by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright October 2, 2003
All Rights Reserved.

alling his assignment to Disney's ESPN “a dream come true,” nationally syndicated radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh self-destructed, resigning under duress after making racially-insensitive remarks. Limbaugh, a known football buff, joined ESPN's “NFL Sunday Countdown” with Chris Berman only four-weeks ago as a football analyst, promptly upping the show's ratings by 10%. Three years ago, Limbaugh was narrowly beaten out by comedian Dennis Miller for a spot on ABC's “Monday Night Football,” with Al Michaels. After two lackluster years, Miller was replaced by football maven John Madden, former broadcast partner of Pat Summerall. Known for his brilliant acerbic commentary, Limbaugh spiced up the show with his trademark prose, bordering on the irreverent. Little did anyone know Rush would cross the line and go over the deep end so early in the season.

      Regarded as a kind of secular Jerry Falwell—the Baptist preacher who founded the conservative Christian lobbying group called the “Moral Majority”—Limbaugh commands an impressive audience, though largely white, broadcast on 650 stations. Preaching to the choir, Rush was used to making off-color remarks to like-minded listeners, affectionately called “dittos or mega-dittos,” underscoring almost cloned compatibility with his audience. “ESPN knew what it was getting when they hired Rush Limbaugh,” said NFL league vice president Joe Browne, disavowing any connection with Limbaugh's remarks heard Sunday morning, Sept. 28. After ESPN's Steve Young and Michael Irvin criticized Philadelphia Eagle's quarterback Donovan McNabb, Rush chimed in: “The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well, black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well,” stirring up a hornet's nest.

      Reverberating around the country, Limbaugh's faux pas made its way into to Democratic circles. “Hateful and ignorant,” said retired four-star general and recently minted Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark. “Absurd and offensive,” remarked former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Al Sharpton called on ABC—ESPN's parent—to immediately fire the controversial right wing radio legend. Limbaugh has been a thorn in the Democrats' side, relentless haranguing former President Bill Clinton during his eight years in office. Limbaugh's daily rants have practically made the name “liberal” a dirty word in common parlance. “Bigoted and ignorant,” said NCAAP President Kweisi Mfume, finding Limbaugh's comments unacceptable. “My comments this past Sunday were directed at the media and were not racially motivated,” said Limbaugh denying any racism.

      Instead of recognizing his mistake and apologizing, Limbaugh defended his remarks. Either showing sublime blindness or cunning denial, Rush expressed his utter incredulity over the mess. “All this has become a tempest that it is because I must have been right about something. If I wasn't right, there wouldn't be a cacophony of outrage that has sprung up in the sportswriter community . . . This is such a mountain out of a molehill,” totally oblivious to what he did. U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) seemed equally vexed when he “joked” about how the country would have been better off had retired Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC)—a Dixicrat segregationist—become president in 1948, making silly remarks at his 100th birthday bash. Lott, of course, was forced out his post. After covering that event so extensively, surely Rush knew about the risks of racial insensitivity.

      Former CBS football analyst Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder lost his job in 1988 for spouting off racist views about black athletes with open mics outside a chic New York restaurant. A few years later, former LA Dodger general manager Al Campanis was forced into early retirement telling Ted Koppel on “Nightline,” celebrating Jackie Robinson's 50-year anniversary in the major leagues, that blacks couldn't handle front-office jobs. Ironically, Campanis was Robinson's roommate on the 1948 Dodgers. More recently, Atlanta Brave's relief pitcher John Rocker vented racist views to Sports Illustrated, causing catastrophic damage to his career. Despite his political savvy and insights, Limbaugh has some gaping blind spots, declaring he had “no racial intent whatsoever.” For a man who said working for ESPN was “a dream come true,” he turned a great goal into a bad nightmare.

      When the dust settles, Rush should take a searching personal inventory, exploring how someone of such sophistication could have shot himself in the foot. Watching his friend Trent Lott take a fall should have alerted the popular radio host to watch his p's-and-q's, especially on national television. When comedian Bill Maher, former host of ABC's “Politically Incorrect,” called Sept. 11 hijackers “courageous,” everyone—except Maher—knew he had crossed the line. Lecturing the NFL about affirmative action is one thing but accusing the “liberal” press of social promotion when it comes to Donovan McNabb went over the top. “If he had just criticized McNabb and stopped there, that would have been all right,” said former NFL quarterback and ESPN football analyst Sean Salisbury, scratching his head along with everyone else. Limbaugh's remarks should remind even the most oblivious that there's no place for insensitivity.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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