” I can no longer ignore what is becoming clear”, Rush Limbaugh solemnly notified his visitors at the beginning of his three-hour show on Thursday, Oct. 22, 1992. His tone— and probably his heart — was large. His voice was exceedingly melancholy. A depressing feeling permeated the heat.
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” I’ve decided to embrace Bill Clinton”, he continued. ” It’s important to have the courage to alter”.
The Rush Limbaugh Show’s audiences were shocked. President George H. W. Bush was caught in a small, upward contest against Clinton and third-party member Texas businessman H. Ross Perot, and El Rushbo — our esteemed” Doctor of Democracy” — had really jumped deliver and sided with the liberals? ( And not only Ditto-Heads were shocked: President Bush’s reelection campaign made frantic calls to Limbaugh, too. )
What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On?
Over the next minute, Limbaugh feigned complete sincerity. When flabbergasted visitors demanded to know how he could move factors like this, at second Limbaugh sounded tired, resigned, and accepting of Clinton’s expected rise. Hey, what is ya would? We’ve all gotta change later.
He unwaveringly denied that this was a put-on. Nope, this was all on the level: Rush Limbaugh and the EIB Network are then Team Clinton!
The major media caught breeze of Limbaugh’s new social change. ( Some of their articles, such as the one from the , L. A. Times, are still available online. ) At the time, it was a significant offer.
Alas, progressive emotions began breaking about an hour afterwards.
As unhappy clients grilled Limbaugh for pulling a bait-and-switch on ‘ em, El Rushbo immediately began changing his melody:” Why, I never said that”! ” That was n’t me”! How are you going to hold me accountable for what I just said? That was in the history”.
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A few minutes after, he updated the timetable:” That was 23 hours before. You continue to talk about something that occurred 23 days before. It’s useless … I never said that… Can we look forward now? Folks want to continue looking into my history. How are you able to bring up my previous repeatedly?
Finally, viewers were able to determine what was happening.
During the final half-hour of his present, Limbaugh finally came clean. He explained that he was “illustrating irony by being absurd” — and that it’s extremely sad the American people may believe more consistency, integrity, honesty, and morality from a talk-show host than the Democrat nominee for president.
” Gov. Clinton has been doing for 20 times what I did on my present now: Saying issues and denying them”, Limbaugh noted afterwards. People trust and believe in me, which is the main purpose I’m successful. Character does subject, even for a humble talk-show number, and it should be even more for a political candidate”.
Years afterwards, Limbaugh’s prank continues to influence conservative talk show hosts. After Joe Biden denied always saying that Putin” may remain in power,” Hugh Hewitt replayed Limbaugh’s support of Clinton for his radio crowd in 2022.
” Thirty years ago, Rush did that bit …” Hewitt explained to listeners. ” Life imitates art … It’s not funny when it’s the President of the United States saying’ nope, that was n’t me.'”
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Rush Limbaugh’s game stunned viewers in 1992. For Hewitt, it still had validity in 2022. And then, in the waning time of the Harris-Walz campaign, it’s just as fast as always.
That’s because tv hosts does occasionally switch, but alas, the Democratic Party is still the same as it was.
Ironically, Limbaugh after expressed lament for the touch. He felt that viewers who had a sense of reality were being unfairly told. ( He did a similar stunt in 1990 as well. ) His support on October 22, 1992, was Limbaugh’s final satirical support of a liberal, whether or not.