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Open Line Friday on Wednesday

by Rush Limbaugh - Nov 12,2008

RUSH: Let’s get a call. Cincinnati. We’ll start with you, Chris. Great to have you on the EIB Network. Hello.

CALLER: Hi, Rush. This is Chris in Cincinnati, an honor and a pleasure to speak with you today.

RUSH: Thank you. Thanks very much.

CALLER: Yes. I just had a comment about something you said yesterday, and let me preface this by saying I’ve been listening to you for eight years. As an African-American female I do get a lot of flack from family and friends for that, however I like to have many different points of reference when I’m making my opinions on things, and you happen to be one of them.

RUSH: Thank you very much. I appreciate that. I can’t understand why you would seek another after hearing mine, but —

CALLER: Well — (laughing)

RUSH: — give me time.

CALLER: Yesterday you spoke about how the exit polls stated that if the Republicans had come out — a lot of them stayed home — but if they woulda come out, we woulda beat Obama, but during the election you were speaking of the exit polls as, oh, don’t pay any attention to the exit polls, you know, they don’t mean anything. So which is it Rush?

RUSH: No, no, no, no.

CALLER: Okay.

RUSH: This is a nice trick. See, you shoulda called up on stump the host day. We very rarely do stump the host day anymore, because it’s not possible anymore. It used to happen.

CALLER: Okay.

RUSH: But what I said on Election Day, pay no attention to the first wave of exit polls that are released at five o’clock. The first wave of exit polls that were released at five o’clock, actually two o’clock back in 2004, and then the second wave at five o’clock had John Kerry winning in a landslide. That’s why I said pay no attention to the exit polls before the polls close, before the actual votes are counted. I said on Election Day pay no attention to exit polls. Not ever.

CALLER: Okay. So thank you for clarifying that.

RUSH: Happy to help.

CALLER: But I do want to say, however, before I go that the sky is not falling because Obama is president. Believe me, as a self-made woman who is working on her Ph.D., raising my children on my own, I feel that there have been 44 presidents, not one of them has made me and not one of them will break me. So, you know, in terms of, yes, I did vote for Obama, I have my reasons —

RUSH: Let me ask you a question.

CALLER: Yes.

RUSH: Do you have financial — I assume you do, you’re in the process of getting your Ph.D.

CALLER: Uh-huh.

RUSH: Do you have — this is really none of my business, but an interesting little game I play sometimes with callers.

CALLER: Okay.

RUSH: Do you have an annual salary or amount of money that you want to make?

CALLER: Absolutely.

RUSH: What is it? What do you want to make? No, what is your dream?

CALLER: Let’s put it this way. Well, my dream? I don’t think there’s ever enough money, depending on the lifestyle that we lead. I’ve been blessed to be able to take care of what I need to take care of. I do have student loans, I will say that.

RUSH: Ah, ah, ah —

CALLER: Look at it this way. If someone asked me at my next job, which I plan to go into public health, ‘What do you want?’ I need to make at least $150 to $200,000, which I don’t make right now.

RUSH: All right. Good. You have just fallen into Barack Obama’s tax increase target income, and at that point, whenever you are paid that amount of money, that is when your American dream ends.

CALLER: I don’t believe he’ll be able to do that.

RUSH: Okay. Sure. Fine. I just listen to what he says. You choose to ignore what he says and instead invest in an image that you have of Barack Obama. By the way, I’ve not said the sky is falling out there.

CALLER: Uh-huh.

RUSH: The sky is blue, the birds are chirping a little brighter, the —

CALLER: Absolutely.

RUSH: — people are even nicer when they beg, great national mood out there, Chris.

CALLER: It is. It is. And, you know what, one thing I would like to leave you with is that I don’t agree on all his fiscal policies and everything, I will say, I have a 17-year-old son who, I’ve had a hard time motivating him. Ever since Barack Obama has come into the scene, for what it’s worth, my son has gained an internal motivation that I have not seen. So, although it’s a little small piece, Rush, a lot of African-Americans are feeling that, and —

RUSH: I understand. I’ve got a story in the stack, I know exactly what you’re talking about, and I think this is one of the genuine positive reactions here.

