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April 18, 2008 |
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Story #1: Democrats: Second-Biggest Threat to the Economy
RUSH: An amazing story here from AP. Headline: "Executives See Credit and Housing as Big Threats". But you know what they see as the second biggest threat? They don't put it this way, but I will: Democrats. The election of Democrats to the presidency the second biggest threat to the American economy, because they'll raise taxes.
Now, this, ladies and gentlemen, is a great example of how, if I ran a news network or a wire service, I would change the way things are reported. Let me read to you what AP has written here. The reporter is Martin Crutsinger. "Turmoil in credit and housing markets will be the most significant threat to growth this year, according to a survey of top financial company executives released Friday. These executives believe there is a high probability -- 88 percent -- that the country will suffer a recession in the next 12 months. The responses came from executives whose firms are members of the Financial Services Forum, which represents 20 of the largest financial companies in the country including Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Allstate Insurance and Fidelity Investments. After credit market tumult and troubles in the housing market, the executives listed the next biggest threats to the economy now as the possibility the government will impose higher taxes or raise protectionist barriers to foreign competition."
Well, what party is going to do that? What party is out there promising to raise taxes? Doesn't matter. Both Hillary and Obama are promising to raise taxes, and when you listen to Obama tell us why, it's not about raising revenue. The whole purpose of the tax code is to raise revenue, to fund government services, blah, blah, blah. We all know this. But not with Obama. To him, the tax code is to be used as punishment. It's to try to perfect everybody, make everybody equal, it's to punish people who, in Obama's view, have enough. And the same thing with Mrs. Clinton, who's out there saying she wants to take Big Oil's profits and pour them into research on alternative fuels.
So the way I would write this story, "After credit market tumult and troubles in the housing market, the executives listed the next biggest threats to the economy now as the possibility that Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will be elected president," because they're the ones who are talking about imposing higher taxes and raising protectionist barriers to foreign competition, i.e., NAFTA, and not passing the Colombia free trade agreement. Second biggest threat to economic growth is the Democrat Party. The AP makes it clear, but if you don't have the ability to put two and two together there and understand who's for raising taxes, you'll never get it.
 Story #2: Amazing Global Warming Poll Numbers from ABC
RUSH: I have the most amazing polling data here from ABC. I'm not going to tease you. I'll tell you about it right now. Question number three on this poll: "Thinking ahead to the November presidential election, what's the single most important issue in your choice for president?" You go down the list, and you get here to global warming, and zero! Nobody in the ABC poll listed global warming as the single most important issue in their choice for president. Number one is the economy and jobs. Number two is Iraq, terrorism, national security. It's 41 for the economy, 18 for the Iraq war, national security, and 7 percent is health care. Stop and think of that: Health care, only 7 percent of the respondents in this poll say it's the most important issue in electing a president. Immigration is at 4 percent. Ethics, honesty, corruption in government is also at 4 percent. Abortion is at 1 percent; morality, family values, two percent. Global warming, zero.
Story #3: See, I Told You So: With Age Comes Happiness
RUSH: You know, I have always said -- and not just on this program but to people in person -- that when I was young I hated being young. I wanted to be older. When I was 15, I wanted to be 21. When I was 21, wanted to be 25. At 25, wanted to be 30. And so on. I always wanted to be older, because I looked around, and the older people were the ones who were happy.
Lo and behold, I have a little story here from the Associated Press medical writer: "Newsflash for rock stars and teenagers: It turns out everything doesn't go downhill as we age -- the golden years really are golden. That's according to eye-opening research that found the happiest Americans are the oldest, and older adults are more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests. The two go hand-in-hand -- being social can help keep away the blues. 'The good news is that with age comes happiness,' said study author Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. 'Life gets better in one's perception as one ages.' A certain amount of distress in old age is inevitable, including aches, pains and deaths of loved ones and friends. But older people generally have learned to be more content with what they have than younger adults, Yang said. This is partly because older people have learned to lower their expectations and accept their achievements, said Duke University aging expert Linda George. An older person may realize 'it's fine that I was a schoolteacher and not a Nobel prize winner.'"
