The Daily Signal - Rush Limbaugh's Secret of Success

Episode Date: December 20, 2021

The iconic voice of Rush Limbaugh no longer graces the airwaves, but the broadcaster's legacy lives on in a new book by his longtime sidekick. James Golden, known on air as "Bo Snerdley," spoke to The Daily Signal about the man he worked alongside for 30 years. Golden recently published a book about Limbaugh, "Rush on the Radio: A Tribute from His Sidekick for 30 Years." Golden, who served as Limbaugh's call screeners, recounted, "You had people that depended on him to help guide them through when they were feeling badly about where the country was at a particular moment. We had a regular reoccurring theme amongst some callers, 'Rush, is it time to panic yet?' 'No,' he would say, 'No, there isn't.'" A lightly edited transcript is available at DailySignal.com. Would you like to participate in a toy drive this Christmas? Check out the links below. https://www.prisonfellowship.org/about/angel-tree/  https://www.catholiccharitiesdc.org/angeltree/  https://givingfriends.org/ https://www.romper.com/p/10-best-toy-drive-programs-to-make-the-holidays-happy-for-everyone-19434287 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Make their holiday unforgettable with a gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry, a gift that tells a story and shows you know theirs that doesn't just sparkle but speaks. From new festive charms to forever rings and personal engravings, this season give a gift that's perfectly theirs. Whether you're shopping for a shiny surprise for your significant other, matching bracelets to celebrate your friendship or a heartfelt gift for a family member. Say more this holiday season with Pandora. Shop now at ca.pandora.net or visit your closest Pandora store.

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Monday, December 20th. I'm Virginia Allen. And I'm Rob Bluey. On today's show, I talk with James Golden, also known as Bo Snurdley. He served alongside Rush Limbaugh and is out with a new book called Rush on the Radio, a tribute from his sidekick for 30 years. We also read your letters to the editor and share a good news story about generosity and Christmas blessings. Before we get to today's show, we want to thank you for your support of the Daily Signal.

Each day, the Daily Signal brings you the news you trust on the most important policy debates facing our country. We cut through the liberal media spin and provide honest, thorough, and responsible reporting on today's critical issues. But we can't do it without the help of patriots like you. Consider giving a tax-deductible contribution to the Daily Signal and help us build conservative momentum this year and beyond. Just visit DailySignal.com slash donate. And with your help, we can build an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish. Now stay tuned for my interview with James Golden coming up next. We are joined on the Daily Signal podcast by James Golden, also known as Beau Snurly,

the longtime colleague of Rush Limbaugh, an author of the new book, Rush on the Radio, a tribute from his sidekick for 30 years. James, we're so grateful for the opportunity to talk to you. Thanks for joining us today. It is completely my pleasure, Rob. I'm glad to be here. Thank you. Well, it was just about a year ago that the Heritage Foundation honored Rush with our Titan of Conservatism Award, and we dedicated our new state-of-the-art broadcast studios as the Rush Limbaugh radio studios.

It was such an honor to feature him and to make that tribute. And a couple of months later, unfortunately, we lost Rush after he was suffering from cancer. And now you're out with this book. Can you tell us why it was so important for you to be out with him? the first book about Rush's life and tell his story? Well, you know, I think that it's important for the people that loved Rush, and I mean loved him, and took the time to really listen to him to help shape his legacy going forward instead of the left or instead of people who never listened to him or who had just political motives for being detractors.

So it was important for me to get on the record having known Rush for over three decades, how just what an incredible human being he was and how generous he was, what a gentleman he was, aside from the incredible success that he had as a broadcaster. And in that success, he changed the footprint of media in America. So what a life he led. And for the parts that I was able to share with listeners, you know, Russ was a very private person. But still, there was enough to share with people that I hope leaves them with the proper impression

of how truly wonderful a human being Rush was. Well, he certainly was. I mean, he appeared at some Heritage Foundation, events and of course for a couple of years there about 10 years ago he he read a sponsored ad that Heritage did so it was great collaborating with him and it's always great collaborating with you but you know Rush started his broadcasting career as a teenager and made stops in several cities some of which weren't always successful before he really hit it big what would you say was a big motivator for him to keep trying until he got it right well to me he started his

broadcast career at age six with an audience of one, his mother, in their house in Cape Girado, Missouri. It was there that Rush had a little Remco toy radio set and really started, you know, broadcasting. He had an urge from age six, can you imagine, to be on the radio. And when other kids were out playing, he was doing scripts for play by play. And he always had the passion for radio. Once he was able to get into it as a teenager and move, you're right. He had several instances where he was fired. He talked about that numerous times. And yet he left the industry at one point to work for the Kansas City Royals, but he came back. It was still something he desired to do above all out. And when he came

back after that brief stint in baseball, he flourished. His career flourished out in Sacramento and from there moved to New York and the rest is history with the EIB network. He was able to finally do the kind of radio show he wanted to do that all of his life, where it was his opinions and only his opinions that mattered. And the way that he wanted to do the show was totally up to him with the complete artistic freedom that he needed. And when that happened, oh, my goodness, the rest of the country was just in for a storm because

he took the country by storm. Oh, he certainly did. And James, why do you believe so many millions of people made Rush appointment listening every day? Trust. He had the, look, this is something that to me is highly unusual, whether it be a television broadcaster or a radio broadcaster, anyone in the media. You know, we've heard stories, for instance.

