Rush Limbaugh doesn't respond to comedian Wanda Sykes, no sells WHCD entertainer

Rush Limbaugh has stated that he wants a program people tune in to see "what he'll do next".

Rush Limbaugh explaining 'How Talk Radio Works'
I want people to call because they are reacting to what's happening on my program. Not what happened yesterday on somebody else's. Not what happened on the guy before me... I want to be the reason people listen in to my program. They way I react to the guests, the way things might happen on my program. The things I might say and the things I might do.

A testament to Rush' influence and brilliant execution of this scheme is that even his non-responses are newsworthy. Comedian Wanda Sykes had made a pointed joke about Rush during the recent White House correspondent's dinner over the weekend. Listeners were expecting a rebuttal once Rush returned to air:

Limbaugh avoids Sykes catfight
Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh took the high road Monday following Wanda Sykes saying he is a terrorist and making other acerbic comments about him during a comedic routine at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner over the weekend.

Talk-radio fans and political junkies buzzed in anticipation about what Mr. Limbaugh might say on his national, three-hour radio show.

In wrestling, this is called "no-selling". When a wrestler doesn't even bother reacting to a hit, usually a way to project strength. This was discussed in a previous post - The art of "Selling": Christopher Hitchens with Ralph Reed on 'Hannity and Colmes'

Rush Limbaugh didn't no-sell Sykes completely Monday, an admission his non-response was a calculated move.

Rush Limbaugh mum on Sykes' remarks
There was, however, a mysterious moment during the show's final minutes, when Limbaugh interrupted a dialogue on fiscal policy and, in a statement seemingly directed at his prodding producer, said, "How can they be running a response, when I didn't respond? Well, there isn't going to be a response!"

Rush Limbaugh has made headlines in the last year with each of the feuds (no matter how trivial) he's been a part of. Having been challenged by the likes of Michael Steele, President Obama, Colin Powell and various congressman, Rush has piqued attention and ratings with each of these feuds.

Perhaps its a uniform policy regarding entertainers, Rush Limbaugh also didn't take the bait set by fellow comedian Janeane Garofalo - Keith Olbermann and Janeane Garofalo VS Rush Limbaugh: APF handicap match