I think you just get older and you appreciate the whole concept of life. You just get one, and it depends on how old you are when you learn that and intellectually understand it. I mean, life's like anything else, you take it for granted, but there's only one, and you never know when it's going to end. And it generally takes age before you start appreciating it all and trying to get the most out of it, however you define that. I love to see this confirmation that I was right. I'm probably the only person that you have ever heard say, "I couldn't wait. I'm 57 now; I'm looking forward to 60." The history of my life is that every year has been better than the year before. I mean, there's bumps in there, of course, but you look back on it on balance, there's not a thing I would change.
Now, see, Snerdley is looking at me like he doesn't believe anything I'm saying. You don't believe me? Well, I'm sure at some point, you know, when I'm 75, I'm probably -- well, actually, I will be looking forward to being 80, hoping to get there. See, this is the point, Snerdley. He's in there: "You are the only person I know that's willing to get older." It's all in the mind! It's all in the mind. Remember: Most days I still feel like I'm 18 to 20 -- other than the level of responsibility I have learned to accept as an adult and the leader of Operation Chaos.
Story #4: Democrats Must Turn to Doomsday Option
RUSH: Speaking of Operation Chaos, this is from Politico.com, Roger Simon. "You know a candidate is really feeling the heat when he starts complaining about the kitchen. You know a candidate is having problems when he starts complaining about the process. Wednesday night, in a debate here, Barack Obama complained a number of times about the presidential campaign process and how some people spend way too much time 'obsessing' about some of the things he and others have actually said." Okay, so I guess from Barry's point of view, we've gone from being bitter to being obsessed. Wasn't it Obama who first told us that words matter, that words mean things? And then he complains when we use his words to define him. My friends, this guy does not have the temperament to be president. This guy, he comes from an entitlement mentality. Obviously, he's an elitist. An elitist is an attitudinal thing, it has nothing to do with how much money you have or don't have. Elitism is exactly as I've defined it. If you're an elitist, it means you look down on other people with arrogance and condescension. You have contempt for other people. That makes you an elitist, and you don't want to be held to the same standards because you're above it, and that's Obama.
He resents being held to the same standards as anybody else who's running for the White House or who is in politics. Because he got away so long with all this messianic appeal, where he wasn't saying anything, and there was this almost cult-like devotion. Now that's gone. The magic is gone. There's no magic. There's just reality that's set in, and he resents it. He does not like it. He does not like being held to these standards. Superdelegates are going to have to do the Doomsday Option, and you know it. The biggest obstacle is, "How do you do it?" Because if you only get rid of one of them, you're going to deal with anger like you haven't seen before. But if you get rid of both of them on the pretext that neither of them can win because you've had such a great campaign and it's just really torn the party apart, we've got to unify the party, then you might be able to get away with it, and that's what you're going to have to do. Otherwise, you guys are toast. They know it -- the superdelegates -- and so does Dr. Howard Dean.
Story #5: Another: Robert B. Reich-h-h-h Flees the Clintons
RUSH: Ladies and gentlemen, I have pointed out in recent past that there never seem to be any tell-all books written by former members of the Clinton administration, but when they are given a chance to walk away, they do, such as Bill Richardson has endorsed Obama. A number of others, maybe not even been in the administration, well some which were, but then others that were very close to them when they were in the White House, abandoning them for Obama. John Lewis, civil rights activist, marched in Selma with Dr. King. He vamanosed a long time ago. And now another defection. The former labor secretary Robert B. Reich-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h has announced that he is going to endorse Obama. I'll tell you, when people get a chance to flee these people it means they don't fear 'em anywhere. What, Snerdley? Sam Nunn? I would never associate Sam Nunn with a Clinton sycophant. Robert B. Reich was a labor secretary, for crying out loud. Like Richardson, did a bunch of things. And both these guys were hung out to dry during the Lewinsky thing. Clinton sent these people out there to attest to his honesty, veracity, and all that.
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