[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 19960-19967]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        TRIBUTE TO RUSH LIMBAUGH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2001, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I am joined tonight by the distinguished 
whip, Tom DeLay. I want to say, kind of listening to our Democrat 
friends speaking before we spoke tonight, it was inspirational, Mr. 
Speaker. I am glad to see things are getting back to normal again in 
Washington. That is what the President has been calling for. And so, 
doing their part, the Democrats were very partisan and petty. So I 
appreciate that.
  I am sorry to say that they are misguided. They want to create a new 
Federal bureaucracy in the airports, and I for one feel that we should 
model security the way they do it in Europe and the way they do it in 
Israel because they have had so much more experience with terrorism. 
And the way to do that is to have Federal standards for private sector 
security, not a new government bureaucracy.
  I would ask my Democrat friends in great sincerity, would they want 
the Post Office to run the security system at airports? Certainly not. 
Because we all know that the private sector can be far more efficient 
and effective at doing a job than one more government agency coming out 
of Washington, D.C.
  With this, Mr. Speaker, we are joined by the great man from Arizona, 
Mr. J.D. Hayworth. I want to begin with saying:
  No. 15. If you commit a crime, you're not guilty.
  No. 18. I am not arrogant.
  No. 20. There is a God.
  No. 23. The only way liberals win national elections is by pretending 
they're not liberal.
  No. 3. No Nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity.
  No. 4. Evidence refutes liberalism.
  No. 5. There is no such thing as a New Democrat.
  These, Mr. Speaker, are among the great gems of wisdom in Rush 
Limbaugh's 35 undeniable truths, and we want to be talking about our 
friend Mr. Limbaugh tonight.
  I would start by yielding the floor to the majority whip, the 
gentleman from Texas, Mr. Tom DeLay.
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the gentleman from 
Georgia bringing this special order on Rush Limbaugh, particularly 
following what we saw just right before us, in the special order right 
before us, the Democrats out here talking about security in airports. 
Rush Limbaugh, I am sure, would have a lot to say in answer to what the 
Democrats were saying.
  It is quite amazing to me. I saw one gentleman, I believe it was the 
gentleman from Mississippi, talking about we should have the security 
that they enjoy in Israel and in Europe. Actually that is what the 
President is trying to do and the Democrats are trying to thwart.

                              {time}  2130

  They want to nationalize this system. They do not want to federalize 
the system; they want to nationalize it, something Europe tried, by the 
way. And after just a few years, the hijackings and the bombings and 
the threats that came against the airlines coming out of Europe were so 
bad that they threw away the nationalized system and imposed the system 
now that the President is trying to bring as a model from Europe and 
from Israel.
  Israel has not had a hijacking because they have the right system, 
the system that the President is trying to see implemented here in the 
United States. What that system is basically changes the present system 
that we know has a lot to be desired and changes that system so that 
the Federal Government comes in with standards and criteria and even 
certification of those that screen at the airports, but

[[Page 19961]]

