![](\"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/Romneylong-banner.jpg\"\/)
RUSH: “Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney renewed…” Now, listen to me, folks. Mitt Romney “renewed his support yesterday for automatic increases in the federal minimum wage to keep pace with inflation, a position sharply at odds with traditional Republican business allies, conservatives, and party senior lawmakers.” By the way, folks, have you seen the teenage unemployment rate in this country? Well, can you say “25%”? It\u2019s 16%, 18%. It\u2019s way, way up there. The teenage unemployment rate, it\u2019s at record highs.<\/p>\n
If you want more homes sold, then you allow the interest on a mortgage to be deducted. If you don\u2019t want a lot of homes to be sold, take that deduction away. If you want to spur teenage hiring, lower the minimum wage or get rid of it. If you want to retard teenage hiring — if you want to slow it down, if you want to limit the amount of teenagers to get jobs — raise the cost of hiring them. And that\u2019s what an increase in the minimum wage is. The minimum wage, the stock conservative answer to it is get rid of it. It certainly isn\u2019t to raise it. It certainly isn\u2019t to tie it to the cost of living index. But here we have from the AP: “Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney renewed his support Wednesday for automatic increases in the federal minimum wage to keep pace with inflation. “Said the former Massachusetts governor, ‘I haven\u2019t changed my thoughts on that.\u2019 He told reporters this aboard his chartered campaign plane, referring to a stand he\u2019s held for ten years.” Yeah, I want to raise the minimum wage. “He did not say if he would ask Congress to approve it.”<\/p>\n
Now, to my e-mail. “Dear Rush: You know Romney doesn\u2019t really believe this. Romney has to know the harm the minimum wage increase causes. This is probably a backtrack to show he cares about the poor.” So here we have — and this is not criticism. It\u2019s an illustration. He\u2019s doubled down on it. On an increase in the minimum wage, and a Romney supporter says, “No, no, Rush. He really doesn\u2019t mean that.” What do you do? “He really doesn\u2019t mean it.” It\u2019s not helpful.<\/p>\n
BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n
RUSH: Look, I\u2019m not being critical of this e-mailer. This e-mailer is a teachable moment. Mitt Romney says he\u2019s doubled down. “I believe in an automatic increase in the minimum wage tied to inflation.” The Romney supporter says, “He doesn\u2019t really mean that. He has to know the harm the minimum wage begets.” Well, for ten years he\u2019s held the policy and he\u2019s telling us today he\u2019s doubling down on it. If he knows the harm it causes, why does he support it? E-mail contains the answer. “He\u2019s probably just backtracking to show he cares about the poor. This is a way to try to make up for his blunder on the poor comment.” Well, doubling down on this only makes it worse. ‘Cause let me tell you what\u2019s going on. <\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/RushROmneyOreilly.jpg\"\/)
There\u2019s always a way around onerous regulations. Sometimes it\u2019s not worth the trouble. Other times it is. The national teenage unemployment rate in November, 21.4%. The teenage unemployment rate in Washington is over 50%. Now, who does the unemployment rate hit besides teenagers? It hits the unskilled worker. The unskilled worker who needs the first rung of that ladder. We got two great examples here. The comment on the poor. I know what Mitt Romney was trying to do. I know what he was trying to say. In the process of doing what he did, saying what he said, he made it clear that he is a stranger to fundamental conservatism. And for the people who oppose Romney, that\u2019s the biggest red flag. <\/p>\n
The Republican primary is made up of largely conservative voters. A lot of people think Romney\u2019s conservative enough; others say he\u2019s not conservative at all. And these two statements, “I don\u2019t care about the poor. We\u2019ll fix the safety net.” No. No. The whole safety net idea is a disaster. It\u2019s robbing people of opportunity. It\u2019s robbing people of dignity. It\u2019s creating dependents. It\u2019s creating perpetual Democrat voters reproducing. That\u2019s what it is. That\u2019s what it was designed for. LBJ, FDR, that was the purpose in all it is, to create an ever-growing and perpetually renewing pool of Democrat voters who never learn to depend on themselves, who never learn the skills to support themselves. That\u2019s fine with the Democrat Party. That\u2019s fine with guys like Barack Obama. <\/p>\n
Two things happen. Those people become dependent and then you run around and talk about how heartless and cruel the Republicans are for opposing ever more money in the policy to give them ever more benefits. So it\u2019s a double whammy for \u2019em. And the only way out of this is for somebody who understands conservatism in elective office to explain it. We can do it all day here on talk radio, the blogs, the conservative magazines, the conservative education establishment. They can write, they can publish all the stuff they want. But, at some point, you have to have a candidate. Who is this? Who instinctively understands this? Who can say this on the stump? A Reagan, if you will. I\u2019m not asking for a carbon copy of Ronaldus Magnus. Everybody knows that\u2019s not possible. The real safety net\u2019s a job. The real safety net is a job, and the minimum wage is one of the many obstacles in the way of people trying to find work in this economy. <\/p>\n
