:04:06,663 --> 00:04:08,766
on his late-night TV show.
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00:04:08,790 --> 00:04:10,435
But in 1984,
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he's a loudmouthed deejay
talking politics on KFBK.
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-And he says something racist
about a city councilman,
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and so they fire Downey
and they have a slot.
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-Limbaugh gets that job.
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00:04:22,095 --> 00:04:24,574
But to appeal
to Morton Downey's audience,
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he tweaks what he talks
about on the mic.
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-And you have to understand,
at the time that Limbaugh
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goes to Sacramento,
he is not that political.
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This guy's never been
registered to vote.
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00:04:35,192 --> 00:04:36,419
He's in his 30s.
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00:04:36,443 --> 00:04:38,212
But he's just sort of applying
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the shtick that he had developed
as a deejay
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to political conversation.
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And he has a good time,
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and he's doing gags
and all this kind of stuff.
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-So, I have a little joke
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00:04:48,038 --> 00:04:49,682
I'm gonna play
on the light company.
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We will call them up
on the phone right now.
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-Limbaugh's new act is heard
by Ed McLaughlin,
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the head of ABC Radio.
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He's got an opening at WABC,
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the company's flagship station
in New York City.
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-He moves to New York
July 4th weekend of 1988,
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00:05:07,474 --> 00:05:11,245
and August 1st of '88,
he debuts nationally.
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-♪ With talent on loan
from God ♪
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-In New York, Howard Stern has
already established himself
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as the king of the FM dial
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by syndicating his show
to stations across the country.
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-Howard Stern starts to kind of
pioneer the raunchier,
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in-your-face,
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what they call "guy talk"
that could be really sexual.
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-Stern was so outrageous
on last night's "Tonight Show,"
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NBC issued a formal apology
to its viewers.
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-They talk a little politics,
but it was mostly focused on sex
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and women and popular culture
and that kind of thing,
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and it pushed
the boundaries of propriety.
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-But while Howard reinvents what
morning drive time sounds like,
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Rush uses his midday
AM talk show
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to do the same thing
with political radio.
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-Tantamount Pictures presents...
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00:06:02,153 --> 00:06:05,633
Bill Clinton in "Tax-ula."
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00:06:05,657 --> 00:06:09,470
-It's hard to understate
how different and unique
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00:06:09,494 --> 00:06:12,056
and fresh his show feels.
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00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:14,225
-There's no doubt that
the Rush Limbaugh radio show
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was pretty inventive.
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There was more comedy.
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Limbaugh had an amazing talent
of connecting with his audience.
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He did it unlike other
right-wing ranters on the radio.
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- on loan from God,
Rush Limbaugh,
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here on the Excellence
in Broadcasting Network.
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-Calls his network
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the Excellence in Broadcasting
Network,
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and EIB One is his plane
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when he gets wealthy enough
to have a plane.
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-And that was very sticky.
You know what I mean?
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Excellence in Broadcasting,
you know.
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It's just...
it was all...
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It was all this... I wouldn't
even say it was marketing,
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'cause it was way more campy
than marketing, you know?
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-Limbaugh quickly makes a name
for himself
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by belittling liberal beliefs.
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-Morality is not defined
by individual choice.
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You hear that, you liberals?
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00:07:01,755 --> 00:07:03,399
-He has caller abortions.
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00:07:03,423 --> 00:07:06,277
He plays, um, a vacuum cleaner
sound effect
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00:07:06,301 --> 00:07:07,737
and screaming in the background
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00:07:07,761 --> 00:07:09,614
while hanging up
on liberal callers
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And his point... he stops them
after a short period of time,
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00:07:12,349 --> 00:07:14,910
but his point is that
they're more controversial
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than actual abortions.
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So, he's making
a conservative political point,
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but he's not just
lecturing on it.
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He's not a sermonizer.
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This is not church.
This is fun.
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- ♪ Whoa! ♪
- Rush Limbaugh!
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-Yeah.
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-The first time
I heard Rush Limbaugh,
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I vividly remember driving to
my sister's house in Cincinnati.
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I turned him on, I'm somewhere
in the middle of Indiana,
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and here's this energetic,
kind of off-the-wall guy...
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-[ High-pitched voice ]
Tiananmen Square,
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nuclear weapons, oh, no!
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- who's speaking to me.
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{\an8}I am Joe Walsh,
former Illinois congressman,
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00:07:51,513 --> 00:07:54,575
{\an8}former Republican candidate
for president,
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{\an8}and former Rush Limbaugh
listener.
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-Before Rush,
conservatives complained
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that no one on TV or radio
speaks for them...
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00:08:04,442 --> 00:08:09,006
-Generally, if you were right
of center, you'd get pounded.
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You'd get criticized.
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- and that the mainstream media
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is biased against them
and their values.
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-ABC, CBS, NBC...
They're all left of center.
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CNN... left of center.
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I mean, most of the media
in America is,
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{\an8}has always been left of center.
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{\an8}-Thank you, Mr. President.
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{\an8}-Well, I hope I've answered
your questions as best I could,
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{\an8}given the very little
that I know.
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{\an8}-So to have somebody like
Rush Limbaugh beat them up,
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it was refreshing.
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-The country was moving
to the right since Reagan,
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{\an8}and there was...
There had been backlash
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{\an8}from, you know,
the social movements.
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You know, there was
the hippie movement,
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there was the civil rights
movement,
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there was the feminist movement.
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-This is a kind of peak moment
in the culture wars.
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You've got a lot
of white Christians,
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00:09:00,790 --> 00:09:04,311
especially white Christian men,
who feel like the world
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00:09:04,335 --> 00:09:07,148
has been turned upside down
on them over like 20 years.
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00:09:07,172 --> 00:09:08,858
-Telling these men,
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00:09:08,882 --> 00:09:11,402
"Well, you can't call
Black people 'colored' anymore,
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00:09:11,426 --> 00:09:15,364
you can't call women
'girls' anymore."
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00:09:15,388 --> 00:09:17,908
-And it's these
white conservative men
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00:09:17,932 --> 00:09:19,577
who see in Rush Limbaugh
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00:09:19,601 --> 00:09:22,621
a man willing to speak up
on their behalf.
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00:09:22,645 --> 00:09:26,751
-Rush had an amazing,
amazing sense of what people
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00:09:26,775 --> 00:09:31,756
who tended to think like he did,
where they were coming from.
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00:09:31,780 --> 00:09:34,175
-He's just becoming a bigger
and bigger deal,
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especially for men.
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00:09:35,450 --> 00:09:38,137
It becomes like their clubhouse.
209
00:09:38,161 --> 00:09:40,431
-In only a year,
his audience swells
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to almost 1 million people
on 172 stations.
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00:09:44,876 --> 00:09:48,189
His listeners soak up his lack
of political correctness,
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00:09:48,213 --> 00:09:51,525
and so long as he's beating up
on liberals,
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00:09:51,549 --> 00:09:54,028
they don't care
if what he's saying is true.
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00:09:54,052 --> 00:09:57,573
If Rush says it,
they believe it.
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00:09:57,597 --> 00:09:59,283
-And so, the simple fact
of the matter
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00:09:59,307 --> 00:10:01,994
is that the homeless advocacy
in this country is...
217
00:10:02,018 --> 00:10:04,080
Is, I think, based upon fraud.
218
00:10:04,104 --> 00:10:07,833
-This guy doesn't just get
his facts wrong...
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00:10:07,857 --> 00:10:10,044
He turns them upside down.
220
00:10:10,068 --> 00:10:12,171
{\an8}My name is Jeff Cohen.
221
00:10:12,195 --> 00:10:14,256
{\an8}I founded
the media watch group FAIR
222
00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:19,678
{\an8}that debunked and documented
Rush Limbaugh's reign of error.
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00:10:19,702 --> 00:10:23,140
I remember the first time
I heard Limbaugh.
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00:10:23,164 --> 00:10:27,645
I was in a cab in New York City,
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00:10:27,669 --> 00:10:30,356
and I was in that cab
for about 20 minutes.
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00:10:30,380 --> 00:10:32,817
In the first 20 minutes,
I said, "This is one
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00:10:32,841 --> 00:10:36,320
of the biggest charlatans
in the history of talk radio."
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00:10:36,344 --> 00:10:38,030
He once said that, you know,
229
00:10:38,054 --> 00:10:40,616
"This wasn't handed to me
on a silver platter."
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00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:42,493
Not quite true.
231
00:10:42,517 --> 00:10:47,915
His first radio job, he hosted
a show on a local radio station,
232
00:10:47,939 --> 00:10:50,584
and his dad was the part owner.
233
00:10:50,608 --> 00:10:53,504
-I don't think he cared
about the truth.
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00:10:53,528 --> 00:10:55,381
I don't think
it was important to him.
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00:10:55,405 --> 00:10:57,466
That wasn't the goal
of his show.
