RUSH: Pete in Pensacola Beach, Florida, you’re next on the Rush Limbaugh program. Hello.
CALLER: Hi, Rush. Mega dittos.
RUSH: Thank you.
CALLER: My question is Newt Gingrich might be running for office, your take on that, when he made a comment last time with that, I think New Jersey liberal that was running there, the conservative, saying we need some of them in our party? That kind of worries me when he makes a statement like that. No, we don’t. We need to get back to conservatism. I just want to know what you thought.
RUSH: Did Newt actually say we need some New Jersey liberals?
CALLER: If I remember correctly he said we needed some in our party.
RUSH: I am unfamiliar with Newt having said that we need some New Jersey liberals running as conservatives; we need some of them in our party. I’m not aware —
CALLER: I might not be quoting him right but it led me to believe–
RUSH: Perhaps it was — (crosstalk)
CALLER: — it kind of shocked me —
RUSH: You might be interpreting something that a lot of DC Republicans are saying and that is that they’re very sad that there are no elected Republicans in the northeast and we cannot become a national party unless we are able to include the Republicans of the Northeast.
CALLER: Sure, but not the liberals (unintelligible) Republican and saying they’re truly liberal in their beliefs and their voting. What was the lady that actually was running, I forget her name and then she ended up bowing out and backing the Democratic person. Was it New Jersey?
RUSH: That’s New York 23. Dede Scozzafava, I know who you mean. I think what Newt’s saying is that we need more Colin Powells.
CALLER: I don’t agree with that, neither, but that’s my take.
RUSH: The problem is, if we need more northeastern Republicans in our party to win and then expand our coalition, the only kind of northeastern Republicans there are are liberals.
CALLER: That is true. They don’t believe in smaller government. They can cut your taxes but if they don’t shrink the government at the same time, the small business guys like us are destined to fail.
RUSH: Here’s the best way to understand this. I’m going to use Karl Rove as a way. Zev Chafets before he wrote the book on me, Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One, he wrote a profile in the New York Times Sunday magazine about me. He went and talked to Karl Rove. And he asked Karl Rove, ‘You know, Rush sometimes jumps on people in the Republican Party.’ Karl Rove said, ‘Well, Rush is not a party man, Rush is a conservative.’ And that’s right. There’s a huge difference. Newt is a party man. Newt’s a Republican through and through.
CALLER: (unintelligible)
RUSH: The guy sounds like he’s in a ditch or underwater here. Are you okay out there?
CALLER: Oh, I’m sorry.
RUSH: What happened?
CALLER: No, I was listening to you and I’m driving at the same time and kind of watching the road, too.
RUSH: Oh, jeez.
CALLER: I didn’t know if I was still on or not. But I appreciate everything you do Rush.
RUSH: Thank you very much.
CALLER: You know, truth is everything and we gotta keep to it, and I appreciate it.
RUSH: When you cross a Democrat with a human being what you get is a RINO. The best way to explain this is very simple. You cross a Democrat with a human being, you breed a Democrat with a human being, what you get is a Republican-in-name-only. Pure and simple. And they are party people. Newt is a party guy. Well, he has to be. If he wants to run for president he’s going to have to get the Republican Party nomination and if you want the Republican Party nomination as it’s currently structured there are certain things that you’re going to have to do, and where Newt and I differ, and I guess we do, is that I think that conservatives ought to take over this party and there’s no greater time to do it than now. There’s no greater opportunity to contrast conservatism with what we’ve got destroying the country. Republicanism is not the answer. Conservatism is. Because Republicanism does include people like Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Lincoln Chafee. (interruption) Yes, a question from the official program observer. What is it? I answered the guy’s question. Newt is a party man. Newt is a Republican, and if he’s going to run for president he’s got to do what anybody wants to do to get the Republican Party nomination these days.
Anyway, I’ve gotta take a brief time-out here. I’ll be back right after this. Don’t go anywhere, folks, and thanks very much for the phone call out there, Pete. Don’t try that again, though.