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April 14, 2011 - Rush Limbaugh Program
33:17
April 14, 2011, Thursday, Hour #3
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Okay, we're back, and as I said, we got an exciting full hour of broadcast excellence remaining with a lot of stuff to pound in here.
Telephone number, including your phone calls, 800-282-2882, the email address, lrushbow at EIBnet.com.
ABC News just now.
John Boehner has shrugged off conservative criticism of the dollar amount of the continuing resolution.
He said it's not perfect.
It's the first step.
And what is the second step?
The debt limit.
What will be his second step?
To be in that regard, to wait for the Ryan budget, second or third step or what?
We don't know.
But we do know.
Can you imagine what it was like in the Republican caucus meeting last night?
Because all day yesterday there was talk that they might need some Democrat votes to get this continuing resolution passed.
That would not look good.
And here you've had a weekend filled with spin.
Big win for Boehner.
Oh my God.
Why was it the first time we've cut the budget since Mars was discovered?
This is huge.
$38 billion.
My God, Mabel, it's never been done before.
That was the weekend spin.
And it kind of tried to deteriorate.
To the point that last night it was down to $352 million.
There's been criticism everywhere.
There has been support from some sectors of the conservative media.
But you, the peoples, and much of the conservative media has not been happy here.
First, we were told $100 billion, and that didn't fly.
It was $61 billion.
If it was less than that, there's going to be hell to pay, and there's hell to pay.
So imagine being in that meeting.
In this regard, Republicans and Democrats don't differ much.
Leadership wants something done, and you have an arm that'll twist it.
And so I wonder what the message was from the leadership to recalcitrant Republicans who might have told that they were going to vote no, might have said to the leadership, you know, we can't vote for this.
Because the last thing the leadership wants is Democrat votes to pass this.
Now, how many of the freshmen, the freshmen, they're the ones that always get the pressure.
Okay, so we've got a huge number of freshmen.
Some of them got to vote no.
Leadership learns it, brings them in.
There was a meeting yesterday afternoon into last night.
We know that.
Okay, vote no.
Go ahead and vote no.
Don't bother coming back.
Okay, vote no.
You want to vote no?
Don't expect to ever matter here again.
Whatever.
You can imagine the kind of stuff that might have been said.
So here's Boehner shrugging off the criticism of the dollar amount.
Not perfect.
First step.
Okay, what's the second step?
Debt limit?
Well, what's going to be the second step there?
Because we're already hearing that the debt limit, eh, kick that can down the road too.
Let's focus on the Ryan budget.
And then we start focusing on the Ryan budget.
Let's kick that can down the road.
We've got to focus on the 2012 election.
They just don't want to deal with it.
The Democrats do, and I think it's an opportunity.
Here is Senator Chuck Yu Schumer.
This afternoon in Washington, the Democrats held a miniature press conference, and during the press conference, this is what Chuck Yu Schumer said about Obama's speech yesterday afternoon.
The president's speech has framed a debate that will rage long after we resolve the debt ceiling.
The debate is a debate we welcome.
We've been waiting for it.
It is a debate we will win.
It is quite a different debate than the one we will finish up today.
The one to come has much higher stakes.
The debate ahead of us is about the role of government itself.
It will be one of the seminal debates in the first quarter of this new century and will determine what America is like.
The fact that the president has drawn a clear distinction with the Republicans and their Ryan budget brings the debate finally to a head, and we welcome it.
Now, before you poo-poo this and start talking about Chuck Hugh Schumer as a wacko extremist, let me tell you: do I need to tell you Snerdley what he just did?
Okay, I'll tell you what he just did.
Chuck Yu is banking on the fact, using intelligence guided by experience, that the Republicans in the House will punt the debt ceiling.
Chuck Yu Schumer has just set that up as the debate of the 21st century.
Chuck Yu Schumer has just said the debate on the debt ceiling will be the most important thing we do in the first 25 years.
And he's confident that the House Republicans are going to punt.
Meaning, when it's all said and done, the Democrats, Chuck Hugh Schumer, is going to be out there.
Next time he sees the camera, he's going to be out there saying, we won it.
We won the debate.
If the debt ceiling goes up at nime, Chuck Yu is going to go out and say they won the debate.