236
00:10:57,490 --> 00:11:01,053
-I never knew from the beginning
237
00:11:01,077 --> 00:11:04,473
if Rush Limbaugh believed
a [bleep] word he said.
238
00:11:04,497 --> 00:11:06,100
-A lot of people say,
"You really believe
239
00:11:06,124 --> 00:11:07,685
the stuff you say?"
240
00:11:07,709 --> 00:11:09,353
I don't know.
That's for you to figure out.
241
00:11:09,377 --> 00:11:13,941
-I think Rush knew
in many instances
242
00:11:13,965 --> 00:11:15,818
he was not telling the truth.
243
00:11:15,842 --> 00:11:19,363
Even after being corrected,
he would keep saying the lie.
244
00:11:19,387 --> 00:11:22,032
-Limbaugh isn't just loose
with his facts.
245
00:11:22,056 --> 00:11:24,118
He's also becoming more
and more derisive
246
00:11:24,142 --> 00:11:27,788
towards the social
and political groups he targets.
247
00:11:27,812 --> 00:11:31,292
-It's no secret the talk show
host offends many people,
248
00:11:31,316 --> 00:11:35,170
including gays, women,
Democrats, and liberals.
249
00:11:35,194 --> 00:11:37,631
-It was a lot of complaining
about liberals and Democrats
250
00:11:37,655 --> 00:11:39,383
and women and Black people.
251
00:11:39,407 --> 00:11:43,971
-Making fun of gay people,
making fun of people with HIV.
252
00:11:43,995 --> 00:11:46,473
-The thing that a lot of
liberals start to feel
253
00:11:46,497 --> 00:11:48,975
is that he was a bigot.
254
00:11:48,999 --> 00:11:54,481
He punched down at people
who were less powerful than him.
255
00:11:54,505 --> 00:11:56,609
-Early on, Limbaugh popularizes
256
00:11:56,633 --> 00:11:58,277
{\an8}the term feminazi
257
00:11:58,301 --> 00:12:01,906
{\an8}to describe any woman
who's pro-choice,
258
00:12:01,930 --> 00:12:06,160
something he's called out for
when he appears on "Donahue."
259
00:12:06,184 --> 00:12:08,370
- "Feminazis"?
260
00:12:08,394 --> 00:12:11,707
Feminists are Nazis?
- I don't think
261
00:12:11,731 --> 00:12:13,834
that the feminists who say,
"We're feminists,
262
00:12:13,858 --> 00:12:15,628
we're fierce
and we're in your face,"
263
00:12:15,652 --> 00:12:18,672
which is clearly "us against
men," is representative
264
00:12:18,696 --> 00:12:21,634
of the majority of women
in this country, or people.
265
00:12:21,658 --> 00:12:24,553
-Not to psychoanalyze Rush,
266
00:12:24,577 --> 00:12:27,640
but he seemed
to have issues with women
267
00:12:27,664 --> 00:12:30,768
and he seemed
to have issues with sex.
268
00:12:30,792 --> 00:12:35,481
There seemed to be
a real ugly anger for women
269
00:12:35,505 --> 00:12:38,817
that would come out
publicly on his show.
270
00:12:38,841 --> 00:12:40,486
How many of you guys
271
00:12:40,510 --> 00:12:43,197
in your own experience
with women
272
00:12:43,221 --> 00:12:46,533
have learned that no means yes
if you know how to spot it?
273
00:12:46,557 --> 00:12:50,371
-Well, I mean, I guess people
could say Rush was a sexist.
274
00:12:50,395 --> 00:12:53,707
He said sexist things.
You know what?
275
00:12:53,731 --> 00:12:56,293
My father said sexist things
when I was growing up.
276
00:12:56,317 --> 00:12:57,753
My dad's not a sexist.
277
00:12:57,777 --> 00:12:59,421
{\an8}My name is Nick Africano.
278
00:12:59,445 --> 00:13:01,382
{\an8}I was a producer
for "Rush Limbaugh,"
279
00:13:01,406 --> 00:13:05,177
{\an8}the television show,
from '91 to '95.
280
00:13:05,201 --> 00:13:07,513
Can you use language on TV?
281
00:13:07,537 --> 00:13:08,555
- Yeah.
- Oh, okay.
282
00:13:08,579 --> 00:13:10,224
-[ Speaking indistinctly ]
283
00:13:10,248 --> 00:13:12,643
-I mean, I won't...
I'm not gonna say [bleep]
284
00:13:12,667 --> 00:13:14,520
-I think like a lot
of misogynists,
285
00:13:14,544 --> 00:13:17,022
you know, it wasn't his fault...
It's those damn women,
286
00:13:17,046 --> 00:13:19,858
and it's the feminists
and the feminazis.
287
00:13:19,882 --> 00:13:22,945
-Despite increasing outrage
from activist groups,
288
00:13:22,969 --> 00:13:26,490
Rush Limbaugh doesn't get
canceled like he might today.
289
00:13:26,514 --> 00:13:28,742
Instead, he's rewarded.
290
00:13:28,766 --> 00:13:33,122
CBS asked Limbaugh to guest host
Pat Sajak's talk show,
291
00:13:33,146 --> 00:13:35,958
but it's a request
they will soon regret.
292
00:13:35,982 --> 00:13:41,588
{\an8}-Affirmative action
is an insult.
293
00:13:41,612 --> 00:13:44,508
{\an8}- [ Indistinct shouting ]
- Sir, please sit down.
294
00:13:44,532 --> 00:13:48,345
{\an8}We'll get to you in good time.
295
00:13:48,369 --> 00:13:50,639
{\an8}[ Audience shouting, booing ]
296
00:13:50,663 --> 00:13:55,001
{\an8}♪♪
297
00:13:59,464 --> 00:14:01,942
-By 1990, Rush Limbaugh
the right-wing radio phenomenon
298
00:14:01,966 --> 00:14:04,528
becomes Rush Limbaugh
the human cash machine.
299
00:14:04,552 --> 00:14:07,156
Along with his
million-dollar salary,
300
00:14:07,180 --> 00:14:08,991
Limbaugh hawks
an ever-growing range
301
00:14:09,015 --> 00:14:13,203
of Excellence in Broadcasting
merchandise, along with
302
00:14:13,227 --> 00:14:16,123
the "Rush to Excellence"
public speaking tour,
303
00:14:16,147 --> 00:14:18,584
where he earns $250,000 a year
304
00:14:18,608 --> 00:14:21,920
off fans willing to pay
for in-person jokes
305
00:14:21,944 --> 00:14:24,840
about what he calls "libtards."
306
00:14:24,864 --> 00:14:28,802
-The latest craze among
progressive homosexuals
307
00:14:28,826 --> 00:14:31,430
has resulted in numerous gay men
308
00:14:31,454 --> 00:14:34,600
reporting to hospital
emergency rooms
309
00:14:34,624 --> 00:14:39,605
needing gerbils surgically
removed from their rectum.
310
00:14:39,629 --> 00:14:42,983
-Rush would get
particularly ugly
311
00:14:43,007 --> 00:14:48,739
{\an8}making fun of the whole
LGBTQ community.
312
00:14:48,763 --> 00:14:52,910
Man, it would be like he took
a knife and just stabbed people
313
00:14:52,934 --> 00:14:57,498
and twisted that knife,
in a much uglier fashion
314
00:14:57,522 --> 00:15:00,084
than when he's just
going after somebody
315
00:15:00,108 --> 00:15:03,379
because of climate change
or some other issue.
316
00:15:03,403 --> 00:15:05,839
-His increasingly toxic
diatribes
317
00:15:05,863 --> 00:15:08,092
earn him more and more fans,
318
00:15:08,116 --> 00:15:12,221
the most diehard of which
he nicknames the Dittoheads.
319
00:15:12,245 --> 00:15:15,599
-Rush himself would call them
Dittoheads,
320
00:15:15,623 --> 00:15:18,018
and they started
calling themselves Dittoheads.
321
00:15:18,042 --> 00:15:19,978
Means that they just agree
322
00:15:20,002 --> 00:15:23,190
with everything
that Rush Limbaugh says.
323
00:15:23,214 --> 00:15:24,650
-By the way, Ditto and a half
324
00:15:24,674 --> 00:15:26,318
from the land
of the lonely pine.
325
00:15:26,342 --> 00:15:27,653
-Thank you. Thanks very much.
326
00:15:27,677 --> 00:15:30,989
{\an8}-A Dittohead was just
a rabid fan.
327
00:15:31,013 --> 00:15:32,491
{\an8}"I agree with you. Ditto."
328
00:15:32,515 --> 00:15:34,785
-Politically, I agree with him.
Beautifully.
329
00:15:34,809 --> 00:15:36,245
I always agree with him.
