The conservative radio and television personality takes aim at The Imperial Congress, Anita Hill, and The Social Utopians of Multiculturalism, among other topics. Reprint.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Browse the best books of summer including blockbusters, beach reads, and editors' picks in our Summer Reading Store. |
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
Rush Limbaugh is a way of life for over twelve million avid and devoted listeners. For three hours every day this comic conservative of the airwaves with "talent on loan from God" entertains, provokes and persuades friend sand enemies alike in a no-holds-barred show that is one of the biggest draws in radio history. Using personal anecdotes, Limbaugh now reveals the major influences on his life and views, and blasts off on all the leading issues of our day. Nothing escapes his acerbic wit and huggable charm as he proves why he is on the cutting edge of societal evolution and the epitome of morality and virtue. Here he holds forth on such subjects as: Anita Hill, The Homeless Fraud, The Media, and many others. Tackling the hottest topics of the times from Feminazis to Environmentalist Wackos, Rush Limbaugh is at his satirical best---the provocative conservative and the showman who is "documented to be almost always right 97.9% of the time" about The Way Things Ought To Be.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Rush Limbaugh Rush Limbaugh was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, a "quintessential Midwestern small town," where he fell in love with radio in elementary school. He became a Top-40 deejay in the 1960s and held various other jobs before finding his true calling as a radio talk show host at KFBK in Sacramento, California. In 1988 his radio show went national, and it can now be heard in 616 markets across the country. Rush Limbaugh makes his home in New York City and divides his time among his daily radio show, speaking engagements, and his nationally syndicated television show.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
59 of 85 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm not a Republican. I'm not a Democrat. I'm just a regular guy interested in knowing why so many people like Rush. After reading this book, I think I found out.
I never liked Rush's radio program too much, finding it to be elementary and simplistic (his TV program was even more so), and found his "Democrats are bad, but Republicans are good" talk to be even more childlike. After reading his book, however, I came to realize (to Rush's credit) that perhaps this seeming simplemindedness was due less to Rush's lack of intellectual profundity and more to trying to secure good ratings in a the constricting medium of radio.
The print medium suits Rush much better, which is saying a lot given his immense radio popularily. I was impressed by Rush's facile writing style and pleased by the fact that Rush provided empirical support for many of his pro-conservative arguments (something he rarely, if ever, did on his radio or TV programs). That said, Rush still has a penchant for answering difficult questions in the context of a simple black-or-white framework, and I was especially disappointed with his stance on the environment (basically, we could do whatever we want to the environment because it is strong and will fix itself like it has for billions of years).
Over all, however, I thought it was a decent book, one that presents Rush as a thinking individual and not just another radio personality spewing off-the-cuffers to appease the rating gods. I'd recommend this book to anybody who is not a die-hard conservate (nothing new here for them) who would like some perspective on their own views, or would just like to see where the "other side" is coming from.
Plus, it's entertaining, especially when you don't agree.
39 of 57 people found the following review helpful
By R. L. MILLER
Format:Hardcover
When this book was first released, there was a storm of protest against it. In my own native Rochester NY, a feminist group tried to pressure an area party house to overturn their decision to hire him to perform there, in complete ignorance of the fact that an entertainment venue caters to the people who will show up at a performance, not those who they know won't. It's amazing what a contradiction in terms the word "know-it-all" is. When I bought a copy of the book, fellow liberals among my friends sneered, their line of reasoning being not wanting to dirty their hands with it, throw their money away on it, yadda-yadda. My own line of reasoning was that knowing in some detail what is wrongheaded about the other side is essential to really knowing that they're wrongheaded. It was in that spririt that my high school poli sci class made Marx's "Manifesto" required reading. I remain a solid anti-communist to this day, however. But about Limbaugh, my bourgeois liberal friends preferred being peer-pressured into repudiating him word-unheard or by hearsay at best. Stimulus: "Rush Limbaugh". Pavlovian response: "Grrrr!" Hey, why contaminate your mind with facts when zealotry is the best course? But a redneck like me needs facts--we're insufferable that way. Like little kids who keep asking "why", to Mommy's escalating annoyance. It was at that point that I began to doubt my own credentials as a bona fide liberal. I could talk the talk and walk the walk, but I couldn't manage the mindless conformity that all ideologues must have, left or right. I could speak the language, but I wasn't really a native. To this day, I'm still not one of Limbaugh's "dittoheads". That would require the same level of conditioned response that being a "true liberal" does. But as a consequence of owning this book, when I dis this dweeb, I can provide chapter and verse, by direct quote from The Man Himself, as to just why he is a dweeb.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Judah
Format:Hardcover
Last week I saw an episode of "Family Guy" feature Rush Limbaugh transforming into an eagle as he protected America, and I didn't agree with the lionization of a conservative icon, whose ideology, I think, has hurt America. The program did make a good point -- am I disliking Rush because I've only listened to his talk radio program? Do I dislike him because I find those who preach his agenda obnoxious human beings? Shouldn't I actually give the man's ideas a fair chance before I start criticizing?
