May 5, 2009

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Ron in Sterling, Virginia.  I'm glad you waited, sir.  It's great to have you on the EIB Network.  Hi.

CALLER:  Hello, Rush.  My question is whether you think that the reason that elected Republican leadership does such a poor job articulating conservatism, is because you have done such a great job for so long?

RUSH:  No.  Why would they...? If I'm doing such a great job, why wouldn't they follow and do a great job? Or are you saying they're basically leaving it up to me and they're not trying?

CALLER:  Yes, because they can lose the next election by being voted out, but they know that you and the conservative media that has been created in your wake will kind of carry the conservative water for them.

RUSH:  Well, I think by now if they think that, they should have been shown they're wrong or that their thinking is wrong.  If that was the case they wouldn't have lost in '06, and if that was the case they wouldn't have lost in '08 because I've been standing up for conservatism every day I've been behind the microphone.  And the ones in Congress and the Senate that have been, too, won.  Those who haven't been have lost.  But I had a lot of people say, "You know, Rush you give 'em cover.  They're afraid to take on these issues because they gotta get votes and you don't."  But I actually think, if you want know... You want to know the truth about this, Ron?

CALLER:  Yes.

RUSH:  I think if the truth be known (and I probably should not say this publicly) a lot -- not a majority but a lot -- of elected Republicans wish I would go away, 'cause they buy into this notion I'm polarizing and making it tough on them.  I know they hate being asked, "Well, what do you think of Rush Limbaugh?"  They're afraid to say they disagree, 'cause they think they're going to be slapped down, not by me, but by other people.  But I think any time you're outspoken, unabashedly so, and you speak without fear, most people just are not able to do that and don't want to even if they are able to.  If they think other people doing that cause them troubles, they really actually wish the person that's speaking out would go away.  

Now, I don't have political power to share with them.  I don't have political power to bring them.  Now, if I were maybe an elected official doing this kind of stuff and it was working, I think it would be a little bit of a different thing.  I don't know how many of them it is, but there are a number of them, and you can hear them.  There are several Republicans -- the moderates, the Senate and so forth -- have echoed some sentiments. "We really shouldn't listen to Limbaugh that much."  I think more of them think it than would ever say it, but it's not about me personally.  I don't take any of it personally.  I just think that it's... (sigh) You know, I make waves.  These guys, they don't want to make waves.  Politicians don't think they get anywhere making waves.  You know, I don't pander.  You know, and I don't try to find out what people want to hear and tell 'em that and so forth.  I appreciate, Ron, your thoughts.  

END TRANSCRIPT

August 26, 2009

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Move on to Senator McCain and his town hall yesterday.  You know, President Obama is preparing to pass an extinguished torch to future generations of Americans.  Remember President Kennedy? (JFK impression) "The torch has been passed to a new generation."  Obama is going to pass a torch only the torch he passes is going to be extinguished.  The torch he's going to pass is one of fascism.  And this health care debacle.  So McCain has a town hall yesterday -- and, folks, it's worse than I thought it was going to be.  My reaction to it was negative.  It was appropriate.  Here's just a sample of it. We have one sound bite from the town hall yesterday, Sun City, Arizona.  A woman got up and said, "I would like to know how the president is getting by with all of this money.  It's against the Constitution.  Doesn't he know we still live under a Constitution?"

MCCAIN:  I'm sure that he does.  I'm sure --

AUDIENCE: (laughter)

MCCAIN: No, no, I'm serious.  I'm sure that he does and I'm sure that he respects the Constitution of the United States.

AUDIENCE: (groans)

MCCAIN: No, no, no, no.  No, I -- I -- I -- I really do.  I -- I am absolutely convinced of it.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: No!

MCCAIN: I just believe, my friends, that there is a fundamental difference in philosophy and about the role of government.  That's why we have competition for public office and competition amongst parties and competition about different ideas and visions for the future of America.  I am convinced the president is absolutely sincere in his beliefs.  

AUDIENCE: (groans)

MCCAIN: But he's -- wait a minute.  Wait a minute.  He is sincere in his beliefs.  We just -- we just happen to disagree, and he's the president of the United States and let's be respectful.

RUSH:  Now, this is problematic.  He's running for reelection.  His audience does not trust Obama.  All trust has been lost.  They are afraid! People are scared to death of this man.  They're scared to death of his policies.  The people of this country who showed up at McCain's town hall think Obama has no respect for the Constitution.  Sure he knows what it is. But he looks at it as a limiting document.  He has said so himself.  What is so hard about people in our party understanding what their opponents actually say and believe?  Obama looks at the Constitution as "a series of negative rights."  Obama says, he looks at the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, first ten amendments, and says, "It doesn't say what the government can do to you! It doesn't say what the government can do for you. All it says is what the government can't do."

Well, he is a big believer in government doing everything.  The Constitution is an obstacle to him, and McCain ought to know this. (doing McCain impression) "You know, we just -- we just -- we're reasonable people and we just disagree! We just have different political philosophies."  You know, something else that McCain did yesterday, and this is really so tired and worn out.  At this town meeting, he said, "We have to take Washington back from the special interests."  Folks, that is just vacuous psychobabble, in my humble opinion.  We need to take this country back from the liberal Marxists that have taken over!  The special interest that we need to fear is fascism!  These special interests are all over Barack Obama's administration. After telling us they wouldn't be, they're all over the place.  

The people that work for him are enriching themselves at the public trough like never before.  And that's something people thought was going to change, but it hasn't changed.  The fascists, the Marxists in this administration, they're working with the special interests.  Whatever that term means anyway.  That's just an illustration of how antiquated this line of thinking is, and McCain acts like, "Politicians, we're all hostage"! Politicians are hostage to special interests. (doing McCain impression) "That's what meaningful campaign finance reform is all about because good people come here and get corrupted! Corrupted by special interests, and so -- and so -- and so we need campaign finance reform." It's just this tired, worn-out, "Gosh we're all hostage to the special interests!"  It's more like a reciprocal, corrupt arrangement.

The Democrats and the unions are bought and paid for by big business executives, AARP. Special interests, they're blood brothers! This business that he wants to lay out the groundwork to sell us out on the health care by coming up with a bipartisan bill, when the Democrats are in the process of flaming out and talking about using reconciliation?  Let 'em do all of these things!  Don't give them any assistance. Don't go "bipartisan" with them on this at all.  McCain made every effort in that town hall meeting yesterday to make himself appear to be a reasonable man, wanting to work with a political party not his own.  But those days are gone!  That's not what the American people want right now, and certainly people that vote for Republicans do not want that myth that he ran on. He ran for office on that myth, and look what happened!  

He ran for office on the idea that the American people just want us to work together.  He's out there saying, "We gotta work together and I'm the guy to cross the aisle." No! That's why you lost the election.  Good grief, what...? And this isn't about McCain anyway.  The country is facing problems that will likely irrevocably harm everyone alive today and Americans yet to be born, and to solve this to satisfy some personal insecurities about an option that's no longer viable? Working with these guys?  Who in the hell is still talking about working with these guys?  Anybody that's reasonable is talking about stopping these guys!  We're talking about beating these guys.  We're talking about defeating these guys.  Now, all of a sudden we're going to start working with them? I can't tell you how frustrating this is. 

END TRANSCRIPT

Read the Background Material...

• FOXNews: McCain: Public Option 'Would Deprive People of Choice'

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,542921,00.html

*Note: Links to content outside RushLimbaugh.com usually become inactive over time.

Here is a big part of the Neocon GOP activist base following Rush Limbaugh's lead ("hat tip to Rush Limbaugh"):

http://patriotsandliberty.com/?p=6419

ThePatriotPost
Friday Digest
August 28, 2009
Vol. 09 No. 34

From the ‘Non Compos Mentis’ File

Speaking of Arizona, at a town hall meeting in his home state, sometimes-Republican Sen. John McCain was asked by an audience member, “I would like to know how the president is getting by with all of this money. It’s against the Constitution. Doesn’t he know we still live under a Constitution?” The transcript follows (hat tip to Rush Limbaugh):

McCain: I’m sure that he does. I’m sure –

Audience: (laughter)

McCain: No, no, I’m serious. I’m sure that he does and I’m sure that he respects the Constitution of the United States.

Audience: (groans)

McCain: No, no, no, no. No, I — I — I — I really do. I — I am absolutely convinced of it.

Audience Member: No!

McCain: I just believe, my friends, that there is a fundamental difference in philosophy and about the role of government. That’s why we have competition for public office and competition amongst parties and competition about different ideas and visions for the future of America. I am convinced the president is absolutely sincere in his beliefs.

Audience: (groans)

McCain: But he’s — wait a minute. Wait a minute. He is sincere in his beliefs. We just — we just happen to disagree, and he’s the president of the United States and let’s be respectful.

In a friendlier atmosphere on ABC’s “This Week,” McCain said, “I look at this as an opportunity right now. …[W]ouldn’t it be a good idea for us Republicans and Democrats to sit down with the president? … There’s so many areas that we are in agreement on.”

In a nutshell, that’s why McCain lost in November. He just doesn’t get it.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 29th, 2009 at 6:33 am.

These ideologues are wrong when they said "that’s why McCain lost in November. He just doesn’t get it."  Bush and Cheney displaying that kind of an extreme attitude and McCain not being able to run away from it fast enough is a major reason why he lost the 2008 election in my opinion!

I agree with John Avalon and CNN for giving John McCain some credit for having "a profile in courage" by his defying the Rush Limbaugh wing of the Republican Party:

http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0908/28/ltm.01.html

AMERICAN MORNING

Thousands of Mourners Pay Their Respect to Senator Ted Kennedy; Kidnapped Girl Found Alive After 18 Years; Life After Cash for Clunkers for Auto Industry

Aired August 28, 2009 - 06:00   ET

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: "And you're doing something new this week as well. You have got a profile in courage for us.

JOHN AVLON, INDEPENDENT POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. We want to shout out the positive as well. And this weekend with all of the unhinged town halls that are going on, John McCain took a stand for decency in a town hall when a woman asked -- isn't President Obama sort of taking apart our constitution?

Let's take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I'm sure that he does, and I'm sure that he respects the constitution of the United States. No, no. I am convinced the president is absolutely sincere in his beliefs. But he's -- wait a minute, wait a minute. He is sincere in his beliefs. We just, we just happen to disagree, and he is the president of the United States, and let's be respectful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: That's a profile in courage work. He's standing up to a crowd telling them not what they want to hear, showing us, reminding us that we can disagree agreeably in this country. That's what our founding father intended. We're not getting enough of that. So profile in courage award goes to John McCain.

ROBERTS: John Avlon with the wingnuts of the week and the profile in courage.

Good shout out this morning, John. Thanks so much -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I like that profile in courage..."

John McCain also stood up to the Limbaugh wing's activist base of hard-core GOP ideologues last October and got booed by them for calling Obama a "Decent Man You Don't Have To Be Afraid Of:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTMloaj6b68&feature=related

McCain Booed For Calling Obama A "Decent Man You Don't Have To Be Afraid Of" (1:58)

ThePatriotsMaxims
October 10, 2008

"McCain Booed For Calling Obama A Decent Man"