330
00:15:36,269 --> 00:15:41,458
-My dad was such a Dittohead
that he said,
331
00:15:41,482 --> 00:15:45,587
"I don't agree with everything
Rush says...
332
00:15:45,611 --> 00:15:49,216
Rush agrees
with everything I think."
333
00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:50,592
{\an8}I'm Jen Senko.
334
00:15:50,616 --> 00:15:52,886
{\an8}I'm an award-winning filmmaker,
335
00:15:52,910 --> 00:15:55,806
{\an8}director of
"The Brainwashing of My Dad."
336
00:15:55,830 --> 00:15:58,308
-Like many Americans
in the '90s,
337
00:15:58,332 --> 00:16:01,019
Jen's dad discovers
Rush Limbaugh...
338
00:16:01,043 --> 00:16:02,771
-Rush Limbaugh.
339
00:16:02,795 --> 00:16:05,899
- on the car radio during
his daily commute to work.
340
00:16:05,923 --> 00:16:10,612
-Before Rush, my dad was,
you know, a Democrat.
341
00:16:10,636 --> 00:16:14,116
To keep himself company,
he... he found talk radio.
342
00:16:14,140 --> 00:16:19,538
He wasn't much into music,
but the guy on the radio
343
00:16:19,562 --> 00:16:23,709
was racist, sexist, homophobe,
344
00:16:23,733 --> 00:16:27,004
and always, always, always
345
00:16:27,028 --> 00:16:30,924
pounding on liberals
and Democrats
346
00:16:30,948 --> 00:16:33,010
and... and demonizing them.
347
00:16:33,034 --> 00:16:37,097
"Democrats are evil.
Democrats are not patriotic.
348
00:16:37,121 --> 00:16:40,350
Democrats are gonna
just destroy the country."
349
00:16:40,374 --> 00:16:43,020
And, so my dad
found Rush Limbaugh
350
00:16:43,044 --> 00:16:45,314
and fell in man love
351
00:16:45,338 --> 00:16:48,066
and became addicted to Limbaugh.
352
00:16:48,090 --> 00:16:51,820
It was like the pod people,
that movie.
353
00:16:51,844 --> 00:16:56,116
This is the body of my dad,
but it's not my dad.
354
00:16:56,140 --> 00:16:58,410
{\an8}-You have to understand that
if you're driving a truck
355
00:16:58,434 --> 00:17:01,496
{\an8}or you're in an auto body shop
or you're a homemaker,
356
00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:04,166
you know, they're spending
15 hours a week with him.
357
00:17:04,190 --> 00:17:06,376
And he is, you know,
almost there...
358
00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:08,962
That could be more than they're
spending with their spouses.
359
00:17:08,986 --> 00:17:10,714
He becomes part
of their families.
360
00:17:10,738 --> 00:17:13,217
He becomes, you know,
a friend to them,
361
00:17:13,241 --> 00:17:16,053
and they form this bond.
362
00:17:16,077 --> 00:17:17,721
-You know, it's just a bunch
363
00:17:17,745 --> 00:17:19,932
of wacko, leftist
environmentalists
364
00:17:19,956 --> 00:17:23,227
who are continuing their assault
on capitalist America.
365
00:17:23,251 --> 00:17:25,729
-Rush became my father's
best friend.
366
00:17:25,753 --> 00:17:28,565
He locked himself
in the kitchen for three hours
367
00:17:28,589 --> 00:17:30,734
and would have these
Limbaugh lunches.
368
00:17:30,758 --> 00:17:34,154
And my mom was cast
to the living room
369
00:17:34,178 --> 00:17:36,365
to eat her lunch
in the living room.
370
00:17:36,389 --> 00:17:40,911
I remember thinking that
my dad's addicted to this anger.
371
00:17:40,935 --> 00:17:44,498
-And the number of Americans
addicted to Limbaugh is growing.
372
00:17:44,522 --> 00:17:47,584
By 1990, his nationwide
syndicated network
373
00:17:47,608 --> 00:17:49,711
reaches 5 million listeners.
374
00:17:49,735 --> 00:17:52,631
And as long as his audience
continues to grow,
375
00:17:52,655 --> 00:17:57,302
the show's corporate sponsors
don't seem to mind the vitriol.
376
00:17:57,326 --> 00:18:00,097
-When it comes to the US media,
it's corporations
377
00:18:00,121 --> 00:18:03,767
{\an8}that are the owners, and that
can never be forgotten,
378
00:18:03,791 --> 00:18:08,563
{\an8}that these media corporations
were willing to give a voice
379
00:18:08,587 --> 00:18:12,150
to a guy who was a champion
of the overdog.
380
00:18:12,174 --> 00:18:14,236
He defended tobacco industry,
381
00:18:14,260 --> 00:18:16,321
he defended
the pharmaceutical companies.
382
00:18:16,345 --> 00:18:18,824
They're huge advertisers.
383
00:18:18,848 --> 00:18:22,327
And he was beating up
on these powerless groups.
384
00:18:22,351 --> 00:18:24,288
So, the big corporations,
385
00:18:24,312 --> 00:18:27,499
I think, were happy
to give him a microphone.
386
00:18:27,523 --> 00:18:29,167
-In March of 1990,
387
00:18:29,191 --> 00:18:31,545
the executives
at media giant CBS
388
00:18:31,569 --> 00:18:35,215
choose to ignore Limbaugh's
attacks against minority groups
389
00:18:35,239 --> 00:18:39,761
when they ask him to guest host
Pat Sajak's failing talk show.
390
00:18:39,785 --> 00:18:42,681
-This is, you know, CBS.
This is the big time.
391
00:18:42,705 --> 00:18:47,144
This is... they're trying to see
could Limbaugh be a star
392
00:18:47,168 --> 00:18:50,063
in late-night television
the way he is on the radio?
393
00:18:50,087 --> 00:18:52,149
{\an8}♪♪
394
00:18:52,173 --> 00:18:54,818
-As you know, there's been
a controversy brewing all week
395
00:18:54,842 --> 00:18:57,404
regarding
the Idaho abortion bill.
396
00:18:57,428 --> 00:19:00,073
-Rush quickly discovers
what happens when you do
397
00:19:00,097 --> 00:19:04,161
your bellicose act in front
of a non-Dittohead crowd.
398
00:19:04,185 --> 00:19:05,746
- You'll never have a baby.
- You... It has nothing...
399
00:19:05,770 --> 00:19:07,414
Madam... Madam...
- You'll never be pregnant.
400
00:19:07,438 --> 00:19:08,999
You'll never have to have
an abortion.
401
00:19:09,023 --> 00:19:10,625
- Madam?
- Yes, Rush?
402
00:19:10,649 --> 00:19:12,711
- Why are you so mad?
- Why am I mad?
403
00:19:12,735 --> 00:19:14,463
- Yeah.
- Because women are dying
404
00:19:14,487 --> 00:19:16,757
every day all over the world
because of people like you.
405
00:19:16,781 --> 00:19:19,468
-A bunch of activists
are in the audience,
406
00:19:19,492 --> 00:19:22,012
and they start
talking back to him.
407
00:19:22,036 --> 00:19:24,014
-We are going to be
wherever you are
408
00:19:24,038 --> 00:19:26,433
and we're gonna denounce
and expose you.
409
00:19:26,457 --> 00:19:29,311
-It's just an utter,
unmitigated disaster.
410
00:19:29,335 --> 00:19:31,813
[ Cheers and applause ]
411
00:19:31,837 --> 00:19:35,150
-Rush Limbaugh never handled
opposition well.
412
00:19:35,174 --> 00:19:37,235
- Now...
- Go back to the radio, Rush!
413
00:19:37,259 --> 00:19:42,824
-Rush Limbaugh never, ever
really was put in a position
414
00:19:42,848 --> 00:19:47,162
from the beginning where he had
to defend his point of view.
415
00:19:47,186 --> 00:19:49,164
-Finally, some of the people
416
00:19:49,188 --> 00:19:52,501
he's been denouncing
from his throne
417
00:19:52,525 --> 00:19:54,503
are there confronting him,
418
00:19:54,527 --> 00:19:57,422
and it was an embarrassing
moment for him.
419
00:19:57,446 --> 00:19:59,925
-Limbaugh gives up on TV for now
420
00:19:59,949 --> 00:20:04,638
and returns to the safety of his
three-hour-a-day radio program.
421
00:20:04,662 --> 00:20:06,515
-In TV, we have a live audience,
422
00:20:06,539 --> 00:20:10,268
and I think that was a fair bit
difficult for him.
423
00:20:10,292 --> 00:20:12,104
You know, when he was
behind the radio,
424
00:20:12,128 --> 00:20:15,649
he just had to crank the mic on
and, uh... and get talking.
425
00:20:15,673 --> 00:20:17,317
It was pretty easy that way
426
00:20:17,341 --> 00:20:19,403
in terms of having to
deal with anybody.
