Chapter 14 - Rush Limbaugh and the Rise of Republican Talk Radio

            Chapter 14 centers around how one man single-handedly ended forty years of democratic control in the U.S. Congress, by emphatically yelling into a microphone. Limbaugh never graduated from college, failed initially as a disc jockey, then went on to become one of the most famous political commentators in the country. 25 million people tuned into his radio show each week, 250 stations aired his half-hour television show, and his first book sold more copies than any other nonfiction title. Though not all the fan fare was good, many people saw him as a liar, a truth, which I'll get to later. He received just as much negative criticism as he did positive, but he used it to fuel his cause. Referring to himself as, "the most dangerous man in America."

            The three prior generations of Limbaugh's had all gone of to college and pursued degrees in law. This did not interest Rush though. He was always interested in radio and by the age of sixteen had landed himself a job as a DJ at  local radio station. He bounced around from one station to the next for several years, being fired from several because he was hired to play music but ended up adding a few too many of his own remarks in between the tracks. In 1983 he worked at a radio station in Kansas City for ten months. Though it was brief it here that he developed his unique shtick that would ultimately bring him to the top of the talk radio charts. 

            

            Limbaugh's first break came in 1984 in the form of a Sacramento station called KFBK. The station was not doing well and needed someone lively to head up it's three-hour morning program. He was given free rein to talk about whatever he liked. As offensive as he was the people found him hard to turn off, thus the number of people tuning into KFBK went from five too fifteen percent in just a few months. I don't want to leave out the fact that he offended just about every group during his tenure at the station, on this I will not go into detail. 

Limbaugh's followers were known as "dittoheads" because
the loyal followers simply exclaimed "ditto!" after listening
to his commentaries. 

            In 1988 Limbaugh moved shop to New York City so that he could broadcast to the nation. He would be working for ABC, recently acquired by Edward McLaughlin who hired Limbaugh as his star. He broadcast his "Animal Rights Update" saying that if "the spotted owl cannot adapt to the superiority of humans, screw it." 

            

            

            I believe this sums up a lot of what he had so say and the approach that he took toward it. His stand on abortion is pro-life and the way in which he advertised it consisted of the sound of a vacuum cleaner followed by a scream. 

            Despite all of this, he was a huge success. Four years after he got into radio broadcasting he was the biggest commentator in the country. Advertisers were willing to pay upwards of $12,000/minute during his show. In addition to a might empire on the radio he was also publishing conservative print media in the form of the Limbaugh Letter.  "Every month you receive my keenest insights to help you see through the dense liberal fog." He also published two books, The Way Things Out to Be and See, I Told You So. Limbaugh took two things that had never been combined before, conservatism and humor. This is partially what made him so successful as political commentator.

            In the 1990s his wealth soared along with his ratings and popularity. He was merchandising tee shirts, coffee mugs, neckties, and calendars. Along with book royalties and his salary from radio and TV broadcast he was reportedly earning 20 million/year.

            Like Adams and Paine in the 1700s much of what he said was false. Limbaugh is credited with starting a new type of entertainment and information dubbed "infotainment". Paine and Adams did something very similar for the Boston Gazette, meshing falsified information, but the things they were reporting on were often not as light-hearted being that they involved rapes and muggings carried out by British Officers. Limbaugh claimed that everything he spouted was true, but this was glaringly wrong to anyone educated in current affairs of the time. Examples of false information include him saying that no one in the Reagan administration was found guilty of any criminal activity, wrong, fourteen people were found guilty and indicted. Regarding Clinton's Whitewater investment deal he said that the NY Times had not covered it when, in fact, they were the first to do it and did it with exactitude. This goes both ways though as is shown in the example of Democrats' fervent outcry that the Reagan administration contributed much less money to the HUD project.

            The ramifications of the "most dangerous man in America" were vast and shocking. Limbaugh was credited with boosting the number of talk radio programs by five hundred percent and essentially saving it from extinction as the numbers had previously been dwindling. National Review dubbed him "the Leader of the Opposition."