CALLER: Absolutely.

RUSH: One of the problems in the African-American community is its leaders have continued to make people in that community feel inferior, like they have no chance.

CALLER: Absolutely.

RUSH: So if Obama can make people think that their horizons are brighter, fine and dandy, as long as he gets out of the way and doesn’t get in the way, their horizons will be brighter.

CALLER: I do agree with you.

RUSH: I’ve got a story coming up here, Chris, about how the AP or somebody, another poll, and they have found that an increasing number — get this, folks — an increasing number of white people now say that they would feel comfortable working for a black boss.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: To Charlotte, North Carolina, hi Eric, great to have you here with us.

CALLER: Oh, my man Rush. This is going to be rough here. People are probably going to think I’m a very mean, hateful person, but as a black American who is strongly evangelical and very conservative, I’m certified black enough to criticize Obama. I’m a certified Christian enough to criticize his ungodly moral positions on abortion and homosexuality, and I’m certified conservative enough to criticize you.

RUSH: Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. What do you think about the Prop 8 gang using the N-word out there?

CALLER: Well, when you are immoral as immoral is immoral goes. That is just part and parcel with the way they are. So that’s not surprising. But one thing is, Rush, I’m the same guy, the same Eric Woods out of Charlotte who called you back in 2005, which you said was one of the best calls you ever had, but I want to get on you big time, because you were talking about yesterday the ‘I told you so,’ and I’m gonna criticize Obama as well. I got some very ugly things, as you’ll find out, I’m going to say about him, but you talk about the I told you sos, the I told you sos. There is a song that Johnny Mathis and Denise Williams sang a few years ago called, Too Much, Too Little, Too Late.

RUSH: I remember that song, I loved that so long. (singing) Too much, too little, too late to ever do something again, whatever the lyric line was. Yeah, I remember.

CALLER: Well, that’s what you did yesterday. You talk about how creepy — Obama is not creepy, there is a wicked element, I’m going to be very strong here and say —

RUSH: Wait a second, now, I’m quoting the Newsweek people. You gotta listen every day, Eric, to know what’s happening, to have this show in context. It was Newsweek reporters that covered him during the whole campaign, ‘He’s creepy, he’s singular, he ascends and watches us watch him.’ And so if they’re going to call him creepy, and he is creepy in a way, I’ll call him creepy. I’ll take the lead from the Drive-Bys.

CALLER: I’m not arguing with you, I’m agreeing with you, but I’m going a little step beyond and saying —

RUSH: Ooo, I’m not hitting hard enough then, okay.

CALLER: No, because, see, the word that you’re probably reluctant to use or rather not use is the word wicked, and I’m going to use it in a moment, and you’ll see why I’m saying this. But the point is, Rush, you, back during the campaign, and I warned you back in January of this year that when we were talking about Huckabee, I said Huckabee they’re going to go and bloody, bruise, and hobble and beat him because of the way conservatives were just — really we were just so hard on our own. Reagan said the Eleventh Commandment is, don’t criticize a Republican for certain reasons. Now, there are some worthy criticisms to be made —

RUSH: Eric, hang on a second.

CALLER: All right.

RUSH: Reagan did have the Eleventh Commandment, but during the ’76 primaries and the ’80 primaries Reagan was destroying other Republicans so he could get the nomination.

CALLER: Well —

RUSH: We’re talking about a primary here. I stayed out of the primary!

CALLER: Well —

RUSH: I stayed out of it. Many people think that’s what blew it.

CALLER: Rush, you’re going to have your three hours, man, I’m trying to tell you, I gotta say as much as I can, as quick, you won’t let me say so much.

RUSH: Well, then, Eric, get to it, what did I say wrong?