I remember hearing stories about how Walter Cronkite had the trust of America. And Lyndon Johnson knew that he was not successful the day Walter Cronkite turned on him and the Vietnam War. So, well, you lost, Walter, you lost the country. Rush was, I think, had that. and that same level of trust. It's not greater. This show never stopped growing, which is remarkable. For 33 years, he did a syndicated program,

and up until he passed away, this show kept growing. And you had people that depended on him to help guide them through when they were feeling badly about where the country was at a particular moment. we had a regular recurring theme among some callers rush is it time to panic yet we don't like and no he would say no there is and finally in the last year if it's life he just said it out front there's never a time to panic on america america is not a place you can give up on he loved this country and people knew that he also worked very very hard to quote unquote get it right he saw no value in getting anything wrong. He researched long hours his entire career to make sure that the information that he was

provided was the best source information he could find and that it was accurate information. If there was something that wasn't, he didn't wait until the end of the broadcast to try to hide it. He found something had been erroneously reported at the top of the program. He would get it right. He developed trust with people. And he was witty. He was articulate. funny. He was, he had an irreverent sense of humor that people love, playful, the braggadocious tongue and cheek on air was also infectious. He just had so many skills as a broadcaster. He had honed his skills so well. His audience trusted him and they loved him. And it was an uncanny relationship that, that most people in the media will never be able to, uh, to attain with an order.

audience the size of his. Oh, you absolutely have that right. That is for sure. You know, you talked about Rush and the research that went into each show, and I know how much he personally devoted his time to doing that. How did Rush come to adopt conservative beliefs? I think he was always concerned. He talked about, Rush talked about as being a child about how conservative his dad was.

And coming from, you know, a family that was steeped in the law, his grandfather was a practicing lawyer into past 100 years old. He was still practicing law. The family in Cape Gerardo, such wonderful people. They have the family law firm, and it is a big deal in Cape Gerado. Very well known. So his dad was also a World War II veteran through P-51s in World War II and was conservative by nature. So Rush grew up in a conservative household. He used to remark about how he and his friends would gather around the house and listen to his father and listen to his father just wax eloquently about the evils of communism and how it was going to be a threat to the country. And they used to love how his dad would get so passionate and

worked up talking about this. So I think a lot of it came from the family that he came from. We're speaking with James Golden, who for Rush Limbaugh, listeners will know him as Beau Snurdly. He's the author of a new book, Rush on the Radio, a tribute from his sidekick for 30 years. James, I want to ask about your story. How did you first get connected with Rush? I was at WABC and New York. I had a history. W.A.B.C. in New York was the station that I really flourished at.

I got my start at WWRR and Woodside, Queens. doing research, long story short, I became the last music director of WABC when it was the iconic top 40 radio station in the country and their first talk producer. And so I was there when Rush came to WABC. I didn't work with him immediately, but I did meet Rush outside of ABC as he was coming in on his first day and had a long chat with him. I knew the former president of ABC Radio Networks, Ed McLaughlin was one of Russia's business partners. I knew Ed. He introduced me to Rush that first day. And I remember remarking to Rush after I met him and we talked a bit about what he wanted to accomplish. I said, wow, it sounds like you're going to be bigger than Paul Harvey.

And of course, Paul Harvey at the time was the biggest name in radio. While little did I know that Rush would far eclipse anything that any other broadcaster had done up until that point in radio. And also, of course, I had no way of knowing how intertwined my own life would be with Rush, starting very soon after that. That's great. Thanks for sharing that. Now, you spent 30 years with him.

Do you have a favorite memory you want to share with our listeners? You know, there's no one favorite memory of it. There are just so many great memories of being with Rush. But I'll tell you one that was really special. The last year of Rush's life, you know, of course, it was COVID. And we had no, we could not, we could not go into his control room, his studio because of fear of, of course, of infecting him with anything. But last Christmas about this time, Rush invited the three of us that worked with him

in that Southern command every day, Dawn Betrinsky, the stenographer, Brian Johnson, our Florida engineer and myself. He had us come in the studio so we could exchange this with him. And you know what? We dropped the mask and we all gave each other hugs. And that was just so special, especially now, you know, remembering that that was the last Christmas that we had with Rush. I was going to ask you what Rush was like off the air.