            After Clinton was elected in the '92 election Reagan threw much support behind Limbaugh's movement. He dedicated all of his time to throwing venom at the administration, a total of seventeen and a half hours a week of sludge-hurling. The midterm elections were fast approaching and Clinton was getting nervous that the Democrats were about to lose control of Congress for the first time in forty years. He tried unsuccessfully to have the Fairness Doctrine reinstated regarding talk radio. Limbaugh on the other hand told all of his loyal followers to be ready the next morning to attack congress and throw the Democrats out. It was a remarkable success. At this point everyone, including liberals, had to acknowledge the fact that Limbaugh was a driving force in the "Republican Revolution". The San Francisco Chronicle, Detroit News, NY Post, and Washington Post all conceded, calling his roll "pivotal." A dinner was held by the seventy-three new Republican house members with Limbaugh as the keynote speaker.

            "Extraordinary" is the word that comes to mind when considering his success. Bringing it back to the beginning he was kicked out of numerous radio stations, essentially a failed DJ. And now he is an eminent conservative commentator along with Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, and Andrew Wilkow. He is also an accomplished author and entrepreneur. From a journalistic standpoint though there were several concerns over his programs. Journalism is supposed to be obligated to the truth, which is something that Limbaugh completely ignored. Time after time he reported false news and never even attempted to correct himself, despite being proven wrong. It signifies a shift from information to entertainment and pretty much everyone bought it. Just like Sam Adams did in Boston he got the people's attention by writing fantastical stories that streeeeeetched the truth, sometimes breaking it. "Infotainment" has taken a strong hold on the news media.

Hannity and Levin, two more leaders in the
conservative talk radio industry. 

            

Chapter 6 - Journalistic Muckraking and the Reform of America.

            This is actually what journalism had come to in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The government had been overrun with corrupt politicians, corporate America could do whatever they wanted due to monopolization, and the quality of food and drugs provided to the people was dismal. Democracy was in danger. Streimatter says; "For the world's democratic stronghold had been let go, turned into a nation of the corporation, by the corporation, and for the corporation." 

            The first bout of muckraking was carried out by Lincoln Steffens. He focused his efforts on bringing down the corruption that tainted many city and state governments across the U.S. Steffens was well educated and began his career at the New York Evening Post. A decade later he swapped papers and began writing for McClure's, which was the greatest muckraking journal at the time. It was there that he would embark on a three year mission, tackling municipal governments, that would give him the reputation as an icon in the field. The first city he tackled was St. Louis, at the time a breeding ground for corruption. The article he published, entitled: "Tweed Days in Saint Louis" was a smack in the face to the American people. But it did more than just alert the citizens as to what was going on. St. Louis DA Joseph W. Folk, now with gained pubic support from the article, was able to oust may corrupt politicians. Folk was later elected governor of Missouri. After St. Louis Steffens moved on to tackle corruption in other cities and states, notably NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, NJ, and Rhode Island. Probably the largest contribution Steffens made to municipal government came after is book entitled The Shame of the Cities. The book ushered in a new era of hiring and electing government officials. They now had to have direct experience operating large organizations, possess formal credentials, and usually pass standardized examinations before taking office. 

            

            The journalists of this time didn't stop at exposing shady politicians. They reached for the top, tone of the richest men ever to live. John D. Rockefeller had a monopoly on the oil industry in the early 1900s. He had a deal set up with several of the railroad companies that allowed him preferential rates as long as he only used their lines. This tactic forced every other oil company out of business as they could not keep up with the price to transport. In steps Ida Tarbell, hired by S. S. McClure, the founder of McClure's Journal. Tarbell was born and raised in Pennsylvania thus she was surrounded by refinery equipment her whole life. She exposed Rockefeller for his ruthless tactics in keeping the oil industry all to himself. He was caught after offering several competitors to either move or sabotage the companies they worked for. Her series boosted sales of the journal so greatly that tangible results started to appear. In 1906 Congress passed an act restricting railroad companies from giving preferential treatment. Then in 1911 the U.S. Supreme Court found Standard Oil guilt of violating an anti-trust act. Subsequently the company was forced to dissolve into thirty-eight smaller companies. Rockefeller, his image so badly damaged, hired the first publicist in the country. Only then did Rockefeller begin heavily donating to charity.  The story showed the country something important: the news services could force corruption out by exposing it to the public. Railroads, telephone & telegraph, mining, and sugar companies were all later investigated for fraudulence.

