Rush Limbaugh commands you to think his way

Most Americans do not listen to Rush Limbaugh on the radio.

So, if they ever think about the talkative fellow, they know for sure that he's a chunky right-wing blowhard with a cigar who goes on and on about conservative causes and a while back had some sort of problem about prescription pills that allowed them to crack a smug smile over hypocrisy.

Recently, they learned that Rush has some kind of problem with Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, that offers hope for rampant divisiveness among conservatives that will allow Barack or Hillary or Ralphie (but likely not Ron) to romp into the White House next January.

However, there are nearly 14 million Americans who do ...

listen to El Rushbo virtually every weekday on more than 600 radio stations that easily sell out their ad times during the 180 minutes that the Talk Maestro holds forth daily. It's not so much that this very successful radio showman tells his listeners -- actually, they are more like followers -- what to think. He can be outrageous and entertaining at the same time.

It's that he so often says things that they didn't realize they were thinking until they heard him say it, defiantly, unashamedly, outrageously, and then they said to themselves, "You know, that's right!" So they feel smarter, like they learned something while knowing it all along.

And now, by golly, there's proof. Actual documentation that Rush Limbaugh hypnotizes listeners. He sways minds. He might even be able to control thoughts in a conservative mind-meld. What you thought you knew about R.L. if you ever thought about it turns out to be true thinking.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson at the Annenberg Public Policy Center has just done a study of 639 L.L.s (Limbaugh Listeners) and 8,077 N.L.L.s (Non-Limbaugh Listeners). And what she found is absolutely not shocking at all.

She studied them between the New Hampshire primary Jan. 8 and Super Tuesday, Feb. 5. You can imagine the Rush-man had a lot to say during that heated political period, especially since someone named John McCain stormed to victory in the Granite State and threatened to grasp the GOP nomination with accumulating wins in South Carolina, Florida, California and beyond.

Talk radio of any persuasion needs an enemy. McCain is Limbaugh's for now. He's insufficiently conservative. Yeah, yeah, he's pro-life forever. And he supported Bush in 2000 through gritted teeth. And he's for Bush's tax cuts now, but not before. And so many other things like McCain-Feingold.

So, while the N.L.L.s went on about their January lives oblivious to the struggle on the airwaves, the L.L.s heard a steady stream of McCain criticism from Rush's mic to their ears. Before New Hampshire, about half the L.L.s thought McCain was conservative. By Feb. 5, 12% less did. The number of L.L.s who thought of McCain as liberal grew by 9%.

More L.L.s than N.L.L.s came to know McCain had initially opposed Bush's tax cuts and that the Arizona senator was actually endorsed by that Great Printed Satan, the New York Times. Yes, McCain won anyway in numerous states. But those self-identified as very conservative weren't voting for him, which could mean real trouble for McCain come November.

Not only that, but Jamieson's study data found that L.L.s are also coming to think of Mike Huckabee as less conservative and Mitt Romney as more conservative than before — all stands that mirror Limbaugh talk themes.

Jamieson is co-author with Joseph Cappella of a forthcoming book, "Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment."

(UPDATE: In a mischievious move during today's program Limbaugh urged his presumably Republican listeners in Ohio and Texas to switch over and vote for Hillary Clinton in their March 4 primaries to keep her campaign going longer and possibly damage Barack Obama's effort, at least by postponing his victory.)

But here's one more thing to think about: What if, in a sort of tricky intellectual bank-shot using his radioed hypnotic powers, Limbaugh is really pretending to oppose McCain because he knows that will strengthen the senator's image in the minds of moderates and independents, whose votes Republicans can always use.

The worst thing Limbaugh could do to the Republican right now is endorse him.

Because Limbaugh, unlike mere mortals, knows that come Nov. 3 or 4 he can just snap his fingers on the air, and his millions of Rushbots in their cars and kitchens and offices will suddenly wake up and look at Clinton and Obama and Nader and then over at McCain.

And they will know what they must do.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Kenny]

"Not only that, but Jamieson's study data found that L.L.s are also coming to think of Mike Huckabee as less conservative and Mitt Romney as more conservative than before — all stands that mirror Limbaugh talk themes."

I am a fairly regular Limbaugh listener, but now it's almost solely for entertainment. He didn't change my mind about Huckabee or to think that Romney is more conservative. Limbaugh doesn't tell people what to think, but the thoughts he expresses undoubtedly influence (change) the thoughts of a good portion of his audience.