CALLER: What I’m trying to say is we have silly people like Ann Coulter, foolish people who are out there saying, ‘I’m not voting for McCain. I’m going to vote for Hillary.’ We had foolish people like James Dobson saying, ‘I will never vote for McCain,’ and wound up eating his words. We had people down here in Charlotte, we had a Jeff Katz here just really, everybody was just so hard on McCain and he was so bloodied and brutalized, and what happened is we suppressed, we depressed our own turnout, and so when you talk about yesterday —

RUSH: No.

CALLER: — wait a minute. Now, Rush, come on, please.

RUSH: No, I respectfully —

CALLER: Rush.

RUSH: — disagree with you on this, I think —

CALLER: Please.

RUSH: Those of us who were sounding those warning bells have been vindicated as right all those many months ago. We got exactly what we feared we were going to get. We got the exact campaign, we got the exact result, we got everything we knew would happen, should the party nominate Senator McCain.

CALLER: Well, Rush, the problem that I’m trying to say is, Ann was silly, Ann was silly, come on.

RUSH: Look, there were a lot of people talking about voting for Hillary.

CALLER: Hold on.

RUSH: There were a lot of people. The point is nobody caused Republicans to stay home except the Republican Party.

CALLER: Rush, that is true in part, you’re leaving out a crucial component here. We had people calling in and saying they were listening to the hosts like Ann Coulter and you and Dobson saying, ‘I’m not trusting McCain, I’m not going to vote for him,’ and we wound up suppressing our own turnout, Rush. Think about it, you may not want to admit it.

RUSH: I disagree with you on that.

CALLER: Of course you will, but —

RUSH: I betcha —

CALLER: Rush —

RUSH: Are you capable of assigning any responsibility for what happened here to the candidate? What responsibility does the candidate have in his own victory or defeat?

CALLER: Well, you speak too fast, I would have ultimately got to that, Rush, but you wouldn’t let me get to that point. You cut me off too quick. You gotta listen sometimes.

RUSH: Well, I can only take so much. I’m glad to listen but not when you’re wrong. I owe a duty to the audience here. Oh look, it’s just too bad, I’m outta time. Eric, I’m sorry, it’s great to have you on the program.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Gray, nice to have you on the EIB Network. Hello.

CALLER: Mega Carolina dittos, Rush.

RUSH: Thank you, sir.

CALLER: Quick question, and a quicker comment. I’m 26 years old, Rush. I work for a living, I pay my mortgage on time, and I am scared to death of where this country is going. Also, I just got engaged. And I look to you for your insightful and inspirational advice, and we appreciate you. I just want to let you know that, sir.

RUSH: Thank you very much.

CALLER: Question: These people that supported The Messiah, Mr. False Hope here, how long do you give it before they realize that there’s no way he can come through with half of what he’s promised? And that being the case, will they turn on him? We know the media is not, but will the people actually turn on this man?

RUSH: That remains to be seen, and it’s a good question. My instinct would be to say of course they will at some point, they turn on everybody. But, I’m reserving that because I think you should get ready for even more synergistic behavior from the media and Obama. Bad news is not going to be reported as bad news. You heard me say at the beginning of the program today they’ve already got a poll out that well over 50% of the American people are willing now to wait on tax cuts. They understand what a hard job Obama now faces, and they really don’t care about getting out of Iraq real soon. So they’re going to be carrying the water, and they’re gonna smooth the road for him, and they’re gonna do news stories misrepresenting public opinion like they have been doing up until the election and through the campaign, misrepresenting public opinion in a means of shaping it. Now, as to Obama’s voters, another reason for reserving comment on this is that I’m really worried that there is more groupthink than I have ever seen in the electorate this year. People voted for an image; they voted for symbolism; they voted for this mythical thing called change.

