--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My intent was not to go after Rush - I…" description: "\"My intent was not to go after Rush - I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh. I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. ... There was no attempt on my p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/michael-steele-16681_bits_my-intent-was-not-to-go-after-rush-i-hav_2763630.jpg" --- # My intent was not to go after Rush - I have enormous… ![“My intent was not to go after Rush - I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh. I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. ... There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.” quote by Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/michael-steele-16681_bits_my-intent-was-not-to-go-after-rush-i-hav_2763630.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/michael-steele-16681_bits_my-intent-was-not-to-go-after-rush-i-hav_2763630.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/michael-steele-16681_bits_my-intent-was-not-to-go-after-rush-i-hav_2763630.jpg) > “My intent was not to go after Rush - I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh. I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. ... There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.” [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He clarifies that his criticism was not personal but about ideas, emphasizing respect for the individual despite disagreement. **In simple terms:** He respects Rush Limbaugh but disagrees with his views. Key Takeaway Separate ideas from the person. Themes respect politics communication Mood thoughtful defensive Type political defensive When to use this quote - political debate - media interviews - public statements - conflict resolution Key Concepts public discourse leadership media criticism Questions to Reflect On - How can you critique ideas without offending the person? - What strategies help maintain respect in political discourse? A Different Perspective Criticism can still be perceived as personal attack. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits/) [Diminish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diminish/) [Enormous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enormous/) [Inarticulate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inarticulate/) [Intent Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intent-rush-3188472/) [Limbaugh Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limbaugh-maybe-3188471/) [Little bit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-bit/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Respect Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-rush-2722945/) [Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rush/) [Rush Enormous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rush-enormous-3188473/) [Rush limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rush-limbaugh/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [I respect Rush Limbaugh; he is a national conservative leader, and in no way do I want to diminish his voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/i-respect-rush-limbaugh-he-is-a-national-conservative-leader-and-in/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh's whole thing is entertainment. Yes, it is incendiary. Yes, it is ugly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/rush-limbaugh-is-an-entertainer-rush-limbaugh-s-whole-thing-is/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [Music... a kind of inarticulate, unfathomable speech, which leads to the edge of the Infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/music-a-kind-of-inarticulate-unfathomable-speech-which-leads-to-the/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [“A habitual indulgence in the inarticulate is a sure sign of the philosopher who has not learned to think, the poet who has not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/a-habitual-indulgence-in-the-inarticulate-is-a-sure-sign-of-the/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [What passes for love is imperfect knowledge. Not knowing, initially, allows faithlessness to dress up as its opposite; casts the inarticulate as enigmatic, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-laird/what-passes-for-love-is-imperfect-knowledge-not-knowing-initially/) [Nick Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-laird/) > [Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/verbosity-leads-to-unclear-inarticulate-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As far as rapprochements go, it's awkward and vague, but the advantage of being as emotionally inarticulate as we are is that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/as-far-as-rapprochements-go-it-s-awkward-and-vague-but-the-advantage/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [“We're the most aggressively inarticulate generation to come along since, you know, a long time ago!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-mali/we-re-the-most-aggressively-inarticulate-generation-to-come-along/) [Taylor Mali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-mali/) > [As a novelist, I suppose I can say that I'm highly articulate. But I know, as a person, in other ways, I'm not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/as-a-novelist-i-suppose-i-can-say-that-i-m-highly-articulate-but-i/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [The mouthpiece of the half-inarticulate, all-suggesting music that is at once the very soul and the inseparable garment of romance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walther-von-der-vogelweide/the-mouthpiece-of-the-half-inarticulate-all-suggesting-music-that-is/) [Walther von der Vogelweide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walther-von-der-vogelweide/) > [Go out and speak for the inarticulate and the submerged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-aitken-lord-beaverbrook/go-out-and-speak-for-the-inarticulate-and-the-submerged/) [Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-aitken-lord-beaverbrook/) > [“Your scorn for mediocrity blinds you to its vast primitive power. You stand in the glare of your own brilliance, unable to see into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevanian/your-scorn-for-mediocrity-blinds-you-to-its-vast-primitive-power-you/) [Trevanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevanian/) > [It's a very fascinating thing for an actor to play somebody who is suffering, and you have to express the suffering, but in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-marsan/it-s-a-very-fascinating-thing-for-an-actor-to-play-somebody-who-is/) [Eddie Marsan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-marsan/) > [Laughter is an interior convulsion, producing a distortion of the features and accompanied by inarticulate noises. It is infectious and, though intermittent, incurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/laughter-is-an-interior-convulsion-producing-a-distortion-of-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [People like me write because otherwise we are pretty inarticulate. Our articulation is our writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-trevor/people-like-me-write-because-otherwise-we-are-pretty-inarticulate-our/) [William Trevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-trevor/) ## More by Michael Steele > [Not in the history of mankind