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Dec. 23, 2008 - Rush Limbaugh Program
31:58
December 23, 2008, Tuesday, Hour #3
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Time Text
My friends, I want to tell you something.
Many of you probably think that I no longer am self-impressed or even dazzled when I forecast something that turns out to be true.
Because let's face it, it happens regularly, and after a while such things can become routine.
But I want you to understand that's not the case.
Every time I make a prediction, and it comes true, sometimes in a matter of hours, I am still dazzled by myself.
I and it has happened.
Ladies and gentlemen, it has happened.
We started this program two hours ago, exactly two hours ago, and at that time, in the opening monologue, I referenced the broken water main in Bethesda, Maryland, and I made the point that I was the one with compassion.
While all the media was concerned about the people that were trapped in this thing in their cars, I was the one concerned about the water.
I was the one concerned about the damage to the environment, the wastefulness of the water in this broken water vein, and then ladies and gentlemen, I said something very close to the following.
I said, Isn't this fascinating?
A mere few short weeks prior to the inauguration of Barack Obama, who plans to spend Boku Bucks on fixing the infrastructure.
Why a major water main fractures in suburban nations capital, Bethesda, Maryland.
Ladies and gentlemen, just seven minutes ago, while watching DNC TV, they had a reporter on the scene at the site of the flood that resulted from the broken water main.
The subject of the report was Broken Water Main Illustrates Need for Infrastructure Repair.
It took less than two hours for my prediction of the way that drive-by media would eventually portray this to actually happen.
And it happened on the Obama Network, MSNBC.
It was, I'm looking at this.
I was in Snertley's office.
I was so excited when I saw it, I ran to the monitor.
I said, Look at this, look at this.
Because Snerdley was still over there complaining and whining and moaning about Obama voters and when they're going to realize they've been taken.
Why didn't Maryland Fifth Maryland didn't know it was broken?
They didn't know it was broken, it didn't know it was broken until it broke.
How many other water mains are going to go between now and the inauguration?
Well, at least two.
I will predict that at least, and maybe not water mains, but somebody will catch a bridge moments before it was to collapse.
There will be a buckled highway bridge or something.
There will be in the next four weeks major miracles, spotting impending disasters in our infrastructure.
This one they didn't catch in time.
But it serves its purpose.
All the people were saved.
Of course, the eco damage, they can even parlay that.
And of course the wasteful water.
Ladies and gentlemen, it was apparently suicide.
De la Villahoucher.
In fact, here is his full name.
Rene Thierry Megon de la Villahuchet.
A founder of the hedge fund Access International Advisors was found dead early today in his office in Manhattan, according to a French business daily.
He lost as much as 1.4 billion that had been infested with Bernard Madoff.
Mr. De La Villehouset, 65, committed suicide, according to the French Business Daily, citing someone close to Mr. De La Villehous.
Mr. De La Villehouche had been trying to recover the money that Access International raised in Europe and invested through Madoff's businesses.
Paramedics responded to a call in a Manhattan address matching that of Access International.
They found a victim whom they pronounced dead, but they have not yet identified the man.
I guess they have now.
Rene Theory Megon de la Villahouche.
Now, if if if there were any madoff victims out there, thinking that maybe this money is somewhere, and all the regulators have to do is find it.
The suicide of De La Villahuche pretty much closes the book on that scenario because this is what Mr. De La Villahuche was attempting to do was get back the money.
Obama really might decriminalize marijuana.
Esquire magazine, the Stoner community is clamoring to say it.
Yes, we cannabis.
Turns out with several drug war veterans close to the President elect's ear.
Insiders think reform could come in Obama's second term or even sooner.
Apparently, there's some transition team people that are telling the press, the Esquire, that Obama wants to decriminalize marijuana.
Barney Frank, ladies and gentlemen, still fit to be tied over Rick Warren being nominated to say the prayer at the inauguration.
Singling someone out for the honor of giving the inaugural prayer, I think is inappropriate.
I think Rick Warren's comments uh uh comparing same-sex relationships to incest is deeply offensive, wildly inaccurate, and uh and and very socially disruptive.
And I I'm glad he is talking to the Muslims.
I'm glad everybody's talking to everybody.
We're not here talking about not having conversations.
We're talking about singling somebody out for a great honor.
And uh I think the president made a serious mistake in doing that.
Barney, this is the second time he's uh had a problem with uh with Obama.
What was the first time?
It's not Rick Warren.
What was the first time?
He uh something about the bailouts or some sort uh Oh no.
Yeah, yeah, no, but he wanted Obama to step in now.
That's what he wanted Obama to step in now, start doing things rather than wait.
Uh uh Andrea Mitchell in meeting news when Washington was talking to uh Congressman Frank, and after this answer that you just heard, even though you might not have understood the words, she did.
Uh she said, Well, why do you think Obama invited Pastor Warren?
Oh, um, I believe that he overestimates his ability uh to get people to put aside fundamental differences.
I'm a great admirer of the president elected.
I am delighted he is elected.
I think this is going to be the best time in American public policy since the New Deal with Mr. Obama in the mead.
But my one question is I think he overestimates his ability to take people, particularly our colleagues on the right, and sort of charm them into being nice.
When he talks about being post-partisan, having seen these people and knowing what they would do in that situation, I suffer from postpartisan depression.
I have to say, Barney's worried about Obama's own new tone.
But Barney don't.
It's just PR.
Doesn't mean Rick Warren will never see the steps of the Capitol again during the Obama administration after the prayer.
He'll go back to saddleback church and do what he does.
This is PR.
This is setting the table for getting as many people to sit back and let him make as much socialism as he can.
Uh you guys, you guys on the left are gonna have to temper this and then calm down.
You're going to get more than you expect to get.
You give.
Well, this uh talk I don't know who's Barney Frank talking about.
He loved I don't know who he's talking about.
I love these people.
Ridden Mother's.
I think he's the best time to make a public politician who deal with the two wanna leave.
What question?
I don't know who he's talking about.
Doesn't matter.
He just he's a little upset here.
Rick Warren, by the way, uh had a message last Saturday night, the eighth annual Muslim Public Affairs Council convention.
Are there gay Muslims?
Because, you know, Achmadini's not there aren't any in Iran.
When he was at Columbia, what's what's he doing addressing?
Here's what he said.
Now, this one will shock you.
I happen to love Democrats and Republicans.
And for the media's purpose, I happen to love gays and straights.
Oh, there you have it.
Uh so that that was uh Rick Warren's Saturday night Long Beach, eighth annual Muslim public affairs council conviction.
Uh Barney Frank, uh these guys, they just literally cannot wait to get their greedy little hands on this money.
Barney Frank, who should be in the process of being investigated, is demanding and preparing legislation to require that some of the money in the TARP fund unspent so far be spent for specific purposes like stemming foreclosures and reducing mortgage rates.
He wants all the money released.
He wants it to go to affordable housing, and he's fit to be tied out there, ladies and gentlemen, as the banking queen.
I've read your emails.
Some of you say you're irritated by this song.
Too bad.
I like it and laugh my butt off listening to it.
Got a great email.
I got a couple of great emails, actually.
Dear Rush, I'm a 53-year-old solo private practice family physician.
I'm a longtime listener since 1988.
By way of rush history, my daughter Candace and I met you early on, and you kindly signed a book to her.
She went on to attend Stanford, then Pepperdine Law, becoming an attorney who believes in limited constitutional government, even working for judicial watch for quite a while.
My sons are also listeners.
They're actors and musicians in Hollywood.
They've won Emmys.
They were part of George Bush's Hollywood A team in 2000.
They were invited to the inauguration.
My wife and I have been married 33 years, and thanks to you, have had a very clean shower for years now.
Remember the old sponsor, the clean shower?
Stuff you didn't have to rub, you sprayed it on there, and it got rid of all that gunk in the tiles and so forth.
The main reason I wanted to write you is I a doctor, a solo practice doctor.
I finally got around to using Zycam.
Not so sure why I waited so long.
This says, guys, a doctor.
This is the first thing I have tried for a cold that literally worked.
I started Zycam, oral and nasal.
You can get some some Zycab lozenges that you dissolve in there if you don't like the nose swabs.
But the nose swabs are the most because they the rhino virus is in the nose in there.
That's where it gets it.
Anyway, I tried Zycom the first day of my cold.
The cold was not just improved or delayed.
It was wiped out.
Against my own financial interest, doctor.
I am trumpeting the amazing results of yet another of the great products and services and companies that sponsor your program.
What a great email.
And you know, you you people out there, you're very uh sophisticated and understand how it is, and this program stays in business, and uh you do a fantastic job of patronizing all these sponsors because they're good.
Stuff works.
Now here's a doctor who has just cut his business.
You know, doctors can make a mint off a cold.
Office visit, a couple of tests to make sure it's not pneumony, to make sure it's not bronchitis or what have you.
Maybe prescribe some antibiotics.
Nope, the guy says get some Zycam and leave me alone.
I have real sick people here.
It does work.
Crofton, Missouri, this is John.
Thank you for Maryland.
Sorry.
Crofton, Maryland.
Are you anywhere near this broken water main?
