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RUSH: I’m gonna tell you, this is exactly why you appreciate somebody like Ted Cruz. This is exactly why. Look at what’s happening up in New Hampshire. You know, these people on our side, some of them are acting so foolishly, it’s hard not to just start making fun of them, telling jokes and laughing about what’s going on, except it’s pretty serious, what we’re all facing.

Hi, folks. How are you? Rush Limbaugh, the EIB Network and the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies.

Okay, so we’re in New Hampshire, and New the Hampshire primary is today and people are showing up and voting. One of the statistics being put out there is that 40% are undecided. And of that 40% that are undecided a majority of them happen to be moderates and independents. And so what is the result of that? Well, we got Jeb Bush running around saying that he’s never, ever gonna criticize Barack Obama. He would never stoop to doing it.


Well, that’s really helpful, isn’t it? And then Jeb Bush runs around saying even if he had to do a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court Citizens United case, he would do it. Citizens United is a free speech case that allows anybody to contribute to political campaigns, including the dreaded corporations people like Hillary Clinton give speeches to and so forth.

Then you’ve got Kasich out there saying that he’s further to the left of Hillary Clinton. Then you’ve got Christie running around doing what he’s doing. All three of these guys try to make themselves look like the biggest squish moderates you have ever seen. They’re certainly trying to make themselves not look like they are Republicans.

And that’s what annoys me. They’re in a Republican primary, and rather than stand up and try to sell and try to promote the whole concept of the necessary steps we need to take to reverse the trends in this country, to save this country, to stop the direction we’re going, instead what do they do? They pander.

Now, I know people would say, “But, Rush, they have to. The object is to win elections.” I understand all of that. Winning elections is one thing, but there’s also a much larger objective here, too. And you’re not gonna turn this country around by not criticizing Barack Obama. And to go out and try to win an election on that basis in a Republican primary? I don’t care if it is New Hampshire. I don’t care if 40% of the undecided are moderates and independents. They’re moderates and independents, they’re unattached for one reason or another. They don’t like one or both parties. Well, go out and grab ’em with what you really believe. I don’t believe that Jeb Bush really wants to overturn Citizens United, and I don’t really believe Jeb Bush doesn’t think Obama’s done anything worth criticizing, but to go out there and say that he won’t do it?

Why don’t you just sound like every Republican inside the Beltway the past seven years? Where’s that gotten ’em? It’s stunning to me. And I’m telling you I’m on the verge here of cracking jokes and laughing at these people, which would be the fun way to approach it, but things are pretty serious here. And this is why, you know, say what you want about Ted Cruz, but Mr. Ted Cruz would never engage in this kind of watering down his beliefs. “I know but, Rush, but, Rush, Cruz is not supposed to win here. He knows he doesn’t have to win here. He knows he’s not going to win, so he doesn’t have to.” Doesn’t matter. He wouldn’t do this kind of thing anyway.

And this is the difference. If victory were at hand and all Ted Cruz had to do was go out and say, “You know what? I’m through criticizing Obama,” it’d be the end of him the rest of the way. He wouldn’t do it. There’s a story here, of all places, Vox. “Everyone is Underestimating Ted Cruz.” You know, I’ve tried to make that point any number of circuitous ways in the recent past. But if conservatism and the values inherent in conservatism, the founding of America, all of these things, if they matter to you, the one thing you’ll never doubt is where Ted Cruz is on any of it.

But with these guys, why, they’re fluid, they’re flexible, it depends on what is needed at the time. If they’ll do this in New the Hampshire primary, then they would sure as hell do it in the White House if it came to it that they had to do something to gain favor, curry favor, end up looking good or what have you. I can’t believe this. I mean, except that I can.

“Jeb Bush: ‘I will not blame Barack Obama for a single thing.’ Jeb Bush vowed Monday that he will not scapegoat President Obama for any challenges he faces should he be elected president. ‘My pledge to you: When IÂ’m president I will not blame Barack Obama for a single thing,’ he told listeners at the Nashua Country Club in Nashua, N.H.”


Now, I understand the point. He’s out there saying, “Look, I’m not gonna be what Obama is, and I’m not gonna blame Bush and blame my predecessor.” He’s trying to defend his brother, I understand all that, but I’m sorry, this doesn’t work. The problems that we face are linked, directly linked to Barack Hussein O. In reversing the direction this country’s going you’re going to have explain why you’re doing it, and part and parcel explaining why you’re doing it is to explain why we’re in the mess, and you cannot leave Obama out of that. He is the mess!

We can argue all day long about whether he’s an incompetent boob swerving and stumbling into one disaster after another or whether it’s some grand design, which I happen to believe, as you well know. But to telegraph, “I’m sorry, I’m not gonna blame Obama for a single thing. I’m really tired of politicians that blame their predator predecessor.” Okay, a little family loyalty here. I get that. “I have a personal kind of feeling about it having watched it for a while. I hope you want a president who actually accepts accountability and responsibility.” Well, yeah, for things you do.

See, we got moderates, we got independents. This is another version of: I’m the guy who can cross the aisle. I’m the guy who can work with the Democrats. I’m the guy who can make Washington work. I’m the guy that can execute bipartisanship. I’m the guy that doesn’t look at the other side like the bad guys and the enemy. I’m the guy. Okay, so you got 40% of the New Hampshire electorate maybe made up of people who are that squishy. Fine, you want to tie yourself to something you say in the New Hampshire primary for rest of your campaign, the rest of your presidency if you happen to be elected? It’s a long shot. I don’t know. To me it’s a sign that there’s no core.

If you really have a core, principled belief system you couldn’t so easily abandon it. And isn’t that the rub on most in politics today, that there isn’t a core, that they have no problem selling out what it is they believe because they really don’t believe it? They just float from wherever to wherever. Be it amnesty, be it Obamacare… Take the issue; pick the issue. It doesn’t matter. Moisten your finger, stick it in the wind, see which way the wind’s blowing and get in front of it. Mitch McConnell said this week (summarized), “You know what?

“We in the Senate have decided we’re not gonna criticize Obama for the balance of the year. We’re not gonna object to the Obama agenda.” People said, “Why?” “Well, because that might have a negative effect on our presidential campaign.” “Really?” “Yeah, we can’t be seen as criticizing the president. That’s not what the voters want. They want us to work together and so forth.” “But you’re gonna have a presidential campaign based on everything going on now is wrong and needs to be fixed.” “Well, that may be, but we’re not gonna engage in that kind of behavior ’cause that might not go well with our nominee, whoever it is,” blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.


You know, who knows what’s gonna happen in New Hampshire. You’ve got theories out the wazoo just exactly like I said last week. Theory here, theory there. I can go through them all for you. “Trump better win by 15! If he doesn’t win by 15, he’s over with. If Trump wins by five or six, it’s over. You can write him off.” That’s one theory. Another theory is, “If Rubio doesn’t finish higher than fourth place, he’s finished. He’s done with. He’s over with. That robotic appearance in the debate? That ended it! He’s finished. He’s over with.”

“If Jeb wins this thing it’s an earthquake, look out! Second place New Hampshire? If Jeb comes in second place New Hampshire, you better get ready because it will be a nuclear tsunami, and Jeb’s gonna win the nomination.” That’s being bandied about there, and it’s all folderol. We don’t know anything. We’re back to where we are before the Hawkeye Cauci: A bunch of theorizing. But we’re gonna have some reality to react to tonight, so what people are doing, trying to predict the reality in advance, various scenarios and then tell you what you’re gonna be thinking if either or any scenario happens to manifest itself.

And I’m here to tell you, nobody knows, because beyond Trump winning this thing, nobody has the slightest idea what’s gonna happen. You got the latest… There’s an Emerson poll. The Emerson poll has… What does the Emerson have? Emerson poll has a shock. Find the Emerson poll. Emerson poll. Bush in second place and Rubio slipping to fourth, and everybody says, “Emerson poll? What the hell is the Emerson poll?” It’s a student poll. Okay, so why does it matter? Well, because they called Iowa. Yeah. Emerson was the only polling outfit that said Trump was not gonna win Iowa. It had Trump and Cruz finishing in a tie.