Rockefeller

The woman that exposed his
monopolization. 

King Rockefeller showing his grip on Standard Oil &
the railroad industry.

John D. Rockefeller & the Standard Oil trust 

            One industry that had yet to be exposed was the production of food and drugs. With the onset of refrigerated railcars food could now be transported across distances. But preservatives were being added into the food to keep it fresher, preservatives that no one really knew much about. The American people were unwittingly partaking in cannibalism. And phony, dangerous drugs full of empty promises and narcotics were being pushed onto the market for huge profits. Upton Sinclair, contracted by the newspaper Appeal to Reason, was to be paid $500 dollars to investigate the food industry via Chicago stockyard workers. What he produced was called "The Jungle" and it changed the industry forever. He reported of overtired workers falling into the vats of meat and being shipped out to the citizens of the U.S. It was not just dirty food being sent to people, it was also the conditions under which the workers toiled away. Roosevelt responded by sending agents to Chicago to investigate the legitimacy of Sinclair's claims. Edward Bok, editor of the Ladies' Home Journal, was the first to speak out against patent medicines by publishing a list of forty popular ones and their alcohol content. Medicine in the early 1900s, in addition to containing alcohol, was also known to include cocaine and opiates for pain relief. Collier's followed in the footsteps of the Journal by dropping all advertisements for patent medicine companies. Samuel Hopkins Adams published "The Great American Fraud" for Collier's, spending much of the time explaining how patent drug companies' products didn't live up to their claims, or could actually cause harm if taken. In the years to come Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. Several notable individuals called the passing of these laws a direct product of muckraking. 

The cover of Sinclair's most
significant piece of work.

            Another broad sweeping piece of reform for the American Government came when William Randolph Hearst bought up Cosmopolitan magazine in 1906. Cosmopolitan became his vessel to exposing corrupt Senators, many of which were owned by Standard Oil and other large corporations. The Senate literally used to be referred to as the "millionaire's club". Hearst employed an already successful writer named David Graham Phillips to lead the expose. He dug and dug and found that of the ninety acting senators seventy-five of them were receiving renumeration from some company in exchange for political favors. By 1912 all the corrupt senators had been removed from office. And in 1913 a momentous move for the people was made when the constitution was amended, giving the people the power to elect senators, no longer the senate legislature. 

            

            

            

            

Chapter 1 -- Sowing the Seeds of Revolution

            Chapter 1 focuses on the beginnings of the first newspapers in America and takes place during the pre stages of the American Revolution. It is about how a small movement sprouted into a countrywide campaign. The endpoint of the chapter focuses on Thomas Paine’s brilliant pamphlet denouncing the British monarchy. John Adams’s Journal of Occurrence’ and the Boston Massacre are also discussed.

            In 1763 the British defeat the French, expelling them from the American Colonies. The British wanted the French out of the American Colonies so that they could have sole control of the fur trade. The cost of the war over ten years had left the British treasury with a major shortage of cash so it was decided that the Colonies would shoulder the rising debt. “Dissension Takes Root” is the name of this section and it is exactly what was about to occur. A few rebellious colonists believed that the people should create laws and govern themselves, things that were being done by a distant government.