I started reading this with an open mind, being 'courageous and brave' (from the advisory). This book was Limbaugh's chance. Please note that I am not a liberal; I'm a progressive, green, Randian centrist, i.e. Independent.
I agreed in the great nation of America that compassion is defined not by the dole but by making people better so they don't need government assistance, and that the ability to pray in school in a quiet corner out of sight should be covered under the First Amendment. I disagree about the 'redistribution of wealth', as it is obvious the 1% will screw everyone but the 1% (CEO salaries, Occupy, Walmart, etc). I disagree the 'liberal media' controls the news -- it is business media, with an agenda of maximization of profit; both conservative and liberal commentators are stifled from achieving genuine changes which would benefit society but not corporate moneybags. I agree that environmental awareness is healthy, but disagree in how much is necessary -- carbon trading credits are a scam, but fracking for oil causes local earthquakes and poisons groundwater. (It's been documented in both Texas and Pennsylvania, by lawsuits over hospital bills.) I view environmentalism as 'not defecating where you eat' whereas Rush views it as 'interfering with man's dominion over nature'.
Rush thinks of himself as an entertainer, and stirring passions gives ratings. Much of this book advertises for his talk radio show.
After reading I did see Rush as less radio caricature, and more a real human being. Rush isn't about consensus, he's about being Right and 'winning'. I don't view big government as the threat to America, I view corporations with deep influence and no social conscience as the threat. Part of their agenda is bogging down social change by creative false 'us vs them' controversy like 'liberal vs. conservative', 'feminism vs. establishment', 'racial tension' (white vs black, white vs Hispanic, etc), and 'pro-life vs pro-choice'... and Rush is one of their enablers.
Limbaugh embraces 'all deregulation is good' despite evidence of history (Glass-Stegal repealed = S&L crisis, plus our recent recessions), and defends the rich under the 'Atlas' myth, without making a distinction between genuine creators, wealth strippers/looters, and inherited social parasites. I agree we must take responsibility, but wealth doesn't allow dictating the social choices of the poor. Rush sets up a false dichotomy between being rich and social policy, stating 'liberals hate money' and trying to conclude if you enjoy making money you shouldn't advocate for social programs. I believe charity always will be a personal choice.
I am for abortion because the world is over-populated. I despise it as a method of birth control, but I'd rather have good parents instead of unwanted children in broken homes. That said, I believe being pro-life and not teaching sexual education in schools is saying 'I support a poor, uneducated underclass in society.' Abstinence does not produce results, often leading to MORE unwanted pregnancies because the abstainers are ignorant of sexual mechanics. Rush's stance of animal cruelty/rights has been over-dramatized on his radio show. I agree humans are superior to animals, but I disagree that this means we should kill off animals indiscriminately as we continue to overpopulate the planet, where continued overpopulation is the final result of Rush's other opinions. Just because we are superior as a whole doesn't abnegate our responsibility to be nature's caretaker.
Rush uses the 'golden eighties' to justify his stance on tax policy, but has no rebuttal/doesn't mention the 'golden fifties' where the rich paid much more in taxes and the middle class was the biggest ever in America with high social mobility. I didn't find his argument well-reasoned or compelling.
