RUSH: Here’s Bobby from the New Jersey Turnpike. You’re next on the Rush Limbaugh program. Hello, sir.
CALLER: Hey, Rush. What a pleasure to talk to you again. I’m happy you didn’t put me on right after that guy. My head was still spinning.
RUSH: Thank you, sir.
CALLER: But I just wanted to congratulate and thank you for your speech at CPAC in 2009. I watched it in its entirety again last night, and it was incredible to watch your sense of confidence and your prescience in reaffirming what conservatism is and what it should be and what it could mean — and how that speech really laid the foundation for what has transpired over the last two years.
RUSH: Thank you.
CALLER: It was tremendous.
RUSH: I’m glad you reminded me. It was 2009 It’s either the second or third anniversary of that speech, CPAC speech.
CALLER: Second, right.
RUSH: That CPAC speech, that was given within three weeks or two weeks of Obama’s immaculation.
CALLER: That’s correct.
RUSH: And at that time there wasn’t a dry eye in conservatism. Everybody was in tears, and everybody’s heads were hung low, and everybody thought we were destined for the wilderness for generations.
CALLER: You really couldn’t tell that from watching you, though.
RUSH: Well, it’s my point.
CALLER: You had confidence and everything was tremendous.
RUSH: Well, I’m glad you liked it. Thank you very much.
CALLER: You’re welcome.
RUSH: That was a fun day. That went on for an hour and 20 minutes. It was supposed to go for 45 minutes and during one of the sustained periods of applause, the CPAC people said, ‘Look, can you keep going? Another 45 minutes would be fine.’ I said, ‘Sure,’ so we did. We had to room all night. (laughs) They said we didn’t have to get outta here ’til ten o’clock. So I’m glad you mentioned it, because CPAC’s convention is happening now. What prompted you to go back and watch it?
CALLER: The fact that CPAC was coming on again and I remember watching that and sort of applauding to myself and my family at home at the time and really sort of getting a charge from it, because it was darkness for the times for everybody that believes like we do, and it really was the start of how things turned around. You made a couple of mentions that were kind of interesting knowing how things have unfolded since. You mentioned the couple of Tea Parties that had popped up and I guess the guy on CNBC, Santelli, had mentioned or had his little rant shortly before your speech, et cetera. The health care thing hadn’t fully unfolded and it was interesting to see in context of history. I truly believe that it was a historic speech, and tremendously important for our country. I’m tremendously happy to be able to be on and thank you for you and congratulate you. It was a tremendous accomplishment.
RUSH: Thank you very much.
CALLER: No teleprompter. No teleprompter, of course, as well.
RUSH: No.
CALLER: Your first address to the nation.
RUSH: That’s right. (laughing) My first national address.
CALLER: That’s right.
RUSH: My first address to the nation — without a teleprompter to boot, exactly right. Thank you very much. You have made my day.
CALLER: Thank you, Rush.
RUSH: I had forgotten that ’til he mentioned it. I mean, it’s not something I think about every day, but it was fun. And you know, something interesting? We’re driving into town. You know, Kathryn’s with me in the back of the car being driven into town and I had no idea what I was gonna talk about. I never do. (chuckles) This is why I really don’t like doing speeches ’cause I never plan them. I don’t even outline them in my head. I always wait because I know sometime right before I’m gonna start, I’m gonna get some inspiration. Some giant spark is gonna be ignited, and driving into town is when I had the idea. I looked at Kathryn and I said, ‘You realize what this is? This is my first address to the nation,’ and we started laughing about that. So that’s what I used as the foundation for the whole thing, and that gave me my mind-set about what the speech was.
‘Okay, here’s an address to the nation. I’m addressing the nation at this point in time about this,’ and that’s what unlocked the deep, dark secrets of knowledge in my mind as to what I wanted to talk about. I’m sweating. I’m driving into town and I don’t know what I’m gonna talk about. I cannot… I do not have the ability, talent, or whatever. I cannot sit here and write a speech that I’m gonna give tomorrow night, next weekend or whatever. I just can’t do it. When I sit down to write, my brain freezes. I lose half my knowledge, or my ability to recall half my knowledge. I lose half my vocabulary. I sit there. The first error I make on the typewriter or computer keyboard, I stop to correct it and train of thought’s gone. So… (sigh) I hope and pray every time I’m supposed to do a speech that I get that spark. I do. It’s touch and go. I’ll betcha I lose 15 pounds in the one hour before a speech in nervous energy ’cause I don’t know what I’m gonna talk about. I’m sitting there waiting for the spark, and I got that one driving in about 45 minutes before I was to give it.