That's Rush Limbaugh defending the Heritage Foundation's immigration study written by a white supremacist for white supremacist Republicans. In his tirade, he claims there is "no question [Richwine] is right" which means critics can only trash the messenger rather than challenge the message. Oh, there's more. Much, much more.
In light of the way Rush Limbaugh has been bankrupting Clear Channel and the local radio stations that still carry his show, it shouldn't surprise anyone to discover he has yet another wingnut welfare benefactor in addition to FreedomWorks.
If you guessed the Heritage Foundation, you win the jackpot!
They just don't make sponsors like they used to. Limbaugh only has two national advertisers who will spend money on ads. In local markets, nearly 3,000 advertisers have pulled their advertising from Limbaugh's show, which means it's wingnut welfare time:
Not a surprise considering Rush Limbaugh's syndicator, Premiere Radio Networks is the single largest independent contractor to the Heritage Foundation according to their latest 990 filing with the IRS, receiving $2,236,555 from the think tank.
With advertisers fleeing his show, and as a result radio companies suffering major losses, the fiscal sponsorship of the conservative movement is now fiscally critical. A "very high ranking" official at Cumulus, the owner of Rush and Sean Hannity's flagship station WABC, told Radio Ink, "Forty-eight of the top 50 network advertisers have 'excluded Rush and Hannity' orders. Every major national ad agency has the same dictate."
FreedomWorks and Heritage Foundation, stepping in where corporate sponsors fear to tread. Who will be next? Americans for Prosperity, step right up. Rush is happy to take your money, too!
This could be a pyrrhic victory in the long run. Since Glenn Beck left Fox, he's built himself an empire and has more followers now than he did when he left Fox News. Is he a wingnut factory, or is he just secretly subsidized? I'm guessing it's a little bit of both. Dave Neiwert predicted it when he left Fox, and he was right.
