Supporters said Limbaugh was a conservative icon worthy of the honor. “Rush demonstrated courage to speak boldly and encouraged his listeners and viewers to reach for their dreams and to push onward beyond the naysayers and discouragers that we all encounter in life,” Ashland Republican Rep. Sara Walsh said. But Democrats slammed the proposal. Kansas City Democratic Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove in a statement criticized his “constant attacks on Black people and other people of color.”