Rush Limbaugh's complicated legacy, in 5 tweets from across the political spectrum

Rush Limbaugh.
(Image credit: William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

Right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh died Wednesday, and both his opponents and admirers are remembering how he shaped today's conservative movement.

After Limbaugh's wife announced his death, some of his critics on the left brought up how his show promoted racism and homophobia, and how he emphasized that bigotry within the conservative movement.

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But some liberals acknowledged that while they spent years fighting against Limbaugh, he still succeeded in "la[ying] the groundwork for [former President Donald] Trump and Trumpism," as former Obama administration adviser David Axelrod put it.

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MSNBC's Chris Hayes similarly put Limbaugh in the conservative hall of fame.

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Rich Lowry, the conservative editor of the National Review, meanwhile focused on what he saw as Limbaugh's unmatched sense of humor...

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... While other right-wing tweeters repeatedly called out anyone who criticized Limbaugh after his death. Kathryn Krawczyk

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.