| Rush Limbaugh likes to puff on a cigar while he golfs. (RushLimbaugh.com) |
Golf-loving radio king Rush Limbaugh hits it right on Clooney, Clinton and Wie
By LA QUINTA, Calif. - Justin Timberlake attracted the teeny boppers. Samuel L. Jackson had the light-saber-toting, mask-wearing Star Wars fans. Matthew McConaughey drew oohs and aahs from professional women and grandmothers alike.
All that, you'd expect at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
What went largely unanticipated - especially by the other celebrities - is the love one Rush Limbaugh would receive.
His fans would never be mistaken for teeny boppers, but they employed some of the same techniques. They made colorful "We [HEART] Love Rush" posters and taped them to the sides of their homes overlooking the PGA West course where Limbaugh swung away.
They were graying, they had enough money to live on a golf course and they were in love.
They called out Limbaugh's name as he walked down the fairways, pleaded for autographs the way the others in the crowd screamed for the rock stars.
This should come as no surprise. To conservatives, Rush Limbaugh is a rock star. He's is the most listened-to radio talk-show host in the United States, has been for a long time and shows no sign of slowing down at age 55. His right-wing rants have made him one of the most powerful figures in American politics.
Still, people just don't expect to see him to be the subject of such sweet-homemade-sign devotion.
"They're cheering for him," one women in the gallery practically snarled.
If Limbaugh heard that, he probably would have smiled. And maybe called her a femi-nazi. Without taking the cigar out of his mouth.
Limbaugh can be a polarizing figure, but no one could call him a boring one. Whether he's railing against the Democrats, getting fired from ESPN for saying Donovan McNabb is overrated because he's black, admitting his addiction to prescription painkillers or not letting serious hearing loss keep him from being heard, Rush Limbaugh is never accused of being boring.
We caught up to Limbaugh in Palm Springs and found a man who wasn't afraid to joke about his hearing loss, display enough humility to shock any liberal critic or reveal a serious reverence for golf history. Unlike the radio Rush, this guy was sort of soft-spoken and reserved.
Though he did have some George Clooney and Michelle Wie issues. Wouldn't want to disappoint.
BadGolfer.com: When did you first really get into golf?
Rush Limbaugh: 1997. That's when I moved to Florida to, and I've said this before, escape New York state taxes. I also discovered golf thanks to some great friends.
BadGolfer.com: What are the strengths of your golf game?
Rush Limbaugh: Perseverance. Stubbornness. I was telling someone earlier, playing in these types of events - the Bob Hope or Pebble Beach, which I love and will be in - is a triumph of emotion over common sense for me.
I'm not all that good. I'm a 17 handicap. I can't drive the ball nearly as far as many of the other guys I'm playing against. Not talking about the PGA players. They're on an entirely different level from everyone. The celebrity athletes in the field. If Roger Clemens and Marcus Allen are hitting the ball 300 yards plus, I'm lucky to be getting it 245.
I'm not an athlete. I never kid myself. But it's just such a privilege to be out here.
BadGolfer.com: You've played golf with presidents. What's it like playing golf with Bush 41?
Rush Limbaugh: Tiring. He doesn't stop moving. The man's in incredible shape.
Both Bushes are into speed golf.
Bush Sr. wants to play a full 18 in two and half hours at most. In case you haven't noticed, I have not always been in the shape to do that comfortably.
BadGolfer.com: How much of a hard time would you give Bill Clinton on the golf course, with his reported endless mulligans and the like?
Rush Limbaugh: You know, Clinton is a different guy since he had that heart surgery. When you've had that type of major health event, you have to get a sense of your own mortality and start taking things more seriously.
BadGolfer.com: Rush Limbaugh, a Bill Clinton fan?
Rush Limbaugh: I like him a lot more now that he's not running the country, I can tell you that. It's good he's an ex-president.
BadGolfer.com Everyone asks you about crowds getting on you if you slice a shot to the left, etc. What's the worst you've heard from the gallery?
Rush Limbaugh: Well, I can't hear that stuff much anymore. [Smiles]
No, are you kidding? These people are great. They're not giving anyone a hard time out here. Palm Springs is a red town in a blue state. I love these people. They couldn't be more generous in spirit or kind.