that you use employees in a private entity so that you could get the 
best work and the best employees to do the job. Rush Limbaugh would 
understand that, and has understood it and talked about it a lot on his 
show.
  But, Mr. Speaker, anyone who heard the bad news about Rush Limbaugh's 
ailment and thinks this is a time to hang our heads does not know Rush 
very well and does not understand why his audiences tune in every day.
  Rush is not interested in anyone's pity. He wants our passion. He 
wants us to succeed. People listen because Rush celebrates the 
opportunity that America offers to every man and woman with a dream and 
the passion to achieve it.
  He reminds all of us that America is the world's best place to enjoy 
a happy, fulfilling, and meaningful life. Rush cajoles us all to chase 
our visions and he tells us to never give in to doubt, fear or failure.
  Rush has not let go of his dream. He arrives at work every morning 
with the same passion for his job that he has always had. He is not 
going to let a tough break define who he is or even what he does. He is 
going to work through the problem. He is going to adapt and overcome 
it. Rush practices what he preaches.
  He urges his listeners to pursue their own passions, to work hard to 
achieve excellence, to overcome life's problems, to remember our roots, 
to laugh at adversity, to honor our principles, and to an insist on an 
American vision that expands opportunity and celebrates freedom.
  What Rush does every day is simply to tell America to roll up our 
sleeves and go about the business of building Ronald Reagan's shining 
city on a hill.
  Rush understands the American spirit, and he urges all of us to live 
up to it. He has never dwelled on the depths of the problems that 
confront us. He has never been susceptible to second guessing about 
America's role in the world.
  He understands that what a person does after a setback will tell you 
more about them than anything else. That is why Rush's commitment to 
continue his program reminds us of who Americans are: we do not quit, 
we do not back down, and we do not let go of our dreams.
  We need to keep the faith, keep the passion, and keep working to 
build an American society that equals all of our hopes and our 
aspirations. That is Rush Limbaugh. That is the Rush Limbaugh that we 
will continue to enjoy on the radio. That is the Rush Limbaugh that 
understands what true airport security and airline security is. That is 
the Rush Limbaugh that understands what the conservative movement is 
all about. That is the Rush Limbaugh that leads us every day in 
understanding what is good for America.
  We all applaud Rush Limbaugh for what he has done and what he is 
about to do. We all are sorry for his affliction; but at the same time, 
we all pray for him. We thank you for bringing this Special Order.
  Mr. KINGSTON. I thank the distinguished whip. It is exciting to have 
you with us, because I remember when you were the minority party whip, 
and that was before the gentleman from Arizona and the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht), who has now joined us, were Members of this 
Congress. They, of course, were part of that great 104th majority-maker 
class.
  Gentlemen, I can tell you things were different, but I will also tell 
you what you already know: Rush Limbaugh going out, reaching out to 20 
million very great Americans and getting them all excited about the 
political process helped get you in Washington.
  I will be honored to yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Hayworth).
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Georgia for 
organizing this time and the fact that the distinguished majority whip 
joins us, as does the gentleman from Minnesota. In hearing the whip 
discuss not only our friend Rush Limbaugh, but also the power of ideas, 
I think it is very important to come tonight in that great tribute, 
because America is an idea and ideal brought into practice.
  As the gentleman from Georgia outlined, as the gentleman from 
Minnesota and I came to this Congress at a historic time with a 
transition in the majority, I had the privilege during my campaign to 
first meet Rush Limbaugh. He came to Phoenix as I was preparing to run 
for Congress, and our Suns were playing the Bulls in the NBA 
championship. The folks from Chicago prevailed in that particular 
matchup, quite unlike what transpired today in baseball, as the 
Diamondbacks defeated the Braves two to nothing. Sorry about that to 
the gentleman from Georgia. But we had a great visit with Rush.
  Mr. KINGSTON. If the gentleman will yield, that was just Southern 
hospitality, so we do not have to worry about you in the next game.
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Oh, I thought it was skill. But just one point about 
it, because the whip talked about this, the fact that our friend Rush 
Limbaugh celebrates the dreams and the pursuit of excellence by 
individuals, that he recognizes that America is made up of seemingly 
ordinary individuals who have been called upon to do extraordinary 
things, and whether it is succeeding in business, or getting an 
education, or running for public office, fulfilling dreams is 
important. That is what makes his excellent broadcast so excellent in 
terms of the excellence in broadcast for which he strives; the fact 
that America can rise to its dreams, can discuss the difference in 
ideas, can succeed on the playing field, or return to the playing field 
to seek success, as my friend from Georgia identifies with a certain 
National League franchise from his home State.
  But we salute our friend Rush Limbaugh. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, the 
highest form of praise for me personally is really two-fold: number 
one, to know that in the Almanac of American Politics, there are those 
who would compare this gentleman with my friend Rush; and the fact that 
yesterday on his broadcast I was mentioned, and the constituents 
started to call saying ``Rush was talking about you today,'' and that 
is a high honor indeed.
  Mr. KINGSTON. If the gentleman will yield, I am wondering now if that 
is an economic comparison. I know he is probably the wealthiest talk 
show host in America. Is there an economic similarity?
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Oh, would that it were the case, but apparently it has 
to do with vocal patterns or some such.
  Mr. KINGSTON. I just wanted to be sure. Because the gentleman knows, 
the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) is very famous on Capitol 
Hill, and I am sure in the great State of Arizona as being somebody who 
can imitate different speakers, which Mr. Limbaugh is also good at, as 
is the gentleman from Minnesota, who also can imitate Ronald Reagan so 
well that you think he is still at the Capitol.
  But I wanted to say on that subject, number nine in the 35 Undeniable 
Truths of Rush Limbaugh, Ronald Reagan was the greatest President of 
the 20th century.
  I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht).
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Well, I thank the gentleman from Georgia and my 
colleagues and the whip for being here tonight to take a few minutes to 
pay tribute to a very special American. I think he is very special for 
a lot of reasons.
  I remember the first time we were driving through Iowa and we were 
listening to WHO in Des Moines, Iowa, and this voice came on the radio, 
and at first I sort of said to myself, is this a joke? But the more I 
listened, the more I said, hey, finally there is somebody out there who 
gets it. That was probably at least a dozen years ago.
  A tremendous story has been written since then about Rush and his 
audience around the United States. He did not create that audience. 
That audience was there. They were desperately looking for somebody who 
got it, someone who thought the way that they did; and I think it is a 
tremendous tribute to him that that audience has continued to grow, and 
I think it is a tribute to the fact that there is an awful lot of 
common sense in the American people.
  The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) mentioned earlier about our 
class, the class of 1994, when after 40

[[Page 19962]]