But it boils down to conservatism. So I guarantee you there are a lot of people who oppose Romney in conservative circles who are pointing to these two examples, saying, “See, this is what we\u2019ve been trying to tell you,” and what are they up against? “Well, you know, he has to know the minimum wage causes problems.” If he has to know, why is he supporting it? “Well, he has to, Rush. The media\u2019s liberal, he\u2019s gotta act like he cares about the poor.” Well, that\u2019s McCain. We\u2019re tired of having to tailor what we do and say to get the approval of the New York Times or the Washington Post or everybody else in the media, the Democrat Party. We want somebody who can teach, who can inform, who can explain, who can persuade the way we can. Pure and simple. <\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/RushReestablishConserve585.jpg\"\/)
And then there\u2019s this added distortion that everybody who earns the minimum wage has a family of four to support. This is another part of the charade the Democrats play. They try to convince you that every minimum wage earner is a 40-year-old, bedraggled person who the Republicans don\u2019t care about, who the Republicans are trying to keep poor and homeless, trying desperately in this horrid country to support a family of four. And the vast majority of people on the minimum wage are teenagers, young people. If the minimum wage gets too high and then they start cracking down on interns, what\u2019s the next place business will go? Illegal aliens. You see how this works? The minimum wage can be said to be responsible for a whole bunch of problems in this country. While a bunch of dummkopfs run around thinking with their hearts, “Oh, boy, is that compassion. We need a high minimum wage, Mr. Limbaugh, so that these unfortunate people can at least go out and buy some Swiss cheese. That\u2019s the kind with holes in it. It\u2019s gotta be cheaper than the real cheese, right, Mr. Limbaugh? And you just oppose this.” No. <\/p>\n
So it all gets couched as people who oppose it, mean-spirited, cold-hearted, want people to be poor when it\u2019s just the opposite. We want the best for everybody. We want everybody to be able to taste the opportunity this country provides. You take the bottom rung of the ladder away from \u2019em and you create a bunch of dependent people who then beget a whole bunch of other dependent people. The number one most important thing about them is they vote Democrat, which ensures they\u2019re going to be kept dependent. That\u2019s why it matters that a Republican conservative be able to counter that and all the other distortions that are out there about conservatism. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s why this matters. It\u2019s why it matters that, “Well, I don\u2019t really care about the poor. They\u2019ve got a safety net. If that needs repairs, I\u2019ll fix it.” Um, everybody knows he was trying to zero in and say, “The middle class is who\u2019s getting hurt,” and I appreciate that, but that\u2019s been lost in this, hasn\u2019t it? But why has it been lost? Not \u2019cause the media is unfair. Everybody knows that going in. It\u2019s not because the media is doing something dirty to Romney. It\u2019s because he gave \u2019em the chance. In this charged atmosphere, if you don\u2019t instinctively know that saying, “I don\u2019t care about the poor,” means whatever follows is never gonna be heard — if you don\u2019t instinctively understand that — then people are going to question just how conservative you really are.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what\u2019s happening here. I\u2019m just trying to explain it to you, folks. (New Castrati impression) “So, Mr. Limbaugh, does this mean that you endorsing Newt?” No, no, no. Don\u2019t go there. Snerdley, don\u2019t put up a bunch of calls today that are gonna try to apply pressure, \u2019cause it isn\u2019t gonna happen.<\/p>\n
BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n
RUSH: The Reagan administration, by the way, is the only administration in recent history to not raise the minimum wage — and look how that hurt the economy! Yeah. Thomas Sowell, once called the minimum wage “the Black Youth Unemployment Act.” I get e-mails from Greg Mueller a lot. Greg Mueller is a public relations guy who always sends me notes about what his clients think, what he wants me to say about \u2019em, and he sent me this. He said, “Hey, Rush. Here\u2019s my view in today\u2019s National Journal. Some Republicans said that Romney spoke a simple truth, one the middle class understands. Romney was saying that the very rich can take care of themselves, the very poor receive numerous benefits; that it\u2019s the working middle class that\u2019s often overtaxed and neglected in tough economic times,” said Mueller.<\/p>\n
“This is true, and Romney\u2019s point was the best way to raise all boats is through limited government and a free economy, not socialism. We\u2019ll win that argument.” Did Romney say “raise all boats” and “limited government” and all that? Here again, let\u2019s read between the lines: “Let\u2019s look at what Romney didn\u2019t say for what he means,” and there are people… I should tell you this, “just to be fair.” There are people who are sending me notes say, “Rush, you\u2019re missing the boat. Romney is genuine. This is authentic. He\u2019s not worried about saying it the right way. This is authentic! Here\u2019s a guy who\u2019s not trying to shape and form his comments for consumption. He\u2019s just open book.<\/p>\n
“He\u2019s just telling us who he really is and what he really thinks, and that\u2019s authentic, Rush, and everybody says we need more authenticity in our candidates.” This is my point. It\u2019s all over the board, and I don\u2019t think an endorsement is gonna change anybody. That\u2019s my point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RUSH: “Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney renewed…” Now, listen to me, folks. Mitt Romney “renewed his support yesterday for automatic increases in the federal minimum wage to keep pace with inflation, a position sharply at odds with traditional Republican business allies, conservatives, and party senior lawmakers.” By the way, folks, have you seen the teenage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n