            Sam Adams, cousin of John Adams, who would later organize the Boston Tea Party said, “Where there is a spark of patriotick fire, we will enkindle it.” Adams worked at the Boston Gazette where he published article after article and essay after essay full of radical notions speaking out against the British Government. He had early thoughts about taxation without representation, saying basically that taxation by the British could very easily spiral out of control. He was also a firm believer in the idea of the colonies governing themselves while the crown would retain the power to veto if they saw fit. Adams understood that in order to stand up to the crown he is going to need more help than just a few well-educated rebels. He would need to get the country to its feet as a whole.

           

            The Journal of Occurrence’ is born. The arrival of British troops in Boston to quell the rising unrest of the colonists was met, in the same month, with the advent of the Journal of Occurrence’. Adams is owed the honor of creating the first systematic gathering and distributing of news in America. With the Journal of Occurrence’ now up and running Adams could spread his anti-British rhetoric throughout the colonies very quickly. He would write up a story then send it to john Holt, editor of the NY Journal. Holt would then distribute it to newspapers throughout the colonies for them to reprint. The sole purpose of the Journal of Occurrence’ was to tell the colonists about the malicious deeds carried out by the British troops. Story after story was published about law-abiding citizens being attacked and usually robbed by lewd, drunken British soldiers. Several attempted rapes were reported, but passersby coming to the aid of the victim prevented most. There was one serious problem with what was being reported in the journal, man of the stories were not true. Dates were always off, saying that something occurred but it happened months before. It seems bizarre that the journal would withhold such information from the colonists, making it difficult for them to prepare for something like that to happen to them. The British finally realized that keeping the men in Boston was only making things worse so they decided to withdraw in August 1769. That same month the Journal of Occurrence’ would ease it’s operation. Though much of what was reported was false the journal had the desired impact of angering the people.

            The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5^th, 1770 and was the result of colonists pelting the few remaining British soldiers with snowballs. By the end of the commotion five colonists were dead. The guilty soldiers were all given light punishments for their acts, which disturbed Sam Adams. He wrote angrily in the Boston Gazette against the British troops. In the years to come one-page fliers were distributed throughout the colonies. So many of them circulated that it kept the fight alive in the people.

            Thomas Paine enters the picture following the skirmishes in Lexington and Concord in 1775. Paine came to America purely by luck after failing in the corset business and being fired from his position of tax collector for liquor. He was in the Europe at the time and happened to cross paths with Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was so impressed with Paine that he got him a job as the editor of Pennsylvania Magazine. It was there that the people saw how well he wrote regarding current issues in the colonies.

            January 1776 Pain wrote Common Sense, an essay on the future of the American colonies. Paine skipped several levels in becoming a revolutionary thinker. He was even cautioned by several other radical thinkers against using the word “independence” in his essays. He wrote with a new style of political rhetoric that could be understood by all the classes of people in America. In Common Sense he starts off by assaulting hereditary rule and denouncing the British monarchy and constitution. He then goes on to talk about the separation of America from British rule altogether. “We have it in our power to begin the world all over again. The birthday of a new world is at hand.” Over 150,000 copies of Common Sense were sold in the first three months. People read it and felt the idea of being an independent nation surge through their bodies. Though it is not directly attributed to it, six months later the Declaration of Independence was crafted and signed.

            Paine also contributed the Crisis Essays during times of struggle. They were meant to uplift the spirits of the people whenever there was a need. George Washington read the essays too his men during cold, difficult winters when the rebels were feeling the might of the British Army. Paine’s most famous line and the beginning of one of the Crisis Essays, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

            The early workings of the press directly lead to the American Revolution. This all began with Adams and his Journal of Occurrence’ and lead to Paine’s astute essays regarding independence and revolution. The press played a pivotal role in spreading the word to the colonists and, a little known fact among most people nowadays.

Thomas Paine

Depiction of the Boston Massacre

Adams published drawings of caskets after several colonists were killed during the Boston Massacre

Thomas Pain quoted

A Small Biography of Sam Adams

Some Information About the Boston Massacre Trials

A Summary of Paine's Common Sense

            I chose to write about this chapter because I've got an interest in history and I believe the workings of Adams and Paine laid the groundwork for the modern day press.