Editing Rush Limbaugh (section)

===1988–1990s: WABC New York City, syndication, and tie brand===
[[File:Rush Limbaugh At The Phil Donahue Show (2972311063).jpg|thumb|right|At ''[[The Phil Donahue Show]]'', 1991]]

In 1988, former ABC Radio Network executive Ed McLaughlin offered Limbaugh the nationally syndicated 12pm–2pm slot at [[ABC Radio Network]] to replace Owen Spann. Since many local radio stations of the time were hesitant to carry nationally syndicated programming during the daytime, he also secured Limbaugh a separate 10am–12pm show at [[WABC (AM)|WABC-AM]] in [[New York City]] to satisfy the provision of his contract requiring employment in a Top 5 market to leave KMBZ.{{Sfn|Limbaugh|1992|p=6-14}}

Limbaugh began his new show at WABC-AM on July 4, 1988, with the first episode focusing on the [[Iran Air Flight 655]] shootdown the previous day. His national program debuted on 50 stations the next month on August 1, and by three months later had expanded to 100 stations.{{Sfn|Limbaugh|1992|p=6-14}}{{sfn|Chafets|2010|p=44}} He debuted just weeks after the [[1988 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]], and just weeks before the [[1988 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]]. Limbaugh's radio home in New York City was the talk-formatted WABC (AM), and this remained his [[Flagship (radio)|flagship station]] for many years, even after Limbaugh moved to [[West Palm Beach]], [[Florida]], from where he broadcast his show.{{sfn|Colford|1994}} Limbaugh's show moved on January 1, 2014, to WABC's cross-town rival [[WOR (AM)]], its final New York outlet.<ref>{{cite web |title=WOR 710 Announces All New Programming Line-up for 2014 |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20131209005404/en/WOR-710-Announces-New-Programming-Line-up-2014 |website=businesswire.com |date=December 9, 2013 |publisher=Business Wire, Inc. |access-date=February 10, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728110731/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20131209005404/en/WOR-710-Announces-New-Programming-Line-up-2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

By 1990, Limbaugh had been on his ''Rush to Excellence Tour'', a series of personal appearances in cities nationwide, for two years. For the 45 shows he completed that year alone, he was estimated to have made around $360,000.<ref name=NYT90 />

In December 1990, journalist Lewis Grossberger wrote in ''[[The New York Times Magazine]]'' that Limbaugh had "more listeners than any other talk show host" and described Limbaugh's style as "bouncing between earnest lecturer and political vaudevillian".<ref name=NYT90>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/16/magazine/the-rush-hours.html|first=Lewis|last=Grossberger|title=The Rush Hours|date=December 16, 1990|work=[[The New York Times]] Magazine|access-date=October 16, 2019|archive-date=October 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016201730/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/16/magazine/the-rush-hours.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Limbaugh's rising profile coincided with the [[Gulf War]], coupled with a stalwart support for the war effort and relentless ridicule of [[Peace movement|peace activists]].{{According to whom|date=September 2024}} The program was moved to stations with larger audiences, eventually being broadcast on over 650 radio stations nationwide.

By the [[1992 United States presidential election]], Limbaugh had established himself as an influential political commentator. During the [[1992 Republican Party presidential primaries|Republican Party presidential primaries]], Limbaugh expressed a preference for [[Pat Buchanan]] over the incumbent [[George H. W. Bush]], which Buchanan himself attributed to his early success in the primaries. [[George H. W. Bush 1992 presidential campaign|Bush's campaign]] subsequently worked to court Limbaugh, culminating with an invitation to stay overnight at the [[White House]]'s [[Lincoln Bedroom]]. Limbaugh was also given a seat at the president's box in the [[Astrodome|Houston Astrodome]] during the [[1992 Republican National Convention]], and both President Bush and Vice President [[Dan Quayle]] appeared on Limbaugh's program.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Kramer |first=Staci D. |date=1992-10-30 |title=The Gospel According to Rush |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-11-30-9204190360-story.html |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite news |last=Yorke |first=Jeffrey |date=1992-06-09 |title=Limbaugh, Bush's White House Guest |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1992/06/09/limbaugh-bushs-house-guest/6b211e43-99e0-42f2-9c6a-1a729904614b/ |access-date=2022-06-07 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fallows |first=James |date=1994-05-01 |title=Talent on Loan from the GOP |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1994/05/talent-on-loan-from-the-gop/303852/ |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kruse |first=Michael |date=March 2015 |title=Jeb's Talk Radio Problem |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/03/jeb-bush-rush-limbaugh-talk-radio-116283 |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=[[Politico]] Magazine |language=en}}</ref>