years of wandering in the wilderness, finally the Republicans took 
control of this House, took control of the Senate, and really began to 
change the American agenda, and I think for the better. I think Rush 
Limbaugh was a big part of that.
  I remember when we went down to Maryland, Baltimore; and we had some 
of our programs for new Members, and Rush came and spoke to us one 
night. It was a very special night, and we actually made him an 
honorary member of the class of 1994, the majority makers. I think he 
was touched to receive that pin.
  I reminded him that night of something I have needle-pointed on my 
wall that my wife needle-pointed for me a number of years ago. It is an 
expression from Winston Churchill. It is one of my favorite quotes from 
Churchill. It a very simple expression; but I think it says a lot, and 
in many respects Rush Limbaugh embodies this expression. He said, 
``Success is never permanent; failure is never fatal. The only thing 
that really counts is courage.''
  If you look back at what happened in 1994, what Rush did for us, what 
Rush did for the American people, what Rush did for the conservative 
movement, is he gave us the courage to believe that we were, in fact, 
the majority. I think it was people like Rush who really 
psychologically gave us a huge boost in that election and I think began 
to change the whole tenor of the discussion.
  Much of the debate we were having back in 1993 is no longer even 
relevant. That is how far the debate and the discourse here in this 
city and in this country have changed. He was a big part of that.
  So I want to thank the gentleman for having this Special Order. I 
have a few other points I might make later.
  Mr. KINGSTON. I do want to say, first of all, before we go on, number 
35 in the Undeniable Truths, too many Americans cannot laugh at 
themselves anymore. I think that that is what Rush Limbaugh has taught 
us to do. It is okay to laugh while discussing politics. With that in 
mind, I want to point out, all three of you have extremely ugly ties 
tonight.
  I also want to tell a story. In 1992, when I was running for office, 
2 years before you guys were, I was at a house, Dr. A.J. Morris' house, 
a supporter of my mine in Vidalia, Georgia; and it was a good crowd. I 
was behind in my election. It was my first time running for Congress. I 
was getting beat in Vidalia, in Toombs County, Georgia, where the 
delicious Vidalia onions that feed the entire world and are the envy of 
all farming, they are all grown there.
  But I said to Dr. Morris, I said have you ever heard Rush Limbaugh? 
He said no. This was 1992. He said I never heard of him. I said he is 
great. He is this conservative talk show host, he is funny, he is 
entertaining, very much on the edge. He does not just talk. He has Paul 
Shanklin come in and do these parodies and he talks in strange words 
like ``dittoheads,'' or that is what his fans call him, all kinds of 
things, and he gives updates of different liberal groups and homeless 
updates and so forth.
  So I actually got my little handheld recorder, and I recorded on my 
car the next Rush Limbaugh show, and I sent it to A.J. Morris out in 
Vidalia. I live in Savannah; Vidalia is about 60 miles away. He said 
this is great. I sure wish we could get him here.
  Well, that was in 1992. Now he is on 600 radio stations; and of 
course, he is all over the airwaves, not just in Vidalia, Georgia, but 
all over.
  But the reason why I think that is important is because where I think 
the conservative movement really turned in 1994 was that air attack led 
by talk show host Rush Limbaugh, which enabled the infantry, led by Tom 
DeLay, flying all over the country, going into your district and your 
district and getting the ground troops motivated, and Mr. Leader, if 
you can tell us about those days?
  Mr. DeLAY. Thank you for yielding, because as the gentleman from 
Minnesota was talking about his experiences in 1994, it revived some 
memories of my own when the leadership of this House in the minority 
come about in 1991 or 1992 decided for so many years the minority had 
acted like a minority and it was time to act like a majority.
  That was inspired by Rush Limbaugh. Even though he was not on all the 
stations that he is on now, we knew of Rush Limbaugh. He was telling us 
to act like a majority, understand what you believe in, stand up for 
your beliefs and have passion in it, and work for it and work to get 
the majority; and we came together and we started strategizing to get 
the majority.
  It came to about 1993, going into 1994, the election of 1994; and we 
came up with this idea called the Contract with America, which told the 
American people what we would do if we got the majority. I am glad to 
say that over 70 percent of that Contract with America is law today, 
and we got most of it in the first year or two that these two gentlemen 
gave us the majority.
  But during that time, especially that election of 1994, obviously the 
national media, the Washington media, did not pay much attention to us. 
We did not try to ignore them; we just bypassed them.
  We went straight to Rush Limbaugh and many other conservative radio 
talk show hosts all over the country. And you could be driving up into 
the lakes of Minnesota, driving for 3 or 4 hours to get to that ice 
cream social where 10 people showed up to support one of our 
challengers, or driving into Arizona, and you could hear the Contract 
with America.

                              {time}  2145

  You could hear the Contract With America. You could hear from Rush 
Limbaugh the evaluation of what was going on in Washington and what he 
dreamed of happening if, by whatever chance in 1994, we actually gained 
the majority. All over this country, wherever I went, I went to 85 to 
100 different districts in 18 months, and everywhere we went people 
were talking about Rush Limbaugh, what he was talking about, what we 
could do if we had the majority in this country, and what we have been 
able to do is a tribute to Rush Limbaugh. All the wonderful things: The 
balanced budget, the tax cuts, the welfare reform; I could go on and on 
and on, all the wonderful things we have been able to do because we 
have had a majority, particularly in the face of a President that 
fought us every step of the way while he took credit for everything 
that we did, but we had a voice out there and that voice was sending 
our message loud and clear.
  The best part about it was, and we sound like Rush Limbaugh was our 
campaign manager; Rush Limbaugh did not take his direction from us, he 
was the standard by which we ran. He was setting the standard for 
conservative thought. He understood what the American people dreamed 
about and could implement, and he understood that the only way that 
that could happen is if the Republicans took the majority in the House 
of Representatives and in the Senate. He played a huge part in what 
happened in 1994 and, thereby, played a huge part in all of the 
successes that we have been able to do over the last 7 years.
  So again, Mr. Speaker, we owe so much to Rush Limbaugh. This country 
owes so much to Rush Limbaugh. We can never thank him enough.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  We are joined also by one of the great Republican pioneers in the 
dark days of the minority wilderness, the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Hunter). I wanted to give the gentleman undeniable truth number 
32, since the gentleman is from California. The Los Angeles riots were 
not caused by the Rodney King verdict; the Los Angeles riots were 
caused by rioters.
  I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter).
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, that is a great lead-in. I thank my 
colleagues for letting me participate.
  I am reminded that Rush Limbaugh taught the American people to laugh 
at Washington, D.C., and the self-righteousness of the liberal program 
was something he just delighted in shredding. He made us think and be 
creative.

[[Page 19963]]

