Rush Limbaugh is the classic example of someone who "was born on third base and thought he hit a triple." He comes from a long line of wealthy white Americans, mostly lawyers. Put it this way: the Federal courthouse in his home town is named after his grandfather, who was a judge and House member.

 

Rush has always maintained a staunch blindness to the advantages that he received at the beginning of the game. He began his radio career at the tender age of 16, and one presumes that his family name helped open that door. He dropped out of college and became a disk jockey, not just because he had the skills (although he does have a lot of skill and determination) but also because he could. 

 

How much family money was poured into his accounts in the early years before he hit it big? What job would Rush have had to take if he had a family to support? Or if his luck had turned against him, and he had a car accident or major medical bills? How would Rush's life have been different if he had been a poor black kid in rural Missouri, instead of a rich white kid from a prominent local family?

 

Pish tosh, as Rush would be the first to tell you. It's all the work of his God-given talent. 

 

The sad thing is that Rush keeps peddling this fable of the American Dream to his audience, which is largely underprivileged white people. There aren't a lot of affluent people listening to Limbaugh. His show is aspirational, he is constantly touting the message that if you work hard enough, you can become one of the 1%.

 

Aside from being mathematically impossible, it's clear to anyone who pays attention that the game is rigged. And one way in which they rig the game is by telling the 99% that "any one of you could be in the top 1%! You obviously just don't want it badly enough!"

 

This Rand-ian fable of self-aggrandizement has been one of Rush Limbaugh's primary talking points since the beginning. And it's no different now. Just listen as he schools a college kid in how much money he spreads around.

 

The worst part of Limbaugh's little fable is watching him dislocate his shoulder patting himself on the back. It's not enough that he is rich, he has to let us know that he's a good person BECAUSE he is rich. (He clearly believes that the reverse is also true.)

 

Maybe we need an "Occupy the Air Waves" movement, too!