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RUSH: Over the weekend I will admit to you to being a little distressed. I'm reading more and more of this. It's bad enough having to listen to a bunch of Republican candidates run out and basically say that Reaganism and the Reagan era is over. What was the Reagan era? Reaganism and the Reagan era was conservatism. Conservatism is not over. Conservatism is the founding of this country! Conservatism is the Declaration of Independence. Is the Declaration of Independence, and "the era of the Declaration" over? It's highly troubling to me. McCain is now a close second to Romney in Michigan, but the national polls have him taking off. It's just mystifying to me. For example, those of you in Michigan, just to give you an illustration, you have the presidential campaign going on there now, the primary campaign, and you're hearing from all kinds of people about how Michigan is a one-state recession, and we're going to fix it. Romney's got his plan to fix it; McCain is offering his plan to fix it, not just Michigan, but the country. But I need to ask those of you in Michigan, and I'm serious about this, a question. You know the dire economic consequences you face with the election of Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat legislature, and tax increase, after tax increase, after tax increase.
One of the things that really concerns me about Michigan is the automobile industry in this country is under assault by Americans. It's under assault by Democrats, just by virtue of the fact that it's a big corporation, or a series of big corporations. It's a big business. It's also under assault by Democrats on the basis of global warming, climate change, and mandating CAFE standards and other things that threaten to put the whole place out of business because it's going to force people to buy cars that they don't want to buy -- and force GM and Ford, Chrysler, to make cars nobody wants to buy, all under the guise of saving the planet via climate change, which the manmade aspect of it is nothing but a hoax. John McCain and a lot of Republicans are running around claiming that they are the new Reagan. But Reaganism and the Reagan era is over. So they're asking us to accept that who they are and what they believe happens to be the new definition of conservatism, the new definition of Reaganism. What is Senator McCain's solution to the economic crisis in Michigan? Well, I'll tell you what it is: massive, expensive regulation of the auto industry. How?
 Fuel economy mandates that are going to add up to essentially an $85 billion tax increase on the domestic auto industry. These CAFE laws, these CAFE standards have cost the industry thousands of jobs already when they were first imposed during the last oil panic in the 1970s. Senator McCain is right on board with this global warming climate change stuff, he's right on board, and he's pushing it, and he's saying it's the new conservatism. I'm telling you, you people in Michigan... Another thing that's bothering me here, if I may interrupt myself in midstream and mid-thought, is that both McCain and Huckabee are actively seeking support from non-Republicans. Stick with McCain first. Just as he did in 2000, he's seeking the votes of independents and Democrats in Michigan. Probably in as many states as he can find, he would like to be able to do that. Of course, I've got a new name for, by the way, these independents and moderates. I call them "Jell-Os" from now on. You independents, you moderates, you know who you are. You are shaky; we can see through you. You are transparent. You can be filled up with marshmallows and processed, mushy fruit like the garbage the Drive-Bys and McCain are trying to sway you with. You're just a bunch of quivering masses of little Jell-O out there.
You're transparent. We can put you in a mold and make you whatever we or they want you to be. I say this with all affection. I say this with all love and compassion. Nobody wants to be moldable, do you? Nobody wants to be transparent. Do you want everybody to be able to see through you? If I didn't know better, I'd say some of these candidates actually have some sort of grudge against the Republican Party and are trying to harm it. How in the world do you want to become the Republican nominee if you have to do it by going out and getting the votes of independents and Democrats? By the way, Democrats are being urged in Michigan, since their primary doesn't count because they don't get any delegates. They moved their primary up before when the party wanted them to, and so they're being aced out of any delegates. Hillary is the only one on the ballot. So the Democrat Party in Michigan is urging Democrats there to vote "uncommitted" to deny Hillary a victory. I mean, it's all convoluted. But some of the things that I hear from people like Senator McCain, would continue to wreak havoc in Michigan. Now, in primaries, one of the problems you have is that impressions and image, perception count for a lot more than substance. |
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You know, we're going to get to the issues eventually once we get to the presidential race. Once we have both parties' nominees, we'll get to the issues. But that's not going to happen 'til after Labor Day, folks, and those of you out there decrying and bemoaning the lack of issues, get used to it. This is what primaries are, and always have been. People don't have the emotional stamina to stay closely in touch with all of this, issue-wise, for as many months as it's going to be, 11 months. They just don't have the stamina, plus don't have the interest. So right now image and impression and perception are what's counting. Of course, to independents and Democrats, the idea of a McCain (and to a lesser extent Huckabee) who are not strictly tied to the Republican Party and conservatism, why, that's a godsend, because they have their clichéd dislikes and hatreds for conservatism, and we have a situation here where in these early states, Republicans aren't even voting yet, particularly conservatives aren't even voting. We're having independents and Democrats with a great say-so over who the Republican nominee is than Republicans.