No, I'm in Annerundal County, which is the county that Annapolis, the capital's in.
But uh that's uh west of here, and uh it's Montgomery County, that's where Bethesda is, and it's uh one of the most liberal places in the world, and they're uh running a deficit already, so their county executive, Ike Leggett, uh, who is black, by the way, and a Democrat, I guess, is gonna apply for a bailout to get the federal government to pay for this since he's already in deficit, but why not?
Why not?
I mean, uh, he's done a great service for Obama here with the waterman break.
Uh this will speed up Obama's own infrastructure repair program.
I MSNBC is all over this now.
They're reporting that the water main was built in 1966, as though that's A sure sign it should have broken today.
1966, a water main still in infancy.
New York is using water mains that were built two centuries ago in the 1800s.
And they're still functioning.
Not for long, maybe, but they're still functioning.
I think Washington, D.C., even Georgetown has a lot of uh water main breaks, and uh, and they're over a hundred years, so 1966 is uh it should still be under warranty.
The reason I called is I think I heard you talk something about uh Senator Schumer yesterday uh saying that after he uh blew the whistle on Indy Mac Bank on California that failed uh like within days after some letter leaked out that Schumer uh originated uh saying that the bank was in trouble.
Uh and then you kind of indicated that uh this was probably planned by the Democrats in the election year and that it just got out of control, and I have to say that I'm on the same page.
When that happened in July, I called Schumer's office.
It's a local call for me, and I said I wanted to give him credit.
I said I just heard that I didn't make bank failed, and I want to give uh due credit to Senator Schumer because it's all his fault.
And please pass this on to your boss.
And they hung up on me, of course.
Well, naturally, because you were you were you were you were uh in on uh you to trick.
But you know, people have forgotten Schumer.
People have forgotten, but it wasn't long after Schumer's letter to uh uh about Indimac leaked, quote unquote, that Harry Reed went on television and said a major insurance company is about to fail.
And that was AIG.
Well, he didn't identify it.
Yeah.
He didn't identify it.
It could have been AIG.
Could have been AIG.
Could have been any number of insurance companies, a lot of them out there.
Who knows?
The point is they went out and said it.
Yep.
You know, and they create all this fear and panic going into an election.
Uh it's you know, it it I think it politically it's probably the best, most effective, sadly long-lasting October surprise in my lifetime.
Absolutely.
You know, in the beginning of the year, they were talking about the uh war in Iraq, and it seemed that the surge had uh Well, see the problem, that's exactly right.
The war in Iraq was going too well.
They needed another area for bad news, and the economy became the target.
I'll see you next time.
I just want to listen to a little of it.
Manheim's steamroller.
I really, really, really love this music.
And this time of year.
All right.
Well, let me listen to a little bit more of this.
Bamadu Banamadou.
If you're listening to this on AM radio, and if it just happens to be the first time you're hearing Manheim Steamrunner, go get the CDs.
Listen to this stuff on your headphones.
Listen to it in your car, listen to it in the magic of super heterodine stereo.
Get all the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CDs.
Sigh.
Um...
Thank you.
Christmas and the memories they're associated with Christmas time, are just they're just some of them are sad.
But even those end up being good.
Before we talk about that in the great detectives, we always um Christmas time is when I always get thankful.
I'm I'm thankful all the time.
Thanksgiving is what it is.
But some there's something about about Christmas that makes me all sentimental.
It gets me focused on the thankfulness of things.
But I want you to hear this sound button.
I I want you this PMS NBC this afternoon on the on their program called It's the Economy.
We have a montage here of an exchange between the anchors Contessa Brewer and Melissa Francis.
And uh WRC television reporter Chris Gordon about the water main break in Bethesda, Maryland.
Freezing temperatures caused uh a big pipe in Bethesda, Maryland to burst.
It happened during morning rush hour, And that, of course, caused icy waters rushing into a nearby roadway.
More than a dozen people were trapped in their vehicles.
This story also highlights the nation's need for serious infrastructure repairs, a top priority of the incoming Obama administration as part of a massive economic stimulus plan.
I talked to Congressman Chrisman Holland today.
That's his district where this water main break happened.
And he told me that repairing this kind of infrastructure, these pipes that carry water supplies to cities, it's gotta be priority number one with an immediate economic stimulus bill.
He expects that to happen right away when Obama takes office.
I just, you know, we we we see examples of of media slavishness and slobbering, you know, all the time.
I just this for some reason takes the cake.
And I know it's hard to say that any one incident takes the cake.
But Obama's not even going to have to fight for this agenda.
All he's got to do is announce one time what he wants to do.
The drive-by's are going to take care of the agenda.
And getting it done.
This highlights uh need for infrastructure.
It does no such thing.
There's a lot of water mains out there older than this that have not busted.
By the way, did you notice what the cause was?
They kind of just slid right past this one.
Do you hear what?
Freezing temperatures.
Freezing temperatures, ladies and gentlemen.
During global warming.
Freezing temperatures caused a big pipe to burst.
Now, how does that happen?
How does freezing temperatures cause a big pipe to burst?
Normally what happens is that water expands when it freezes, it gets bigger, but that would be a lot of water to have to freeze, and that's moving water in a water main.
So I doubt that the water was frozen, but if it was, it was damn cold.
In the midst of global warming.
Vince in Columbus, Ohio, you're up next on the EIB network, sir.
Hello.
Hi, Rush.
It's a it's an honor.
Thank you, sir.
Uh President Bush thinks that right after he's out of after he's out of office, history will show that he did the right things and made the right decisions when he was in office.
But what he doesn't realize is that when you mention the House Un-American Activities Committee, the first name you think of is Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Few people take the time to wonder how a senator would run a House Committee.
I think that Bush is wrong in assuming that history will show his actions were justified and correct, just like how most histories historians link the House Un-American activity to a quote evil Republican, unquote, instead of to the Democrats who actually ran the committee.
Yeah, I I don't know that Bush has actually said uh that his uh historical legacy will improve the moment he's gone.
I think what he actually means is that when history writers who are not even alive today begin to write the history of this era, because look, let's face it, people writing current history are liberals.
And it's likely that they will be liberals that are not yet born who will write history.
But I understand what you're saying.
But the the to compare Bush and McCarthy here is a little bit of stretch or to the House on American Activities Committee, which was supposedly run by McCarthy.
I know what you're saying, and everything's McCarthy ran the committee when he was in the Senate.
But uh Bush thinks this because he thinks, and he's talking pretty much here about Ford and Bulasy, uh, that the decisions he made in fighting the war on terror, the war in Iraq will at some point prove to have been the right thing to do.
Uh, he has uh he has can't Reagan was the same way.
Reagan said history will take care of this, history'll get it right.
And of course, the people that are still alive today that wrote Reagan history, still writing it or trying to revise it because it was effective and it uh it was successful.
Uh brief time out here, folks.
We'll take it now and come back before you know it here on the EIB network.
Sit tight.
Doing open line Friday on Tuesday here off tomorrow and the rest of this week and all of next week.
We have a series of guest hosts coming up featuring Jason Lewis.
Walter Williams will make an encore performance.
Uh Ladies and gentlemen, Mark Stein on January 2nd, and we'll have a lot of best of rushes thrown in there.
We've got Christmas music show on uh on Christmas Day and uh a best of on the uh on the 26th as well.
Amelia Island, Florida.
Jesse, nice to have you on the EIB network.
Hello.
Merry Christmas, Rush.
Same to you, sir.
Been glad to listen to you for 20 years now, and I I really I just want to thank you for uh educating me over these years.
I'm I'm honored to be talking to you in 90.
The year 2000.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
You know, you you say I have educated you, but you know all of you people in this audience have uh educated me as well.
I will explain how, because I'm sure many of you think that's not possible, and I will explain how in mere moments.
What's on your mind, Jesse?
Well, I wanted to tell you that uh I because of my education I've gotten on the EIB network, I have been able to uh put together a book recently called Own Yourself.
It's uh it's a challenge to strong, brave, intelligent young men, and it's uh you'll you'll see that there's a lot of information in there that I think from Rush Limbaugh.
The book is entitled Own Yourself, so it's a book on self-slavery.
Uh-oh, no, Rush, it's a book on self-reliant, individual.
I was I was trying to be trying to be funny out there, Jesse, just being a little clever here.
Well, the reason I address it to young men is because I really believe that the the older generations, uh, those of us who are born after 1950 are pretty much already uh addicted to government and give out and hand handouts, bailouts, and you name it, and it's it's gonna take a young a new generation of of individualists to bring us out of this.
Well, you know, I've I've I've done a study of this uh because there have been plenty of times in American history where people think the country is headed into an abyss for which it won't return.
It'll still exist, but it'll be of a different structure and foundation.
Yet it's always rebounded.
And if you look into research of this, you'll find that that every two or three generations, just exactly what Jesse is saying here, every two or three generations, you have a group of young people that just refuse to put up with it all.
They just don't accept the way their parents live and and uh grandparents live and so forth and change it.
And it it takes many forms.
I don't think that everybody born after 1950 has become dependent yet.