So because Emerson was the only polling outfit that got close in Iowa, we now have to listen to what they’re saying about New Hampshire. But if you go to CNN and their latest poll coming out of New Hampshire, you find Trump leading big, Rubio in second place, Bush and Christie in deep, deep, deep doo-doo. But then another poll has Trump winning and then a toss-up after that between Rubio and Bush, and I don’t think there’s a poll out there that has Christie doing second place. Not sure. Haven’t examined all of the polls.

Anyway, you get my drift on this. I don’t need to keep pounding this. But my point is, we would never be having this conversation about Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz would never make news by renouncing his core beliefs. Just would never do it, would never happen.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, did I not mention that Jeb wanted to get rid of the Citizens United case? I thought I mentioned that. I don’t even think — and it doesn’t matter. I don’t even think that Jeb could. It’s a Supreme Court decision. It’s not something he just can go in there and overturn, get rid of it. You don’t ask the Supreme Court to go in and reject it. It’s just something to say. You know, here’s the crazy thing. I’ve always, always made this point — and I am gonna be making this point again, ladies and gentlemen. It doesn’t make any sense.

We have all these Republicans so afraid of being critical of Obama, so afraid of appearing to be non-bipartisan, so afraid of appearing critical and so forth. So the Republicans seem obsessed with the idea that, in order to get people to vote for them and to like them and to love them, they’ve gotta make sure everybody knows they’re willing to work with the Democrats, that they will not criticize Obama; therefore, they are not racists. They want to cross the aisle. They want to work with the Democrats.

They want to accept the great ideas the Democrats have. They want to incorporate the Democrats’ great ideas with their ideas. They want everybody to come together, kumbaya, and make Washington work. And yet Barack Obama is the most divisive president in history. There is nothing bipartisan about Barack Obama. He has done nothing but divide this country. He makes no pretense at unity. He makes no pretense at bipartisanship. And he viciously criticizes Republicans.

And I have yet to hear anybody say that the independents and the moderates don’t like it when the Democrats criticize Republicans. And when they don’t like that, they’re gonna run right to the Republican Party. I never hear it said that it’s a two-way street. All we ever hear is that these precious moderates and independents, they like everybody getting along. And then when people aren’t getting along, they only blame Republicans for it.


Obama can be as mean-spirited as he wants.

The Democrats as extremist as they want.

They can be as divisive; they can call people names left and right; they can lie; they can make things up about Republicans.

And the independents don’t care! No way. Independents and the moderates don’t mind. Nope! They hang in there with the extremists. They hang in there the people dividing the county. They hang in there with the people that are not bipartisan. And yet the Republicans seem to think that that drives them away. It doesn’t. What a cool trick! Whoever found this one and perpetrated it… Unless it’s not a trick. Unless it’s the Republicans using it as an excuse not to have to do the work of opposing anything.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: So Jeb’s not afraid to criticize Trump. Jeb has no problem criticizing Marco Rubio. No problem going after any of his Republican competitors out there. But when it comes to Barack Hussein O, “I’m not going to criticize my predecessor! No way! Why would you criticize the single greatest destructive agent the White House has ever seen? Why would you do that? Well, of course you wouldn’t ever criticize Obama. We can’t have that.”

Sorry, folks. If you’re not gonna criticize Obama, you’re never gonna square with the American people what’s gone wrong with this country, and then therefore you’re never gonna be able to fix it. If you’re not able to look the American people in the eye and tell ’em what’s wrong and what needs to be fixed and why it went wrong, you have no hope of fixing it. You’re just gonna be a caretaker for wherever we’re headed next. You’ll maybe slow down the direction we’re going in, but you’re not gonna change it. Sorry. That’s just the way it works out.

Anybody else making these statements? Kasich: “I’m further to the left than Hillary Clinton!” You want to brag about it? He’s bragging about it. “I’m further to the left than Hillary…” Well, let’s give you a gold star. Yeah, that makes a real man in New Hampshire, huh? This is how you score in New Hampshire. God save us.

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