If the Republicans do not even challenge it, if they kick it down the road, as they have said, and there's pressure being brought to bear, I mean, Wall Street tycoons are calling Boehner.
And we played you the soundbites yesterday.
Some of the people warning debt limit, you know, you guys start messing around with that, and you got a default on your hands that we can't handle.
And there will not be a default.
Nothing would happen.
The consequences are far greater than the ever-government shutdown with a continuing resolution.
But this is what that election in November was all about.
Chuck Yu Schumer is what he's doing is setting the table for the media to be able to report that the election of November of 2010 didn't mean anything.
That's what this means taken to its ultimate logical end.
And I just said, why don't we want this debate?
This debate is winnable.
My gosh, but we don't.
At least our leadership doesn't.
Chuck Yu makes it look like they do.
Chuck Yu is willing to go out there and defend Obama.
He's willing to go out there and defend joblessness.
He's willing to go out there and defend what's happened to the private sector.
He's willing to go out there and defend all of this that has ended up causing this damage.
He's willing to do it, or say so anyway, because they think, and who could blame them?
Our one weapon, the shutdown, we telegraphed we'd not use it.
I'm not trying to be negative, and I don't think it's the end of this.
I'm just telling that's what, as we sit here today, approaching 2.15 Eastern Time on the 14th of April, that's what this means.
It doesn't mean it can't be dealt with.
Don't snurdly, would you get your face off the floor in there?
I did not say this, how this ends.
This is what Chuck Schumer is trying to set up.
It's almost a challenge.
It's almost a call to arms, if you will.
I would look at this.
It's just me.
It's just me.
Chuck Yu wants to go out and defend this.
The role of government, the role of government is to destroy the U.S. private sector, defend it.
The role of government is to pay for abortions and not military pay, defend it.
Go right ahead.
The role of government is to start taxing people left and right and choke off on the economic recovery.
The role of government is to create or is to prevent, to retard the creation of wealth.
Great.
We want you to defend that.
Go ahead.
He seems eager to.
And I don't think he really is.
I think one of the reasons he says he's eager to is because he doesn't think our guys are going to show up in a serious way.
At the debate that he's just now said we're going to did before Chuck Hugh Schumer has this little soundbite.
We're all sitting here thinking that the dead sitting debate, eh, we're going to kick that down the can, kick that can down the road.
We're not going to have it.
Chuck Yu has just said it's the most important thing in the first 25 years of the century.
Role of government.
And if they win it, Chuck Yu is going to say the American people have decided what they want the role of their government to be.
That's the should.
This is the shouldn't match.
This is it right here.
It's exactly right.
You know, Yul Brenner has just left the theater at West World.
He's in the street.
And he's about to draw on us.
Or Hedley Lamar has abandoned Governor Le Petime.
Whatever Western analogy you want, the bad guy has just walked to the middle of the street.
Are we going to be Sheriff Bad Bart?
Or are we going to be whatever Cleveland Little?
Drive away in the Cadillac, eating some popcorn.
Back after this.
Want to play you?
See, I told you so.
This is me on the program yesterday.
This is actually Monday.
I did.
That was Monday I predicted this.
This is Thursday.
Yeah, four days ago.
Now, it's certainly in their interests, the Democrats and the media, to pretend that we have just experienced draconian cuts.
That's what gets me.
They are acting like this $38 billion is the equivalent of $1 trillion.
They're acting like the federal budget has just been iced.
That's what's wrong with this.
There's no sense of proportion.
They are acting like the bottom's been cut out of this.
They're acting like their aorta has been split open.
And it hasn't.
This isn't even a stub toe.
And they're acting like they got stabbed in the heart, my friends.
So on Wednesday, Obama's going to give his big speech here.
And you know what he's going to say?
Among other things, Obama's going to say, okay, we've listened to Republicans and we've cut spending.
He's going to talk about how monumental the cuts are.
He's even going to take credit.
He's going to say, I was there.
So now it's time for compromise.
Hello.
Tax increases.
That's right.
Predicted that on Monday.
Tax cuts following these draconian cuts.
And that's how they portrayed them.
All right, we're going to the phones.
Yeah, Deerfield Beach, Florida.
How about that, Rosemary?
Great to have you on the program.
Hi.
Mole Rush.
Let me first start by saying you're the best thing that ever happened in my life.
You were anyway, okay?