  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) just said we came in and did a 
lot of things, but we did that with the support of the American people 
because Rush held up all of the things we were doing with the status 
quo system, that was architected by liberals and that was held up in a 
vary serious and profound manner with their media support, and people 
began to understand that literally the king had no clothes. They were 
able to look at a school system where the Federal education dollar sent 
to Washington, D.C. resulted in about 25 cents going back to the 
classroom. They were able to laugh with Rush when he pointed out when 
we were trying to reform welfare that the average welfare recipient was 
on welfare for 13 years and Rush wondered if maybe that was not quite a 
while for a guy to be able to go down and get the want ads in the local 
newspaper. Rush took all of these aspects of government and he held 
them up to the American people and he did it with humor. I think to get 
the attention of the American people, one needs to give them a little 
humor, and he did that so effectively.
  So he entertained us, but the interesting thing is he always 
entertained us with fact, because his facts with respect to what he 
called the ``liberal welfare state'' were much funnier than any 
fictitious system that one might think up or any sitcom on television. 
So he made the American people look at Washington, D.C. and made us 
laugh at ourselves first.
  When we saw what we built up as we advanced towards socialism and we 
were able to laugh at ourselves and reflect on the error of these 
programs, we then got creative and we came up with reform for the 
welfare system, and we came up with ways to reduce that education rake-
off in Washington, D.C. where 75 percent of every education dollar was 
pulled off the top by government, by very wise people. I thought that 
on one of Rush's shows, he pointed out that you have the same people 
flying from our districts across the country, educators, and asked the 
question, do people gain an IQ because when they cross the Mississippi 
River, and the same guy that might be spending 100 cents out of that 
education dollar in Minnesota or Michigan or Georgia or Arizona or 
California, is he any smarter once his aircraft crosses the Mississippi 
River and he glides into Washington and now he is going to tell us how 
to spend that money from his perch in Washington, D.C. instead of 
having local government do it back in our respective States.
  So Rush Limbaugh was a guy who first I think got the attention of the 
American people by entertaining them a little bit, and then they 
realized that all of his one-liners were based on facts and they 
realized that the facts described their government. So then we got 
creative and did something about it. So I thank my colleagues for 
letting me come down and join with these great Americans, with all of 
my colleagues, and talk about Rush a little bit.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I would say to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Hunter) that we are always glad to have him with us and 
anybody who is a conservative from California we have to treat as an 
endangered species anyhow. We always have a program for the gentleman, 
okay?
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth).
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia. I 
think back to those days in 1994 when the gentleman from California was 
kind enough to pay a visit to his neighboring State, and to hear the 
whip and to hear our friend from Minnesota talk about those days has 
been very interesting indeed.
  As I was listening to the remarks, I am reminded that another great 
wartime leader who went on to become President of the United States, 
Dwight David Eisenhower said, always take your job, but never yourself 
seriously. How appropriate, how descriptive that is of our friend Rush 
Limbaugh. But how important that philosophy is now in another hour of 
national need.
  We rejoice in the fact that we can bring different approaches and 
seek practical solutions from different philosophies and, Mr. Speaker, 
we would be remiss if those who follow this hour, this Special Order, 
would think that everything we do is rubber-stamped or met with 
complete approval by our friend in radio. The fact is that is not the 
case, nor, to borrow Mr. Jefferson's phrase, in the course of human 
events will it ever be the case.
  So we celebrate the fact that we can have differences of opinion, not 
only within the conservative movement, but in this Chamber, yet in this 
hour of national need we unite for a common goal, celebrating 
legitimate differences, understanding that the exchange of ideas, 
whether in this Chamber or over the airwaves, is the key to our 
dynamism as a constitutional republic.
  Indeed, the fact that our friend Rush brought and continues to bring 
a different way, a somewhat irreverent way, of reviewing the day's news 
has led to great citizen participation, both part of the conservative 
movement and those who might seek another way. Indeed to the point, Mr. 
Speaker, I remember upon our election to this Chamber, one of the 
leading news magazines actually ran a cover story citing the dangers of 
hyperdemocracy, as if Americans being involved, giving voice to their 
concerns, taking time to be involved in any political movement, 
regardless of their personal philosophy, taking the time to care, as if 
somehow that were wrong.
  What we have seen with the rise of the new media of which our friend 
Mr. Limbaugh is part of the vanguard, talk radio, the Internet; the 
fact, Mr. Speaker, that Americans and indeed citizens of the world can 
see these words transmitted instantaneously, that friend and foe alike 
internationally understand that we believe in the power of ideas, that 
is the best testimony to those who willingly engage in those ideas, to 
those who champion the delivery of those ideas over the airwaves, on 
the Internet, and typify what de Tocqueville first found about America, 
that America is great because we are good, and that we can be of 
goodwill and disagree, and that yes, it is perfectly within the realm 
of public experience to be frustrated, to step back and take not so 
serious a look, but when there is a time of national need, we can rally 
because the people, we have this affinity for the freedom we celebrate 
in free and open debate.
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield on that, too, I 
think that one thing that Rush Limbaugh did, he was a great leader with 
respect to ideas, very creative. But I think also like a lot of other 
great radio talk show hosts, I think he developed a lot of his ideas by 
listening to people. There is a great difference in this country 
between the guy who is on the 20th story of a building in a newspaper 
office, an editor who decides what is going to be written the next day, 
who is separated from the people by three or four electronic doors, a 
set of elevators, lots of security guards, and expounds on what he 
thinks America should do based on his education, his background, and 
the people he may talk to when he goes to lunch.
  A radio talk show host takes that call from Joe on a cell phone in a 
car and Joe, who is driving home from work, who may be a plumber or he 
may be a high-tech guy, may have a great idea in any given area, and he 
is able to transmit that idea and get some feedback from Rush Limbaugh, 
and I think Rush Limbaugh has resonated, not just led America, but I 
think he has learned a lot from Americans, as most talk show hosts do.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, is the gentleman suggesting that he did 
not get all of his wisdom by listening to National Public Radio? I am 
shocked.
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I think it is very possible that he got his 
wisdom from the American people, and I think he got a lot of it just 
from everyday folks who, in many ways, are a lot smarter than a lot of 
the folks in this city.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I think there is a lot of wisdom on the 
street and I know one thing, that Congressmen do not become veterans 
without listening for that wisdom and trying to bring it to Washington 
instead of trying to bring Washington's wisdoms home.