The problems regarding AIDS can be traced back into the international charity system. Many charities have been co-opted as tax shelters for rich people or international corporations, and do little actual good. That doesn't mean the entire idea of charity is bad.
I agree with Rush on p99-100 about how Washington D.C. congress-critters go mad with power and fail to address real issues. I agree 'both major parties are failing' (p 286). They loot the government, perform insider trading, and are generally corrupted quickly. I also agree multiculturalism in public education is terrible; standardization of America history in high school means white-washed garbage must be actively unlearned to get a *real* History Degree... Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong.
Rush's stance on prisons and law encourages recidivism; compare against Norway's prison system for statistics with real results. Prison labor is rapidly becoming the 'new private slavery' of America. His stance on homelessness ignores the predatory lending practices which started the foreclosure crisis around 2008, and looks to blame rather than being objective. Personal responsibility is great, but you either help the homeless or you don't. Rush is looking for justification not to help. It's OK to require workfare, but destroying programs already in place is stupid. Limbaugh's undeniable truth 'the more entitlement programs are created by the Utopia Industry, the poorer this country is going to get' equates all social programs with wealth transference, but that just isn't true. Headstart creates better citizens. Social security cares for the elderly, with their OWN money. Pell grants let people help themselves. Attempting to oversimplify an issue as complex as the social network of society means you don't understand how it works.
Overall I found Rush Limbaugh more interested in entertainment than political change. Many of his opinions on issues are shallow and not reality-based, though he does talk a good philosophy on personal responsibility. While I disliked much of the book, it did make me think, which is why two stars and not one.
I started reading this with an open mind, being 'courageous and brave' (from the advisory). This book was Limbaugh's chance. Please note that I am not a liberal; I'm a progressive, green, Randian centrist, i.e. Independent.
I agreed in the great nation of America that compassion is defined not by the dole but by making people better so they don't need government assistance, and that the ability to pray in school in a quiet corner out of sight should be covered under the First Amendment. I disagree about the 'redistribution of wealth', as it is obvious the 1% will screw everyone but the 1% (CEO salaries, Occupy, Walmart, etc). I disagree the 'liberal media' controls the news -- it is business media, with an agenda of maximization of profit; both conservative and liberal commentators are stifled from achieving genuine changes which would benefit society but not corporate moneybags. I agree that environmental awareness is healthy, but disagree in how much is necessary -- carbon trading credits are a scam, but fracking for oil causes local earthquakes and poisons groundwater. (It's been documented in both Texas and Pennsylvania, by lawsuits over hospital bills.) I view environmentalism as 'not defecating where you eat' whereas Rush views it as 'interfering with man's dominion over nature'.
Rush thinks of himself as an entertainer, and stirring passions gives ratings. Much of this book advertises for his talk radio show.
After reading I did see Rush as less radio caricature, and more a real human being. Rush isn't about consensus, he's about being Right and 'winning'. I don't view big government as the threat to America, I view corporations with deep influence and no social conscience as the threat. Part of their agenda is bogging down social change by creative false 'us vs them' controversy like 'liberal vs. conservative', 'feminism vs. establishment', 'racial tension' (white vs black, white vs Hispanic, etc), and 'pro-life vs pro-choice'... and Rush is one of their enablers.
Limbaugh embraces 'all deregulation is good' despite evidence of history (Glass-Stegal repealed = S&L crisis, plus our recent recessions), and defends the rich under the 'Atlas' myth, without making a distinction between genuine creators, wealth strippers/looters, and inherited social parasites. I agree we must take responsibility, but wealth doesn't allow dictating the social choices of the poor. Rush sets up a false dichotomy between being rich and social policy, stating 'liberals hate money' and trying to conclude if you enjoy making money you shouldn't advocate for social programs. I believe charity always will be a personal choice.
I am for abortion because the world is over-populated. I despise it as a method of birth control, but I'd rather have good parents instead of unwanted children in broken homes. That said, I believe being pro-life and not teaching sexual education in schools is saying 'I support a poor, uneducated underclass in society.' Abstinence does not produce results, often leading to MORE unwanted pregnancies because the abstainers are ignorant of sexual mechanics. Rush's stance of animal cruelty/rights has been over-dramatized on his radio show. I agree humans are superior to animals, but I disagree that this means we should kill off animals indiscriminately as we continue to overpopulate the planet, where continued overpopulation is the final result of Rush's other opinions. Just because we are superior as a whole doesn't abnegate our responsibility to be nature's caretaker.
