I was stunned when I heard this. I am sorry he has cancer and only wish him the best and I hope he can recover from this. If he is not able to recover from this, he will be missed.
Over the years I have gone from listening to Rush to being pissed at him to forgiving him for the insults over the years. He has changed his tune a bit towards those like me. I recently started listening to him again. He is good friends with the President. I understand why he received the award. He deserves it. Just know he has not always been the saint some make him out to be.
I don't think anyone worships Rush or believes him to be a saint.
I do believe AM radio would have been dismantled long ago if not for shows like his and Hannity's.
I stopped listening to him a long time ago mainly because I couldn't listen at work (had to be mobile), and at one point, I was getting physically ill with all the BS the Liberals were causing, and there was nothing listening everyday was going to fix. Stepping away for a break kept my ulcers at bay.
I watched his TV show when I could, mainly because it was in the evening.
Rush is like Trump. He says what HE thinks (not what he thinks we want to hear), and it just so happens a lot of people listening are saying, "Hell, yeah!" at their radios. He sounds like what I'm thinking.
Rush has always professed to be an entertainer, not a political leader. However, I believe he's kept the GOP and conservative movements alive through some very dark times.
It's as if the election, and soon-to-be reelection, of Donald Trump signals and end to our need for a voice like Rush's. His job is done. Time for someone else to pick up the mantle and carry it on.