427
00:20:19,427 --> 00:20:23,573
-From behind his mic,
Rush can do what he does best...
428
00:20:23,597 --> 00:20:27,119
Spout off about feminists,
immigrants, and minority groups
429
00:20:27,143 --> 00:20:30,664
he thinks are all destroying
the "real America."
430
00:20:30,688 --> 00:20:33,083
And his opinions soon reach
the inner circles
431
00:20:33,107 --> 00:20:35,585
of a political group
that agrees with him.
432
00:20:35,609 --> 00:20:40,173
-Slowly, Republican consultants,
Republican staffers,
433
00:20:40,197 --> 00:20:43,260
Republican politicians
are being turned on to him,
434
00:20:43,284 --> 00:20:45,137
and when they're
turned on to him,
435
00:20:45,161 --> 00:20:46,847
a light bulb goes off that,
436
00:20:46,871 --> 00:20:48,932
you know, this could be really
politically beneficial.
437
00:20:48,956 --> 00:20:54,104
-The Republican Party woke up
to the fact that, "Oh, my God,
438
00:20:54,128 --> 00:20:58,275
this guy is channeling
our voters better than we are,
439
00:20:58,299 --> 00:21:01,862
and we better embrace him
pragmatically and politically."
440
00:21:01,886 --> 00:21:05,574
-The Republican
who embraces Rush the most
441
00:21:05,598 --> 00:21:08,618
is a man named Roger Ailes.
442
00:21:08,642 --> 00:21:11,329
-Before Rush,
there was Roger Ailes.
443
00:21:11,353 --> 00:21:13,957
-Roger Ailes, who is
a television producer
444
00:21:13,981 --> 00:21:16,126
and political consultant
445
00:21:16,150 --> 00:21:18,879
responsible
for lots of famous ads.
446
00:21:18,903 --> 00:21:22,132
-One of his most notorious
is "Revolving Door,"
447
00:21:22,156 --> 00:21:26,803
a campaign commercial for
the Bush-Quayle ticket in 1988.
448
00:21:26,827 --> 00:21:29,014
The ad is a not-so-subtle
suggestion
449
00:21:29,038 --> 00:21:31,475
that voting for Michael Dukakis
450
00:21:31,499 --> 00:21:34,644
means Black criminals
get released from prison.
451
00:21:34,668 --> 00:21:36,897
-This was calculated
to emphasize
452
00:21:36,921 --> 00:21:38,648
the one African American here.
453
00:21:38,672 --> 00:21:43,153
-Roger Ailes was one of the most
important figures in the history
454
00:21:43,177 --> 00:21:46,156
of the modern Republican Party
and the modern media.
455
00:21:46,180 --> 00:21:50,035
Ailes worked for
Richard Nixon's campaigns,
456
00:21:50,059 --> 00:21:53,580
later worked for Reagan,
worked for Bush the first.
457
00:21:53,604 --> 00:21:57,334
-He already had this idea
that he wanted to make news
458
00:21:57,358 --> 00:22:00,879
that would be biased
towards Republicans
459
00:22:00,903 --> 00:22:03,548
and that would earn
Republican voters.
460
00:22:03,572 --> 00:22:07,552
-In a few years' time,
Ailes will help create Fox News,
461
00:22:07,576 --> 00:22:12,015
the conservative wing of
Rupert Murdoch's media empire.
462
00:22:12,039 --> 00:22:15,560
But in 1992, he's helping
transform Limbaugh
463
00:22:15,584 --> 00:22:19,898
from a right-wing bomb thrower
into a guided missile.
464
00:22:19,922 --> 00:22:23,360
-Roger Ailes and Rush
were two of a kind.
465
00:22:23,384 --> 00:22:26,905
In fact, when they met,
Roger Ailes said it felt
466
00:22:26,929 --> 00:22:30,033
like he met his... his soulmate.
467
00:22:30,057 --> 00:22:32,911
-In June of 1992,
468
00:22:32,935 --> 00:22:37,165
he arranged for Rush Limbaugh
to come to the White House.
469
00:22:37,189 --> 00:22:43,171
And George Bush the first
carries his overnight bag
470
00:22:43,195 --> 00:22:46,508
into the Lincoln Bedroom
of the White House.
471
00:22:46,532 --> 00:22:48,051
-Think about this.
472
00:22:48,075 --> 00:22:50,428
This is a guy who's been fired
like five times
473
00:22:50,452 --> 00:22:52,389
and isn't even
registered to vote.
474
00:22:52,413 --> 00:22:54,891
And in less than a decade, he's
sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom.
475
00:22:54,915 --> 00:22:57,811
Like, you could never
have picked a guy and been...
476
00:22:57,835 --> 00:23:00,939
Who was more unlikely
to be a political star
477
00:23:00,963 --> 00:23:03,275
in short order
than Rush Limbaugh.
478
00:23:03,299 --> 00:23:07,445
{\an8}♪♪
479
00:23:07,469 --> 00:23:09,531
{\an8}-Roger Ailes believes
enough in Limbaugh
480
00:23:09,555 --> 00:23:11,199
{\an8}to bring him back to TV
481
00:23:11,223 --> 00:23:13,702
{\an8}by creating
"The Rush Limbaugh Show."
482
00:23:13,726 --> 00:23:16,079
{\an8}Learning from
the Pat Sajak fiasco,
483
00:23:16,103 --> 00:23:19,833
{\an8}Ailes fills the studio audience
with loyal Dittoheads.
484
00:23:19,857 --> 00:23:21,585
The show premieres
in syndication
485
00:23:21,609 --> 00:23:24,087
in September of 1992,
486
00:23:24,111 --> 00:23:26,798
just a few months
before Clinton challenges Bush
487
00:23:26,822 --> 00:23:28,675
for the presidency.
488
00:23:28,699 --> 00:23:32,262
-Rush danced to his drum,
and he said things
489
00:23:32,286 --> 00:23:34,264
that lots of people didn't like.
490
00:23:34,288 --> 00:23:35,724
He made people crazy.
491
00:23:35,748 --> 00:23:37,517
But you know what?
If you play it safe,
492
00:23:37,541 --> 00:23:39,603
I guess people
don't talk about you.
493
00:23:39,627 --> 00:23:42,314
-Leading up to the election,
Rush's TV show,
494
00:23:42,338 --> 00:23:44,816
along with his three hours
a day on radio,
495
00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:46,735
serves as one long attack ad
496
00:23:46,759 --> 00:23:49,237
against Democrats
and the Clintons.
497
00:23:49,261 --> 00:23:50,780
-A woman is like a tea bag.
498
00:23:50,804 --> 00:23:52,699
Put her in hot water,
she just gets stronger.
499
00:23:52,723 --> 00:23:54,034
And, uh...
500
00:23:54,058 --> 00:23:55,910
[ Witch cackles ]
501
00:23:55,934 --> 00:23:58,580
-We made fun of Hillary Clinton,
for sure, yes.
502
00:23:58,604 --> 00:24:00,248
And Bill Clinton.
503
00:24:00,272 --> 00:24:02,167
-Back and forth,
can't make up his mind
504
00:24:02,191 --> 00:24:04,294
which way he wants to go.
That's what it looks like
505
00:24:04,318 --> 00:24:07,422
when Bill Clinton gets close
to the Selective Service Office.
506
00:24:07,446 --> 00:24:09,257
-During the run-up
to the election,
507
00:24:09,281 --> 00:24:13,178
Clinton focuses on winning over
young and Black voters
508
00:24:13,202 --> 00:24:16,056
by appearing on shows
like "Arsenio Hall."
509
00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:18,808
-Meanwhile, Bush Senior
relies on Limbaugh
510
00:24:18,832 --> 00:24:23,146
and attacking Clinton's
military draft record.
511
00:24:23,170 --> 00:24:25,440
-Speaking to a national
radio audience today,
512
00:24:25,464 --> 00:24:28,777
President Bush told conservative
talk show host Rush Limbaugh
513
00:24:28,801 --> 00:24:30,654
he doesn't want to make
a big deal
514
00:24:30,678 --> 00:24:33,239
out of Clinton's draft status,
but he did call on the Democrat
515
00:24:33,263 --> 00:24:35,742
to give a full explanation
of his non-service.
516
00:24:35,766 --> 00:24:38,453
-The only problem with Limbaugh
criticizing Clinton
517
00:24:38,477 --> 00:24:40,330
for dodging the draft
is that Limbaugh
518
00:24:40,354 --> 00:24:43,249
did the exact same thing,
but for different reasons.
519
00:24:43,273 --> 00:24:45,043
-There were a lot
of good reasons
520
00:24:45,067 --> 00:24:47,337
to criticize Bill Clinton,
521
00:24:47,361 --> 00:24:52,842
but Bill Clinton was opposed to
the Vietnam War that he evaded.