But throw your party out. I don't care if you're Republican or Democrat in Michigan, you can't possibly like what's happening there. You can't possibly like the fact that you've had a one-state recession while the rest of the country has been relatively booming -- and you better pay attention to what these people are saying that their plan for the country is, and what their plan specifically for the auto industry is. I just watched some videotape. A big auto show in Detroit's going on. GM just put on display its brand-new Corvette, 600 and some odd horsepower, V8, supercharged, I guess, hundred thousand dollars. They may not be able to make this car ever again if people like McCain get elected president, or any Democrat -- and I kid you not. If these CAFE standards, 45 miles a gallon, become law and actually happens, and you think, "Oh, Rush, it's not going to be that severe." Look at the lightbulb business. Oh, speaking of that, Mike, we gotta grab a quick sound bite. Our buddy Frank Beckmann, WJR Detroit, had this exchange this morning with Senator McCain.
BECKMANN: (via phone) I just don't want the government telling me to use these fluorescent lightbulbs and -- and --
McCAIN: The government is not doing that! The government is --
BECKMANN: That's what that new energy bill does. By 2014 we've gotta change to those bulbs.
McCAIN: Well, uh, I think, very frankly, you'll have a better lightbulb and a more efficient one.
RUSH: He doesn't even know that the energy bill mandates a switch from the incandescents to the compact fluorescents, and finds out of that it does from Frank Beckmann and then says (McCain impression), "It will be a better lightbulb! It'll be a more efficient one!" It's the energy bill, and he doesn't even know what's in it! So what's in this energy bill that involves CAFE standards and so forth? I'm telling you, when GM can't make the Corvette -- and it's got buyers. You have people who want them. You know what they're going to have to do to keep selling the Corvette? They're going to have to manufacture a whole bunch of tiny little bubble cars that nobody wants so that their fleet-wide CAFE standards meet these government targets. So we've got the government of California that wants to take over your thermostat. They want the utility companies to be able to regulate the temperature in your house based on what they think it ought to be, via radio control.
You won't have any control over your thermostat if this happens, and you say, "Oh, Rush, that's never going to happen." Who woulda thought that a bunch of dingleberries would ban a lightbulb? It's happened in the energy bill. If this thing ever does get implemented the way that it's intended to be, people are going to be stunned and shocked here. So, you know, folks, especially those of you in Michigan, forget personalities, thinking of yourselves here. Most people do. Think of your state. Think of what's going to happen if people who want to turn this country into some sort of signatory to the Kyoto protocol without actually signing it. What's it going to do to the number one industry in your state, which is already devastated? And it's a target, and it's silly that it's a target. It's understandable the Democrats would target the auto industry because it's industry and it's big business. But for Republicans to start targeting, that's when your ears have to perk up. |
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The Drive-Bys and pundits are all singing the McCain chorus. They're proclaiming he is the only one who can win a head-to-head election with any Democrat. Here's what Dick Morris wrote: "McCain's record taps into a latent populism that attracts Republicans, Democrats and Independents," the Jell-Os. "His battle against big tobacco, efforts to address global warming, opposition to torture during interrogations and fight to reform corporate governance and to protect investors and pensioners appeal to voters of all stripes." The fact that he's for blatant across-the-board amnesty; the fact that he is opposed to the Bush tax cuts doesn't seem to matter at all.
For those of you in Michigan, listen to this George Will column that ran yesterday: "Tuesday's Republican primary is in one of the nation's worst-governed states. Under a Democratic governor, Michigan has been taxed into a one-state recession. Native son Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate who best understands how wealth is created, might revive his campaign by asking: Who do you want to be president in 2010 when the Bush tax cuts, which McCain opposed, expire? Can automakers endure more regulations such as the fuel efficiency mandates that climate-fixers such as McCain favor? Do you want a president (Mike Huckabee, proponent of a national sales tax of at least 30 percent) pledged to radically increase the proportion of federal taxation paid by the middle class? Republicans should try to choose the next president. They cannot avoid choosing how their party will define itself, even if by a loss beneath a worthy banner."
Folks, I'm going to spend some time on this in the next half hour, how the Republican Party defines itself and how I fear it is in the throes of defining itself is something about which we all need to be concerned. That's coming up in the next half hour, and a brilliant monologue on tap. However, ladies and gentlemen, a special dedication to the good people of Michigan suffering, as they are, John McCain, If You Don't Know Me by Now.
(playing of If You Don't Know Me by Now)
That's our buddy Paul Shanklin as Senator McCain, If You Don't Know Me by Now. Do you know who originally sang that tune? Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes. And do you know who the lead singer was on that song? It was Teddy Pendergrass who was the lead singer for Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes.