[[Page 19964]]

  One thing that Mr. Limbaugh had observed about Congress under novel 
truth number 25, follow the money. When someone says it is not the 
money, it is all about the money.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht).
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Of 
some of my favorite undeniable truths, here is one. There is a distinct 
single American culture, rugged individualism and self-reliance which 
made America great. Another is character matters; leadership descends 
from character. Finally, there is something wrong when critics say the 
problem with America is too much religion.
  What Rush Limbaugh really did is he talked about the time-tested 
values that are America. In many respects, he just continued to refresh 
our memories about what Ronald Reagan talked about all of his political 
career. He talked about those time-tested values such as faith, family, 
work, thrift, and personal responsibility. Those are the cornerstones. 
Those are the basic building blocks upon which this great American 
culture is built. It really is those things that he talked about again 
and again and again and helped us refocus on what is important in this 
country. He used humor, he used facts, he used quotes; he listened to 
the American people, but he put into words what a lot of people were 
thinking. I think that is why he has such a big audience and I think it 
is also why some of the media elites in this city and in New York and 
in other big cities were so envious and so angry originally. Now they 
have come to accept Rush. But originally they were so angry and they 
were so angry because all of a sudden they did not have a monopoly 
anymore.

                              {time}  2200

  It used to be there were three networks on television. There were 
maybe four, five, six large newspapers around the country. They 
basically controlled what people learned about what was going on in 
Washington and around the world.
  But then along came people like Rush, and all of a sudden he 
democratized the media. Everybody could participate. All of a sudden, 
they did not have to rely on just a couple of large newspapers and 
three networks. All of a sudden, there was a wealth of information 
coming at them, and things that they did not see on the nightly news 
were talked about on Rush Limbaugh. It made all the difference.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1994 when I first came to Congress, Rush Limbaugh had 
recently published a list of 35 Undeniable Truths. A couple of my 
favorites are more appropriate than ever.
  ``There is a distinct singular American culture--rugged individualism 
and self-reliance--which made America great.'' We are still a people of 
individual characters who, together, make up the rich fabric of a 
nation. As we have united together during this time of national 
tragedy, we will continue to demonstrate the ``can-do'' attitude which 
has carried us each, through personal challenges. Knowing Rush, this 
rugged individualism will carry him through as well.
  ``Character matters; leadership descends from character.'' Thomas 
Paine when writing during the birth of our nation said, ``These are the 
times that try men's souls.'' Our Founding Fathers tested their 
character and produced amazing acts of leadership. The character of our 
President and Congress are being tested and we have pulled together to 
defeat terrorism. Rush Limbaugh's character will continue to uphold the 
leadership he provides every day to millions of listeners.
  ``There is something wrong when critics say the problem with America 
is too much religion.'' Clearly the past month has demonstrated that 
America's faith in God has been the mainstay which has supported us in 
our grief and in our action to secure a terror-free future. Faith will 
also see Rush through his personal challenge as well.
  He talked about time tested values--faith, family, work, thrift, and 
personal responsibility.
  I have no doubt Rush Limbaugh will overcome this temporary adversity 
and continue to shine as a bright star in the broadcast realm. I'm 
looking forward to the next show.
  Mr. HUNTER. Rush Limbaugh and others like him introduced into the 
national forum something we did not have when we had the three networks 
and the big newspaper chains, and that is called debate. Rush Limbaugh 
would debate with people who called him up. Whether they called him 
from a phone at work or from home or on a cell-phone, he would debate 
with people. He was not afraid to debate.
  The idea that somehow if one's ideas are better than the other guys, 
they should be willing to take him on, that is the American way. Yet, 
it did not exist in the media, as the gentleman from Minnesota has 
stated. We had a couple of nightly news anchors who would tell us the 
way it was. If we heard a President make a speech, we would see the 
President, but we would not hear him; we would see the image of the 
President making the speech, and the voiceover from the anchor would 
tell us what the President said and why it was right or wrong.
  That was it. That was our information for the night.
  I have to say, Rush Limbaugh has a lot of great colleagues out there 
who think a lot of him. I know Mike Reagan thinks a lot of him and does 
a great job; Oliver North, another guy who does a wonderful job; in San 
Diego, there is Mark Larson; and of course, Roger Hedgecock, friends of 
Rush Limbaugh.
  People who like Rush are willing to have somebody call up on a cell-
phone, offer a different point of view, and take them on and have a 
dialogue. That is how we develop ideas in America.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman bringing that 
up. Ten years ago, there were something like 200 talk shows in the 
country. Now there are over 1,000, and the listening audience is 
something like 15 percent of the radio market. Rush Limbaugh and all of 
his friends have made it a common staple for something like 40 million 
to 50 million Americans on a steady basis who use it to get their news, 
not just entertainment.
  We have all been on the Ellen Ratner show, Blanquita Cullum, Alan 
Nathan, Neal Boortz, Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes. As Rush said, if you do 
not have someone who disagrees with you, it is like playing tennis 
without a net. You have to have somebody who will banter with you.
  He told all of us, conservatives and liberals, get off the bench, get 
down in the arena and engage in the debate.
  I know the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) wants to speak. I 
would ask the gentleman to introduce our friend, the gentleman from 
Colorado. He has a decent-looking tie on, but I know people will not be 
able to notice, he is wearing some of the ugliest shoes that have been 
on the House floor in the history of the U.S. Congress tonight. I think 
he came slushing through the mountains of Colorado to join us, and we 
appreciate that.
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry: Does the gentleman 
from Georgia hope to open one night for Jerry Vale? I did not know he 
was going to insult comedy.
  But I would seize the opportunity from the gentleman from Georgia to 
introduce a fellow Westerner who joined us following the 1996 
elections. I would introduce him with this note. I know that every 
Monday in his district he goes to great pains to bring together people 
for a breakfast town hall.
  As I was hearing the gentleman from California and the gentleman from 
Minnesota and the gentleman from Georgia relate, what happens on talk 
radio, what we celebrate with Rush Limbaugh and hosts of all different 
ideological backgrounds, is the notion that we in essence have a town 
hall of the air.
  In our congressional districts we have town halls. The gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Kingston) has one. He makes this a staple every Monday 
morning on his schedule.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Colorado 
(Mr. Schaffer).
  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman for yielding, 
and also for the introduction. I thank the gentleman for the 
introduction, but only because it is polite.
  I appreciate the gentleman mentioning my tie here. Quite literally, I 
had left for the evening and thought I