Well, thank you very much.
I've been listening to you since 1984.
Last time somebody said this to me, they were a seminar caller.
No, I'm not a seminar caller.
You can ask all of Deerfield Beach.
I have you on.
I go to Burger King.
I go to every place with my radio, and I have you on because I just adored you all the time.
I thought you were the smartest, greatest man, and you're a great patriot.
You are.
I'm not saying you're not.
But you've got a lot of people calling up saying that they're mad at John Boehner, they don't like what he's doing and everything.
Yet you're willing to give Chuck E. Schumer a break by defending this socialist.
Wait a minute now.
Well, I didn't defend Chuck Hugh Schumer on anything.
You're making it sound like he's the best thing since Jesus Christ.
Come on.
No, I did not.
I'm issuing a warning.
No, no, you're not listening.
You're not issuing a warning, Rush.
Let me tell you something.
How could you possibly miss my point on Chuck Hush?
You know what?
What did you think I just said about Chuck Schumer?
I just think you think he's so great because he's getting Obama's message out, okay?
No, no, I didn't say that.
Oh, but that's the way it comes.
You're a highly trained specialist.
I can't believe.
Rush.
I can't believe I didn't make this clear.
No, Rush.
Chuck Hugh Schumer threw down the gauntlet.
Chuck Hugh Schumer is trying to make the debt limit debate the most important debate on the role of government in this century, and the Republicans have checked out of it.
It's a trick.
I'm not praising.
Listen to me.
It's a trick.
Rush.
Yes, everything they do is a trick, okay?
Because they have the news media on their side, they lie, and the news media...
Okay, so why are you saying here that I was praising Chuck U. Schumer?
Well, you know, I don't want to play golf with Chuck Hugh Schumer.
Because he was sticking up for this guy.
But when we, what you guys do is knock our guys down.
I want to win.
You take baby steps first, Rush.
You know what?
I've been listening to you, Hannity, Levin, whom I adore too.
Are you listening to me?
Of course you told me to.
True.
Dadhard, Republican, conservative.
You can't get any more than I am.
I mean, I go gambling and I fight with people if they say they're a Democrat, okay?
I want you to know where I am.
Are you sober?
Yes, I am sober.
I never drink in my life.
I swear on the Holy Bible.
Just never drink.
You could ask any one of my friends.
But you guys are coming across, knocking our party constantly.
You're turning Republicans against Republicans.
You're eating our own.
You've got to stop.
Everything is not perfect what the Republicans are doing, but it's a baby step rush.
Don't let us lose it.
Don't let us already.
I mean, we've got a whole year to go and you're knocking out guys.
We're never going to win because, you know what?
You're taking the heart and soul out of people.
We need to win.
We need to have some faith that we could do it.
And all you do is knock, knock, knock.
Wait a second.
Wait a second.
No.
No.
You're going to listen, Rush.
I am taking the heart and soul out of no one.
Oh, yeah.
You took my heart out of nobody.
I haven't done anything.
I'm not involved in the budget debate.
Rush.
Come on.
I know you're not involved.
I'm not.
You get on that radio and you start dissecting everything they do and make it sound like what our guys are doing is nothing they do is right.
Okay?
Didn't say that.
Now, wait a minute.
We are way too generalized here.
We praise.
Look, this is silly to have a defendant.
You're putting forth premises that are absurd.
That I never praise our guys.
That I'm destroying people's attitudes, their hope, their future, their dreams.
I'm not doing anything of the sort.
I am issuing a warning.
I'm simply commentating on what I see.
Was it, let me ask you something here.
Was it I who promised $100 billion in budget cuts?
No.
Did I change my mind and promise $61 billion?
All that rush.
Look, if we have a brain, if you have a brain, people like me, I like to think I have some sort of a brain anyway.
You know what I'm saying?
The jury's out.
No, come on, Rush.
I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I'm not sure if I can do it.
Well, you've been insulting mine.
I'm not insulting you, Rush.
I love you, Rush.
You are accusing me.
You're coming to me, and I'm very hurt.
Heinous.
I'm taking up our side.
You are accusing me of heinous things here that I am doing.
Take constructive criticism, please.
That's the way I mean it.
It's just constructive criticism.
I'm not knocking you.
I love you like you're the second coming.
Oh, seriously.