I feel like we got a little bit of a flavor of him there. What was the biggest misperception that people had about Rush Limbaugh? I don't know. it depends on where they got the misperceptions from. To the left, you know, you read all these cruel things about him being racist, which was complete nonsense or somehow bigoted. Look, Rush loved people. He loved this country.

He loved people. He was a gentleman. You know, I have been around Rush long enough to see how he treated people. And it was consistent. No matter how big or small, whatever you did, if you brought Russia, cup of coffee. You always got a thank you, sir. Thank you, ma'am. He was exceedingly polite, exceedingly humble, and exceedingly generous. I'd like to point out, aside from his personal generosity, I mean, members of our staff will attest to that. Strangers can attest to it because

some of them in their darkest moments in life were surprised to learn that Russia had heard about their stories and had been there benefactor in some way or another and did it all without seeking or gaining publicity for it. He didn't want it. But then there's what happened on the air with his generosity. Rush led for many years, the talk radio audience of all of our, everybody in this industry has participated in these charitable drives. And through that, we've raised tens and tens of millions of dollars to fight diseases like leukemia. Lucemia doesn't have a political ideology. It can strike anybody, anywhere, any time.

And the advances that were made because of those tens of millions of dollars raised have helped humanity. Also, you look at the fundraising that he and Catherine did for the families of first responders who had fallen in the line. of duty. Now, if you lose your parent or your spouse, one of the things that you're going to worry about is whether you'll be able to keep a roof over your head. The family, how will the family survive? Well, Russ and Catherine raised millions and millions of dollars so that the families, the first responders could have their houses fully paid for, and in some cases have

scholarships so that the kids could attend school without financial burden. These are the kind of things, the generosity that defined to me, Rush as a human being. Rush was a giver. He gave, his staff stayed with him for decades and decades. He was generous to a fault with his friends. And they will all tell you stories about that. And yet, one of the things that he did not seek was, oh, look at me. I want to be known because I'm such a great guy. He asked people to keep it private is given to them because it was a private matter. He lived it. He walked a walk.

He lived it. But he wasn't seeking the attention for all of the good that he did that still impacts people's lives. Well, thank you for telling our listeners about Russia's generosity. That is some things that I don't think probably many of us really knew about the man. and that's why we appreciate you making sure that we all know that. James, one final question for you. The moment that sticks out to me, aside from all of the incredible things that Rush would say day to day,

is his appearance at the State of the Union address when President Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. What was that like behind the scenes for Rush and for all of the preparations that went into it? Surely it stands out as one of the highlights, I think, an American history of a state of the union? Well, you know, Rush was due to begin his treatment that day. He had just made the announcement that he had this advanced lung cancer.

And off he went, he and Catherine to Boston to get treated. It was there that President Trump reached him the day he was supposed to start. So it was a crinzy day. They didn't even have the proper attire. They had to arrange all of that very quickly and get to D.C. It was a surprise. And it was just a delightful surprise. I joke for me as a listener and as a viewer of it, it was, I got a tip off from Sean Hannity that something special was going to happen that night.

And Sean had been very instrumental, by the way, in making that happen. He and Matt Drudge. And of course, President Trump. But I said, and I'll say it again, President Trump did something that I don't think anybody else could have done. he gave Rush a well-deserved, well-earned honor, the highest civilian honor in the United States of America, and made sure that almost every important elected Democrat in the federal government was there to watch it. And it was just beautiful. And we are so much in gratitude for President Trump for doing that.

And it was certainly a moment that we all cherished to see our beloved Rush, honored the way that we felt he should have been honored for most of his career. It was just a fantastic moment. We'll be sure to include a video with the transcript. James, thanks so much for writing Rush on the radio. We will leave a link to buy the book and the transcript and our show notes. How would you like listeners to follow your work and what you've been up to? I'm back at WABC, my home station, doing the show six days a week. You can go to James Golden.com. Find out more information there. Go to W.A.B.B.B. ABC Radio. And I'm working on a few other projects. So life has been very busy. And of course,

missing rush every single day. Well, we certainly do as well. James Golden, thanks so much for joining the Daily Signal podcast. It's great to talk to you. Thank you, my friend. Thank you so much for having me. Conservative women. Conservative feminist. It's true. We do exist. I'm Virginia Allen. And every Thursday morning on problematic women, Lauren Evans and I sort through the news, to bring you stories and interviews that are of particular interest to conservative leaning or problematic women. That is women whose views and opinions are often excluded or mocked by those on the so-called feminist left. We talk about everything from pop culture to policy and politics. Search for problematic women wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for sending us your letters to the editor. Each Monday we feature our favorites on this show. Virginia, who's up first? In response to Charlie Jacobs' commentary piece, what I've learned rescuing my daughter from her transgender fantasy, Eric writes, Dear Charlie, excellent peace, but moreover, excellent work. We live in an upside-down world, but all too often, people don't think these media-driven concerns can affect us personally. They do, and you handle this concern in a way that can be applied to a number of other charged topics these days. And in response of that same piece, Emily Gwecki writes, Dear Daily Signal, thank you for printing this.