My assessment of the opinions of Rush and the rest of the whole Clear Channel Crowd has gone WAY down during this primary season.

[GWB]

I fear Rush Limbaugh. He is utterly bereft of integrity; he is ruthlessly and skillfully manipulative; and he can rely on his listeners to have no memory and no cognitive skills while they congratulate themselves for their insight and logic.

It's astonishing that someone would happily adopt "dittohead" to describe themselves, but Rush proves that a signfiicant portion of the people are passionate, mindless followers eager to be herded by a leader.

He's as anti-American as any fascist, and what makes it worse, he's entertaining.

Neil Postman, the great media critic, talked about the comparative scenarios outlined by George Orwell and Aldous Huxley in 1984 and Brave New World. Orwell described a world crushed by a merciless oligarchy. Huxley talked about one seduced and amused until it happily surrendered its will. Huxley's world, he said, was the more dangerous and more likely of the two. He was right. Rush proves it. That he has any influence is a sad commentary on our nation.

[NLL]

Endorsing McCain will have no impact on moderates and independants because we are all NLLs! In fact, how would we ever know who he likes, unless someone like you tells us?

Why don't you go back to talking about things that matter?

[Keith]

What a crock. McCain's problems result from his incessant pandering to liberals and the drive by media. Rush didn't do anything to him, McCain did it to himself.

As for divisiveness and "needing" enemies, no one's better at that than the Democratic party and the liberals who dominate it today.

[David Kessler]

Robots? Why, how insulting, sir. This was all some kind of cosmic accident, certainly nothing like God's planned global warming, I assure you. You see, I was serving as captive borg subject under the guise of credible news reporting on vessel MSM, battleship PMSNBC and, what an extraordinary find: I went to investigate the origins of a small device called AM Radio. Thinking it first to be some kind of alien intrusion, I tuned in, and was freed by the genuine wit and humor of a free thinking individual by the name of a--El-Rushbo. My freedom was reminiscent of a time back in earth years (before it was destroyed by global warming) of the great Christian movement. Back in a time where freedom from the religion of AlGory-ism/global-warmamism and liberalism was still possible. My memory jarred, of hope, life and liberty, and the American way, why, never do I miss a show now, but I have to do so, in secret. Your insults of the man's character and wit are no match for his brilliance and endurance putting up with the slanderous, phony, dim witted lefticies. Roger, Over.

[Tim B]

So, Rush's listeners are often persuaded by his commentary. Is this really news?

I don't always agree with Rush, but he provides an entertaining, often substantive perspective.

Certainly, his "followers" (listeners) are less "brainwashed" (devoted) and more skeptical by nature than those of Senator Obama's rapturous flock.

[SteveN]

This Tim B guy, above, is a typical Rushbot. He is so brainwashed by this ignorant, right-wing blowhard that Rush has him convinced that he's thinking for himself. You know this guy has the Limbaugh Lover disease really bad...

[Brash Humphraugh]

Rush Limbaugh is the Jerry Garcia of politics. He is a godlike figure to his cult, but to the rest(most) of us, he's irrelevant.

[Mike]

I'm sorry that this article fell on such deaf ears, Andrew. It seems the sheep (or robots or mindless hatemongerers) are offended to be called such. Good article, excellent tongue-in-cheek, and you didn't even have to insult Michael J. Fox to make your point.

[Philip]

Wow, talk about your condescending journalists. Did it ever occur to this boob of a writer that maybe people have started to change their minds about McCain because his questionable conservative credentials are now in view for all the nation to consider and Rush doesn't give him a pass like the mainstream media does? I'm no big Rush fan but I can tell an out of touch haughty "journalist" when I read one. He should point his finger at radio hosts on Air America whose main arguments boil down to calling people "racists, bigots and homophobes" before he tries to make all of Rush's listeners appear to be idiots.

(Too bad you didn't read the actual item, Philip, before calling people names. If Air America ever gets important enough to have a respected institute study it the way Annenberg studied Limbaugh listeners, we'll be delighted to write about it in our usual style. Thanks for reading.)