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: And they’ve got so much emotion invested in this guy. And there is so much emotion disguised as love that they think is love, and that’s a hard emotion to shatter. You know, I’m sure you know people that love reprobates, and you’d love to take them aside and say, ‘How do you love that person? That person mistreating you.’ ‘Don’t you dare!’ You can’t insult them. You can’t criticize them. Love is one of these emotions that’s on its own out there. So I don’t know. I think what is interesting to me is he will overreach. At some point he’s going to overreach because at the bottom of his heart, bottom of his mind, Obama knows that he got this election by fooling people. He knows that he was not honest with the people about what he wants to do. He had help from the media camouflaging his proposals, his ideas, and what he really intends to do. At some point he’s going to do what he intends to do, and it will be at odds with what people heard him say. At that point, do those people excuse him and say, ‘Well, he faced circumstances he didn’t know.’ Do they make up excuses to justify what he’s doing because of their emotional attachment to a symbol? It’s creepy.

CALLER: It is.

RUSH: Right? I mean, it’s creepy. I don’t know people like this, too many people. I don’t know what’s going to shatter their faith.

CALLER: Yes, sir. We’ve got the media in the tank for this guy. I mean, this is the United States version of al-Jazeera as far as our media. They only show us what they want to show us.

RUSH: Yep.

CALLER: It’s just disgraceful.

RUSH: They are making up news, literally. When I saw this poll today: ‘Most Americans willing to wait on tax cuts,’ I could not keep a straight face. It is just so patently a lie, and they’re already taking Obama approval ratings now, and he’s not even been inaugurated. And, by the way, it’s at 64%.

CALLER: Right. Well, that poll must have been given out in the NBC waiting area out there or something, maybe that’s where they got that poll from.

RUSH: Well, I would love to have an answer for you on your question, but I do think, like I said yesterday, he is going to overreach because he also has this messianic complex. He thinks of himself as something super special and unique. He thinks — and Michelle said it — the power of his will, he can fix anything just by the very nature of his presence.

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: Now, of course nobody has that kind of power, and he doesn’t, either. At some point, something has to give here, and he’s going to overreach in ways that will create openings, electoral openings for Republicans and so forth, but I don’t know to what extent his own voters — you said Democrats. The Democrats are going to hang with the guy no matter what, but people who were not really hard line Democrats who voted for him will be the ones that will be the first to peel off.

CALLER: Right. Well, I hope so. I hope the American public gets enlightened, because it’s scary, Rush, it really is, looking at where the rest of my life and my generation’s life. They said 98% of people my age voted for Obama, and that’s what’s really scary.

RUSH: Well, look, I understand totally — forget Obama for a moment. Look what’s happening here with the Treasury secretary and nationalizing various businesses and making sure that people who could not afford mortgages still get to stay in those houses.

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: Bailing out the auto companies. This is antithetical to the way this country was founded and to the systems that were put in place, the institutions that led to America’s greatness. They’re all being torn down here. They’re eventually going to get rebuilt because this is going to fail. All this is going to make more people unhappy and miserable than they ever dream possible. They think they’re mad and miserable now, they have no idea what’s coming. At that point, there’s going to be a tipping point, we’re going to reach it. I can’t tell you when. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama doesn’t even run for a second term, if he implements everything he really wants to implement, and if he does it, if he comes out running, he does these things, there’s going to be nothing to run on. The people are going to want not any more to do with him, if, if, if, he does all these things and gets a lot of them accomplished. And that’s a big ‘if,’ too.

CALLER: Right, ‘if.’ Quick question to you, Rush. The Failure Factory book, is that out now?

RUSH: Yes.

CALLER: Okay.

RUSH: Mr. Gertz’s book?

CALLER: Yes.

RUSH: Yeah. It most definitely is.

CALLER: Okay. I’ll have to go get that today. He sounded very insightful, and I’m just trying to find anyone that is insightful.

RUSH: He’s one of the foremost national security reporters and one of the last remaining investigative reporters in Washington dealing with the Pentagon and national security matters, State Department, CIA. He’s a great reporter, and his books are always great reads.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Here’s Bobbi in Newton Falls, Ohio. Hi, Bobbi. Glad you waited. Welcome to the EIB Network.

CALLER: Hi!

RUSH: Hi.

CALLER: Our whole family listens to you. We love you. I’ve been listening to you ever since Joycelyn Elders wanted to make safer bullets. (laughing)

RUSH: Well, thank you. (laughing) Safer bullets.

CALLER: (laughing)

RUSH: Safer bullets.

CALLER: Yes. I have a son in Iraq. But before I get to my question, I have a juicy little tidbit. (giggles) In Luke chapter 10, verse 18, it says, ‘I beheld Satan fall from heaven as lightning,’ and Barack’s name is ‘lightning,’ and ‘bama means ‘highest.’

RUSH: Now, now, now, now, that —

CALLER: (giggles) I’m not inferring anything. I just wanted to throw that out there. But my question is: What can we do about getting back to closed primaries?’

RUSH: That’s up to the state parties. The state parties set the rules on how primaries are going to happen, and if you live in a state with an open primary you’re going to have to go to your state parties and start the process going. The problem is… (sigh) I don’t know what the motivation in various states are for the these open primaries, but the way the Republican Party has attempted to constitute itself lately is wanting Democrats to come in and vote for them. Of course the Democrat Party uses the same thing. They use their open primaries to send Democrats in to elect or nominate our candidate. It’s a bad deal. Early voting, all of these things… A lot of things in the electoral system need to be fixed.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Shannon in Dahlonega, Georgia. Nice to have you on the program. Welcome to the EIB Network. Hello.

CALLER: Hi, Rush. Thank you so much for your time, and for giving me a voice today.

RUSH: You’re welcome. By the way, people are asking me about my voice today. ‘Rush, do you have a cold?’ No, I don’t have a cold. I take Zicam. I was up very late last night. It was a very festive night last night, was up late having lots of fun, and for some reason when I don’t get a lot of sleep my voice just fades away and I get a little hoarse here. No, I don’t have a cold. When I think I’m getting a cold, I take Zicam.

CALLER: Absolutely. I need to go get some. We’re on the verge at my house. Herman Cane is from down here. He’s a very smart, conservative man. He would be a wonderful black bass.

RUSH: Herman Cain, Herman Cain. Yes.

CALLER: Yes. Herman Cain. Yes.

RUSH: Yes. He was a black boss, and everybody loved him.

CALLER: Yes. He’s on conservative radio down here now, and I like to listen to him.

RUSH: Yeah.

CALLER: I’m calling about the Georgia Senate race.

RUSH: Yeah.

CALLER: I’m a little frustrated — well, that’s not true. I’m very frustrated. I kind of feel like my vote is being extorted down here. You know, Georgia conservatives screamed bloody murder over the bailout and Saxby Chambliss refused to vote with us. He went up there and did what he wanted to do, whatever he wanted to do, which, you know, even come clean down here and admit it —

RUSH: I know. I know, I know, he voted for the gang of whatever on the offshore drilling. He made a tactical mistake there. At this point, people in Georgia have gotta take this very seriously because the Democrats are trying to steal Minnesota, and he’s gotta win this runoff in Georgia. If we lose these two, they’re up to 59.

CALLER: I know, Rush. I’m in total agreement with you there, and I continue to write and write and write letters over to their campaign begging them for just one humble moment to admit that the bailout was a really bad idea and that it’s down the tubes further than anybody could have imagined, and just to admit that he’s in Washington to represent me,

RUSH: He’s not going to do it,

CALLER: I know.

RUSH: He’s not going to do it, these guys, the last thing they do is apologize. It opens up too many cans of worms.

CALLER: Makes me want to fire him.

RUSH: Well, don’t. Do what you want. I understand the sentiment, but somebody if one of these guys, ‘I’m sorry, I am sorry for what I did,’ the Democrats are never going to let go of it, it will be a TV ad, and they’ll say, ‘What else should he apologize for?’ And they’ll finally get, ‘He should apologize for breathing, Saxby Chambliss should apologize –‘ you can’t go down that road.

CALLER: Can’t we just go down the road just a little bit and then blame it on the Democrats for being the ones to take control of the bailout and make such a big mess out of it?

RUSH: If he does that, he’s making himself sound powerless. The stakes here are a little bit more important than just individual Saxby Chambliss, but then you get what you get when he goes there. So it’s a tossup.