I have no personal experience with this issue, but believe it to be totally destructive to our young girls and boys. I am amazed at this mother's compassion, love, perseverance, endurance, and dedication to her position of motherhood. I thank her for admitting her mistakes and keeping on keeping to save her daughter. All this while enduring rejection from her deeply and dearly loved daughter. one of the toughest battles I have heard. Thank you, Charlie Jacobs, for your generosity and dedication to the truth and for sharing with us.

Your letter could be featured on next week's show. So go ahead and send us an email at Letters at DailySignal.com. The Biden administration has been in power for almost a year. And the radical left has been imposing its dangerous ideology on America. Not only do they want to expand government control and promote cancel culture, but they also want to rewrite our nation's history, indoctrinate American students in our public school system, attack our traditional values of honor, liberty, and justice for all,

and implement a Marxist agenda that unleashes socialism throughout our country. Here at the Heritage Foundation, we need your help to finish the year strong and prepare for the battles that lie ahead in 2022. By making a tax deductible year-end gift right now, you'll help advance your principles, free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense at a time when our nation needs these principles most. Visit heritage.org slash year-end to make your tax-deductible donation today. Virginia, you have a good news story to share with us today. Over to you.

Thank you so much, Rob. It's hard to believe, but this is the last. last good news story that we're going to be bringing you all in 2021. Of course, we have another year ahead, and I'm so looking forward to continuing to share positive and uplifting stories throughout 2022. But December, I think, is especially fun month to talk about good news, because so many people are organizing and acting generously. They're helping others, and they're looking for ways that they can be a blessing to other people. And one of those organizations that is serving others right now is the Los Angeles Dream Center in California. We've shared a couple good news stories with you all this year from the Los Angeles Dream Center.

The ministry focuses on helping needy families and homeless in and around L.A. They give out tens of thousands of meals every year, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have provided extensive education resources for families in and around Los Angeles. And the Dream Center is ending 2021 with a bang. This Christmas, they are giving away over 10,000 toys and 20,000 meals. The co-founder of the Dream Center, Matthew Burnett, says everyone should have a chance to experience the joy of Christmas this season. And we want to celebrate this special holiday surrounded by the community we love. Over the weekend, the center hosted what they called a huge Christmas block party in the Echo Park neighborhood.

of Los Angeles. Thousands of people came to celebrate the season together, enjoy games, food, and of course take home some beautifully wrapped Christmas presents for their children. The Los Angeles Dream Center is definitely not the only group though that's been working hard to gather thousands of presents for kids in need this Christmas. Down in Kentucky, communities are struggling through loss and grief after a recent record-setting tornado tore through the western part of the state. Now, thousands of people are struggling to make sense of the situation and really find any sort of normalcy during this Christmas season. Kentucky's First Lady Brittany Bashir has jumped into action to make sure that no child in her state

goes without presents this Christmas. Berkshire launched a huge toy drive, which ran through Saturday and successfully gathered thousands of toys and gifts, which are now being distributed to families affected by the tornado all over Kentucky. There are so many other amazing toy drives that I could mention from prison fellowship to Catholic charities. And it's just such a joy to see this generosity during Christmas and so many people looking for ways that they can jump in and help and spread the joy during the holidays. So if you're listening and you're thinking, you know what, I would love to be involved in a toy

drive this Christmas, but you're not quite sure where to find one, I will have a about links in the show notes today that you can follow and maybe find one in your neighborhood in your area that you can get involved with and be a part of spreading joy and generosity this Christmas season. Well, I wholeheartedly endorse that, Virginia. And thank you for bringing us so many good news stories in 2021. We look forward to sharing more with our listeners next year. Oh, thanks, Rob. It really is a joy. Truly one of the favorite parts of my job is getting to actually report on something positive. So we don't have enough positive. stories in the news, so it's fun to get to find them and share them. It certainly is. Well, we're going

to leave it there for today. You can find the Daily Signal podcast on the Rurkishay Audio Network. All of our shows are available at DailySignal.com slash podcasts. You can also subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or your favorite podcast app. And be sure to listen every weekday by adding the Daily Signal podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing. If you like what you hear, please leave us a review and a five-star rating. It means a lot to us and helps to spread the word to other listeners. Be sure to follow us on Twitter at DailySignal and Facebook.com slash the DailySignal News. Have a great week. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage

Foundation. It is executive produced by Rob Blewey and Virginia Allen. Sound design by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney and John Pop. For more information, visitdailySignal.com.