[Ben]

What a joke! I'm a Conservative Republican, I don't listen to Rush and I still dislike McCain because he has stuck his thumb in the eye of the GOP far too often. (You only mention McCain-Feingold, but what about the Gang of 14, McCain-Kennedy and McCain-Lieberman) I don't need Rush to tell me that McCain is not exactly what I am looking for in a Republican nominee. And your point about Rush telling people what they knew before they knew it is just silly. If Rush is getting out the word about the drawbacks of a McCain nomination then so much the better--we should go into election day knowing what we're voting for. This is more than I can say for an Obama presidency as the press continues to fawn over his empty rhetoric. Rush certainly isn't the problem here--your thesis to the contrary is merely absurd. In fact, in the case of Obama, the complicity of the press in suppressing the views of the far left wing candidate is far more dangerous than anything Rush could do.

[david]

We have some stupid democratic voters...who know they are stupid....but want handouts. .and then we have the Rush supporters who are too dumb to understand how stupid they are....

Hopefully they will offset each other....

[Philip]

Sure, maybe Air America is a bad example seeing as how no one listens. However, that does not change the fact that the authors of this article are EXACTLY the type of "media elites" that Limbaugh and most other mainstream conservatives are frequently complaining about. Personally, I'm quite tired of these "liberal elites" treating any middle class conservative who has a different political philosophy from democrats as nothing more than a non-intuitive, close-minded drone (which is exactly what this article does).

[MCM]

This is a joke right?

Liberals are so predictable, but I suppose it makes you feel superior and that is the only goal.

Brainwashed Rush-bots you say? Do tell... Just take a look at the cult of Obama zombies. He's so cute...Yes we do know where he stands on the issues: Hope, change, hope, change, hope, change...you will be one of us. More Kool-aid?

p.s.
You know good and well what the term "ditto" stands for and you keep distorting the facts. It has been explained over and over. Do some research and think for yourself instead of parroting everything you read on the liberal blogs and hear on Olbermann.

[KevinT]

Rush is a genius! How many new listeners did your article generate? While people talk of his politics, he amasses a fortune in a relentless conglomerate of commercial ventures he boldly touts make “obscene profits.” I use his pay-per-use pod cast to excises most time outs, cutting an hour to around 30 minutes. He still assaults me with on-air testimonials disguised as personal interests or stories. Take those out and it would be more like 20 minutes per hour. In that time his analysis of the news is unequaled, anywhere. His intellectual thought processes and historical lessons, as related to current politics, are tremendously informative when supplemented with additional research.

Yes, Rush stands in the way of many liberals reshaping the country in their socialist view by educating the American public better than most school systems but he is in reality simply a capitalist entrepreneur who enjoys and perhaps even believes in what he is doing.

Rush seeks a supreme legacy in future American history books, the ultimate assumption of power and influence. All the rhetoric about Rush, especially from congress and other important American institutions will perpetuate his goal, while most of those who talked about him will fade into oblivion.

By the way, I am a hypocrite public employee espousing capitalism while living off liberalism. Oh well, thank you taxpayers.

(Well, everyone is welcome at The Ticket. I'm going to share your comment with our friends on Rush's show. Thanks for visiting and reading and taking the time to leave a comment.)

[Andrew]

What is this obsession with Rush Limbaugh? I'm sick and tired of hearing about him.

I wonder how Walter Annenberg would feel knowing his foundation, designed to help people, is piddling its money away on absolutely meaningless studies like this. First of all, the methodology is terrible. The sample populations make any results meaningless. Of course Limbaugh's listeners will have conservative opinions, that's why they listen to him. She might as well have studied whether water flows down hill.

A meaningful study would have taken 500 Limbaugh listeners and had 250 them continue to listen to him over January. 250 of them would have discontinued listening to him for the month.

Instead of doing pointless make-work studies like this, the "social scientists" over at Annenberg should just embezzle the money outright and save everyone a lot of time.

[rick]

Since I drive a lot I listen to Rush periodically and air america. I am mostly libertarian but listen to both with an open mind.
I mostly listen to Rush for entertainment. I cannot believe some of the statements he makes and the mentality of some of his callers.
Two days after Obama got elected Rush said he would rather have Obama than Clinton. Then he goes on and on foaming at the mouth of how Obama is a Thug and a potential terrorist and that Obama is responsible for stock market collapse.
I wish I would get through to his show and ask him why he would rather have potential terrorist in the white house than a Clinton?
In my OPINION Rush is an OPINIONATED IDIOT!!