RUSH: This is the Today Show today. The cohost, Meredith Vieira, talking with Chuck Todd — who, by the way, yesterday said that I am part of a dying medium: radio. Radio is a dying medium and, you know, the Internet and television, that’s where the action is. Hey, Chuck? We ought to do a little poll. Who is Chuck Todd? He is in the media. He’s in television. He’s in the very active, big time, really popular television medium.
We should do a little poll: ‘Who is Chuck Todd?’ and then give some options: ‘Obama butt boy? NBC correspondent? Internet reporter? Fired journalist from the Rocky Mountain News?’ We can give four different possibilities here. ‘He wants to work at Chicago Tribune, but they’re not hiring. He wants to work at LA Times, but they’re not hiring. He wants to work at New York Times, but the share price there is less than the cost of the Sunday edition of the paper.’ So Chuck Todd yesterday says (laughing) I am in a dying medium. (laughing) After all of this? After all of this that they’re doing, I am in a dying medium? So who is Chuck Todd? Do you know who Chuck Todd is, Dawn?
She doesn’t know who he is and she looks at him every day with the sound down, ’cause all the TV monitors are on in front of her, but she doesn’t know who he is. (interruption) No, of course there’s no need to the Fairness Doctrine. Radio is a dying medium. In fact, you know, the Fairness Doctrine, I want to get in on the Rahm Emanuel secret phone call talking points phone call. He’s only calling libs. The White House is only calling fellow libs and Democrats, Stephanopoulos, The Forehead, and Serpent Head. You know, I’d like to get in on those phone calls. It’s fairness. It’s only fair that I find out what they’re aiming at me. Anyway, here is Chuck Todd on the Today Show today. The question: ‘Chuck, what does this back and forth say right now about who is the face of the Republican Party?’
TODD: Democrats and the White House are ecstatic that Michael Steele apologized. They’ve been trying to make the case all weekend that Rush Limbaugh was the face and the leader and the intellectual force of the Republican Party. Here Michael Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican Party, criticized him. Looked like it was going to be a rift, and in less than one news cycle, he apologizes making that point. But Democrats ought to be careful. The last time they thought and they were giddy about the idea, uh, of a talk radio guy being the face or the inspiration of the party, he helped lead them out of the wilderness and get them back into power.
RUSH: Now, that’s today. They should be leery of me, ’cause last time they came at me like this, I led the Republican Party out of the wilderness back to power. Yesterday, I’m part of a dying medium. The White House better be careful. A lot of people are saying that. Where is the evidence that taking on Limbaugh works? Clinton tried it three times. He tried it at the White House Correspondents Dinner, he tried it aboard Air Force One, and he tried blaming me for the Oklahoma City bombing. Carville, I think, told him to shut up. It was during the ’96 campaign against Bob Dole. And Clinton went out there, said something about me, and Carville went on television, ‘It ain’t Limbaugh! It’s Dole! Dole! Dole! Say the name: Dole! Dole! Dole!’ (laughing) So the Chucker here has a point. All right. Let’s see.
Quick phone call here before we have to go to the break. This is Jonathan in, Greenville North Carolina. It’s nice to have you on the EIB Network, sir. Hello.
CALLER: Yes, sir. Thank you so much for taking my call.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: I have been a longtime listener, and I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing the — or shining the light of truth on what’s going on in Washington and making it understandable to so many people across this country. I’m just so grateful for that and hope you keep up the good work, sir.
RUSH: Thank you very much. I appreciate that, Jonathan, more than you know.