522
00:24:52,866 --> 00:24:56,137
Rush Limbaugh
supported the Vietnam War.
523
00:24:56,161 --> 00:25:00,266
He just wanted other people
to fight it for him.
524
00:25:00,290 --> 00:25:03,520
-Rush and other, uh,
outspoken leaders
525
00:25:03,544 --> 00:25:06,898
in... in conservative media,
I think,
526
00:25:06,922 --> 00:25:11,861
do best when they have an enemy
that they can rail against.
527
00:25:11,885 --> 00:25:14,531
Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton.
Barack Obama.
528
00:25:14,555 --> 00:25:18,159
-You know, listen,
the Clintons... fair game.
529
00:25:18,183 --> 00:25:20,787
And they... and, listen,
they took a lot of people apart
530
00:25:20,811 --> 00:25:22,664
on... on the way
to where they were.
531
00:25:22,688 --> 00:25:25,834
{\an8}So, that never felt like
an unfair fight.
532
00:25:25,858 --> 00:25:27,711
{\an8}-While Rush starts out
his TV show
533
00:25:27,735 --> 00:25:29,671
with the same humorous
political jabs
534
00:25:29,695 --> 00:25:32,257
he perfected on radio,
it's not long
535
00:25:32,281 --> 00:25:36,553
before he crosses the line
into petty personal attacks.
536
00:25:36,577 --> 00:25:39,329
-He was cruel
from the beginning.
537
00:25:43,625 --> 00:25:47,564
-On January 20th, 1993,
Bill Clinton gets sworn in
538
00:25:47,588 --> 00:25:51,234
as the 42nd president
of the United States.
539
00:25:51,258 --> 00:25:55,029
Immediately, he outlines
his vision for change.
540
00:25:55,053 --> 00:25:57,532
-We're going to ask the rich
to pay their fair share
541
00:25:57,556 --> 00:26:01,202
so the rest of America
can finally get a break.
542
00:26:01,226 --> 00:26:04,330
-For Democrats, it's a moment
of triumph...
543
00:26:04,354 --> 00:26:08,293
The first time they've held the
White House in 12 long years.
544
00:26:08,317 --> 00:26:11,004
And while Limbaugh
publicly decries Clinton
545
00:26:11,028 --> 00:26:15,091
as a dangerous liberal and a
threat to conservative values...
546
00:26:15,115 --> 00:26:18,887
-So, I think it's, uh,
pretty much far-left liberalism,
547
00:26:18,911 --> 00:26:22,432
uh, that seeks to... to raise
the level of incompetence
548
00:26:22,456 --> 00:26:24,142
to the level of competence.
549
00:26:24,166 --> 00:26:26,352
- privately, he celebrates.
550
00:26:26,376 --> 00:26:28,188
With Clinton as president,
551
00:26:28,212 --> 00:26:31,733
Limbaugh has the perfect target
for all his grievances,
552
00:26:31,757 --> 00:26:35,528
and that means more listeners
and more money.
553
00:26:35,552 --> 00:26:39,073
-Bill Clinton beats Bush in '92.
554
00:26:39,097 --> 00:26:41,242
'96, Bill Clinton's reelected.
555
00:26:41,266 --> 00:26:43,495
Those are heydays for Rush.
556
00:26:43,519 --> 00:26:48,166
{\an8}The fact that... that Rush had
Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton
557
00:26:48,190 --> 00:26:50,710
{\an8}to go after, I think that
558
00:26:50,734 --> 00:26:53,296
{\an8}more than almost anything else
559
00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:55,381
{\an8}really helped grow his show.
560
00:26:55,405 --> 00:26:57,342
-The Clintons give him
something to be against.
561
00:26:57,366 --> 00:26:59,260
You know, not only is there
a Democrat in the White House
562
00:26:59,284 --> 00:27:02,597
{\an8}trying to do liberal things,
but he's a guy who they think
563
00:27:02,621 --> 00:27:05,433
{\an8}is, like, the worst
from a moral standpoint.
564
00:27:05,457 --> 00:27:07,852
They're looking for someone
who's going to voice that.
565
00:27:07,876 --> 00:27:09,521
And Limbaugh provides them that.
566
00:27:09,545 --> 00:27:12,649
-Yes, he gave voice to
a hell of a lot of people
567
00:27:12,673 --> 00:27:14,442
who felt voiceless,
568
00:27:14,466 --> 00:27:17,779
but Rush Limbaugh taught people
during the '90s
569
00:27:17,803 --> 00:27:21,491
that it's okay to demonize
your political opponents.
570
00:27:21,515 --> 00:27:24,410
-I never did them
the way they are doing us
571
00:27:24,434 --> 00:27:25,870
in Washington, D.C., today.
572
00:27:25,894 --> 00:27:27,539
It is wrong
573
00:27:27,563 --> 00:27:30,667
and it is not good for
the United States of America.
574
00:27:30,691 --> 00:27:32,585
-Oh, dissent and disagreement
575
00:27:32,609 --> 00:27:35,463
is not good for
the United States of America.
576
00:27:35,487 --> 00:27:37,549
[ Baby talk ]
We're so sorry, Mr. President.
577
00:27:37,573 --> 00:27:39,008
[ Laughter and applause ]
578
00:27:39,032 --> 00:27:41,469
So sorry.
579
00:27:41,493 --> 00:27:44,305
-He hammered...
Hammered Clinton.
580
00:27:44,329 --> 00:27:45,974
{\an8}You know, Trump whined
581
00:27:45,998 --> 00:27:49,894
{\an8}that he was the most picked-on
president, like, ever.
582
00:27:49,918 --> 00:27:54,482
But really, before Clinton,
there was no president
583
00:27:54,506 --> 00:27:57,235
that was hammered
as much as he was.
584
00:27:57,259 --> 00:28:00,655
-When attacking the Clintons
proves to be the magic formula
585
00:28:00,679 --> 00:28:03,449
for attracting
even bigger audiences,
586
00:28:03,473 --> 00:28:07,537
Rush seems willing to say
anything to appease his fans.
587
00:28:07,561 --> 00:28:09,622
That includes ridiculing
588
00:28:09,646 --> 00:28:13,585
the Clintons' 13-year-old
daughter, Chelsea.
589
00:28:13,609 --> 00:28:17,654
-Let's take a look, see who is
the cute kid in the White House.
590
00:28:19,198 --> 00:28:22,135
No, no, no, no!
That's not the kid! That's...
591
00:28:22,159 --> 00:28:24,053
That's the kid!
We tried to...
592
00:28:24,077 --> 00:28:26,681
[ Laughter and applause ]
593
00:28:26,705 --> 00:28:28,224
-Like, how hurtful is that?
594
00:28:28,248 --> 00:28:31,644
{\an8}-He was a pioneer
in many things,
595
00:28:31,668 --> 00:28:35,815
{\an8}and one of the things
he pioneered in was nastiness,
596
00:28:35,839 --> 00:28:39,652
name-calling,
and coarseness gone public.
597
00:28:39,676 --> 00:28:43,406
-I got the sense that he was
beaten up when he was younger.
598
00:28:43,430 --> 00:28:46,993
And he would then lash out.
Projection.
599
00:28:47,017 --> 00:28:50,622
He would lash out
and take off after like, I mean,
600
00:28:50,646 --> 00:28:54,417
take off after the way
Chelsea Clinton looks.
601
00:28:54,441 --> 00:28:56,628
-I don't think anybody was
comfortable with that.
602
00:28:56,652 --> 00:28:58,546
{\an8}Um, I wasn't comfortable
with it.
603
00:28:58,570 --> 00:29:00,048
{\an8}Looking back on it,
604
00:29:00,072 --> 00:29:02,342
{\an8}I'm less comfortable today.
I have children.
605
00:29:02,366 --> 00:29:04,510
-His own mom calls him up
and scolds him for that.
606
00:29:04,534 --> 00:29:06,721
You don't attack children.
So, yes, there...
607
00:29:06,745 --> 00:29:09,140
There is some stuff
where he's crossing the line,
608
00:29:09,164 --> 00:29:11,059
where it's over the top,
but these people
609
00:29:11,083 --> 00:29:13,603
who hate Clinton
find a lot of it entertaining.
610
00:29:13,627 --> 00:29:17,023
-By far, the more disturbing
aspect of that
611
00:29:17,047 --> 00:29:19,651
was how his audience reacted.
612
00:29:19,675 --> 00:29:23,112
"Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!"
And they [bleep] ate it up.
613
00:29:23,136 --> 00:29:25,365
-The reaction
from Limbaugh's critics
614
00:29:25,389 --> 00:29:27,992
was often just as over-the-top.
615
00:29:28,016 --> 00:29:30,912
-Yeah, I mean, one day, uh,
we were opening the mail
616
00:29:30,936 --> 00:29:33,915
and someone sent us feces,
human feces in the mail.