In November 1992, Democrat [[Bill Clinton]] was elected President of the United States. Limbaugh satirized the policies of Clinton and [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Hillary Clinton]], as well as those of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] in general. Following the [[Republican Revolution]], in which the party regained control of Congress in the [[1994 United States elections|1994 midterm elections]] after several decades, the freshman [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] class awarded Limbaugh an honorary membership in their caucus, crediting him with having had a role in their success.<ref name="Seelye">{{cite news |last=Seelye |first=Katherine Q. |title=Republicans Get a Pep Talk From Rush Limbaugh |pages=A16 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 12, 1994 |access-date=August 28, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/12/us/republicans-get-a-pep-talk-from-rush-limbaugh.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730112618/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/12/us/republicans-get-a-pep-talk-from-rush-limbaugh.html |archive-date=July 30, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1995, Limbaugh started selling a line of neckties under the brand No Boundaries Collection,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pugmire|first=Genelle|date=May 1, 1996|title=Firm Affords Direct Connection To Net Goods |work=Deseret News |url=https://www.deseret.com/1996/5/1/19239779/firm-affords-direct-connection-to-net-goods|access-date=February 18, 2021|url-status=live|archive-date=February 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219190549/https://www.deseret.com/1996/5/1/19239779/firm-affords-direct-connection-to-net-goods}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Walke|first=Paul|date=April 16, 1996 |title=Limbaugh releases 2nd tie collection|url=https://universe.byu.edu/1996/04/16/limbaughrnnreleases-2ndrnntie-collection/|url-status=live|access-date=February 18, 2021|website=The Daily Universe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151012095017/http://universe.byu.edu/1996/04/16/limbaughrnnreleases-2ndrnntie-collection/|archive-date=October 12, 2015}}</ref> designed by his then-wife Marta without themes, ties to politics, or ties to issues. Limbaugh complained about coverage of the line, which he said underrated the ties' radicalness, and said media descriptions were emblematic of their general inaccuracy.<ref name="Franken">{{Cite book|last=Franken |first=Al|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PZDcoEchkIAC |title=Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations|date=1999|publisher=Dell|isbn=978-0-440-50864-9|author-link=Al Franken|access-date=February 18, 2021|url-status=live|archive-date=March 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329220504/https://books.google.com/books?id=PZDcoEchkIAC}}</ref> Sold in nearly 1,500 retail outlets by 1996, the brand sold more than $5,000,000 worth in the first year. The New York Times described the designs: "Much like their promulgator, Mr. Limbaugh's four dozen or so styles seem designed to evoke maximum sensory outrage. Like Rainbow Black, whose interweaving rainbow strands and blue raindrops play around an Ionic column, atop which a cranberry-red pomegranate tree sprouts from an urn. Or Triangle Red, with colliding stacks of black-and-yellow triangles and disjointed horizontal black stripes on a background of speckled salmon."<ref name="Vinciguerra">{{Cite news|last=Vinciguerra |first=Thomas|date=August 4, 1996|title=No Talk Show, But a Loud Tie|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=43 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/04/style/no-talk-show-but-a-loud-tie.html |access-date=February 18, 2021|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|archive-date=November 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111195110/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/04/style/no-talk-show-but-a-loud-tie.html}}</ref> In 2000, Limbaugh rented the email list collected from the No Boundaries website to [[Rudy Giuliani]]'s [[2000 United States Senate election in New York|senate campaign]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 31, 2000| title=Right-Wing Southerner Is Rudy's Secret Weapon in Senate Campaign |url=https://observer.com/2000/01/rightwing-southerner-is-rudys-secret-weapon-in-senate-campaign/|access-date=February 18, 2021|website=Observer|url-status=live |archive-date=June 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626024638/http://observer.com/2000/01/rightwing-southerner-is-rudys-secret-weapon-in-senate-campaign/}}</ref> The business dissolved along with his marriage to Marta<ref>{{Cite book|last=Duncan|first=Bernadette|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jq6oDAAAQBAJ |title=Yappy Days: Behind the Scenes with Newsers, Schmoozers, Boozers and Losers|date=June 30, 2016 |publisher=AuthorHouse |isbn=978-1-5246-0054-9|access-date=February 18, 2021|archive-date=March 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329220459/https://books.google.com/books?id=Jq6oDAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="McCabe">{{Cite news|last=McCabe|first=Scott|title=Limbaugh, third wife parting after 10 years|work=[[The Palm Beach Post]]|date=June 12, 2004|access-date=November 4, 2006|url-status=dead |url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/news/limbaugh/c1a_rush_0612.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040619214410/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/news/limbaugh/c1a_rush_0612.html|archive-date=June 19, 2004}}</ref> but in 2020 the ties were still being sold by TieGal, Inc., for $29 each.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 6, 2012|title=PHOTOS: Rush Limbaugh Used To Be A Fashion Designer|website=[[HuffPost]]|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rush-limbaugh-ties-no-boundaries_n_1325060 |access-date=February 18, 2021|url-status=live|archive-date=November 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124155238/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rush-limbaugh-ties-no-boundaries_n_1325060}}</ref>