This is my kind of town. Most of the people who don't like me are over there in Hollywood.
BadGolfer.com: What's your take on the Michelle Wie phenomenon?
Rush Limbaugh: It's a triumph of marketing. If she really wants to play with the men, it's fine. Let her try for a tour card. But now it's a marketing tool they're using to build her to up to a level much greater than her actual accomplishments. At some point, she has to get some wins.
I'm not sure if she's not being exploited. She's been put in some situations she's clearly not ready for. Do you think these PGA Tour guys really think she deserves to be a tournament with them? The political-correctness situation will just not allow them to say it.
BadGolfer.com: Vijay Singh said it at one point about Annika Sorenstam, saying she was talking a spot away from a deserving PGA Tour player. But he's since reversed that stance with Michelle Wie.
Rush Limbaugh: He learned like many people in our unfortunate society where political correctness is prized most. Vijay was honest and look what it got him. Attacked by a bunch of liberals and femi-nazis.
No professional athlete wants that. These guys are not trying to impact change on society. They want to sell some sneakers or golf clubs before their careers are over.
BadGolfer.com: Someone who's not afraid to be outspoken, George Clooney, has been in the news a lot lately, giving his political views, making Jack Abramoff jokes at the Golden Globes. Comedian George Lopez said that Clooney should keep quiet. What's Rush Limbaugh say?
Rush Limbaugh: Let him talk all he wants. All he is doing is alienating half the box office, or actually more than half if you look at how liberalism is dying in the U.S. It just shows his colossal ignorance. George Clooney is a rich guy who doesn't hold the slightest clue about how average Americans go about their daily lives.
BadGolfer.com: Who's your Republican candidate in 2008?
Rush Limbaugh: Right now I like George Allen. I anticipate the John McCain and Rudy Giuliani talk will die down in the end. But it's wide open. Republicans who win elections are conservatives, though.
March 22, 2006
Chris Baldwin keeps one eye on the PGA Tour and another watching golf vacation hotspots and letting travelers in on the best place to vacation.
From BadGolfer.com with love: Ranking the top golf courses for (regular) guys who love golf
We all love golf course rankings, but there's quite a bias involved, huh? Host a major championship and you're basically guaranteed a spot on the list. What about the average duffer who's more impressed with the beer list than the slope/rating - or prefers friendliness over the fine, imported lotion in the locker room? Where's our list, hackers? Answer: Right here.
... full article »- Divine 9 Road Trip puts Carson City, Nevada golf memorably on the map
- What can be done about slow play in golf (Or: Why golfers don't carry guns)
Pathfinder wrote on: Nov 1, 2006
OK, they're going to have it out on http://caddymemoirs.blogspot.com
The Rush Man vs. Clinton The Hound, they play golf on Josh Jones Blog, Caddy for the rich and famous. It will being soon: Part one of this most unbelievable match will be posted 11/6/06. Until then, check it out. Two memoirs already posted, now complete. Pretty broad and edgy humor.
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Bo Snerdley wrote on: Oct 26, 2006
Fellow duffers:
I don't know about you but I'm sick and tired of old El Fatso blowing so much hotair over that 3rd rate actor. Is it a deflection from the real issues this election?
PS: Rush couldn't carry Vijay Singh's jock strap!
BS
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Bill wrote on: Nov 23, 2006
Hey Bo (afraid to use his real name) Snerdley. The only "real issue" of this election was "are you going to let a bunch of socialists get control of your life and bank account" and americans, continually battered with the negativity of your friends in the left wing, "everything is crap", media, drank the kool-aid. You couldn't BE Rush's jock strap you brainless doofus.
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William K. Wolfrum wrote on: Nov 23, 2006
Don't sweat it, Bo. While "Bill" here is giving you hell about being "afraid to use your real name" he has posted several other times to this same story, including under the names "Ted" and, wait for it, "Stacy"
Basically, he's some weird dude spamming a golf board because his favorite entertainer is getting talked about like the drug-addicted, unfaithful sex-freak he seems to be.
--WKW
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Big Al wrote on: Apr 10, 2006
I personally don't give a rat's ass what Rush Limbaugh thinks or says and I pity those who need to listen to him to find out how he wants them to think. I consider myself a middle of the road American and Mr Limbaugh is just a road apple that I must avoid stepping in along the road. I prefer to make up my own mind on issues without being told how to think or vote by a person or political party.
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Jim Smith wrote on: Oct 19, 2006
Rush is right, both figuratively and literally. If Bush and Clinton would have listened to him, America would actually be truly great. It is the greatest country in the world, but only because other countries suck more. We need to be great because of our goodness, not because we suck less than anyone else.
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Bo Snerdley wrote on: Oct 26, 2006
***** FLUSH RUSH in 2006 *****
This idiot won't let up on the little actor who can 'Shake and Bake.'
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Chigger wrote on: Apr 4, 2006
Full Monty is obviously another ill informed liberal pantywaist.
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Full Monty wrote on: Apr 3, 2006
Bill Clinton was one of the greatest presidents of all-time, leading this country to a state of unprecedented peace and prosperity. The U.S. and its president were viewed as true "leaders." George W. Bush is an absolute idiot and he misguided policies have reveresed most of Clinton's brilliant accomplishments. And Rush Limbaugh is a big fat idiot.
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Chris ( I can actually manage a ballot) in Florida wrote on: Apr 22, 2008
Ahhhh the typical liberal, resorting to name calling (because they truly have no clue) , and very quickly I might add.
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Dave Allstaedt wrote on: Jan 2, 2008
You hit the nail on the head!!!!!!!!!! It will take years to fix all the problems Bush has created for our country!! I never voted for this idiot but I'm sorry to say I did vote for his dad and Regan. Unlike a lot of Republicans, I learned from my mistakes.
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Danny Noonan wrote on: Nov 2, 2009
I bet you voted for the messiah Bobo: So hows that working out for you?
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anonymous person wrote on: Oct 19, 2006
Bill Clinton gave the North Koreans the technology to make the nuclear weapons they recently exploded. The North Koreans duped him into giving them technology for "peaceful" purposes. When are you liberals gonna ever learn that Islamist fascists and Communists cannot be trusted!
You liberals think if you give everyone enough welfare, free abortions, and clean needles for shooting up drugs the world would be a better place.
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rick mello wrote on: Nov 22, 2007
we should stop calling liberals liberals called them what they really are commiee's period.
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Mike wrote on: Jul 21, 2006
Wow, you Liberals crack me up! You claim to be so tolerant yet call anyone that would disagree with you a moron! At least the Conservatives know their right and don't care what the left wing thinks! Oh, BTW, thanks Clinton for giving North Korea nukes :)
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Jack Kelly wrote on: Jul 22, 2006
Rush Limbaugh, three times divorced, drug addict, criminal who avoided service in Vietnam due to a blemish on his posterior.
Now that's a hero.
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Frank wrote on: Nov 7, 2006
Let The bushes and cheneys, and people like limburger make their monies while they send other peoples children to die while their's sit hidden away in the best universities. If that is what being a conservative christian is count me as far out as you can.
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Jack wrote on: Nov 23, 2006
Okay, you're right. Making money is a crime and we should all just be poor. We also should never fight to protect or defend anything we own or love. What kind of dream world do you live in?
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jack smith wrote on: Oct 19, 2006
Just because Rush has 2 or 3 characteristics of Democrats doesn't make him a lesser person:)
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DAVE wrote on: Apr 6, 2006
RUSH IS A DISGRACE...ALWAYS HAS BEEN. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE A MAN WHO IS SO NEGATIVE AND DISTORTED IN HIS VIEWS IS SO WELL PAID. vERY SAD TO SEE THAT HE HAS BEEN ADDED TO YOUR STAFF.
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Stacy wrote on: Nov 23, 2006
Dave, it's very obvious you have never listened to Rush and have let others make up your mind for you. Why is the left so filled with hate all the time?
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bill clinton wrote on: Oct 19, 2006
Hey idiot, being well paid is not a matter of what your opinion or mine is. It is a matter of whether or not someone offers something of economic value to alot of people. Rush commands an audience on the radio of 20 million people a week. Too bad liberals can't make a go of it in talk radio:)
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D. Burns wrote on: Apr 4, 2006
Umm, sorry, Clinton was (is) a thug and rapist. Oh, and the worst appeasing President we have had EVER. Have a great day!
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Linzee wrote on: Apr 1, 2006
Rush Limbaugh said GEORGE CLOONEY is a rich man who doesn't know how real Americans live?!?! Talk about the pot calling the kettle....
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bill clinton wrote on: Oct 19, 2006
Don't forget, when Rush was making 20k working for the Kansas City Royals he had to buy his groceries with credit cards because of his personal cash flow situation. He knows economic hardship more than most Americans. Too bad that everyone is jealous of him for working hard to make $35 million a year. You liberals must think it is so unfair anyone can make that amount of money. Just remember, Rush delivers alot of sales for his sponsors, that is why he is probably underpaid at $35 million a year.
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Ted wrote on: Nov 23, 2006
GEORGE LOONEY is a loser who only got where he is because of nepotism (go look it up) and now is trying to push his socialist agenda down our throats with his movies and DVDs. I just looked at a Syriana DVD and it has all kinds of left wing propaganda in it, including a paper that tells you to get involved and go to www.participate.net to learn how. Just disgusting.
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Micheal Garry wrote on: Mar 30, 2006
It was nice to see a fair interview of Rush there was no name calling it was an honest look at the man. I found myself coming across this by reading about a protest of this site by a group that apparently does not like conservative golfers. I wonder if they would have protested a George Clooney interview? The article I read protesting the site pretty much has usual had the name calling and generalizations about Rush but never any substance to the reasons they feel Rush Limbaugh should not be interviewed. So much for Tolerence.
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Earl Beebe wrote on: Mar 31, 2006
I agree with Michael. Honest and upfront interview. The people that write in saying Badgolfer.com is a disgrace and Rush is a maggot are a sad statemtent of the liberal Democrats of our day.
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Greg Walsh wrote on: Mar 29, 2006
BadGolfer.com is a disgrace for even pubishing an interview with this right wing maggot. I have no idea what they think he has anything to do with golf. Rush Limbaugh is easy fodder for BadGolfer.com to get easy hits. They should focus on improving your golf game, not stuffing right wing junk down our throats.
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Brian wrote on: Nov 27, 2006
The right wing idealism Rush promotes is what made or country the great capitalist nation it is. Gregg you are like all other liberals,,, out of touch with reality. You see yourself as moral and superior to the mean republicans. It is our capitalism that fuels the economies of communist (China) and socialist (Venezula) countrys around the world. You lib's and your socialist elite want to create a socialist state here in the USA! Your dem party has been hijacked by wackos. Rush is right and it burns you up!!! I think I'll go out and slap a dem just for the heck of it. Look at what your dem house speaker is doing to push a lib agenda already. Remember to use rational thought in the future, not just the guilt you allow the lib media to shove down your throat. Remember,,, rational thought!!! Listen to Rush for a week and you will see he is right!
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bill clinton wrote on: Oct 19, 2006
Most golfers are right wingers, and anyone who golfs should never vote for a liberal. If liberals had their way, they would turn golf courses into public housing or wildlife reserves. They don't think it is fair so many white people get to have so much fun!
Seriously, environmentalist types have started targeting golf courses, claiming they destroy nature and lead to more pesticides in the environment. Golf and liberalism just don't mix.
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Chris Pearce wrote on: Mar 30, 2006
You are certainly a loser.
Can anybody else have a point of view that differs from yours, without being insulted by a super loser like you.
Besides, he must be saying something credible to be the most listened to talk radio personality in the country.
P.S. Don't forget about our american right of Freedom of Speech, you loser. Believe me, when I say your insults mean nothing. (just like mine, LOSER)
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han wrote on: Mar 31, 2006
yes, diversity is the rule, until something is said they disagree with!
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Joe Desmond wrote on: Mar 29, 2006
Shame on you for putting this evil, disgusting person in a good light. Rush knows nothing about anything, much less golf or Michelle Wie.
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Rob wrote on: Apr 2, 2006
Rush knows more about golf than you Desmond...
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Chris Pearce wrote on: Mar 30, 2006
Also a LOSER!
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jjj wrote on: Mar 29, 2006
fuck tesy
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