RUSH: We go to St. Louis. Richard, you’re next. Great to have you on the program, sir. Hi.
CALLER: Hey, Rush. What an honor it is to finally talk to you after all these years.
RUSH: Thank you, sir. What part of St. Louis do you live in?
CALLER: Dogtown.
RUSH: Dogtown St. Louis. Cool. Mansion House?
CALLER: Say that one more time?
RUSH: Mansion House?
CALLER: Mansion House? I’ve been there; don’t go there too much. Old lady doesn’t let me get too far from home, but I do go there every now and then.
RUSH: (interruption) You’re nearby nevertheless.
RUSH: Well, thank you. I appreciate that.
CALLER: Hey, I need to tell you — really, in all sincerity — that even though I am a liberal and I am 100% a liberal, and I have listened to you for so many years, I think that people should understand — especially your base — that people like me actually get something from your program. While I rarely agree with your conclusions, I always follow your logic 100% of the time, and you’ve got me to self-reevaluate before and even change my position in the past.
So when I’m listening to you, I’m not trying to think of how I can find fault in what you’re saying or to one-up you. I’m literally listening because you give me information that I’m not gonna hear on the networks, especially about the players and the relationships between the players. So I appreciate you for literally what it is, and it doesn’t hurt that you have a little subtle humor every now and then. I just wanted to let you know I may be a liberal but I really do get something from your show.
RUSH: Well, that’s… It’s fascinating. I appreciate that. Part of what you have said was that, as you listen to me, you learn things you didn’t know, particularly about the players, and at the end of the day it cements your liberalism? I’m not persuading you; you’re becoming an even more solid liberal after listening to me and enjoying it?
CALLER: Oh, for the most part, that’s a hundred percent true. But less than a month ago, you had me worried to the point I had to go on Wikipedia and look up “Republican core values” just to make sure you hadn’t converted me without me knowing it.
RUSH: Well, that makes me feel a little bit better. I have not… (laughing) It’s the first time I have been told that I am actually helping people cement themselves in their liberalism.
CALLER: Well, you really do, and I tell you, here’s what we found common ground. I am a veteran, as well, and I want you to understand — and I’m sure you do already — that once you get outside of Crystal City, this lady has no support in the military at all. And I really think Trump should expose that more. He already runs the narrative of Crooked Hillary. We need to expose more things like you’re talking about. The foundation? No doubt. You can’t have that in the capacity she has and not be corrupt, and I should also go on and tell you that I look back… Well, I used to look back on Clinton’s years as president as fondly as Republicans today look back at Ronnie. And —
RUSH: No, I understand that. Look, I got a break coming up. Can you hang on for a couple minutes ’til we get the next break?
CALLER: Absolutely.
RUSH: Yeah, ’cause I totally understand why you would just love the Clinton years, as a liberal.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: And we are back with Richard in St. Louis who has acknowledged that he is a full-fledged thoroughbred liberal, 100 percent, who nevertheless enjoys the program. We sadly had to interrupt you. You were telling me that you think back on the Clintons years the way we think of the Reagan years.
CALLER: Right. I’m aware of that back in the day the guy wasn’t thought too fondly of by his own party, but as the years went by, that kind of changed. And listen —
RUSH: Wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Who wasn’t thought fondly by his own party back in the day?
RUSH: Okay. Well, a little disagreement. I think during Reagan’s eight years the people that voted for him loved him intensely and appreciated him throughout and even after he left. I was gonna say that the reason you like Clinton — and correct me if I’m wrong — I don’t think it’s so much rooted in policy. I don’t think it’s rooted in whatever Clinton is perceived to have done to make life better in America, make the country better. I think Clinton was respected, loved, and adored because he made mincemeat out of us. I think the left and Democrats loved Bill Clinton because he beat us so easily. I think that’s, to this day, why he is respected, admired, and liked.
CALLER: It could very well be, and I will tell you that has changed for me, unfortunately, and I don’t like that fact, but I will tell you why, and this is where Hillary plays into all this. Let’s think about this for a second on this Benghazi appearance. Now, as a veteran I was very interested in her making that appearance because I had talked to other service members, former service members, current service members, we all needed to know essentially for our own knowledge how we could have been part of the most advanced military in the world, had the leeway we had to respond to the situation, and yet we lost an ambassador and his security detail? We all know without even digging into it somebody dropped the ball.
So as I think back on that situation, I remember Clinton and how he appeared before Congress. And you know what she did? She took a page out of his playbook, and she simply tweaked it. She said, “Well, you dropped the ball, Bill. Well, you lied. And that’s how they got you. Not for what you did, but for the lie,” just like you said earlier. So she tweaked it, she went in there defiant, “I’m not telling you guys nothing. I’ll talk about how we could prevent it, but not as to what caused it.” And she didn’t lie, and therefore it’s two years later and no one really knows any more than what they did then. So she smartened up, she used her wits, I hate to use the word “crooked.” I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m not a detractor. And I do believe 100 percent she’s a corrupt as she can be —
RUSH: Are you gonna vote for her?
CALLER: No, I will not vote for her, and I can’t see how any veteran in their good conscience could support that lady.
RUSH: What are you gonna do then? You said you’re not gonna vote for Trump, Gary Johnson, Jill Stein? Who you gonna vote for?
CALLER: I’m really in a conundrum, because I’m always told by my friends, “Well, if you don’t vote, you’re voting for the other guy.” I don’t know if I necessarily buy into that, but I think it is my civic duty to vote. It’s just, what do you do when your options are all disappointing?
RUSH: Yeah. I actually think that attitude might be common among more people in this election cycle than we know. I wouldn’t presume to tell you what to do, but I can’t relate to it. I don’t care what else, it’s not gonna be her. And I think most Trump people — here is my evidence for this. And, by the way, Richard, thank you again for the call. I really appreciate it, and you’re really, really mature and kind. This is the first liberal that’s called here and has not resorted to name-calling in 30 seconds. See? We can have civil discussions with liberals on this program. He was a great guy.