I'm sorry that people take out their anger with your cousin on you.

I share your suspicion - I think that he is probably a lot more centrist than he lets on. He has an excellent business model.

Thank you for writing your story - it was very interesting.

even though I wanted to be.

So some people are being assholes and treating you like shit because of your last name. That certainly isn't fair. But boohoo, you sure did a good job in this self-pity piece of erasing any sympathy you might get for that.

You don't share his views, but from your own admissions you've milked a great deal of privilege from being a Limbaugh. There's millions of people out there who are discriminated against every day because of their last name or their color or some other prejudice and have nothing to show for it, much less getting paid to write about their relations. Cry me a river.

I love your cousin also and you are so lucky to be related to this self-made man who is so generous. There was an article written just this week by a journalist called "Take the Limbaugh challenge". He said he has never met one person who hated Rush who ever listened to him. They judged him on sound bites taken out of context, just as you are judging Ann Coulter. I'm sure you would hate to be judged that way.

Lucky you to come from such a warm and loving family. I wish you great luck and hope you remain proud of your cousin.

Nearly everybody can relate to having family members with obnoxious views and attitudes, and it is sort of interesting to get a glimpse of the Limbaugh clan. But I guess I already knew Rush was human. That doesn't really change the fact that he goes to work each day and tries to bring out the worst in his listeners, grotesquely distorting reality in the process, and always with an agenda.

I sure don't envy the author, but nor can I totally let her off the hook. The disagreements she has with her cousin are not academic; he's been polluting politics for decades, with real harm done to real people. Is there really no one in his family who could get him to tone it down? Or, maybe she's the *only* one in the family who disagrees with cousin Rush.

I don't buy that he's created an ironic character, either. It's not even relevant...enough people take it seriously that the damage is done.

I'm not related.

"...a man who served evil too openly, and good too secretly, the crime of his times."

— Vonnegut, Mother Night

However, if his radio act is really a "persona" he is doing an even worse disservice, since his listeners seem to have complete faith in what he says. To say that you want the president to fail because it is the only way the country can succeed is an extreme position to take--and a hate-filled one.

I don't know what I would do in your situation. I have relatives who I disagree with politically, but they are very kind and I like them a lot, however they don't influence millions of people.

Having listening to a few minutes of his show today, where he complained about the removal of Wagoner, and possible attempts to strip Wagoner of his $20 M package, a measure that probably 80% of the country was in favor of, I'm not even sure who his audience is anymore. In the same talk, he blasted unions for the downfall of the auto industry--when unions have already made concessions on contracts previously agreed to.

He and Coulter may be perfectly pleasant and rational in private, however they have drastically lowered the level of polical discourse in this country.

Granted, Limbaugh is a hard case. The aunt and uncle I disagree with are nothing like the persona Limbaugh has created for himself. And yet their views are probably closer to his than mine. Nonetheless, in many ways they are quite sensible. So much idiocy comes in the abstract. If I had to serve on a committee with them and solve some problem, I suspect we could agree on enough to reach a resolution. There is something about real responsibility and real facts that bring out the best in people. Thus, most juries.

As for judging people. It's okay to judge people on the basis of what they do--even if you have not met them personally. Take, uh, well I dunno, how about Hitler? In fact, letting people off the hook for what they say publically, just because they can be personally charming strikes me as a bad idea.

Sadly your cousin Rusty is a hate monger and a bigot - I've heard him. Or he's crazy like a fox, making money (ha ha, the laughs on us!) by doing a pretty good imitation of one for the benefit of the hate mongers and bigots that listen to his program.

I'm sorry you have taken the heat for his "persona" but that's no excuse for it. The difficulty you've encountered is nothing compared to the damage Rusty has done to America.

I heard from reliable sources that you were involved in a love triangle with Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter. And also another one with Camille Paglia and Matt Drudge. Is it true Ann Coulter used to be a guy?

This was a sad read for many reasons. Certainly you feel for someone in this situation, like if your last name was Hitler. Understandably one would be upset and freaked out.

On the other hand, Cousin Rusty probably calls this sort of thing collateral damage and as a soft moderate, you deserve it. That is his usual logic and if you want to believe it's a show, well go ahead...won't make the pain go away.

I'd either change your name or write a book about it, or both. Cousin Rusty surely couldn't blame you for making a buck at the expense of a relative. He might even respect you more.