Our differences aside, Limbaugh's radio show was music to my ears
SAN DIEGO -- I have friends on the left, and critics on the right. I also have friends on the right, and critics on the left.
Perhaps everyone should sit down for this column.
I hope I'm at the right meeting. My name is Ruben, and I'm a "dittohead." In fact, I have been addicted to a certain radio talk show for nearly 30 years.
Blame it on my roots. I was born and raised in the conservative farm country of Central California. After going to college in New England, I couldn't wait to get back to the land of pickup trucks, work boots and gun racks.
And, in those parts, there is only one thing on radio worth listening to: "The Rush Limbaugh Show."
So, I'm sad that Limbaugh -- the nation's most listened-to radio personality and a longtime cigar aficionado -- has late-stage lung cancer. And I'm pleased that President Trump recently awarded the host the Presidential Medal of Freedom in honor of an inspiring life, remarkable career and job well done.
It's a long way from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to the U.S. Capitol, where the 69-year-old received the medal from first lady Melania Trump. Growing up the son and grandson of attorneys -- a profession that his brother would enter as well -- Limbaugh resisted joining the family business. At 16, he fell in love with radio when he got his first job at a local station. After graduating from high school, he spent a couple of years in college before dropping out to pursue what started off as a bumpy career behind the microphone. He landed several jobs in cities around the country as a radio disc jockey, and got just as many pink slips. At one point, discouraged with his setbacks, he left radio and went to work in the sales office of the Kansas City Royals. But he found his way back to the mic.
Limbaugh is sharp as nails, wickedly funny, a gifted communicator and a first-rate critical thinker. He informs his listeners, explains the complicated and puts the news in context. He knows -- but doesn't care -- that liberals hate him, the left-wing media doesn't respect him, and the Democratic Party blames him for every election they've lost over the last three decades.
Take it from someone who expresses opinions for a living: You don't have to agree with everything someone says to admire their talent and resilience and respect the success they've had in their chosen field.
I've hosted radio shows in five cities over the last quarter century. The experience gave me a new respect for just how good Limbaugh is at that medium.
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