All right, Dan, not far from where you're.
I don't meet me.
And I can ask anybody in Deerfield Beach.
What?
I can ask anybody in Deerfield Beach, and they'll back you up.
They'll know me.
Yeah.
Oh, you bet.
You bet.
Anybody.
I swear on the Holy Bible.
I wouldn't lie to you.
Okay?
But you've got to stop knocking.
Levin's got to stop knocking.
You know what?
We're not perfect, but we're trying.
Like I said, baby steps.
I want to win, Rush.
I don't want a social.
I was born almost there after the Depression, okay?
I made it the hard way.
I had to go out and get a mortgage.
I had to prove I could pay for it, okay?
I knew the body frank, and the other idiot did.
All right, Rosemary, where do you draw the line?
What do you mean, where do I draw the line?
Okay.
$100 billion has become $352 million.
Rush is.
And we're punting the debt ceiling down the road.
Where's your line of demarcation?
Look, Rush, I'm not even going to get into that because I've got more reading to do on that.
I'm not going to lie about it.
But I don't want anybody getting anything for nothing.
I grew up in a generation.
Right, right.
Rush.
Rush.
Don't laugh.
Now you're making fun of me.
Not making fun.
You can't possibly listen to me.
You are rejecting everything I've said to you here.
I can't possibly talk about that.
I haven't done my reading on it.
You listen to me.
You don't need to do any reading.
Anyway, I wish, Rosemary, you could see my email.
My email.
I'm being accused of carrying their water.
My email, I'm being accused of being too soft.
If you want to celebrate, go ahead.
There's nothing we can do to stop it.
I mean, if you get $352 million, go ahead.
If that's worth celebrating, go out there and rent some hall in Deerfield Beach and let's throw a party.
It's a first-step party.
That's what we'll call it.
Rosemary, thanks for the call.
I appreciate it.
Gonna send somebody down to Deerfield Beach and mention her name and see what happens, and we'll report back.
We stick with the phones and Belle Fountain, Ohio.
And this is Don.
Don, great to have you on the EIB network.
Hello.
Rush, I can't believe it.
After 15 years, I get through.
Here you are, sir.
Your big showbiz break.
Listen, I'm an ex-politician from Bell Fountain, Ohio.
And I told your call screener that Ryan and the other Republican boys should have got up and walked out of that meeting.
This president shows no respect.
If we're supposed to respect the president, then the president should respect the high office of the Congress.
Well, he clearly doesn't.
Well, I know, and this has been a good way to demonstrate it.
I don't know who he thinks he is.
Oh, come on.
Yes, you do.
He's a messiah.
He's got a gift.
That's what he told Harry Reid.
He's special.
I know.
I know.
You really?
You would have walked out?
I would have walked out.
I've been in politics.
I know just on a minor level, and I know just a little bit about it.
Well, that's not what they're going to do.
I mean, they're obviously they would look at that as being too provocative, and I think probably they don't want to send the signal Obama gets to them.
Who knows?
But your point is well, it was audacious.
It was, I don't know, it was so unprofessional.
It was a disaster.
It was a literal disaster of a speech.
But the media, see, this is the thing, folks.
The media loved it.
I mean, they are praising it to the hilt.
They love it when Obama takes it to us.
That's why he did the speech.
I cannot emphasize this enough.
One of the reasons for the tone, that's who he is.
Another reason for the tone of the speech, the content, he loves, he knows that his base hates us.
They want to hear that kind of stuff.
They want to hear him talk to us that way.
That's how they would talk to us if they had a chance.
They want him to do it.
And he's got to shore up his base.
He's losing in almost every voter group.
He's losing even African Americans.
He's trending down in the polls.
Let's, I'll tell you what, grab audio summits eight, at least through 10.
Let's get some Republican response to it.
Yesterday afternoon, the Republicans held a press conference around 4 o'clock to respond to Obama's speech.
Here's Jeb Henserling from Texas up first.
He spent approximately a half an hour giving us a history lesson, blaming everyone for the nation's fiscal woes but himself, attacking the path to prosperity budget and setting a new standard for class warfare rhetoric.
I don't know about my colleagues, but I thought to myself, and I missed lunch for this.
Here is Eric Cantor, who is from Virginia.