has the government ever created a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/not-in-the-history-of-mankind-has-the-government-ever-created-a-job/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [Let's focus on how we can take someone who is being poorly educated in an American public school and how they are poorly trained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/let-s-focus-on-how-we-can-take-someone-who-is-being-poorly-educated/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [We have a lot to gain through furthering stem cell research, but medical breakthroughs should be fundamentally about saving, not destroying, human life. Therefore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/we-have-a-lot-to-gain-through-furthering-stem-cell-research-but/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [We don't need to allow any more Nancy Pelosies to wind up in Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/we-don-t-need-to-allow-any-more-nancy-pelosies-to-wind-up-in-congress/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [ \[The healthcare bill is a\] headlong rush into socialism…we will not stand for the Obama-Pelosi-Reid hijacking of our freedom and democracy so they can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/the-healthcare-bill-is-a-headlong-rush-into-socialism-we-will-not/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [George Bush created lots of jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/george-bush-created-lots-of-jobs/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [I'm a pro-life Roman Catholic conservative, always have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/i-m-a-pro-life-roman-catholic-conservative-always-have-been/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [The bottom line is, I hear my donors, I hear our base out there, I hear the leadership. And we're taking steps to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/the-bottom-line-is-i-hear-my-donors-i-hear-our-base-out-there-i-hear/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [You know, when we get to a point in this country where dissent is extremism, we've turned, I think, a very dark page in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/you-know-when-we-get-to-a-point-in-this-country-where-dissent-is/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [Up until, really, Roosevelt, African-Americans largely voted ninety per cent Republican. That was the political origins, that's what their political voice was in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/up-until-really-roosevelt-african-americans-largely-voted-ninety-per/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [We need to increase access to health insurance through Health Savings Accounts and high deductible policies, so individuals and families can purchase the insurance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/we-need-to-increase-access-to-health-insurance-through-health-savings/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [You can have all the gun control laws in the country, but if you don't enforce them, people are going to find a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/you-can-have-all-the-gun-control-laws-in-the-country-but-if-you-don-t/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [Oh, no. I don't think I've ever really subscribed to that view, that you can turn it on and off like a water tap.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/oh-no-i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-really-subscribed-to-that-view-that-you/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [In order to achieve optimal economic growth, Congress must adhere to sane spending guidelines while promoting smart policies devoted to growing businesses and creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/in-order-to-achieve-optimal-economic-growth-congress-must-adhere-to/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) > [I was born in D.C. on 8th Street. I know what's up. I know what time it is. I used to hang out in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steele/i-was-born-in-d-c-on-8th-street-i-know-what-s-up-i-know-what-time-it/) [Michael Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) [Explore all 39 Michael Steele quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steele/) ## More Bits quotes > [ Brad \[Dourif\] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. I think that actually bothers him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/brad-dourif-would-tell-himself-that-he-was-not-intentionally-trying/) [David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I became a bit of a teacher's pet, and it became known in the school by both faculty and students that I really excelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-became-a-bit-of-a-teacher-s-pet-and-it-became-known-in-the-school/) [Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [He referred to me as an 'insufferable puffed-up prat'. This is a bit rich coming from a man who actually married his own mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/he-referred-to-me-as-an-insufferable-puffed-up-prat-this-is-a-bit/) [Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/) > [It won't do you a bit of good to know everything if you don't do anything with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-fitzhugh/it-won-t-do-you-a-bit-of-good-to-know-everything-if-you-don-t-do/) [Louise Fitzhugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-fitzhugh/) > [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/) [Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/) > [I think that's the beauty of the current setup, is that Legends is meant to be a bit of a revolving door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-the-current-setup-is-that-legends-is/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [We, as pop stars, are people not androids. We’ve got views. I’ve got opinions and I don’t see why I shouldn’t use a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-meddows-taylor/we-as-pop-stars-are-people-not-androids-we-ve-got-views-i-ve-got/) [Roger Meddows Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-meddows-taylor/) > [In terms of style, too, I think I've been working with a somewhat limited -- although intentionally limited -- set of tools. So I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/in-terms-of-style-too-i-think-i-ve-been-working-with-a-somewhat/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [ Donald Trump has opened \[ politically correct enforcement\] up wide. He's made a very bold statement and he's backed it back just a little… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/donald-trump-has-opened-politically-correct-enforcement-up-wide-he-s/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [When my name started popping up I was quite irritated and a little bit in shock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-snow/when-my-name-started-popping-up-i-was-quite-irritated-and-a-little/) [Michael Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-snow/) > [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) [Browse all 5,709 Bits quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My intent was not to go after Rush - I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh. I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. ... 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