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June 10, 2009 - Rush Limbaugh Program
33:14
June 10, 2009, Wednesday, Hour #3
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Time Text
The views expressed by the host on this program, that's me, documented to be almost always right, 99.1% of the time.
Boy, if you're just tuning in, you've missed a barn burner today.
The Libs.
And by the way, did you notice old Joe in Miami had to say he's an independent proving my long-made contention that independents are just liberals without the guts to say so.
But I mean, we've had a couple of them on the air today.
Sterling reports are coming out of the woodwork.
They're like flies and maggots out there today.
And they just can't have tell some jokes about Obama.
And they just can't handle it out there today.
It's hilarious.
Well, if you're just tuning in, if you're a welfare recipient, just tuning in, just getting up, you've missed a barn burner.
Here's the phone number, 800-282-2882.
If you want to be on the program, the email address, LRushbo at EIBNet.com.
I have to deal with something here before we get back to the audio sun.
But I had an email last night for a friend of mine in Detroit at our Blowtorch affiliate there, WJR.
Did you talk about this today?
I looked at it and I said, no.
This was yesterday in the Detroit News, a story by Gordon Trowbridge, who I don't think wrote the headline, but the headline is right-wing radio hosts Hewitt and Limbaugh back GM boycott.
A pair of right-wing radio hosts say there's only one choice for conservatives angry about government involvement in the auto industry, and that's boycott General Motors.
Now, for the record, ladies and gentlemen, I don't do boycotts.
I do not sponsor them.
I do not encourage them.
I never have.
I think it is media childishness when people start urging boycotts.
I have never, ever done such a thing, and I didn't do this with General Motors.
All I did to clarify was report a poll that said X Numbers American says, what was it, 18 or 20% are not going to buy a GM car anymore after this bailout or a Chrysler.
They're not going to do it.
And then I said after that that I could understand it.
And I had received email from people who were not going to buy a car from General Motors anymore.
And they gave the reasons I got from people who just sent me emails was they don't want to support Obama's socialism.
They don't want to support the notion of government running the car companies.
And they don't want to patronize companies that have been bailed out.
People are coming up with this on their own.
I don't know what the percentage is, but I urged no boycott of General Motors as a sponsor here.
I bought a German.
That's right.
I bought a new suburban last week.
I bought one.
This is absolutely absurd.
This is just typical of the irresponsibility of the media.
Now, it just so happens here that I have, let's see, there's one, two, well, there's two of them here, but I've only got one of them.
It's from the AmericanThinker.com by Gary Jason, The Ethical Case for Boycotting Chrysler and General Motors.
Now, I'm not going to read a whole thing to you.
We'll link to it at rushlandblood.com, but it's different.
This article is almost like a paper that somebody write in a law school class, but it outlines the moral justifications for never buying a government-owned car.
So we'll link to it at my website so you can see it later on in the program.
But just for the record, I don't do boycotts.
I didn't encourage one.
I never have done so.
The Detroit News or whoever they get their news from at the Detroit News got it wrong.
Back to the audio soundbites now.
Timmy Geithner, the tax cheat, held a press conference to talk about the Obama administration's plans to rework executive compensation rules.
Geithner tried to pull an Obama.
He tried to do double speak like Obama does.
Let's listen together and see if little Timmy was able to pull it off.
Looking forward, we are going to support giving the SEC legislative authority for say-on-pay legislation.
What we're not doing.
We are not proposing an ongoing government role in setting policy on compensation.
We do not believe it's appropriate for the government to set caps on compensation.
We are not going to prescribe detailed prescriptive rules for compensation.
We think all those things would be ineffective, could be counterproductive in some ways.
And we're going to try to find the right balance looking forward.
This is just unbelievable.
See, Obama can get away with this.
Obama can get away with saying he's not going to do something while announcing that he's going to do it.
Timmy can't do it.
What they're trying to say is they're going to walk back on this notion that they're going to cap executive compensation.
They're going to be, yeah, we're not going to.
They're going to let Congress do it.
Obama's walking by the Obama administration.
Oh, no, we're not going to do that.
That's what little Timmy's trying to say here.