Rush uses the 'golden eighties' to justify his stance on tax policy, but has no rebuttal/doesn't mention the 'golden fifties' where the rich paid much more in taxes and the middle class was the biggest ever in America with high social mobility. I didn't find his argument well-reasoned or compelling.
The problems regarding AIDS can be traced back into the international charity system. Many charities have been co-opted as tax shelters for rich people or international corporations, and do little actual good. That doesn't mean the entire idea of charity is bad.
I agree with Rush on p99-100 about how Washington D.C. congress-critters go mad with power and fail to address real issues. I agree 'both major parties are failing' (p 286). They loot the government, perform insider trading, and are generally corrupted quickly. I also agree multiculturalism in public education is terrible; standardization of America history in high school means white-washed garbage must be actively unlearned to get a *real* History Degree... Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong.
Rush's stance on prisons and law encourages recidivism; compare against Norway's prison system for statistics with real results. Prison labor is rapidly becoming the 'new private slavery' of America. His stance on homelessness ignores the predatory lending practices which started the foreclosure crisis around 2008, and looks to blame rather than being objective. Personal responsibility is great, but you either help the homeless or you don't. Rush is looking for justification not to help. It's OK to require workfare, but destroying programs already in place is stupid. Limbaugh's undeniable truth 'the more entitlement programs are created by the Utopia Industry, the poorer this country is going to get' equates all social programs with wealth transference, but that just isn't true. Headstart creates better citizens. Social security cares for the elderly, with their OWN money. Pell grants let people help themselves. Attempting to oversimplify an issue as complex as the social network of society means you don't understand how it works.
Overall I found Rush Limbaugh more interested in entertainment than political change. Many of his opinions on issues are shallow and not reality-based, though he does talk a good philosophy on personal responsibility. While I disliked much of the book, it did make me think, which is why two stars and not one.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
It must be Rush.
As you read this book, you can easily imagine that Rush is talking to you just like he does on his radio show. He tells it like it is. Read more
Published 27 days ago by Charles B
1.0 out of 5 stars
The way things are not
With his radio show Limbaugh may be forgiven for making mistakes since it is a live show but here he had time to research what he was going to say and still got things wrong or... Read more
Published 1 month ago by sontaron
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rush at his finest!
Amazing read! Rush rectifies the mis-representation that the main stream media works so hard to spread about him. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Eric
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome
Very genuinely written, with compassion and relevance. This is a book for the beginner or the seasoned conservative. Great job Rush!
Published 3 months ago by Mark
1.0 out of 5 stars
Does he actually believe this stuff
I couldn't make it through the book. I have to admit that I put it down.
It wasn't cohesive even in the least. Read more
It wasn't cohesive even in the least. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Phil
3.0 out of 5 stars
Upset
The book did appear to be new as stated, however the pages in the booked looked and felt as if they had been wet at one time. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Marian Anthony
1.0 out of 5 stars
Rush Limbaugh Doesn't Know What He's Talking About.
I'm not going to use only MY words to explain why this book is bad. I'm going to use RUSH'S words.
"There will always be poor people. Read more
"There will always be poor people. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Nick Grey
1.0 out of 5 stars
Good book! Bad Tape!!!
I received my audio book in the expected time and enjoyed the first of a two-tape book. I put the second tape in and discovered it was defective! Read more
Published 5 months ago by Pete Klinefelter
1.0 out of 5 stars
the worst man on planet earth
this mans the ultimate terrorist. he should just convert to being a terrorist of the muslim faith. this mans no christian.. he is dividing america..
Published 5 months ago by stephen
2.0 out of 5 stars
The title is wrong.
The book's title, "The Way Things Ought to Be" is wrong. If things were the way Rush wants, then America would be a vastly different place than we know and love. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Marvin Fretwell
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