617
00:29:33,939 --> 00:29:35,583
FedEx.
618
00:29:35,607 --> 00:29:37,585
I was the one that opened it.
619
00:29:37,609 --> 00:29:40,171
The greatest part is
that they spent the money
620
00:29:40,195 --> 00:29:42,674
to overnight it to us,
and it's like,
621
00:29:42,698 --> 00:29:46,636
"I'm gonna send poop, and guess
how I'm gonna get them
622
00:29:46,660 --> 00:29:49,722
to open it...
I'm gonna send it FedEx."
623
00:29:49,746 --> 00:29:52,433
-But the parcel does nothing
to stop Limbaugh
624
00:29:52,457 --> 00:29:56,187
from trash-talking the left,
including making shit up
625
00:29:56,211 --> 00:29:59,357
if it helps to advance
his anti-liberal agenda.
626
00:29:59,381 --> 00:30:07,115
-He says the Clintons send
their daughter to a school
627
00:30:07,139 --> 00:30:10,868
where all the eighth graders
have to write an essay...
628
00:30:10,892 --> 00:30:13,871
"Why I Feel Guilty Being White."
629
00:30:13,895 --> 00:30:17,458
"CBS News is my source."
630
00:30:17,482 --> 00:30:19,961
There was no CBS News report.
631
00:30:19,985 --> 00:30:22,588
There was no essay.
632
00:30:22,612 --> 00:30:24,257
It would have been very hard
633
00:30:24,281 --> 00:30:28,386
for the 25% of the people
at Chelsea Clinton's school
634
00:30:28,410 --> 00:30:30,680
who are nonwhite
635
00:30:30,704 --> 00:30:33,141
to write the mandatory essay.
636
00:30:33,165 --> 00:30:35,852
{\an8}♪♪
637
00:30:35,876 --> 00:30:37,770
But again, these lies,
638
00:30:37,794 --> 00:30:41,357
these concoctions
are in furtherance
639
00:30:41,381 --> 00:30:44,402
of a serious
political perspective,
640
00:30:44,426 --> 00:30:47,280
which is white people
are oppressed,
641
00:30:47,304 --> 00:30:51,534
the people that are wrecking
society are the feminazis,
642
00:30:51,558 --> 00:30:54,662
the homeless, the immigrants,
643
00:30:54,686 --> 00:30:58,499
the gays,
and the people dying of AIDS.
644
00:30:58,523 --> 00:31:01,085
And those are the people
he would fume about.
645
00:31:01,109 --> 00:31:04,589
{\an8}♪♪
646
00:31:04,613 --> 00:31:06,549
-Now, this next one,
I want to warn you,
647
00:31:06,573 --> 00:31:09,385
{\an8}some of you liberals, you're
gonna be unhappy at this.
648
00:31:09,409 --> 00:31:10,660
{\an8}I love it.
649
00:31:13,747 --> 00:31:16,851
{\an8}[ Laughter and applause ]
650
00:31:16,875 --> 00:31:19,562
{\an8}-While taking cheap shots
at the Clintons can be ignored
651
00:31:19,586 --> 00:31:21,731
{\an8}as harmless political satire,
652
00:31:21,755 --> 00:31:24,859
{\an8}the rise of the Christian right
and right-wing radical groups
653
00:31:24,883 --> 00:31:28,863
makes Limbaugh's rhetoric
increasingly dangerous.
654
00:31:28,887 --> 00:31:30,698
-We are for the Second Amendment
655
00:31:30,722 --> 00:31:32,784
and for the American people
to arm themselves.
656
00:31:32,808 --> 00:31:36,329
And when we take over, we're
gonna level the IRS building.
657
00:31:36,353 --> 00:31:39,916
-Rush said the things that they
were told that they couldn't say
658
00:31:39,940 --> 00:31:41,751
or weren't supposed to say.
659
00:31:41,775 --> 00:31:46,464
And it also combined with sort
of like the evangelical movement
660
00:31:46,488 --> 00:31:48,591
that was going on at that time.
661
00:31:48,615 --> 00:31:52,470
-Rush Limbaugh came along
with a more secular approach,
662
00:31:52,494 --> 00:31:57,058
but the wave he rode in on
was televangelism.
663
00:31:57,082 --> 00:32:00,603
He was able to prey
on the social resentments
664
00:32:00,627 --> 00:32:03,773
and the resentments against
modernity and feminism
665
00:32:03,797 --> 00:32:05,650
and gay rights
666
00:32:05,674 --> 00:32:09,779
that people were getting from
right-wing Christian preachers.
667
00:32:09,803 --> 00:32:15,326
-By the end of 1994, Rush has
20 million listeners on radio
668
00:32:15,350 --> 00:32:18,204
and several million viewers
on TV.
669
00:32:18,228 --> 00:32:20,289
That gives him
an audience similar
670
00:32:20,313 --> 00:32:23,167
to shows like
"Seinfeld" and "Friends."
671
00:32:23,191 --> 00:32:25,753
-Those were his, you know,
glory days, man.
672
00:32:25,777 --> 00:32:27,713
He's making a shitload of money.
673
00:32:27,737 --> 00:32:31,175
He's eating, he's drinking,
he's smoking his cigars.
674
00:32:31,199 --> 00:32:34,679
He's living life large,
and he looked like...
675
00:32:34,703 --> 00:32:37,223
On TV, like he'd been
living life large.
676
00:32:37,247 --> 00:32:39,267
-Rush is making more
and more money.
677
00:32:39,291 --> 00:32:41,310
He's gaining
the trappings of success.
678
00:32:41,334 --> 00:32:44,564
I think the best place
that you see this is politically
679
00:32:44,588 --> 00:32:48,568
because he becomes a rock star
specifically to conservatives.
680
00:32:48,592 --> 00:32:51,404
And maybe the best way
of understanding this
681
00:32:51,428 --> 00:32:54,782
is the 1994
Republican revolution.
682
00:32:54,806 --> 00:32:56,993
[ Marching band plays ]
683
00:32:57,017 --> 00:33:00,538
-The revolution, led
by Congressman Newt Gingrich,
684
00:33:00,562 --> 00:33:03,666
happens during
the midterm elections of '94,
685
00:33:03,690 --> 00:33:05,710
when for the first time
in 40 years,
686
00:33:05,734 --> 00:33:08,212
Republicans win a majority
in Congress.
687
00:33:08,236 --> 00:33:10,798
It's a major upset
for the Democrats,
688
00:33:10,822 --> 00:33:12,967
and Republicans
in and out of politics
689
00:33:12,991 --> 00:33:15,261
know exactly who to thank...
690
00:33:15,285 --> 00:33:19,098
Rush Limbaugh
and his legions of Dittoheads.
691
00:33:19,122 --> 00:33:21,309
-These are not unimportant
people who are like,
692
00:33:21,333 --> 00:33:22,935
"Will you take a picture
with me?
693
00:33:22,959 --> 00:33:24,228
Can I have your autograph?"
694
00:33:24,252 --> 00:33:27,773
Like, they treat him
like a rock star.
695
00:33:27,797 --> 00:33:31,027
-But just as he's basking
in the conservative limelight,
696
00:33:31,051 --> 00:33:34,238
America gets rocked
by a homegrown terrorist...
697
00:33:34,262 --> 00:33:35,615
[ Indistinct shouting ]
698
00:33:35,639 --> 00:33:37,158
- who doesn't quite fit
699
00:33:37,182 --> 00:33:40,203
into Limbaugh's
carefully crafted world view.
700
00:33:40,227 --> 00:33:42,413
-It's about feeding
your audience what you think
701
00:33:42,437 --> 00:33:45,750
they [bleep] want to hear.
And Rush Limbaugh knew
702
00:33:45,774 --> 00:33:49,194
that his audience wanted
to blame a Muslim.
703
00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:55,927
[ Sirens wailing,
indistinct shouting ]
704
00:33:55,951 --> 00:33:58,846
-On April 19, 1995,
705
00:33:58,870 --> 00:34:01,098
the Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Building
706
00:34:01,122 --> 00:34:02,683
in Oklahoma City
707
00:34:02,707 --> 00:34:05,186
gets hit by a terrorist attack.
708
00:34:05,210 --> 00:34:07,230
The toll is devastating.
709
00:34:07,254 --> 00:34:12,235
168 are confirmed dead,
including 19 children.
710
00:34:12,259 --> 00:34:14,737
-Rush Limbaugh was one of
many commentators
711
00:34:14,761 --> 00:34:17,031
after the Oklahoma City bombing
happened
712
00:34:17,055 --> 00:34:21,702
that immediately rush to assume
this is foreign
713
00:34:21,726 --> 00:34:25,915
and "let's retaliate, let's bomb
somebody, God damn it."