What happened after that is the president goes and delivers a speech in which the only concrete proposal that he proposed was raising taxes.
And that solution falls far short of dealing with the kind of crisis that we're facing as far as the debt's concerned in this country.
We have spoken to the specifics, Mr. President.
We are serious.
Where are you?
At the Republican press conference, Paul Ryan, who was the target of Obama's insults.
I'm very disappointed in the president.
What we got was a speech that was excessively partisan, dramatically inaccurate, and hopelessly inadequate to addressing our country's pressing fiscal challenges.
What we heard today was not fiscal leadership from our commander-in-chief.
What we heard today was a political broadside from our campaigner-in-chief.
Later, Ryan appeared on a Kudlow report with host Larry Kudlow on CNBC.
They talked about the budget deficit reduction speech.
Kudlow says, does this speech that Obama gave, does this poison the well for a debt limit deal?
As far as a debt limit, you know, we're just going to have to forget about the president because he's out campaigning, giving us this kind of demagoguery and this kind of rhetoric.
And we're going to have to work with our colleagues, Democrat colleagues here in Congress, act like adults and try and get a solution to that particular problem, which we intend on doing.
And he kept on going.
I really was led to believe that this was going to be more of an olive branch speech.
Instead of getting a speech from a leader, from our commander-in-chief on some constructive path forward on deficit reduction, we got a partisan gauntlet from the campaigner-in-chief.
He's poisoning the well.
They basically call us un-American for offering our budget, which, by the way, preserves the social safety net, makes it stronger, saves Medicare and Medicaid, pays off our national debt, and gets the economy growing through growth, job creation, and prosperity.
So, you know, he basically said it was all these evil things that it does.
I just find that really astounding.
Well, I can imagine he would find it astounding.
See, I don't.
I'm not astounded he would say it.
That's who they are.
At some point, at some point, we are going to begin expecting what we know is coming from these people and react accordingly.
Kudlow then had another question.
Okay, is entitlement reform out the window now?
Obama's going to go back to his commission, which I think of as kind of the central planning price controlling commission.
And that's going to be in charge allegedly for lowering Medicare.
He has very harsh words toward your ideas.
Is entitlement reform going out the window now?
He is saying instead of more choice and competition, he wants to delegate more power to this iPad.
It's like 12 people who can't be controlled by Congress, who can just unilaterally price control and ration health care through Medicare.
So he just wants to do more price controlling and rationing.
And you know, as well as I do, price controls do not fight inflation.
Price controls don't lower prices.
They just bring more scarcities.
They deny services.
We don't want to go down that path.
All right, okay.
That's Paul Ryan on Kudlow, reacting to Obama's speech.
Now let's move forward to audio soundbite number 16.
Former member of Congress from Virginia, a rhino Republican by the name of Tom Davis, doesn't particularly like me.
I've never tried to play golf with him.
I don't know if he's a fine guy or not.
But he was on MSNBC's daily rundown today, and Savannah Guthrie, who's one of the babes that hopes to get the Today Show gig when Meredith Vieira leaves.
Yeah, she's in the running.
Savannah Guthrie is in the running for Meredith Vieira's gig.
And they, well, it's Savannah Guthrie, it's Ann Curry.
And there's a couple others in there.
You know, in the old days, back at MSNBC, I was told, I really don't know if this was true, but I was told by somebody who would know that whenever they hired an info babe, they always dangled, hey, you know, you could be today's show, what's where we're thinking of you.
And then 10 years later, I thought you said the Today Show.
Oh, it's still possible.
At any rate, Savannah Guthrie is talking to Tom Davis, who, again, I have not tried to play golf with him.
I never have played golf with him.
I don't know if he's a fine guy.
I know he's not particularly crazy about me.
He's a rhino.
And she said, Congressman, you are a Republican, but you're no longer in orifice.
Are Republicans credible when they say they want to attack this deficit problem without touching taxes?
Everybody agrees you need more revenue.
At the end of the day, when you sit across the table, you really talk about a deal.
You're talking about taxes and not just on the rich.
Tom Davis.
So here's a Republican rhino, former member of Congress, essentially committing.
Well, not committing, but say, oh, yeah, I mean, with taxes, we're going to have to raise taxes.
Everybody, not just the rich.
Next up on the soundbites will be 18 and 19.
But first, from the National Journal, this is the bunch that does the hotline.
This is where F. Chuck Todd worked before he ended up at NBC.
A top aide to House majority whip Kevin McCarthy.
Majority whip means that Kevin McCarthy is a Republican for those of you in Rio Linda and Deerfield Beach.
A top aide to House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy today suggested that Republicans who have problems voting for the continuing resolution this afternoon are committing a sin similar to Jane Fonda heading to Vietnam.
In an email that Chiefs of Staff sent this morning, Pete Meacham, McCarthy's director of member services, forwarded a link to a weekly Standard Post praising the CR.
Those who are using opposition to the resolution to better position themselves are hurting the fight.
For the hand-wringers out there, buck up.
That's with a B. For those seeking other office, please campaign at home, not on the backs of your colleagues.
In other words, Republicans were told by their leadership, if you vote against the CR, you're no different than Jane Fonda.
Oh, he did apologize later on?
This staffer was over the line.
He apologized.
He wasn't authorized.
Doesn't say that, Snergly.
Doesn't say that here.
What, did somebody call you?
Okay.
Well, Snergly claims to be getting the emails.
I didn't know you were a member of the House Republican caucus.
Okay, well, anyway, so there has been an apology for the Jane Fonda comment.
Okay, we'll trust.
Yeah, there has been an apology.
Still, you can see what's going on up there.
Republicans calling each other Jane Fonda.
By the way, for those of you in Deerfield Beach, I didn't do it.
Timothy Geithner, Treasury Secretary, just give me 19.
He's on a news hour with Jim Lara last night.
And Jim Lara says, going to be a vote next few weeks on the debt limit.
You've said if that does not happen to be a catastrophe, the Republicans have said, wait a minute, we're not going to vote for that if we don't get some more cuts out of this.
In other words, there's going to be a trade-off.
Congress will pass an increase in the debt limit because they have to.
And the leadership of both houses has recognized that the country has to meet its obligations, and they are not prepared and should not be prepared to take the risk that that's called into question.
Timothy Geithner telling the Republicans, you will give me your money.
You will give me more money.
And I remind you of Chuck Schumer, who has set this up as the defining debate over the role of government in people's lives.
This debt ceiling debate, that's the debate on the role of government.
Well, if the Republicans do indeed kick this down the road and don't take it seriously, as they've said, then the Democrats have to set the stage here to go down and say the American people have sided with us, the liberal Democrats, and their view of the role of government.
That's what's been set up today with Chuck Schumer.
Keep a sharp eye.
We don't intend to let them get away with it, but I mean, that's what they're trying.
Here's Gene in Cleveland.
Gene, I'm glad you waited.
Welcome to the EIB network.
Well, good afternoon, Rush, and thank you for taking my call.
You bet so.
I wanted to expand a bit on the statistic you gave last hour, about 45% of the population currently employed.
I've done a lot of research on this in the past, and if using their own U.S. Department of Labor Statistics website, if you look closer at that statistic, you'll find that at this point in history, about half of that 45%, perhaps a little more than half, are actually employed by the United States government in one capacity or another.
And if you start peeling back those statistics and looking at it, even if you used 300 million as our population, 45% of that is roughly, what, 130-some million?
Close to that, yeah.
Half of that again, now we're talking about roughly 60-some million, close to maybe 70 million people working to support not only themselves and their families, but another 230 million people who are either not old enough to work or unemployed or for whatever reason we have.
Well, you're right.
You're right.
People have a tendency to forget that the government has no money.
They obtain their operating capital from the private sector.
Well, they print it, they borrow it, but you're right, you're right.
Absolutely right.
Well, that's a scary statistic to me, is that now more than half of the people that are actually working are working for the government.
And at what point are we going to say, hey, enough is enough?
Well, you know, it's always been said that even in the most productive of societies, 5% are pulling the cart, and 95% are along for the ride.
And we will be back.
Okay, folks, a couple of things tomorrow.
The main thing tomorrow is the 21st annual.
We begin our third decade in the effort to cure the blood cancers, leukemia, and lymphoma, our annual radio-thon.
And I got a note from the Hutch in Seattle.
He's praying for a record amount raised.
And at the top of our second hour tomorrow, Donald Trump will join us as we try to understand what's happening there.
We'll see you then for all of it.
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