Rush Brimbaugh Satire

Interestingly enough, another big alternative to print and television media sprouted up in the last decade or two of the 20th century. Radio had been a part of American culture for decades and offered mainstays like NPR and Howard Stern. However, one specific individual firmly ingrained radio as a relevant source of political news and commentary: Rush Limbaugh. He, through all of his appearances, championed a new breed of conservative. Contrary to the stereotypes of old, Limbaugh made a name for himself with humor, or his tendency to delve into rants flavored with jokes. This unexpectedly struck a cord with a large target audience who still all follow Limbaugh religiously to this day (Streitmatter 225). A final new way to digest news relates to comedy far more than Limbaugh. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart would stress repeatedly that it was not a news program, it was a comedy show. However, a news show it would become in the eyes of many

Bush and the lead-up to his invasion of Iraq (or the War on Terror, as he called it). His administration set out to attain the all-important verdict in the court of public opinion through a calculated relationship with the press. Bush termed many of his actions with more press-friendly words. Bush would refer to Iraq solely as Saddam Hussein. Now, this “nation-as-person metaphor fits two classic fairy tale mythologies, self defense and rescue. The hero (the U.S. and any allies) confronts a dangerous, evil and irrational villain and must defeat him, liberating his oppressed people” (Harmon and Muenchen 2). This spin was of course picked up by sources traditionally on better terms with conservatives (Fox News being the most notable). This was not an isolated incident. Running for reelection in 2004, Bush campaign officials orchestrated or at least reiterated false allegations made against Senator Kerry and his war record carefully to let the press loose with their narrative