714
00:34:25,939 --> 00:34:27,792
{\an8}That was par for the course,
715
00:34:27,816 --> 00:34:30,628
{\an8}but Limbaugh had the biggest
audience to say that with.
716
00:34:30,652 --> 00:34:32,338
-Within just three days,
717
00:34:32,362 --> 00:34:35,258
the FBI tracks down
the real terrorist...
718
00:34:35,282 --> 00:34:38,302
American born and bred
Timothy McVeigh.
719
00:34:38,326 --> 00:34:42,306
His motivation... retaliation
for the FBI's handling
720
00:34:42,330 --> 00:34:46,269
of the Waco siege in Texas
exactly two years earlier.
721
00:34:46,293 --> 00:34:50,481
-And then we learned that
the terrorist was connected
722
00:34:50,505 --> 00:34:52,984
to right-wing militia groups,
723
00:34:53,008 --> 00:34:56,320
grew up around
Buffalo, New York.
724
00:34:56,344 --> 00:34:59,490
And all of a sudden,
it was like,
725
00:34:59,514 --> 00:35:01,450
"I never said those things."
726
00:35:01,474 --> 00:35:06,038
You know, clearly we don't want
to be bombing Buffalo, New York.
727
00:35:06,062 --> 00:35:08,958
-The... The thing that a lot of
liberals start to feel
728
00:35:08,982 --> 00:35:12,169
is that talk radio hosts
are encouraging hate.
729
00:35:12,193 --> 00:35:15,506
Not only are they, you know,
preaching kind of hatred
730
00:35:15,530 --> 00:35:18,217
and... and anger towards
Democratic politicians...
731
00:35:18,241 --> 00:35:20,094
That this can easily spill over,
right?
732
00:35:20,118 --> 00:35:23,180
That if you preach that these
people are attacking America,
733
00:35:23,204 --> 00:35:24,890
they're attacking
American values,
734
00:35:24,914 --> 00:35:28,269
{\an8}a logical leap for some of
the fringe of the audience
735
00:35:28,293 --> 00:35:31,188
that there could be people out
there who are moved to violence.
736
00:35:31,212 --> 00:35:37,236
{\an8}-Timothy McVeigh represented
a number of disenchanted,
737
00:35:37,260 --> 00:35:40,364
{\an8}loner-type white dudes
in America
738
00:35:40,388 --> 00:35:43,284
{\an8}who didn't feel a connection
to anything.
739
00:35:43,308 --> 00:35:46,996
Rush Limbaugh would have helped
give them a voice.
740
00:35:47,020 --> 00:35:49,457
Rush gave them a home.
741
00:35:49,481 --> 00:35:52,460
-In the aftermath
of the Oklahoma City bombing,
742
00:35:52,484 --> 00:35:55,796
as many Americans try
to come together and heal,
743
00:35:55,820 --> 00:35:57,840
Rush Limbaugh downplays the role
744
00:35:57,864 --> 00:36:00,843
that white conservatism
played in the tragedy
745
00:36:00,867 --> 00:36:06,432
and continues his obsession
with poking fun at the Clintons.
746
00:36:06,456 --> 00:36:08,768
-Well, look at it this way, sir.
If you aren't reelected,
747
00:36:08,792 --> 00:36:10,603
you'll have more time
to practice your golf game.
748
00:36:10,627 --> 00:36:14,357
- I'm looking forward to that.
- Oh, so are we.
749
00:36:14,381 --> 00:36:17,068
-The pleasure Rush gets
from speaking falsehoods
750
00:36:17,092 --> 00:36:21,447
is only matched by his love
of spreading fake conspiracies.
751
00:36:21,471 --> 00:36:24,784
Case in point, Jeff Cohen
remembers when Limbaugh tried
752
00:36:24,808 --> 00:36:29,246
to pin a fictional murder
on Hillary Clinton.
753
00:36:29,270 --> 00:36:31,290
-He went on the air breathlessly
754
00:36:31,314 --> 00:36:35,669
to read something
he got, like, faxed to him.
755
00:36:35,693 --> 00:36:37,505
♪♪
756
00:36:37,529 --> 00:36:39,799
-Okay, folks, I think I got
enough information here
757
00:36:39,823 --> 00:36:41,967
to tell you the contents
of this fax that I got.
758
00:36:41,991 --> 00:36:43,636
Brace yourselves.
759
00:36:43,660 --> 00:36:45,971
There's a Washington
consulting firm
760
00:36:45,995 --> 00:36:48,474
that is scheduled to release
a report this afternoon
761
00:36:48,498 --> 00:36:50,976
that will appear,
that will be published
762
00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:54,939
that claims that Vince Foster
was murdered in an apartment
763
00:36:54,963 --> 00:36:56,816
owned by Hillary Clinton,
and the body
764
00:36:56,840 --> 00:36:59,318
was then taken
to Fort Marcy Park.
765
00:36:59,342 --> 00:37:02,738
{\an8}♪♪
766
00:37:02,762 --> 00:37:04,407
-Rush Limbaugh in action.
767
00:37:04,431 --> 00:37:06,909
-Vince Foster was the associate
White House counsel
768
00:37:06,933 --> 00:37:08,577
who had committed suicide.
769
00:37:08,601 --> 00:37:11,080
There's never been
any evidence otherwise.
770
00:37:11,104 --> 00:37:13,165
-I mean, how do you go
on the air
771
00:37:13,189 --> 00:37:15,668
when you get something
off of the fax machine
772
00:37:15,692 --> 00:37:20,005
accusing the first lady
of the United States of murder?
773
00:37:20,029 --> 00:37:25,052
{\an3}It was part of this conspiracy
crap that he was so good at,
774
00:37:25,076 --> 00:37:30,182
you know, at telling,
was these giant conspiracies.
775
00:37:30,206 --> 00:37:32,059
-The conspiracies don't sit well
776
00:37:32,083 --> 00:37:34,562
with his more mainstream
TV viewers.
777
00:37:34,586 --> 00:37:38,858
And in the summer of 1996,
his show is canceled.
778
00:37:38,882 --> 00:37:41,402
-In today's Washington Watch,
Rush Limbaugh
779
00:37:41,426 --> 00:37:44,113
is reportedly dropping
his syndicated television show.
780
00:37:44,137 --> 00:37:47,575
-While Rush focuses on his
three-hour radio show,
781
00:37:47,599 --> 00:37:52,746
his old friend and soulmate
Roger Ailes launches Fox News.
782
00:37:52,770 --> 00:37:56,709
Using Rush as the template,
Fox spawns a slew of hosts
783
00:37:56,733 --> 00:38:00,045
who channel Limbaugh's
conservative fury.
784
00:38:00,069 --> 00:38:03,174
{\an8}-What you see today is all
a derivation of Rush Limbaugh,
785
00:38:03,198 --> 00:38:05,676
{\an8}Sean Hannity,
I mean, Bill O'Reilly...
786
00:38:05,700 --> 00:38:07,470
{\an8}these guys just didn't know
how to do it.
787
00:38:07,494 --> 00:38:09,680
They didn't have
the verve he had.
788
00:38:09,704 --> 00:38:12,600
-Then, when Bill Clinton leaves
the White House,
789
00:38:12,624 --> 00:38:15,936
Rush Limbaugh loses
his favorite punching bag.
790
00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:20,733
-He really needed
to be the opposition.
791
00:38:20,757 --> 00:38:22,276
It's not helpful for him
792
00:38:22,300 --> 00:38:25,362
when George Bush the second
becomes president,
793
00:38:25,386 --> 00:38:30,785
'cause he needs to be bashing
away at the Democrats in power.
794
00:38:30,809 --> 00:38:33,746
-And while he's left to
reminisce about the evil deeds
795
00:38:33,770 --> 00:38:35,456
of Bill and Hillary,
796
00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:38,792
Limbaugh will soon find himself
in the grip of a vice
797
00:38:38,816 --> 00:38:41,504
he spent his career
railing against.
798
00:38:41,528 --> 00:38:46,115
-Like millions of people,
he got hooked on opiates.
799
00:38:50,828 --> 00:38:52,473
-In 2003, the mainstream media
800
00:38:52,497 --> 00:38:56,018
gives Rush Limbaugh
yet another chance on TV
801
00:38:56,042 --> 00:39:00,564
when ESPN hires him
to commentate on NFL football.
802
00:39:00,588 --> 00:39:02,441
-He only lasts like four
or five weeks
803
00:39:02,465 --> 00:39:04,902
because he... he starts talking
about Donovan McNabb
804
00:39:04,926 --> 00:39:06,570
of the Philadelphia Eagles
805
00:39:06,594 --> 00:39:08,364
and Black quarterbacks.
806
00:39:08,388 --> 00:39:10,241
-The media has been
very desirous
807
00:39:10,265 --> 00:39:11,992
that a Black quarterback
to do well.
