On Wednesday, conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh signed off on his last show of 2020 after being diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year. While supporters were touched with deep emotion, leftists on Twitter were celebrating, hoping that the cancer takes him before he returns in 2021.
“Rush Limbaugh is a demagogue who got rich off of hate speech, division, lies and toxicity. I have compassion for anyone suffering from cancer, but despite his illness, Limbaugh just kept doubling down on his bet against democracy. His legacy is shameful. Good riddance,” tweeted Shannon Watts of Moms Demand Action.
Rush Limbaugh is a demagogue who got rich off of hate speech, division, lies and toxicity. I have compassion for anyone suffering from cancer, but despite his illness, Limbaugh just kept doubling down on his bet against democracy. His legacy is shameful. Good riddance.
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) December 24, 2020
“Over his career, Rush Limbaugh has done incalculable and enduring damage to our democracy, our sense of national community, and the honor of our country. His disgusting bigotry and cynicism should have no place in the future. I’m glad he’s off the air. We’re the better for it,” tweeted Charlotte Clymer.
“Rush Limbaugh is a coward, a fraud, a fake, a stain, a white supremacist, a misogynist, but most of all: he’s quite simply pathetic. He’s weak. He’s a sad punk ass who has always taken the easy way in life. He’s aggressively mediocre, and he knows it. I’m happy he’s left radio,” Clymer added.
Over his career, Rush Limbaugh has done incalculable and enduring damage to our democracy, our sense of national community, and the honor of our country. His disgusting bigotry and cynicism should have no place in the future. I'm glad he's off the air. We're the better for it.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) December 24, 2020
Rush Limbaugh is a coward, a fraud, a fake, a stain, a white supremacist, a misogynist, but most of all: he's quite simply pathetic. He's weak. He's a sad punk ass who has always taken the easy way in life. He's aggressively mediocre, and he knows it. I'm happy he's left radio. https://t.co/PAyZ2OAdsA
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) December 24, 2020
“I have no empathy for Rush Limbaugh because of the harm he did to our country, conning millions of people including me with right wing propaganda, hate, racism, and sexism. I’m glad he’s not coming back on the air. Good riddance to bad rubbish,” tweeted David Weisman of Project Lincoln.
I have no empathy for Rush Limbaugh because of the harm he did to our country, conning millions of people including me with right wing propaganda, hate, racism, and sexism. I'm glad he's not coming back on the air. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) December 24, 2020
“Rush Limbaugh going off the air for good is one of the best Christmas presents to heal our nation’s festering hate. Santa does exist,” tweeted Ryan Chase.
“Very few people in the past few decades have added more hate into America than Rush Limbaugh. What a better country this would have been without his voice,” tweeted JRehling.
Very few people in the past few decades have added more hate into America than Rush Limbaugh. What a better country this would have been without his voice.
— JRehling (@JRehling) December 24, 2020
“Rush Limbaugh spent his entire career spewing malignant lies into the American body politic. If he can’t make it back on the air, then this nation will be better off for it,” tweeted Grant Stern.
Rush Limbaugh spent his entire career spewing malignant lies into the American body politic.
If he can't make it back on the air, then this nation will be better off for it.
— Grant Stern (@grantstern) December 24, 2020
“Rush Limbaugh is a sexist, racist, misogynistic, hateful, bigoted, conspiracy theorist trash bin and is by far the most undeserving Medal of Freedom recipient in US history. His repugnant radio show ending right before Christmas is a wonderful gift to the world. Good riddance,” tweeted Ricky Davila.
When giving his parting message on Wednesday, Limbaugh said that he did not expect to live until Christmas after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
“Well, back in late January when I received this diagnosis — and I was shocked,” he said. “I was stunned, and I was in denial for about a week. I mean, I’m Rush Limbaugh. I’m Mister Big of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. I mean, I’m indestructible. I said, ‘This can’t be right,’ but it was.”
“What I didn’t know at the time that I learned later in the course of the year was that I wasn’t expected to be alive today,” he said. “I wasn’t expected to make it to October and then to November and then to December — and yet here I am. Today I’ve got some problems, but I’m feeling pretty good today. God’s with me today. God knows how important this program is to me today, and I’m feeling natural in terms of energy, normal in terms of energy, and I’m feeling entirely capable of doing it today.”