“[Leftism] will do unprecedented harm to our freedoms, our economy, and the relationship between the government and the governed. Obama and the radical left are determined to ‘fundamentally transform’ this country in freedom-killing ways that the majority of its citizens don’t want. Liberty is worth fighting for.” — me, Morning Update, 3/19/10

“I actually thought … ‘Do I really want to keep doing this if Hillary wins [the presidency] and gets the Supreme Court? What’s going to be the point?’ … I realized that no matter what happens in the election, [the Democrats] are still going to need to be opposed, and efforts are still going to be needed to make it as hard for them as possible to succeed… I couldn’t ever really reach the point where I wanted to say, ‘It’s not worth fighting,’ because I never really believed that.” — me, eib, 10/14/16

“Why are you still in this fight?” asked a recent caller. “You’ve been doing this over 30 years. You don’t need to do it anymore. What’s driving you to sustain the fight in this horrific political climate?”

What a great question, and it deserves a thoughtful answer.

First, what drives me? Above and beyond everything else, my passion is my radio show. It isn’t work to me. I’m blessed to be able to do exactly what I’ve wanted to do since I was eight years old, with the added benefit of being successful at it. All success comes via a combination of ambition, drive, desire, singular focus, and hard work. If you’re fortunate enough to be doing what you really love, that effort just happens naturally. People who have found their passion don’t even think of it as working. They’re just getting to do what they love.

I once tried quitting radio, after I kept getting fired (for things like overplaying “Under My Thumb”), and it looked like I was at a dead end. So in 1979 I got out of radio and for five years worked in marketing for the Kansas City Royals. But being locked into a corporate structure just wasn’t me. It made me feel confined. I decided to go back to what I love and give radio one more try, because I knew that was the best route for me to be happy. Against all advice to the contrary, that’s what I did. The rest is radio history. Once I was allowed to be myself on the air — complete with the freedom to express my core conservative beliefs and principles by making fun of the left, I never looked back, professionally.

And eib wouldn’t be here without you, my esteemed audience, being out there. After 32 years behind the Golden eib Microphone, I am still blown away when callers tell me how long they’ve been listening — since 1988, 1990, 1993. It’s stunning to hear, and it’s deeply gratifying.

That said, folks, don’t think I don’t sometimes question my effectiveness as a result of the continued ruinous intrusion of the radical left into America society. I am frustrated, just as you are, over what’s been happening to this country: the lying media, the attempt to erase America’s history and freedoms, the push to radicalize kids and destroy our unique American culture. I’m disheartened at what appears to be the futility in stopping it or even getting people to see it for what it is.

It frosts me. It’s hard to say which is more disturbing about this: the desire of a major American political party to basically turn this country inside out and upside down — or the lack of any effective pushback from the Republican establishment.

When people say, “You’ve been on top for 32 years with nothing left to prove, why are you doing this? Why put up with all the incoming flak, all the hate from the left?” I can assure you that it’s not a matter of “proving” anything career-wise. It’s all about what’s going on in America. Just think about what has happened to Donald Trump. Talk about someone who didn’t need any of this! He had a great life. Anybody would have loved to have been Donald Trump prior to 2016.

Here’s a guy who was on top of his world, a billionaire, successful businessman, international real estate mogul, a well-known and popular television personality with the TV show “The Apprentice.” He runs for President because he believes the country is in trouble. His governing philosophy is reflected in his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Yet, outside of his base, there hasn’t been one significant show of appreciation for what he has put up with for the last four years.

If there’s anybody who is the epitome of “he didn’t need to do this,” it’s Donald Trump. The Presidency is not making him wealthier. It has not brought more acclaim. He has been subjected to threats and attacks that most human beings cannot even imagine. The media anal exam is never-ending with President Trump. They are literally trying to destroy him personally — and his family. Yet he keeps plugging away. He continues to get up every day and do it. I don’t think there’s any other Republican who could withstand for even a week what Trump gets. No one could.

It’s infuriating, and it’s painful. I’m distressed for the President and for the country. America is up for grabs here. I’m telling you, it is a weight on me every day. I’m in the same boat with you. I am not at all above it, feeling unaffected by it. It matters too much to me. Which is why I continue to defend what matters with all I’ve got.

The forces arrayed against the President have spent untold billions investigating. They have free opposition attack media, 24/7. Every institution, and particularly journalism, has been willing to destroy itself in pursuit of getting Donald Trump — yet everything they’ve tried has blown up in their faces. He is still President, doing his job, laughing and smiling every day, and he’s tweeting about what a bunch of idiots they are. They are beside themselves with rage, because he continues to succeed.

And that’s the key: success itself is the best revenge. Being happy and knowing that you’re winning — and showing that you know that you’re winning is the way to dispirit these people. And, folks, I’m here to tell you that they are dispirited. They’re at their wits’ end. Put yourselves in their shoes. These are the people who think they run not just Washington but the world. They think they are above the law. Yet after marshalling every bit of power they’ve got against this guy every day, he’s still standing, and he’s still President. And Joe Biden is still in the basement.

This is what happens when you fight back. The left can be defeated. The battle is sometimes ugly, and it is often lonely, but it is always — always — worth it.

And that’s the bottom-line answer to the question: why am I still in the fight? Because it’s worth it, folks. Even living with the cancer diagnosis I have. That doesn’t matter. It’s the country. It’s worth saving. It’s worth doing everything possible to save it. In fact, it’s an honor.

On my program, I have often referred to the inspiring speech often given by my father describing the horrible punishments inflicted on the patriots who signed the Declaration of Independence. The sacrifices the Founders made are the guiding light forward for those of us in the fight today to keep America free from the destructive forces we face. Their energy and courage must inspire the same from us. My father passed that lesson down to me, and I hold it.

It’s not that I think this battle to preserve America as founded can’t be fought without me. There are other talented conservatives who live rent-free in liberals’ heads. It’s just that I consider it a great privilege to be able to be part of the effort. To not be here — to resign or quit or find other things do with my time — would be squandering the priceless opportunity. Because I know the day will come when I won’t be able to be here. So I am determined to maximize the time I have while I’m able.

In 1941, Winston Churchill said, “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” I take those words to heart — they resonate perfectly with what we face today.

Remember, the left can’t believe that they haven’t won by now. At this point, they are shaken. They are losing their confidence that they’ll be able to impose Marxism on the rest of us. They are flailing, from scheme to scheme to scheme, each more ridiculous than the last, so now they are reduced to trying to get Americans to take to the streets out of loyalty to the post office. These people need to be ridiculed to scorn, and laughed off the electoral stage.

Yes, I suppose I could do other things — but that’s the farthest thought from my mind. I don’t want to do anything else! Our fight for the country is right here, right now. I am never going to give up, and neither are you. And we are going to revel in every minute of our win. Do not doubt me.

Illustration ©2020 Gary Locke for The Limbaugh Letter