Quickly, Pete in Toledo, Ohio. Nice to have you on the program. One minute, sir, make it count. Never mind. Too much time has gone by. I don't want to put that much pressure on a caller to get it said in less than one minute. So let me just preview what's coming up getting ready to replay at the top of the next hour the opening monologue of today's program which is being massively demanded by the public on both phone calls and in the e-mail. Coming up next, a couple of audio sound bites from Newt Gingrich, who was on This Week with George Stephanopoulos yesterday, discussing, among other things, the end of the Reagan era. |
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RUSH: This is Ray in Jackson, Michigan. Glad you called, Ray. Welcome to the program.
CALLER: Honored to speak with you. I'll get right to the point here. Here in Jackson, Michigan, Michigan in general, I'm a little confused about our primary and how it is I should vote. And what I mean by that is, on one hand I think that pretty much since Hillary's got it in the bag with the exception of write-in Democrats, Republicans voting for somebody else, I see another way this possibly could go, and that is for them to vote for the weaker Republican, which, in my situation, makes me feel that no matter who I vote for, I don't have an opinion or a voice in this matter.
RUSH: Yeah, this is something I just addressed, and it is crucial. The Democrat primary in Michigan is irrelevant. Hillary's the only one on the ballot, and there are no delegates attached to it because Michigan went against the party and scheduled their primary before the party wanted it to happen. The Republican primary, same thing, but they're only going to be penalized with half the delegates, so there are delegates at stake. The Democrat pooh-bahs in Michigan are urging Democrats to go vote uncommitted so that Hillary does not run away with it in Michigan. But, of course, there are a couple Republicans that are urging Democrats and independents, the Jell-Os in Michigan, to cross the line and vote for them. Look, this is what happened in New Hampshire. You talk about disenfranchised, Mrs. Clinton's running around saying that people in Nevada are going to be disenfranchised because of the caucus rules out there, and this is already setting the stage here for what might be a disappointing performance. And the Republicans, this is what I'm trying to tell you. This is why, Ray, you can feel like your vote doesn't count, but this is why Romney and these guys are going to stay in this until we get to genuine primaries where only Republicans vote and where most of the Republicans in these states are conservative. Romney's got the money to stay in. I think Thompson's going to stay in until we actually get to conservative Republicans voting in a primary. Just keep in mind that McCain, and I think to a lesser extent Huckabee, are seeking actively the votes of these Democrats and these independents. |
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RUSH: We'll go to St. Louis. This is Mary Kay. Thanks for your patience, and welcome. All right, this is the second call we have attempted to take in a row, and nobody is there. Mary Kay, if you're there, just hang on. Or is she gone?
CALLER: No, I'm here.
RUSH: Very good. Welcome back. You were out there in the ether for a while. We'll blame it on the engineer.
CALLER: Okay, let's do that. My comment is, I don't understand how Republicans, especially conservative Republicans, can vote for John McCain. He's a liberal Democrat in Republican clothing. And if he gets the nomination, for the first time in 42 years, I will not vote. And I don't care who we get.
RUSH: I'm hearing variations of this from quite a few people, and not just members of the audience, but from a cadre of friends of mine, the point about if somebody like McCain or Huckabee gets the nomination, say they're just not going to vote --
CALLER: I'm not.
RUSH: -- and just going to, you know, leave it up to another four years of Jimmy Carter-like leadership, and then --
CALLER: That's what we'll have if McCain or Huckabee gets in. What difference does it make?
RUSH: Well, if any of the Democrats get in, the same thing.
CALLER: Right. So they're the same. They're one and the same. Where are the conservatives? Why are all these Republicans voting for John McCain?
RUSH: They're not yet. You know, this is the point that I'm trying to make. There haven't been that many Republicans voting in these primaries yet, Mary Kay. You gotta chill out there.
CALLER: But, if they're not voting, I mean for crying out loud we're going to have a primary here. I don't care if John McCain is winning, I'm going to go vote for somebody else.
RUSH: Good.
CALLER: I haven't decided.
RUSH: Listen to what I'm telling you. We've had two states. You know who's leading in the delegate count right now far and away, is Romney.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: Everybody is discounting, "Oh, it doesn't matter, Rush." Of course it does, because delegates at the convention are how you get the nomination, wrapping up the votes, the majority of over 1,100 needed on the Republican side. We've had Iowa, we've had New Hampshire, and in the case of New Hampshire, it was the majority of Democrats and independents that voted for McCain. Romney got the majority of the Republican vote in New Hampshire. Now, wait 'til South Carolina and wait 'til some of these other states, when we get into Super Tuesday, and it might be a different story. But it's a salient question you're asking, why are all these Republicans voting for McCain? All that many aren't.