They're going to leave it to Congress to handle it on the bonus side.
But they're not walking back from anything here.
To the extent that they're making the announcement, they want everybody to think they're walking back because they're panicking in the Obama White House.
Trust me, they are in trouble.
They don't have universal love and support backing everything he's doing.
Despite, you know, you won't know this because the government-controlled media does not report such things.
Now, here's here's the next phase of this was reporters wanted to ask questions.
Reporters said, how does this reconcile with the TARP guidelines on executive compensation, Mr. Secretary?
I'm not going to take any questions on that, but we're going to be laying out relatively soon the detailed regulations to apply the congressional conditions on compensation for companies that have capital investments from the government.
Thank you all for coming.
I'm not even going to take any questions on that.
Obama did the same thing the other day.
Come on, guys.
I'm not talking about that.
Oh, okay.
Sorry, we didn't mean to offend you.
So let's go over to the authority on all of this in Congress, executive pay, compensation, and bonuses, none other than Barney Frank.
He was on MSNBC this afternoon, Andrea Mitchell and her show.
And her question, I know a lot of this legislation is legislation you proposed back in 2006 that in fact then Senator Obama joined in the Senate.
Why don't you tell us what you've done today and how it comports with what you're doing on the Hill?
No one is setting pay caps.
No one is, at least that I'm aware of, is trying to put any limits on the actual amounts.
We are saying that shareholders should have a major say.
The problem has been that boards of directors and CEOs are each other's best friends.
They've picked each other.
Boards of directors have not proven to be a really independent check in this regard.
So we've adopted what the British have had for a long time called say on pay.
When you have the annual proxy vote, it has to be sent out to the shareholders anyway.
No extra funding is required.
You give them a chance to say whether they approve or disapprove the total compensation packages.
There you have it.
The banking queen, Barney Frank, has just told us how it's going to go down.
Barney Frank with the vocal portrayal there.
What a bump.
What a bump to come out of that with Rinky Dink.
Dave Baby Cortez, 1963, I believe.
Okay, folks, just to repeat now, it hasn't been posted yet, but it's soon coming.
A congressman says that captured terrorists, in fact, high-value detainees, high-value detainees in Afghanistan, terrorist detainees, are being read their Miranda rights on orders from the Obama administration.
Now, I want you to stop for just a second here and imagine the ramifications of this.
If this is true, if we're reading non-citizens Miranda rights and thereby granting them citizenship, then how can we deny citizenship to illegals working and living in the United States?
Welcome back, Rushland Bought Talent on Lawn from God.
By the way, ladies and gentlemen, another difference between Barack Obama and God, and that is that God only demands to be worshipped once a week.
Television number if you want to be on the program, 800-282-2882.
Here's the story.
It's Stephen Hayes in the Weekly Standard.
Obama Justice Department has quietly ordered FBI agents to read Miranda rights to high-value detainees captured and held at detention facilities in Afghanistan.
This, according to a senior Republican in the House Intelligence Committee, his name is Mike Rogers.
And he said this, the administration has decided to change the focus to law enforcement.
Here's the problem.
You have foreign fighters who are targeting U.S. troops today, foreign fighters who go to another country to kill Americans.
We capture them, and they're reading them their rights, mirandizing these foreign fighters.
Rogers is a former FBI special agent and a U.S. Army officer, says the Obama administration has not briefed Congress on this new policy.
So I was a little surprised to find it taking place when I showed up because we hadn't been briefed on it.
I didn't know about it.
We're still trying to get to the bottom of it, but it is clearly a part of this new global justice initiative.
The effort which elevates the FBI and other law enforcement agencies and diminishes the role of intelligence and military officials was described in the Los Angeles Times last Thursday.
And it goes on to describe it.
So terrorist detainees are being mirandized.
They're being read their U.S. constitutional rights in Afghanistan and probably in other places.
By the way, Barney Frank in that last soundbite play said, no, we're not going to pay caps.
We're just going to have the shareholders.
We're going to have a chance to do what they do in Great Britain.
It's say on pay.
They give them a chance to whether they approve or disapprove the total compensation package.
Barney, big difference is that the shareholders don't pick the CEOs and the board of director doesn't choose a CEO.
Obama is choosing CEOs.
Now, this next soundbite, this is Barney Frank, CNBC this afternoon.
And the guy questioning Barney Frank here is Robin Farzad.
He is from Business Week magazine.
And this is pretty good.
Do you look back at your career and ask yourself, why are we always so late to the game as regulators, whether it's the SNL crisis, you clearly could have seen all this stuff in 05 and 06.
Oh, I did see it in 05 and 66.
Why didn't you say anything else?
I did, because the Republicans were in control of the Republican.
No, you can't blame the Republicans.
Sorry, there's five movie theater.
I'm telling you what you can't do.
You cannot ask me a question and interrupt me three words into the answer.
The answer is: I can blame the Republicans.
In 2005, several congressmen from North Carolina, myself, proposed a bill to restrict subprime lending, and we were rejected by the Republican majority.
In 2007, when I became the chairman and we became the majority, we regulated Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and we passed a bill through the House to regulate subprime mortgages.
Yes, I will show you things that I said about subprime mortgages and a bill we tried to pass in 2005, and the Republicans were in control and wouldn't allow it to happen.
I think this is sort of just the opposite of what really happened.
It was the Democrats who were making the regulators pound sand during committee hearings.
The Bush administration tried numerous times to rein in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and it was Barney Frank and Chris Dodd who stood in the way and didn't want it to happen.
Anyway, it's a good question.
Why do you guys always get away with acting like innocent bystanders?
Why didn't you do something about it?
You guys are always late to the fire.
It's a great question.
You can see old Barn didn't like it.
One bit.
Here's Mike in Darien, Connecticut, as we go back to the phones.
Great to have you with us today on the EIB network.
Hi.
Rush, it's a pleasure to speak with you.
Thank you, sir.
One of the things I wanted to point out: I've been an auto analyst for 25 years, and one of the things that's been missed by analyst?
Like, where do you work?
What's your job?
I'm an analyst.
I analyze the auto industry and recommend the stocks to institutional insurance.
I see.
Okay.
One of the things the media has missed on this whole automotive situation is the UAW claims that both Chrysler and GM that were given priority over the debt holders.
That money is going to be used to fund longer-term health care liabilities.
If national health care is passed, the UAW won't need the money.
It becomes a windfall.
You know, that's an excellent point, and it does become a windfall.
You know, we're getting to the point with all this.
You know, in the United States, when you go out and buy a bond, a T-bill or something, they always say backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.
Pretty soon, those bonds are going to say backed by the full faith and credit of the United Auto Workers.
Because that's how much of the government they're having handed to them by President Obama.
But that is an excellent point that you're making: that if we get nationalized health care, they're going to need their fund.
They're not going to need as much of it, that's for sure.
For health care.
That's right.
True windfall.
Appreciate that, Mike.
Excellent observation.
Thanks for taking it.
Thank you so much.
And a breath of fresh air compared to some of the ninnies on the left that sturdily has leaked through here today.
Erie, Pennsylvania, Laura, great to have you on the EIB network.
Hi.
Hi, mega-optimistic dittos, and thank you for taking the slings and arrows from the other side for all of us.
Thank you, madam.
Oh, you're just our hero.
I listened to Governor Dean this morning, and there were some new things on this government health care proposal that he supports Obama's plan.
He said that definitely he believes that illegal alien children should be covered, but not the adults.
He said that you will have an option to join the government plan, or you can stay with your insurance that you have through your employers.
That's not going to happen.
Well, I think that's what I'm saying.
Once the public option.
See, this is a trick that they're all using to get people to go along with this.
They're going to try to convince people that they're still going to be able to opt out of the government plan and have their own private.
That won't happen.
They're going to close them down.
And once they get national health care, businesses are going to get rid of their health care plans.
They want to.
They want to offload them.
They're going to be happy for the government to take it over.
Well, that's what I would think.
But wouldn't that destroy the private insurance companies and more unemployment with all of those people that are employed trying to provide good insurance?
Depends.
It depends on how the insurance company voted.
If the insurance company voted for Obama, then they'll probably get some sort of a participatory role in administering the whole government-run health care plan.
If the insurance company has people that did not contribute or endorse Obama vote for him, then they could be in trouble.
Well, and he proposed a 10 cents raise in the gas tax to pay for some of this.
I know.
Oh, the 10 cent tax and the gas tax.
We're going to tax employment benefits, employer-paid benefits, provided benefit.
We're going to raise tax on sugary drinks.
We're going to raise taxes on every we're going to raise taxes on what you exhale.
We're going to raise taxes on carbon dioxide in order to pay for all of this.
Brace yourselves, folks.
You're going to be saying someday, why didn't somebody tell me?
I'm telling you.
And greetings and welcome back.
Rush Limbaugh here at the Excellence in Broadcasting Network.
Great to have you with us on the fastest three hours in media.
Hey, we have some more differences for you here between President Obama and God.
God asks for only 10% of your money.
God gives you freedom to live your life as you choose.
God's plan to save us is actually written down for people to read.
And now back to the phones.
Terry in Mesa, Arizona.
Great to have you with us.
Hi.
Mega Dittos, Rutz, from the only desert southwest red state.
Thank you, sir.
Hey, earlier you had said there were certain people that had kind of ruined, I think it was the Republican Party, McCain, Colin Powell.
No, there's a story today in USA Today, and it's based on a Gallup poll that suggests that the party's in trouble because its leader, me, and all the other so-called leaders, according to the poll, are bald white guys.
Okay.
And what I said was that this is a party out of power, not because of me or bald white guys.
This is a party out of power, thanks to McCain, thanks to Colin Powell, and the moderates.
Okay, well, that's what I wanted to touch on real quick because I'm a white guy.
Fortunately, I'm not bald.
I'm 47, and I still have all my hair.
It doesn't matter.
Sonia Sotomayor still has you in her crosshairs.
Okay.
Well, what I wanted you to do is give me a litmus test.
Give me a litmus test.
I believe I'm a true Republican.
I have as much disdain for Barack Obama and his policies and all of his knuckleheads in the White House as much as anybody in the conservative movement.
But I just want to make sure I pass the litmus test because I don't know.
Sometimes I feel like I don't.
Well, I don't have litmus tests.
You don't have a litmus test.
I don't have a litmus test.
I just know a moderate Republican from a conservative Republican, but you're going to have to tell me what you believe.
Okay, well, I believe in gun ownership.
I don't think that there's an issue with gun ownership.
I don't believe in abortion.
Hang on just a second.
I'm going to make a little column here.
I'm going to put an M and a C. All right.
And I'm going to check these off as you go along, and I'll tell you after you pass or fail a test.
Okay.
Okay, so you oppose gun control.
No, yeah, I oppose gun control.
I mean, I think you have a right to own guns.
Okay, that's good because the Constitution says so.
What about, no, what did you say about abortion?
Abortion, I don't believe in abortion, with the exception if a mother's life is in danger or a woman has been raped.
All right.
Well, I know.
In the case of rape, though, it's not the baby's fault, but I don't want to argue abortion.
Okay.
So what else?
I don't believe in higher taxes, that's for darn sure.
All right.
You know, I believe, you know, A, I believe in our country.
I'm very proud of our country.
I've always been very proud of our country.
I'm a little disgusted by our politicians.
All right.
You know, I believe in people's right to work.
I believe in the right to work.
I don't believe that just because you're part of a union that you should give it a free ride.
You've done a pretty good summary here of your views.
Let's go to people.
Colin Powell.
Well, let's put it this way.
Before he backed Barack Obama in the presidential election, I would have voted for Colin Powell.
I used to have people say, oh, the reason why you're not voting for Barack Obama is because he's black.
No, because I would have voted for Colin Powell because I thought the man had he run.
But now I'm not so sure because I think he's double-crossed the Republican Party.
Okay.
Now let me ask you as a subset of the Colin Powell question: what specific policies and agenda items of the General Powells have you heard that you agree with?
Well, I believe he's for a strong military.
I believe he's to, you know, protection for the United States.
You know, as far as other policies, you know, I really can't go into them that in depth and I apologize.
Well, no, you shouldn't apologize.
He hasn't said.
That's why you don't know.
Okay.
And you're even guessing about his supposed support for the military because he wears the uniform.
You really haven't heard him say anything about any of the issues you've listed.
You could not tell me.
And nobody can.
This is not a you.
You could not tell me what Colin Powell thinks of gun control, what he thinks of abortion, what he thinks of taxes.
You could.
I'm sorry.
Think about it.
Colin Powell did come out for bigger government and higher taxes.
Okay, well.
When he endorsed Obama.
Okay, John McCain.
John McCain, well, I believe he's a true and blue American.
I voted for him personally, but who was I going to vote for otherwise?
Okay.
I mean, was he my first choice for presidential candidate?
No, he wasn't.
Sarah Palin.
I believe she's a great American as well.
I believe she's come from nowhere to be somewhere.
Okay, me.
I'm serious.
What do you think of me and my radio program and the way I conduct it?
I think you conduct a fairly honest radio program.
I do get every now and then I get a little frustrated at some of your ramblings on.
About what specifically?
Well, sometimes I think you just carry on too much about certain things.
You just pick a subject and you keep beating it to death.
Rush, don't get me wrong.
No, no, no.
I believe in your message.
No, I understand.
I understand.
There's a specific reason I'm asking.
There's no wrong answer here.
No, I understand.
Give me an example of something that I just don't let go of.
I just beat it to death.
Oh, man, now you're going to really put me on the spot.
It should be easy to remember because somebody that won't let go of a subject, somebody just beats it to that irritates you, and people generally remember why they're irritated.
You know, Rush, over the years of me listening to you in the car and whatnot, you know, there's, you know, I can't give any specific things.
I just felt like sometimes you get on something and you start just kind of beating it.
You know what?
It's in a funny way.
And I'm not patronizing you, by the way.
It's in a funny way.
It's, it's, you know, and I know a lot of times it's very serious.
Well, for example, I know for right now, today, for example, you've been harping on the thing about A-Royd.
And you've been talking about him knocking up Sarah Palin's daughter.
Now, first of all, that's a huge insult.
Well, you kept referring to it, and I know that you were, it was a pun.
I know you were saying, oh, well, that's a huge insult to A-Royd.
You know?
A-Rod.
I understand that, but where I come from, he's A-Royd.
I'm a true and proved baseball fan.
But anyway.
A-Rod.
Okay, so basically, I haven't mentioned Letterman and what he said about Sarah.
See, you're not up.
Are you irritated at Letterman for saying it?
Oh, I'm hugely irritated.
I think that that's just, and I used to like David Lutt.
I used to love to watch his show, but I got to tell you, he has gone off and taken the other train.
I mean, he's just horrible.
And to make a comment like that, I mean, slutty airline outfit, and then to also.
Be careful about it.
Wait, we've talked about it enough.
You're beating this to a discussion.
I've got a subject.
We've talked about this.
I think, you know, Letterman, when his train came in, he was at the airport.
And he's just, you say he's off the, he's took the wrong tree.
He's not even on the train.
Now, here's the results of your test.
Okay, I'm all ears.
You are not in the slightest way a moderate Republican.
Okay.
So I'm curious why you call yourself one.
Well, you know, I mean, there's certain things that I, you know, I like, for example, solar and alternative energies.
I like that.
You know, do I want it crammed down my throat?
No, but I think for people that can afford it, you know, go out and get it.
But it is being crammed down our throats.
And so are the so-and-so is the stupid windmill garbage.
It is being crammed down our throats.
Every aspect of our lives are going to be crammed down our throats once they get health care nationalized.
All right.
Well, look, I appreciate your subjecting yourself to the test.
Most people wouldn't have done it, and you were very honest about it.
I just want to tell you.
You probably called yourself a moderate because you think you deviate from the conservative stance on global warming or environmentalism.
I'm like you.
If somebody wants a windmill, fine.
Just don't make me do one and keep the government out of my backyard with one.
Don't ream me for using the electricity I pay for.
Don't ream me for using the water I pay for.
Don't tell me how to live.
You want to go get away.
If you want to buy a lawnmower with two seats on it, thinking you're saving the planet, that's fine.
I'll try to tell you you're not saving the planet.
You can still buy the car, but that's a big difference.
We don't tell anybody how to live their lives.
We get out of people's way as conservatives.
We're dealing with people who want as much control over the way we live our lives as possible.
All right, a brief timeout.
We'll be back and continue.
By the way, if anybody else out there can tell me, other than four being for high taxes and bigger government, what Colin Powell stands for, issue by issue.
I would like to know.
And we are back.
Rush Limbaugh, the EIB network, and the fastest three hours in media.
This is from the Politico today.
President Barack Obama eats his vegetables and exercises every day and really wants you to do the same.
From the White House garden to his picks for top health jobs, Obama is telling America's McDonald's-loving, couch-dwelling, doctor-phobic populace that things are about to change.
Let's see, McDonald's-loving, couch-dwelling, isn't this the guy who takes government media reporters to burger joints?
Don't be fooled by the presidential burger runs, it says here.
Obama and Congress are moving across several fronts to give government a central role in making America healthier, raising expectations among public health experts of a new era of activism unlike any before.
I have been saving this story for just such a call as we had from the guy in Mesa, Arizona.
He doesn't, we were talking with him about control of one's life.
And here's the Politico just excitedly, breathlessly excited about a new era of public health activism, unlike any before.
Any health care reform plan that Obama signs is almost certain to call for nutrition counseling, obesity screenings, and wellness programs at workplaces and community centers.
He wants more time in the screw day for physical fitness, more nutritional screw lunches, more bike pads, more walking pads, grocery stores in underserved areas.
The president is filling top posts at health and human services with officials who outlawed trans fats, banned public smoking, or required restaurants to provide a calorie count with that slice of banana cream pie.
To some, it smacks of a nanny state on steroids, but for others who fret that America is turning into one big overeaters anonymous meeting, Obama's prescription is like a low-fat dream come true.
Barack and Michelle Obama sweat through a morning workout before most Americans step out of bed.
They receive almost as much attention for their toned bodies as they do for their policies, which for the First Lady includes an early concentration on healthful eating.
She made headlines worldwide for planting a vegetable garden, and they marked their first Easter at the White House by organizing an Easter egg roll that focused on exercise.
Former President George W. Bush was equally devoted to fitness, but he never gave it a prominent role in policymaking, as public health experts expect from Obama.
That's precisely because Bush did not try to nag and force people to his personal decisions, because Bush was not a damn authoritarian liberal.
Anyway, this is what we're headed for.
The new era of activism on public health, unlike any before.
Pretty soon, in the middle of the State of Union address, any Republicans sitting on their side of the aisle that don't stand up and applaud, Obama will stop and say, drop and give me 20.
20 push-ups for every applause line they sit on their hands.
All right, who's next?
Sherry in San Antonio.
Sherry, you're next on the EIB network.
Great to have you here with us.
Thank you, Rush.
Good afternoon.
How are you?
Fine and dandy.
Thank you.
Been listening to you for a long time.
And Joe from Miami just kind of doesn't have a clue.
I am originally a Michigander.
Father retired from General Motors.
When I was four years old, I stood in a picket line with him and watched him collect his $2 for the day that he stood in the picket line.
There was a time where the union had a cause.
There was a time for the union to be of need.
And back then, there was a time.
I watched in the 70s and the 80s how that union was overcome with greed and basically took out General Motors and Chrysler.
On top of that came in some poor management, which fell in line with it because of greed.
When Leia Koka took over Chrysler, he was a man of honesty, of integrity.
He was.
And he took that company from where it stands today and revived it back into a living, breathing, freedom company.
Sherry, I have to stop you there because of the constraints of time.
I appreciate the comments.
I know a lot of people agree with you.
We got to take a timeout.
Back right after this.
Thank you, folks.
It's been fun today.
It's been always great, a thrill, and a delight to be with you.
And we'll wrap it up and do it all over again in 21 hours.
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