808
00:39:12,016 --> 00:39:16,705
-It says something about
U.S. corporate greed
809
00:39:16,729 --> 00:39:19,208
that they would take a guy
like Rush Limbaugh
810
00:39:19,232 --> 00:39:22,670
with his... his history
of racial contempt.
811
00:39:22,694 --> 00:39:25,714
-That history will get
another chapter when Limbaugh
812
00:39:25,738 --> 00:39:29,426
says the following a few years
later on his radio show.
813
00:39:29,450 --> 00:39:30,844
-Let me put it to you
this way...
814
00:39:30,868 --> 00:39:33,305
The NFL all too often looks
like a game
815
00:39:33,329 --> 00:39:35,432
between the Bloods
and the Crips.
816
00:39:35,456 --> 00:39:40,646
-Three years later, in 2006,
the king of right-wing media
817
00:39:40,670 --> 00:39:43,774
reveals the true depths
of his hypocrisy
818
00:39:43,798 --> 00:39:46,944
when he's arrested
on prescription drug charges.
819
00:39:46,968 --> 00:39:50,990
-I remember Rush in the '90s
railed against,
820
00:39:51,014 --> 00:39:53,576
you know, people who did drugs
and drug addicts.
821
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:55,869
And my... my dad agreed
with him...
822
00:39:55,893 --> 00:39:57,955
"Yeah, they should
just be locked up
823
00:39:57,979 --> 00:39:59,915
and throw away the key."
824
00:39:59,939 --> 00:40:03,210
-He admits he went around
doctor shopping,
825
00:40:03,234 --> 00:40:05,838
getting these drugs
from different doctors.
826
00:40:05,862 --> 00:40:09,550
And the prosecutor has
an open-and-shut case,
827
00:40:09,574 --> 00:40:11,218
but drops the charge.
828
00:40:11,242 --> 00:40:14,597
-He looks a little bit
hypocritical when he confesses
829
00:40:14,621 --> 00:40:18,851
that he has drug addiction
and cuts a deal on,
830
00:40:18,875 --> 00:40:20,853
you know,
criminal charges and things.
831
00:40:20,877 --> 00:40:24,064
-The drug war affected poor
people and people of color,
832
00:40:24,088 --> 00:40:27,401
the kind of people Rush Limbaugh
belittled for decades,
833
00:40:27,425 --> 00:40:29,695
and the Rush Limbaughs
of the world got off.
834
00:40:29,719 --> 00:40:33,574
-By the time that Rush's
own addiction came out,
835
00:40:33,598 --> 00:40:37,911
the Rush community
was a full-on cult.
836
00:40:37,935 --> 00:40:41,665
And so, the cult leader
can do no wrong.
837
00:40:41,689 --> 00:40:43,500
-And that's certainly true
838
00:40:43,524 --> 00:40:46,920
when Limbaugh begins spreading
the falsehood to his listeners
839
00:40:46,944 --> 00:40:51,884
that Barack Obama isn't really
a natural-born American citizen.
840
00:40:51,908 --> 00:40:55,763
-He was one of the birthers
that at the same time
841
00:40:55,787 --> 00:40:58,182
that Donald Trump
was questioning
842
00:40:58,206 --> 00:41:00,434
that Obama is not
a legitimate president
843
00:41:00,458 --> 00:41:02,728
because he wasn't born
in the United States,
844
00:41:02,752 --> 00:41:05,230
Limbaugh was doing
that conspiracy,
845
00:41:05,254 --> 00:41:06,899
that fake conspiracy.
846
00:41:06,923 --> 00:41:09,443
-I think Rush Limbaugh knew
that was bullshit,
847
00:41:09,467 --> 00:41:12,154
and yet he still
put it out there.
848
00:41:12,178 --> 00:41:15,783
Now, to me, I find that to be
a lot more dangerous
849
00:41:15,807 --> 00:41:17,660
than some idiot
850
00:41:17,684 --> 00:41:21,789
who actually believes that Obama
is not an American citizen.
851
00:41:21,813 --> 00:41:24,333
Trump's a dumbass, so Trump
doesn't know what he's doing.
852
00:41:24,357 --> 00:41:26,710
But Rush? Rush knew.
853
00:41:26,734 --> 00:41:30,172
-The reason that Trump was
so effective with fake news,
854
00:41:30,196 --> 00:41:32,841
"don't believe journalism"...
855
00:41:32,865 --> 00:41:34,426
It started with Limbaugh.
856
00:41:34,450 --> 00:41:36,637
-Trump came along in 2016.
857
00:41:36,661 --> 00:41:42,643
Why was he so able
to so easily demagogue?
858
00:41:42,667 --> 00:41:45,771
Because he came along
to a group of people
859
00:41:45,795 --> 00:41:48,816
who were perfectly okay
being lied to.
860
00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:50,526
-Then, in 2020,
861
00:41:50,550 --> 00:41:53,946
Rush Limbaugh announces that
he has Stage 4 lung cancer
862
00:41:53,970 --> 00:41:56,990
and that he won't be spending
as much time on the air.
863
00:41:57,014 --> 00:41:59,618
-There's an immediate outpouring
from the radio industry
864
00:41:59,642 --> 00:42:02,246
and the conservative media
worlds wishing him well,
865
00:42:02,270 --> 00:42:05,040
and Trump gives him
the Medal of Freedom
866
00:42:05,064 --> 00:42:07,626
at the 2020
State of the Union Address.
867
00:42:07,650 --> 00:42:09,628
-The first lady
of the United States
868
00:42:09,652 --> 00:42:13,257
to present you with the honor,
please.
869
00:42:13,281 --> 00:42:15,342
[ Cheers and applause ]
870
00:42:15,366 --> 00:42:19,304
-That to me is an insult
to gay people,
871
00:42:19,328 --> 00:42:21,807
women, people of color.
872
00:42:21,831 --> 00:42:24,351
It's just an insult.
And no one cares.
873
00:42:24,375 --> 00:42:26,353
The modern Republican Party
874
00:42:26,377 --> 00:42:29,648
has been reshaped
in Limbaugh's image.
875
00:42:29,672 --> 00:42:31,316
That's what has
to be understood.
876
00:42:31,340 --> 00:42:34,445
-After 30 years of that guy
on the radio
877
00:42:34,469 --> 00:42:38,741
spewing disinformation
and lies to the point where
878
00:42:38,765 --> 00:42:42,953
the entire base of the
Republican Party right now
879
00:42:42,977 --> 00:42:46,498
no longer believes
in basic truths...
880
00:42:46,522 --> 00:42:49,293
I mean, think about that.
881
00:42:49,317 --> 00:42:53,005
-Six weeks before his death
in February 2021,
882
00:42:53,029 --> 00:42:54,840
Limbaugh is still at it,
883
00:42:54,864 --> 00:42:57,676
claiming election fraud
on behalf of Trump
884
00:42:57,700 --> 00:43:01,513
and helping incite the
insurrection on Capitol Hill.
885
00:43:01,537 --> 00:43:03,390
-There's simply no way Joe Biden
886
00:43:03,414 --> 00:43:05,267
was legitimately
elected president.
887
00:43:05,291 --> 00:43:10,022
-When you talk about the
extremism of the American right,
888
00:43:10,046 --> 00:43:11,899
Limbaugh probably played
a bigger role
889
00:43:11,923 --> 00:43:16,653
than anyone alive or dead
to do that, to shape that.
890
00:43:16,677 --> 00:43:20,741
-I have fond memories, and, um,
I've never said a bad word
891
00:43:20,765 --> 00:43:22,618
about the guy and I never would.
892
00:43:22,642 --> 00:43:24,703
Um, he's...
893
00:43:24,727 --> 00:43:27,414
You can disagree with him.
Uh...
894
00:43:27,438 --> 00:43:29,500
Good people can disagree
with him,
895
00:43:29,524 --> 00:43:31,585
and have, and...
And will continue.
896
00:43:31,609 --> 00:43:35,547
-His legacy is division.
He purposely divided America.
897
00:43:35,571 --> 00:43:37,299
He's not the only one,
898
00:43:37,323 --> 00:43:39,468
and there's plenty of blame
to go around,
899
00:43:39,492 --> 00:43:41,720
{\an8}but he had a huge microphone.
900
00:43:41,744 --> 00:43:45,057
{\an8}America right now
is dangerously divided.
901
00:43:45,081 --> 00:43:47,726
{\an8}-Jews will not replace us!
902
00:43:47,750 --> 00:43:51,647
{\an8}-Rush Limbaugh
played a huge hand in that.
903
00:43:51,671 --> 00:43:54,983
{\an8}-It's immeasurable,
the... the damage
904
00:43:55,007 --> 00:43:58,612
{\an8}that Rush Limbaugh
has caused to society.
905
00:43:58,636 --> 00:44:06,636
{\an8}♪♪