CALLER: So what you're saying is don't get hysterical.
RUSH: Well, you're a woman, and you're entitled. And this thing is making a lot of people hysterical because of what I said in the last half hour. All these people are trying to redefine conservatism. Conservatism is immutable; conservatism is not a scheme; it's not a plan that you modify in order to bend and shape and fit the discourse of the American people. That's what liberalism or populism is.
CALLER: All the conservatives, that's how the Republicans have won in the past. It's been conservatives.
RUSH: Tell me.
CALLER: What is it they don't understand about that?
RUSH: You got me. It's one of the questions -- Ronald Reagan showed how to do it; the Republicans that took over the Congress in 1994 showed how to do it. Why it is being abandoned and eschewed, who knows. But clearly there are a lot of people on our side who are very eager to go out and redefine conservatism as them. And not just candidates, but people in the media, people who are commentators and pundits, and it's a mystery to me. I don't quite understand it, if the objective is winning. Now, it might well be ego, might well be power. Who knows what it is. Look, the New York Times has a story about how people in South Carolina, after hearing Fred Thompson in the debate, Republicans, changed their minds instantly. And what did he do? He lashed into Huckabee for being liberal.
Forget the fact he was talking about Huckabee. He was talking ideology. He was talking conservative principles. There's a hunger for it in the Republican Party right now. Our problem is not that conservatism's changed. Our problem is not that the conservative era has died. The problem is that we don't have anybody leading the conservative movement. We don't have anybody willing to espouse those principles and those tenets and leading a movement. Why? Your guess is as good as mine, but it's very frustrating to see more and more Republicans think that the way they can win, and the only way they can win, is to go snatch a couple liberal votes here from Pennsylvania, a couple liberal votes from New York, a couple liberal votes from Massachusetts, a couple liberal votes from California. It's not going to work.
CALLER: No, it is not.
RUSH: It is not going to succeed.
CALLER: The Republicans aren't going to win if they don't get back to their conservative principles. I don't know what happened to them, and it's maddening. I don't understand. I mean, they know how to win. That's how to win.
RUSH: Well, see, maybe it comes down to that, do they know how to win?
CALLER: Well, maybe they don't.
RUSH: Maybe they don't.
CALLER: I mean, once they get into office they seem to buckle under the Democrats.
RUSH: The temptation for people who win elections, conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican, what have you, once you get hold of that amount of money, the federal Treasury, once you can start doling it out to keep yourself in office, I imagine that's an awfully powerful aphrodisiac. I imagine the allure of that for the wrong people could water down anybody's principles. The problem with that, is that when that happens to conservatives, they become liberals because that's precisely how liberals view the world. I ran across something, I was reading the Power Line blog over the weekend, and they posted an excerpt from Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, how he "concludes with a warning of the kind of despotism to which democracies are especially susceptible." You gotta hear this, because, I'm telling you, de Tocqueville, who wrote this a long time ago, is defining America precisely in this. |
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RUSH: Cookeville, Tennessee. We go back to the phones. Jerry, nice to have you on the EIB Network. Hello.
CALLER: Hey, happy birthday, Rush.
RUSH: Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
CALLER: About John McCain here real quick, first let me give a shot out to the guys at Veteran's Barber Shop?
RUSH: Quickly.
CALLER: Okay, hey guys. How you doing? Okay. Yeah, John McCain said in the debate the other night that we need to keep the Bush tax cuts permanent. But yet he voted against them twice, and I mean the guy is such a hypocrite. You know?
RUSH: Well, he realizes his mistake here, I think. He's trying to rewrite history and make everybody forget that he opposed them, like he wants people to forget that he proposed amnesty and so forth. Look, we have some polling data from Michigan. This is from McClatchy newspapers. "Romney led McCain by 2-to-1 among voters who ranked the economy and jobs their top concern. Romney led Huckabee by a slightly greater margin among those same voters. He led McCain by 2-to-1 among likely voters who call themselves Republicans. McCain owes..." This is analysis from that piece. "McCain owes his solid standing to independents and Democrats, taking 38% their life support, while Huckabee had 22%. Romney had 18%. Evangelical Christians represented 46% of the likely primary vote in Michigan, and Huckabee got 31% of their support while Romney got 23%." Let me translate all this for you: Republicans are rejecting McCain in Michigan, just like they always have. Huckabee gets less than a third of evangelicals. Are the evangelicals going to stay home if Huckabee is not their nominee, for example? Once we get the states where only Republicans can vote for other Republicans, this is going to be Thompson, Romney, and Giuliani in the contest. You just wait and see. If we get there before people crack up. |
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