RUSH: Bill Keller, the former editor at the New York Times, was also at CBS This Morning talking about Mandela’s memorial service, the opening act for Obama, and he and Norah O’Donnell have this little chitchat.
O’DONNELL: As they mentioned President Zuma, there was booing in that stadium, as the current state of South Africa, while much better because of Mandela, there is still extreme poverty, has one of the worst income inequality rates in the world.
KELLER: Right, 40% of South Africans — and they’re mostly black — live on less than $2 a day.
RUSH: What? Uh, what? Wait. What? Uh, play that again. I’m not sure I heard this right. Yeah, I’m confused here. Play that again.
O’DONNELL: As they mentioned President Zuma, there was booing in that stadium, as the current state of South Africa, while much better because of Mandela, there is still extreme poverty, has one of the worst income inequality rates in the world.
KELLER: Right, 40% of South Africans — and they’re mostly black — live on less than $2 a day.
RUSH: Wait. What? Really? I thought that was all fixed? I thought there wasn’t any income inequality. Oh, gee. It wasn’t made that much better when they got rid of apartheid? And Zuma, the crime rate exploded? The crime rate exploded? Really? Oh, man. I don’t know if I can go on. Seriously? This is all true? Forty percent of South Africans, mostly black, live on less than $2 a day, after apartheid? Income inequality, extreme poverty, well, they just must not — that’s gotta be what it is. They just haven’t got communism up and running yet, I guess. (interruption) Well, no, no, no, what do you mean the right people haven’t run it? Mandela was there, chief Zuma? What do you mean the right people haven’t run it? You know what it is, they just haven’t gotten enough funding yet. That has to be what it is.
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RUSH: Ladies and gentlemen, you just heard Bill Keller. What in the world are we celebrating? We have a country where 40% of the people live on less than $2 a day — 40%, mostly black? What are we celebrating here? Obviously Mandela didn’t know about income inequality or he woulda fixed it. Really, what are we celebrating here? I mean, for crying out loud the US minimum wage is seven bucks an hour, and 40% of the people live on less than $2 a day? I really don’t know what there is to be celebrating here.
(interruption)
Well, I know.
Mandela.
Don’t misunderstand, but, I mean, for crying out, this is just… You know, once again the left has hijacked the death of somebody who in many people’s minds was a great man, and they’re running with it. They’re just going to town with it. Funeral Crashers, Wedding Crashers, whatever. The Wellstone memorial, you name it.
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RUSH: This is Bono, well-known piece activist, AIDS activist, humanitarian, rock ‘n’ roll super crooner. He has dubious hairstyles now and then, but he’s a universally respected guy. He really cares, and more than anybody else about a lot of things. He was on Anderson Cooper, who just hit an all-time ratings low this week. I read that. That’s what I read. Cooper said, “Mandela talked a lot about poverty, which is obviously an issue very close to your heart. I think he said, ‘Without the eradication of poverty, there can’t be any true freedom,’ right?”
BONO: Yeah. You know, “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is manmade, and it can be overcome … by the actions of human beings.” He said, to some generations falls the chance to be great. “You can be that great generation.”
RUSH: Okay, 40% of the population living on $2 a day. This is the kind of stuff, folks, that these guys never get called on. “You know, overcoming poverty is not the gesture of charity; it’s an act of justice. Now, Bono has admitted, by the way, that capitalism’s the cure. He has said that before. “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. [P]overty is not natural.” But it is. Poverty is the default condition for most people, and it is brought about by tyrannical regimes. Here’s Bono. In fact, this is November 12th, 2012, in Washington at Georgetown University.
BONO: “Rock Star Preaches Capitalism.” Wow. Sometimes I hear myself and I just can’t believe it. But commerce is real. That’s what you’re about here. It’s real. Aid is just a stopgap. Commerce, entrepreneur capitalism takes more people out of poverty than aid. Of course we know that. We need Africa to become an economic powerhouse.
RUSH: Yeah? Bono is right on the money, but you’re not gonna do it with currents leadership in most of that continent. It just isn’t gonna happen, sad to say.
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RUSH: I tell you, Bono may have a point. South Africa needs a Walmart.