I know I'm I'm born in 1951, and I'm still as diametrically opposed to becoming dependent to anything, anybody.
Uh for my wants and needs and for financials and so forth, I just but I know that people who only have social security, where else are they gonna go?
Grand design, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
That's all they've got.
What are they gonna do?
They're not going to oppose any policy that might lower taxes that they know will come their way.
And this has been part of the grand design by the by the Democrat Party.
But let me explain something here about you know, Jesse wanted to thank me for his education, and I I said, and I'm sure this is this is difficult for many of you to believe when I said this, that uh you have have of uh led to my education as well.
I know many of you who listen to this program and say, how in the world could we make rush any smarter than he is?
I understand if you would look at it that way.
You see, education is an ongoing process.
I uh I've been doing this 20 years, and I I get reflective this time of year, and I look back, and this is when I really count my blessings, and of course, uh the blessings of family are irreplaceable and unique, but man, the blessings that I have had since 1988 hosting this program and having all of you be in the audience.
It's it's it's incomprehensible and it's incalculable.
And I think back some time I I I look at I'm always assessing myself.
Uh how did I do today?
Job-wise, did I did I phone it in?
Did the audience think I phoned it in?
Did could it have been better?
And I when I get reflective, uh I try to be as honest with myself as I can.
I look back to um just ten years ago, just pick a number, ten years ago back to 1998, and I'll remember certain things I did, boy, how naive was I. I'm not talking personal life.
I'm talking about understanding the just the things that are discussed on this program.
Point is I I learn every day.
I uh I I there are more things that become understandable immediately, which is the result of ongoing education.
And see, I love it.
I actually love learning.
I hated learning when I was a kid because it was being force-fed me and in school, and I I wasn't, you know, for everything I was interested in, I had to spend eight hours being bored with garbage I wasn't interested in.
And I thought the education system was missing out with people like me.
Uh but they had to have a system that educated a mass number of people at the same time.
The only way it could do it.
Uh but you know, I'm lucky I ended up in in a um in a profession where doing what I love is what I get paid to do.
And if so it's not work per se.
It's an indulgence.
And I get I got I get to indulge uh my passions each and every day.
And I learn more, uh, become more informed.
Uh and it's, you know, it's true, the older you get, if you're paying attention, and if you're clocked in, you can't help but to accrue more wisdom.
It's impossible.
I mean, all things being equal.
If you're an idiot, you have some sort of mental deficiency.
Of course, none of this stuff applies.
But I mean, all things being equal, you can't help but learn more.
And it's exciting when you do, and it's exciting when instincts uh replace careful thought when you when you just know, when you just without because the study uh has taken place in the years ahead.
And I think back to all of the the good fortune that all of us here at the EIB network have had.
Well, I always maintain my perspective on this and understand the root of it and where it comes from, and that's you.
I mean, I could be the exact person I am doing exactly what I'm doing, but if nobody listened to it, then it would all have been for naught.
And you go all you all have listened and you have stayed uh attached.
Your loyalty and devotion to uh this program and our sponsors.
And I can't tell you how how much I uh appreciate the fact that I know how sophisticated you are in terms of understanding, you know, what it is that keeps this program afloat.
Like I'm I'm getting emails all the time now about I got an email here about the carbonite guy.
He just he just got it, he heard me talking about it, got a new computer, heard me talking about it, went out, signed up, it happens in the background.
Brand new computer in three weeks is hard drive blue.
Sends me a note to thank me.
Carbonite.com, by the way, if you're interested, offer code rush.
But nevertheless, every year at this time, I get sentimental.
You know, a lot of us have lost family members this time of year.
And this time of year can generate a lot of sadness and melancholy.
Mostly when we think of nostalgia, or we go back and think of the past, we're wired so that we remember the good times.
Remember the laughs that we had.
We remembered the things and the people that we enjoyed.
We we've we figure out as we get older that it's not what you have or what you have accrued over the course of your life, but rather it's the it's the relationships with people that you love that you remember.
Those provide the fond memories, and of course you lose people that you love.
And I'm sure uh like myself, a lot of you have lost family members this time of year, and this is when families get together or try to.
And you it you'll you never get over the absence.
But even so, the memories, they they can overcome the sense of loss or or absence, and the memories are positive, and they they end up making for good times.
And that's what this time of year, other than, of course, the birth of Christ the Savior is uh is uh is all about for so many people.
But once again, folks, you always tell me how much the program means to you, and I appreciate that.
But there's no way this program can possibly mean as much to you as what you have meant to me and my family and all of us here.
Merry Christmas, everybody.
We'll see you on January 5th.
I hope you get uh as much fun of the next few days as uh as we plan to.
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