[[Page 19965]]

was done for the day and changed clothes, and then I heard the 
gentleman talking about Rush Limbaugh, and I ran back over here, 
borrowed a tie from a staffer so that I could meet dress code here on 
the floor, and threw the coat on. So I want to apologize to my mom 
first, who is one of Rush's biggest fans.
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman should take responsibility 
for his own actions. That is something we are taught.
  Mr. SCHAFFER. I first heard about Rush Limbaugh I do not know how 
many years ago. I was in Cincinnati, Ohio. We were there for Christmas 
visiting with family, and my brother-in-law asked if I had heard about 
this radio talk show host who was conservative. I was a State senator 
from the Colorado legislature. We talked about politics all the time, 
and had these great family arguments.
  He asked about this talk show host. I said, Gee, I have never heard 
of him. The next day we happened to be in the car and Limbaugh was on 
the radio there, WLW in Cincinnati. I remember listening, and wherever 
we were going, the rest of the family got out of the car and went in to 
go shopping or whatever they were doing, and I stayed there in that car 
listening to Rush Limbaugh for about another hour, just fascinated, not 
only with Rush's treatment of important issues that we deal with, that 
the country deals with and all citizens do, but the way he managed to 
accomplish that within the context of good-natured humor. He had really 
done that well.
  I was not even imagining at the time the impact Rush Limbaugh would 
have, not only on me but on my community. I live in Fort Collins, 
Colorado. A couple of years after that event or after that Christmas, 
Rush Limbaugh came to Colorado. A few stations ended up picking up 
Rush.
  There was a young man, a college student from Colorado State 
University, who called the Limbaugh program who lived in Laporte, 
Colorado, next door to Fort Collins. His name was Dan. I remember this 
well because he wanted a copy of Rush Limbaugh's monthly newsletter.
  Limbaugh says, Well, you have to buy it. Dan says, I am a college 
student. Why don't you just give it to me? And Rush gave him this 
lecture about working hard and earning the things that you really want 
to obtain in life. This newsletter was obviously an important thing, 
and no American citizen should go without it, so he challenged Dan to 
raise the money to buy the newsletter.
  I remember Dan saying, I am a student. What am I supposed to do? And 
Rush said, I do not know; hold a bake sale. So Dan on the air says, 
well, if I hold a bake sale, will you show up here to Fort Collins and 
help me sell my cookies and bread and whatever else we sell? And Rush 
said, Well, I might.
  Well, it was just a few weeks later this thing started gaining 
momentum. We scheduled Dan's bake sale in downtown Fort Collins. As we 
got closer and closer to the event, the law enforcement and the city 
started realizing we needed to plan for more than a simple bake sale. 
People were coming from all over America. In fact, they were coming 
from around the world to Fort Collins to be part of Dan's bake sale.
  So I hurried up, as a young politician in the Colorado Senate, and I 
went and got my booth space reserved, because I figured I should be 
there. It was an event to behold, let me tell the Members, for those 
who did not have the chance to be there. People did come from all 
around the world.
  In fact, if people are familiar with Colorado, there is only one 
highway that goes north and south, and that is I-25. The traffic comes 
from Denver up to Fort Collins in the north part of Colorado. Traffic 
was backed up for 7 miles way out on the highway back to Denver trying 
to get off the highway to come into Fort Collins.
  The amazing thing was the way the media treated this, because they 
tried to downplay the whole thing. In fact, the next morning the front 
page of the Fort Collins newspaper showed a picture of a little petunia 
that was in a flower planter that was bent over, and said, ``Rush 
Limbaugh came to town. Look at this dead flower, it got crushed.''
  Meanwhile, the real story went untold in that paper, but could not be 
concealed from just the massive numbers of people who showed up in 
town. The media went through the effort of trying to downplay the 
numbers of people who were there.
  Rush flew in on a helicopter. There were so many people that we could 
not drive him in. The sheriffs brought him in, escorted him in on 
horseback with the sheriff's posse there. He got up and gave a rousing 
speech. Dan not only made enough money to buy the newsletter, but paid 
for the rest of his college education at the bake sale.
  I wrote Rush Limbaugh a letter that next day and faxed it out to him. 
I wrote about what an important event that was. It was all fun, it was 
all entertaining, but people gather around sports in America, we gather 
around our kids, we gather around all kinds of music, arts, culture, 
lots of entertainment. But to see people come from far and wide to meet 
and rally around politics, about civic participation, about patriotism, 
was something that I think really says what Rush Limbaugh is all about, 
and the reason so many listeners tune in to Rush Limbaugh every day: 
this simple notion that we are all in charge of our country.
  His challenge to us as individuals and as citizens is to hold our 
politicians accountable and to participate on an individual level; to 
become knowledgeable about our history, about our philosophy, about our 
future, and to be optimistic about it.
  I wrote all that into a letter, and talked about how the liberals 
were baffled. I sent that letter, and figured I would never hear 
anything. The next Friday evening, I will never forget, Rush Limbaugh 
had a TV show that came on usually late in the evening. The networks 
tried to bury that in the middle of the night so nobody would watch it, 
but it came on in Fort Collins around 11 o'clock at night.
  My wife and I were sitting there. I was laying on the floor watching 
Rush. He read my letter on the air. Then he put it in his book, too, 
The Way Things Ought to Be book, as well.
  As one who has driven across a pretty big State with long distances 
between rural towns, I have spent a lot of time in the car with Rush 
Limbaugh, listening to his perspective on optimism and about America. 
It has an awful lot to do with the attitude and values and beliefs that 
I have taken to the political battlefield with me and won a lot of 
victories.
  It is a compelling message: a message for America, a message for 
America's future. It is a message that is one of hope. I, like all 
Americans, was very sad to hear about Rush's loss of hearing, but I 
know that the power of ideas is more important than that. Still Rush's 
appeal to the American people I think is going to continue to get 
stronger.
  I appreciate all of the Members being here tonight and leading this 
special order, and giving America and ourselves a chance to talk a 
little bit about one voice out there in America that is leading toward 
America's greatness.
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. If the gentleman will yield further, I could just 
close, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all the gentlemen, and particularly 
our colleague, the gentleman from Colorado. I remember that story, but 
I did not live it the way the gentleman did. We followed it on the 
radio.
  I would just say that Rush is going to keep going strong for many, 
many years to come. The power of ideas is stronger than anything. I 
have no doubt that Rush is going to overcome this adversity, and we 
will see and hear from him for many years to come.
  There is an old German expression. My German is not that good. It is 
something like this. (Expression in German). It translates to ``That 
which does not kill me only makes me stronger.''
  He may have lost his sense of hearing, but he has not lost his 
perspective, he has not lost his voice, and he has not lost his keen 
interest and attention to the American body politic. I think as long as 
he has those, he will continue to be that voice of common

