On the Gist, we rush to Limbaugh’s judgment.

In the Interview, political and media historian, Brian Rosenwald, joins Mike to talk about Rush Limbaugh’s rise to popularity in conservative media, his power as a voice and entertainer in talk radio, the influence he had on the Republican party, and who is primed to carry his torch over the AM dial or in podcasting. As a national broadcaster, Limbaugh developed a political perspective over his career that to the left perpetuated harmful ideas, and to the right, uplifted and championed their values. Limbaugh was awarded the presidential medal of freedom February 4, 2020, and died February 17, 2021 of complications from lung cancer at 70 years old. Rosenwald is editor of Washington Post’s Made By History blog, scholar in residence at the Partnership for Effective Public Administration and Leadership Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, and author of Talk Radio’s America: How an Industry Took Over a Political Party That Took Over the United States.

And we give up the spiel to keep talking to Rosenwald about the aftermath of Limbaugh.

Email us at thegist@slate.com

Podcast production by Margaret Kelley and Cheyna Roth.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices