Rush Limbaugh Archives

Tilley reflects on 2012 induction of Rush Limbaugh into Hall of Famous Missourians (AUDIO)

February 17, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A national radio host who was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians has died, after a battle with lung cancer. Cape Girardeau native Rush Limbaugh was 70.

Talk show host Rush Limbaugh puts his arm around his sculpture in the Missouri House chamber in Jefferson City on May 14, 2012 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year by former President Donald Trump. That’s the highest honor a citizen can receive from the president.

Limbaugh was heard on more than 600 radio stations nationwide, including a number of Missourinet affiliates across the state.

Former Missouri House Speaker Steven Tilley, R-Perryville, inducted Limbaugh into the Hall of Famous Missourians in May 2012. Perryville is north of Cape Girardeau.

“Being from southeast Missouri, he was somebody that we all considered one of our own and was glad to see how successful he became. And him being a conservative made it even better,” Tilley says.

Some Missouri House Democrats at the time criticized Speaker Tilley’s decision. They were unhappy with some of Limbaugh’s comments. Limbaugh had described a Georgetown law student as a “prostitute”, after she testified before Congress regarding contraceptives.

The controversy drew national media attention, and international attention too. Tilley says one of his friend’s saw the story on a television news broadcast in China.

Missourinet reported in 2012 that the private ceremony took place behind closed doors, and that the Missouri State Highway Patrol guarded the entrances to the House chamber.

Then-Missouri House Speaker Steven Tilley, R-Perryville, and then-State Rep. Gary Fuhr, R-St. Louis, applaud Rush Limbaugh in the House chamber in Jefferson City on May 14, 2012 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Tilley says the 2012 ceremony was to honor Rush Limbaugh, and that there were threats. He says he wanted the ceremony to be safe and respectful. Tilley says it was a big day.

“My caucus and myself, we stood firm. We were honored to induct him into the Hall of Famous Missourians, and it’s a day I won’t, that really not just myself, but a lot of people in the House, my family included, will never forget,” says Tilley.

Tilley says there were questions then of whether the bust would be allowed to stay in the Missouri Capitol.

“I remember at one point in time there was questions of whether the governor’s (Democrat Jay Nixon’s) office would allow the bust to sit in the Rotunda, so it was an interesting time,” Tilley says.

Limbaugh traveled to Jefferson City for the 2012 ceremony. Tilley tells Missourinet that Limbaugh was proud to be honored by his home state.

“It amazed me by someone who had been in the Hall of Fame for the National Broadcasters, for the Radio Hall of Fame, had all these accolades that he was humbled and honored by what we (the Missouri House) did,” Tilley says.

Then-House Speaker Pro Tem Shane Schoeller, R-Willard, was also at the Capitol ceremony, along with Missouri House GOP lawmakers.

Tilley says Limbaugh also visited the Speaker’s third floor Capitol office that day, and also spoke to House Republicans in a Capitol hearing room.

“I think his message was hey, don’t be ashamed for what you believe in. And if you believe in it, speak it loudly,” says Tilley.

Tilley says he has one regret from that day. He says Limbaugh invited him to dinner that evening in Atlanta, and said he’d fly Speaker Tilley back to Jefferson City. Tilley told him no, saying he needed to preside over the House.

He describes Rush Limbaugh as a true patriot and a legend.

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, who represents southeast Missouri, has issued a statement about Limbaugh’s death. Smith served in the Missouri House in 2012, and was in Jefferson City for the induction ceremony.

“Throughout the years, he and his family have remained a constant presence throughout southern Missouri. He never forgot where he came from, no matter how big he got, his heart was always in Cape Girardeau. He was a Missourian through and through. Rush was not just a radio talk show host. He was the steady hand of conservatism that could motivate and activate the grassroots better than anyone,” Smith says, in part.

Congressman Smith notes Rush Limbaugh introduced President Trump at the Trump Cape Girardeau rally in November 2018.

State Reps. Chris Sander, R-Lone Jack, and Richard West, R-Wentzville, have introduced a Missouri House courtesy resolution, praising Limbaugh. It says Limbaugh raised a record $1.7 million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, in his annual Cure-a-Thon program.

Limbaugh also served as the grand marshal at the St. Louis Veterans Day parade in 1999. His bust is in the Missouri Capitol Rotunda.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with former Missouri House Speaker Steven Tilley, R-Perryville, which was recorded on February 17, 2021:

Missouri native, talk show host Rush Limbaugh has died

February 17, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

Southeast Missouri native and conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has died. Limbaugh, of Cape Girardeau, had been battling lung cancer.

According to Limbaugh’s website, he began his broadcasting career at a radio station in Cape Girardeau and eventually worked at stations in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and Pittsburgh.

He took a brief break from the radio business and joined the Kansas City Royals as director of Group Sales, and later as Director of Sales and Special Events. Then in 1983, he served as a political commentator at KMBZ in Kansas City.

One year later, he returned to the dial and became a radio talk show host for a station in Sacramento, California. After drawing the attention of ABC Radio, Limbaugh moved to New York City in 1988 to begin his national radio show.

In 2012, Limbaugh was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians. A bust of Limbaugh is sitting in the hall on the third floor of the Missouri Capitol.

Missouri U.S. Senators Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley, both Republicans, issued statements today about the death of Limbaugh.

“From his first job in high school as a radio personality in Cape Girardeau to the EIB Network, Rush Limbaugh changed the way Americans talked about issues every day. He reshaped talk radio and became one of the most powerful conservative voices in our country, but always stayed grounded in his Missouri roots and Midwest values. I, along with millions of others, will miss hearing his unique perspective,” said Blunt.

“A proud son of Missouri, Rush Limbaugh was a voice for the voiceless. He changed talk radio, but more importantly, Rush changed the conversation to speak up for the forgotten, and challenge the establishment. He lived the First Amendment and told hard truths that made the elite uncomfortable, but made sure working men and women had a seat at the table. Erin and I are praying for the Limbaugh family,” said Hawley.

Limbaugh was 70 years old.

‘Political trailblazer for women’ inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians

August 27, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

America’s first female county clerk has been inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians. A bronze bust of Annie White Baxter of southwest Missouri’s Carthage joins 47 others in the esteemed hall already showcasing journalist Walter Cronkite, radio host Rush Limbaugh, and the 33rd U.S. President – Harry Truman. They line the third floor of the Missouri Capitol Rotunda in Jefferson City to pay tribute to the legacy they have left.

Bronze bust of Annie White Baxter unveiled on August 26, 2020 (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, House Communications)

As House Speaker, Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, gets the final say on who is inducted into the hall. During a ceremony today in the Missouri House of Representatives, White Baxter was remembered as one of the state’s best county clerks and a political trailblazer.

In 1890, she defeated her opponent by about 400 votes to become the Jasper County Clerk during a time when women did not have the right to vote. White Baxter, a Democrat, later served as state registrar of lands and financial secretary of the Missouri Constitutional Convention.

Her induction coincides with today being Women’s Equality Day to commemorate the 1920 adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – prohibiting government from denying the right of American citizens to vote based on gender. Women of color were not guaranteed the right to vote until later.

Rep. Peggy McGaugh, R-Carrollton, led today’s opening prayer. She is a former Carroll County clerk.

“Thank you for allowing her to pave the way for the 85 female county clerks and personal friends serving throughout the 114 counties in Missouri today,” she said.

The Pledge of Allegiance was then flawlessly led by Haahr’s three daughters.

Former state Rep. Charlie Davis, the current Jasper County Clerk, said White Baxter blazed the trail for women – not only in Missouri but in America. He notes the county auditor, assessor, circuit clerk, public administrator, prosecuting attorney, recorder of deeds and treasurer in Jasper County are all women.

“It’s amazing that half of our elected officials in Jasper County are women,” he said. “That kind of shows the importance that women place on our society, but especially our community of Jasper County.”

Davis said the second female Jasper County Clerk was elected 100 years later. Out of the last 30 years, he said 20 years were served by female Jasper County clerks.

According to Davis, a bust of White Baxter will also be placed in the Jasper County Courthouse.

Wendy Doyle, the President and CEO of Women’s Foundation, said millions of people who visit the Missouri Capitol each year, including many students, will enjoy the symbol of inspiration that White Baxter represents.

“I’m thrilled she’s getting the recognition she finally deserves,” she said. “By writing women back into history, we can ensure that women can see themselves in the change makers and barrier breakers of the past.”

Women’s Foundation and its supporters, particularly generous Missourians from White Baxter’s home county, funded the project.

“It’s important to the Women’s Foundation that we are able to go back in time to preserve legacies and history so that we can see how far we’ve come but also for us to see who we could be, to show women that there is a path forward – that we are working toward equality,” she said. “We are demonstrating to Missouri women that we are making progress.”

The cost of the bust is in the neighborhood of $15,000.

Haahr said putting White Baxter in the hall was a no-brainer.

“There’s a lot of really talented people that are not yet in the Hall of Famous Missourians. I started thinking about Annie White Baxter back in 2018 when I first became Speaker. It made a lot of sense – it’s the 100th General Assembly, it’s the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote. So, it all kind of dovetails together,” said Haahr.

He hopes today’s event will serve as a learning experience for his three daughters.

“My mom was my first political advisor,” he said. “But having three daughters, they are going to grow up in a world where they are never going to worry about not being able to vote, not being able to hold office. And so for me, without having to go through that struggle to remind them of the people that did, I feel like is very important.”

The sculpture was crafted by E. Spencer Schubert of Kansas City.

Missouri Congressman Smith pleased with fentanyl vote and State of the Union Address (AUDIO)

February 13, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

An extension of bipartisan legislation involving fentanyl has been signed into law by President Trump. Supporters say the legislation will decrease the number of opioid-related deaths.

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, (left) visits the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority in Scott City in January 2019 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Smith’s office)

Longtime Poplar Bluff Police Chief Danny Whiteley had been calling on Congress to approve the extension. The chief was a special guest of U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, at last week’s State of the Union Address in Washington.

“He (Chief Whiteley) is an individual that I rely on heavily for his advice, his expertise, because he’s been combating this for over two decades as the police chief there in Poplar Bluff, Missouri,” Smith says.

Congressman Smith voted for the extension. Poplar Bluff is located in southeast Missouri’s Butler County, which has seen 19 opioid-related deaths in the past two years.

Chief Whiteley tells Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS that the majority of fentanyl and heroin in the Poplar Bluff area is coming from St. Louis.

As for the State of the Union Address, Congressman Smith says it’s one of the best speeches he’s heard the president deliver. Smith, who represents 30 southern Missouri counties, says America’s economy is booming and that the middle class is thriving. He credits President Trump for what he describes as America’s comeback.

“We have seven million new jobs that’s been created, 56,000 new jobs just in the state of Missouri under his presidency,” says Smith.

The White House says 11,000 of those new Missouri jobs involve manufacturing and that real median Missouri household incomes are up eight percent under the president, at $57,000.

Smith is the GOP Conference Secretary on Capitol Hill. His district includes Cape Girardeau, Kennett, Rolla and West Plains.

Not everyone in Missouri’s congressional delegation agrees with Smith.

U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, sees the economy differently. Clay, who’s a dean in Missouri’s congressional delegation, is critical of President Trump and his proposed budget, saying it includes a $182 billion cut to the federal food stamp program. It’s known as SNAP.

Congressman Clay says the president is not lifting people off food stamps, but is “kicking them off.” Clay describes the president’s budget as “an assault on working families.”

Congressman Smith also wants Congress to focus this year on lowering prescription drug costs and addressing the mental health crisis.

Smith is also pleased with another part of the State of the Union: President Trump awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to national talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who’s from Cape Girardeau.

Smith says it’s special for southeast Missourians, noting the award is the nation’s highest civilian honor.

“His family lives in Cape Girardeau, his brother, his nephews, his cousins,” Smith says. “I mean, he’s from southeast Missouri.”

The 69-year-old Limbaugh announced last week that he’s starting treatment for lung cancer, saying he’s been diagnosed with an advanced stage of the disease.

Limbaugh was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians in 2012.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, which was recorded on February 6, 2020: