Florida Officials Clash Over Whether to Lower the Flag for Rush Limbaugh

Officials in Florida have been going back-and-forth about whether to lower flags to half-mast in honor of hugely popular and hugely controversial right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh.

Following Limbaugh's death last week due to complications from lung cancer, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he would order that the flags in his state be lowered to half-staff.

"Once the date of interment for Rush is announced, we're going to be lowering the flags to half-staff," DeSantis, 42, said at a Friday news conference in West Palm Beach.

He continued: "There's not much that needs to be said. The guy was an absolute legend. He was a friend of mine and just a great person."

However, the decision to lower the flags to honor Limbaugh was soon met with resistance by liberal lawmakers in Florida, with the most senior Democrat in public office there — state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried — leading the charge.

Critics say the state shouldn't "celebrate hate speech, bigotry and division," referring to Limbaugh infamous rhetoric.

"Lowering to half-staff the flag of the United States of America is a sacred honor that pays respect to fallen heroes and patriots. It is not a partisan political tool. Therefore, I will notify all state offices under my direction to disregard the Governor's forthcoming order to lower flags for Mr. Limbaugh – because we will not celebrate hate speech, bigotry, and division," Fried, 43, wrote in a statement issued Monday.

She reiterated that stance in an interview with CNN early Tuesday, telling New Day host John Berman that DeSantis was "bending over backwards to honor a radio host who spent his entire career talking hate speech and talking bigotry and division and conspiracy theories."

Fried continued: "And lowering our flag should be a symbol of unity not division, raising our standards, not lowering our standards."

Other state Democrats, such as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, also criticized the decision to lower the flags.

In a statement posted to Twitter last Friday, Schultz called the governor's decision "an embarrassment to Florida," arguing that Limbaugh "weaponized his platform to spread racism, xenophobia and homophobia across the nation."

Florida's state's flag protocol calls for flags to be flown at half-staff "in the event of the death of a present or former official of the Florida State government or the death of a member of the Armed Forces from Florida who dies while serving on active duty."

Limbaugh, a radio host, would not seem to fit that bill, Fried argued.

Limbaugh had been diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2020 and spoke candidly while his treatment wore on, even as his prognosis darkened. 

He had been off the air in the days leading up to his death, with guest hosts filling in on his eponymous radio show.

Throughout his career, Limbaugh had a tremendous influence in shaping and reiterating the talking points of conservatives and of former President Donald Trump, recently echoing Trump in falsely claiming he didn't lose the 2020 presidential election.

While he drew widespread praise from Republicans as a vocal proponent of American conservatism, he provoked numerous others with a history of racist, misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ language.

Among his many inflammatory comments, Limbaugh referred to former President Barack Obama in a parody song as "Barack the Magic Negro"; compared 12-year-old Chelsea Clinton to a dog; and said a college student advocating for contraception was a "slut."

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