[[Page 19966]]

sense, of reason, of traditional American values.
  I salute him tonight. I look forward to many years of listening to 
his program, and most importantly, I look forward to listening to the 
next show.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota for 
joining us, and I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth).
  Mr. HAYWORTH. It has been interesting during this allotted time on 
the floor of the United States House of Representatives, Mr. Speaker, 
to reflect on an American original, and to realize that the success 
which our friend, Rush Limbaugh, has met with is because, like many 
other great Americans, he has been able to tap into the interaction and 
the free flow of ideas and expressions that Americans have long 
championed.
  As we find ourselves in the midst of difficult days, indeed, what 
could fairly be described as a battle for our very survival as a 
nation, literally, we take stock of the fact that 1 month ago visited 
upon us was an attack so dastardly, so horrible that it eclipses the 
losses in our own Revolutionary War.
  I ask Members to think about it. In the multiyear conflict that was 
the American war of independence, fatalities for the new United States 
of America were a little over 4,000. In 1 day, we lost an estimated 
6,000 to 7,000 of our fellow citizens, not to mention workers from 
around the world who came to this free society.
  To absorb that type of attack as a people but to stand up, roll up 
our sleeves, and with American resolve, whether we are Republicans, 
Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, vegetarians, to move forward 
with a commonality of purpose, I think is something that has been 
mirrored in a personal way for our friend, Rush.
  He put it in perspective because he suborned his personal challenge 
to the need confronting America, and revealed to us, almost in passing, 
the nature of his hearing affliction; the fact that efforts are being 
made to restore that.
  But whatever the future may hold, it paled in comparison both to the 
accomplishments of the past and the requirements, the necessity, to 
unite as a people for what we must do in the immediate future.

                              {time}  2215

  There is no way to calculate or to quantify the value of rallying 
together as Americans, even as we agree to disagree, perhaps on how 
best to achieve victory, on how best to meet the future, on how best to 
set our priorities.
  Rush Limbaugh, in his town hall on the air, on a daily basis, with 
the biggest radio audience on a sustained basis we have seen in our 
history, gives voice to the notion that we can achieve our dreams; that 
we can endure our setbacks; that we can meet tomorrow confident that we 
can be stronger and this Nation can be better than it was in the past.
  Cheerful persistence and eternal optimism, not the optimism of the 
cockeyed, but the optimism of the realist, that is what has always 
propelled America to greater times and better days.
  Eisenhower said the hallmark of a leader is to be optimistic. Reagan 
said America's greatest day is still way ahead of it. Rush Limbaugh, 
like him or loathe him, agree or disagree, gives voice to the same type 
of vision, and at this hour, in this place, at this time of national 
need, we pause from our traditional debate to celebrate the 
achievements of one who encourages so many achievements among all of 
us. Not a celebration per se of political party or conservative 
doctrine, but an outlook on life that inspires involvement, that gives 
voice to the very essence of what it means to be an American.
  That is the idea, that is the ideal behind EIB, Excellence in 
Broadcasting; and it is not a far stone's throw from the ideals that 
created this constitutional republic, what Catherine Drinker Bowen 
called the Miracle at Philadelphia, that gave us as mere mortals and 
humans, despite our many imperfections, a remarkable form of government 
where we celebrate individual achievement and out of many form one 
united in purpose for national success and for the survival of free 
men.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I yield to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter).
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I want to thank everybody for their wonderful tribute to Rush, and I 
would just observe that 30 years ago people used to get their news and 
spend a little time thinking about America and thinking about the 
surroundings and our democracy and reflecting on this country seated at 
their breakfast table or local coffee shop or at some other place. And 
Rush Limbaugh ushered in an age in which Americans read their 
newspaper, not by picking up a paper, but by turning on a radio dial, 
whether at their place of work or in their car, where we all spend a 
great deal of time now, and Americans transferred that important time 
in their daily lives, when you really reflect on who we are and where 
we are going, from the written media to radio, to the media where you 
actually could hear a thought propounded and then hear an answer or an 
argument or another idea to come back from somebody who called into 
that station.
  So that is how we read our newspaper, largely as a result of Rush 
Limbaugh. To Rush Limbaugh I say, it has been a great read.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. To the gentleman 
from Colorado (Mr. Schaffer) I would say that we have got about 5 
minutes.
  I guess what I want to do is remind our listeners that there are four 
great books that they can read for further information: The Way Things 
Ought to Be; See, I Told You So; The Way Things Are Not, Rush 
Limbaugh's Reign of Error; and Sometimes You've Just Got to Laugh. 
Remember, that the proceeds will all go directly or indirectly to 
benefit an oppressed conservative in a university near you someplace, 
somehow.
  I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Schaffer).
  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding once 
more.
  I just want to remark on the impact that I think Rush has had on our 
constituency because if you listen closely, as I have over the years, 
Rush never suggests his audience pick up the phone and call their 
Congressman. We hear a lot of talk show hosts that will rally around 
the cause and say these people in Washington just do not get it, pick 
up the phone, call. He has never done that, but his listeners do it, 
and they do it because of the overall suggestion and message that, as I 
mentioned before, that Americans are ultimately in charge of their own 
country on an individual by individual basis.
  When he treats issues the way he does, with passion, with humor, with 
sincerity and with a great degree of seriousness, too, it does inspire 
his listening audience to react in a very responsible way. Many of the 
letters we receive in our office, many of the phone calls, many of the 
people who show up every Monday morning at my town meeting, they come 
and they bring issues or perspectives, and how many times have we all 
heard, ``I heard this on the Limbaugh show; I heard Rush talking about 
this issue or that issue; Congressman, is it really the case back there 
in Washington.''
  He has inspired so many citizens to become personally involved in 
this process and in this city all across the country that it is a 
remarkable legacy that has done more than just provide entertainment, 
which is clearly important, provide more than just a successful 
enterprise of a radio program from a business standpoint. It really has 
inspired the best of America and reminded Americans of what it is we 
stand for as a Nation and what our individual responsibilities are as 
citizens.
  I, too, from the bottom of my heart, I want to express to the House 
my thanks and gratitude for what this one leader has accomplished for 
the country and how his inspiration has really provided encouragement. 
And I mean that in the ultimate sense of that word, has helped impart 
courage on so many people to stand up at the town meetings and 
challenge the old ideas

