It’s been over 24 hours. My suggested “let Rush Limbaugh lie in silence” moratorium is over. Or borrowing from The New York Times, the moratorium on criticizing the Right-Wing Attack Machine is over. 

Last night I listened to several of his AM radio descendants gush over him so that you didn’t have to. The refrain? He was a patriot, he loved the United States more than anyone, and he loved Americans.

Bullshit. His love was extremely conditional. He loved the parts of the country that loved him. He loved Americans who looked like him, who thought like him, who were afraid of the same things. He didn’t love people of color, he didn’t love feminists, he didn’t love the physically disabled. 

The New York Times put it this way:

“He became a singular figure in the American media, fomenting mistrust, grievances and even hatred on the right for Americans who did not share their views, and he pushed baseless claims and toxic rumors long before Twitter and Reddit became havens for such disinformation.” 

A highly destructive legacy.