Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has claimed that the COVID-19 death toll is being exaggerated by governments “eager” to use modeling predictions to further their policies.
Limbaugh made the remarks on the Thursday edition of The Rush Limbaugh Show. He insisted that models used to predict the spread of disease were helping promote government policies, although he did not define which policies he meant or who exactly was behind the alleged scheme.
“People die on this planet every day from a wide variety of things,” said Limbaugh. “But because the coronavirus is out there, got everybody paranoid, governments are eager, almost, to chalk up as many deaths to coronavirus as they can because then it furthers the policies they have put in place by virtue of their models.”
Limbaugh suggested that many reported COVID-19 deaths could be from other causes instead. Most medical experts believe that the virus is likely underreported due to limited testing and other factors.
In addition to unnamed government figures, Limbaugh said that a host of other people, including Bill Gates, were less than concerned about the economic impact of the pandemic and were hoping to “shut down the entire country” by exaggerating dangers posed by the rapid spread of the virus.
The host insisted that he wasn’t trying to “stir things up” with the remarks, claiming that he was just giving viewers “facts.”
Limbaugh also cited speculation by Dr. John Lee, a retired British pathologist who claims that deaths attributed to COVID-19 could be from other illnesses. Lee disagrees with a large majority of experts in claiming that the virus is not much worse than the seasonal flu while maintaining that health officials are over reacting to the pandemic.
“He’s concerned that with this new arrival of COVID-19, that coronavirus is being listed as a cause of death for many people who are not dying because of it,” Limbaugh said. “They’re dying because of other things. But it’s speculation.”
Limbaugh closed the segment by admitting that he hadn’t spent much time thinking about his remarks, insisting that everything on his radio show and his personal life is spontaneous.
“Everything’s spontaneous on this program, folks. I’m a spontaneous person. I don’t plan very much in advance, in my life at all,” Limbaugh said. “I want to leave the option open for something better to come up… I plan so little in advance, I actually don’t even need a calendar.”–NEWSWEEK
I don’t know who that man (Limbaugh) is, but he sounds like a fool. He should ask the families of the 12,000 people who have died in Spain if he thinks they are ‘exaggerating’. It is this sort of comment that will make people take it less seriously, and allow it to spread more rapidly.
And the British doctor should know better. Deaths from fever and pneumonia here are confirmed whether or not they are from Covid 19 by testing.
Best wishes, Pete.
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He is dangerous. He is incendiary. He is a close friend of Donald Trump. Donald Trump awarded him with the prestigious Medal of Freedom.
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I saw that. Seems like you can get the MOF for being reckless and stupid these days. Sad. And distespectful to those that actually earned it.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Indeed. There have been other controversial recipients from both Republican and Democratic presidents. This is one of the worst examples, in my opinion.
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The first time I heard Rush on radio…I thought it was an old SNL skit they were playing…I’m not kidding. It’s not him that I blame…he is an entertainer…it’s his flock… Not that I approve of him…I can’t believe the people actually believe the guy.
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Yeah. My husband feels the same way as you. But I feel a bit differently. I don’t think of Limbaugh as, merely, an entertainer. Nor do I consider him a buffoon, as some on the left like to portray him. To me he is a plague ridden pied piper. That’s dramatic, I know, but that’s the way I roll.
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I agree…he is not a buffoon. I’m usually in the middle of the road. I don’t’ like extreme left or right. He says enough truth at times to get by with it…”false teacher” keeps coming to my mind.
The reason I say entertainer is because he goes out of his way at times to say something crazy.
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He does, indeed do that. He is like the the character of “Master of Ceremonies” In Cabaret. Corrupt. Diseased. Charismatic to those who are susceptible. Pathetic.
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Sad, what we’ve come to as a culture, that so many look to him as their spokesman.
Thanks for posting this, Pam. Grace and peace to you
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It is sad. I understand it up to a point–that is the partisan divide, the rah, rah fight for your team mentality–but, to me, he takes way beyond all of that. He is a propagandist of hate.
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He and Trump are exactly the same person, it seems like. Even after a man died and then his wife was fighting for her life after taking chloroquine, I think I heard him still touting it the other day! Who in their right mind listens to these people and would actually ingest something potentially harmful just because they said it? Yeah, you may like them and their policies and way of thinking, but they’re not doctors, they’re not scientists, they’re not exports of any kind: One’s a failed businessman and one’s a radio show host. Yet you would ingest poison thinking, “The president is right, ’cause he IS a stable genius!”? That’s literally “If your friends all jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?” in real-time, jaw-dropping action.
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No doubt. Well “said”. I’ve been keeping up with the right wings response to COVID-19. It has been stunning. Disturbing. Grossly irresponsible. Like Max, I’m pretty middle of the road. I’m a Democrat of a rare breed–a blue dog Democrat. I’m not reactionary. I’m not overtly progressive. I’m not an activist. BUT I aggressively reject Donald Trump and his administration. I aggressively reject the carnival barkers of the hard right.
I hope that chloroquine, in the right dose, taken at the right time, in the right combination of other drugs, proves to be effective against COVID-19. But it is up to the doctors and scientist to approve it. DO NO HARM.
Yes, the medical community must be more aggressive then they normally would about possible, hopeful “cures” to this virus, but they must be wise. And so must we. If it barks like a carnival barker, it’s probably a carnival barker.
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Yeah, and I think these people just used a raw form they already had in their house! So, yes, that was irresponsible of them to do that, but yes, the carnival barkers were the catalyst for it. Do no harm, indeed. Arrrgghhhh.
Ah, well. Take care.
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I am amazed this is coming from Rush Limbaugh and not Alex Jones. Anyway, keep up the great work as always.
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Ha! Alex Jones is mentally ill. Limbaugh is morally ill.
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He and Trump, along with the Fox News crew are the most dangerous people on earth. Yet, they still have loyal followers who believe anything they say. I’ve watched some of Trump’s daily news briefings and he rattles on about what a great job the government and his team are doing. They claim masks and other protective gear are going out by millions and yet hospitals are crying for help. Getting loans to Small Business’ is in a shamble and even the checks to individuals are not processing as fast as they announced. Yet, he keeps running at the mouth how everything is running “beautiful” and everyone is doing an “amazing” job better than anyone has ever done before.
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I know. It’s rather sickening. Everybody knows that government bureaucracy is SLOW. And yet, Trump is so determined to flex his muscles and flaunt his big man on campus status, that he throws out a ridiculously optimistic time schedule that the Flash couldn’t meet the deadline of.
He dismantles strategic programs with a chainsaw, when the budget calls for intricate tweaking with a scalpel. He tilts that budget with top heavy tax cuts for the super rich and rides deregulation until the eventual, inevitable collapse–we’ve seen this pony run before; anybody remember Recession-2008? I could go on and on…
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I think we all in for a different way of living. Even with a vaccine a year from now the virus with still be here. It may be seasonal like the Flu, but folks need to remember we have a vaccine for the flu and it’s not perfect. People still get the flu and some die. It will still be around unless they can come up with a Polio type vaccine that will eradicate the disease.
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