[[Page 19967]]

that we know have failed, that have inspired so many of us to run for 
office and not be afraid to stand in a room full of left-leaning 
opponents and stand up and talk about the truth and simple observations 
and win these arguments and these debates on important causes at 
important points in time in our political battles back home.
  Rush has accomplished quite a lot so while his hearing may be 
somewhat impaired at this time, the American people are listening and 
tuning in and Rush just needs to keep talking.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I am confident that he will be.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona.
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, how fitting it is to get a time cue from 
the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) knowing how important time is 
to the medium of radio and of broadcasting. But there are timeless 
truths to which we all subscribe and that is what we celebrate here 
tonight. Not the fact that our friend faces adversity. Not completely 
the fact that many of us have met with political triumph based on his 
encouragement. Not the fact that now in an hour of national need we 
must rise again with the eternal optimism that has been part of the 
American experience, but just to understand and give thanks for the 
three words that epitomize not only EIB and the whole dynamic of talk 
radio, but the essence of our constitutional republic.
  Our founders had the great and good sense in that poetic and yet very 
practical preamble to our Constitution to start with three special 
words, ``We, the people.'' Not it, the government or us, the 
politicians, but we, the people. And so tonight we take time to 
celebrate a special person who encourages others to understand their 
special role in this special place that we call home and the rest of 
the world calls America.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Hayworth).
  In closing on our friend, Rush Limbaugh, who is so involved leading 
the way on the conservative cause, we appreciate all the good work that 
he is doing. And the doors are always open.
  If he ever wants to take advantage of his status as an honorary 
member of the 104th freshman Republican class and actually attend one 
of the gentleman's meetings, please be sure to let everybody know 
because I think a lot of people would like to receive him on both sides 
of the aisle because he has won the heart and the respect of liberals 
and conservatives alike.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simmons). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who has 
faithfully served this great country as a voice for democracy and 
freedom for the American people. Rush Limbaugh's listeners--both 
conservative and liberal--know him as the ``Dr. of Democracy,'' the 
``Truth Detector,'' the ``Voice behind the Golden EIB Microphone.''
  His daily radio broadcasts attract 20 million listeners every week, 
giving him rights to the claim as the most-listened-to-talk radio host 
in the world.
  I personally want to commend this American patriot who has dedicated 
his life to the cause of educating the American people about the 
principles of democracy. Whether you agree or disagree with Rush 
politically, you have to admire the depth of his political articulation 
and analysis--packaged in three hours of radio excellence. Mr. 
Limbaugh's brilliant use of satire, humor and witticism to convey 
fundamental principle are a testimony to what he calls, ``talent on 
loan from God.''
  Rush has been an inspiration to the American people for more than a 
decade on the airwaves of AM radio. His boisterous commentary reaches 
one of the most diverse radio audiences ever. Farmers, nurses, 
construction workers, mothers, military personnel, bankers, chefs, 
manufacturers, rich and poor, left-wing radical liberals and right-wing 
conspiracy theorists all tune in every afternoon to hear Rush's clever 
voice for three solid hours.
  I know of no other person who is able to articulate his opinions and 
thoughts with as much passion as Rush. I am continually amazed when I 
listen to the Rush Limbaugh Show. Most radio hosts have a remarkable 
level of professional skill just to gain an audience. But Rush has 
achieved a standard of professionalism that has surpassed all 
expectations. Every day he manages to discuss fresh and bold topics. He 
never tires.
  With ``half his brain tied behind his back,'' Mr. Limbaugh is proving 
to the world that when you have a dream and are dedicated to achieving 
that dream, all things are possible. Rush has shown us all that when 
you live in America, you are able to achieve anything you set your 
heart to accomplish. Rush has recently encountered new challenges with 
the loss of his hearing. But because of his determination and spirit of 
adventure, he has chosen to remain seated in the throne behind that 
golden EIB Network microphone. In doing so he personifies the American 
spirit he has encouraged us all to embrace.
  I commend Rush for his encouragement to me and all Americans to never 
settle for second best, but to strive for the higher mark. I ask my 
colleagues to join me today in paying a special thanks to Rush Limbaugh 
as a great American.

                          ____________________