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Jan. 15, 2014 - Rush Limbaugh Program
32:12
January 15, 2014, Wednesday, Hour #3
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Now, one thing here, folks, I, you know, you start talking about trickle-up and trickle-down, and you can really rub people the wrong way because trickle-down works.
I mean, trickle-down is what economic commerce is, and the left has impugned it and maligned it.
And we had this guy call and said, Rush, rush, you know, trickle-up.
Obama's always talking about trickle-up.
Well, the only place trickle-up works is the mafia.
It does, but let's examine why.
And I was kind of constrained by lack of time.
But what is trickle-up?
In the example he gave with the mafia, trickle-up is where people kick up to captains, and the captains kick up to the boss, and the boss kicks up to the capo de tutti de fruity, and then it finally gets to the head honcho.
And the mafia doesn't have to split anything.
We're talking illegal businesses here.
And in large great examples, cash businesses.
In other words, these businesses that are extorting, which is the trickle-up, are not paying any business taxes, folks.
They're not paying any business taxes.
They're not paying any income taxes because the businesses are illegal.
And so they've got a bigger pot to distribute upwards.
Everybody involved is keeping 100% of what they earn until they kick it up.
And that's why trickle-up works.
Trickle-up doesn't work in a legal business where you're already losing half of everything to federal taxes.
The government is the capo de frutti de tutti or whatever.
No, not to be confused with a concigliary.
That's just a legal advisor.
No, I don't get the terms wrong.
I mentioned, no, I'm not going to mention what's in the National Inquirer.
Well, even though, you know, the National Inquirer was right about John Edwards, you remember that?
They were the only story, and the drive-bys wouldn't run it.
And a couple of other instances, but no, TMZ won't run that.
No, no, I'd be surprised.
E-Entertainment.
No, no, they're too.
Well, I'll tell you why, since you ask.
Mucha's got her 50th birthday coming up, and I just saw it.
They're running stories on how she stays looking 25 at age 50.
And so, well, I eat right, and I behave right, and I eat right, and I'm not telling anybody else how to eat, except that I am.
But I'm not picky about it.
I'm not freakish, but I only eat fruits and vegetables and blah.
The media push right now is how does Michelle do it?
So they're not going to touch that story, and I'm not either.
No matter how much you try to manipulate me, no matter how much you try to center for the science of public interest me, I am not going to reference it.
Well, it probably already has.
That's what I'm saying.
Probably already has.
I don't know.
I don't know anything.
I haven't even read it other than the headline.
I mentioned earlier in the program that the Wall Street Journal on their website has some videos with their reporters and experts examining Bridgegate and Governor Christie in New Jersey.
And since this is the most talked about radio talk show in the country, I somehow ended up being discussed here.
And it was yesterday afternoon, the Wall Street Journal website live video blog during the Opinion Journal program, the host and another editorial board member, Mary Kissel, speaking with political diary editor Jason Riley about Governor Christie and during a discussion about why some conservatives are not supporting Christie during the scandal.
They had this little back and forth.
Conservatives in general don't like him and haven't forgiven him for his Superstorm Sandy embrace of President Obama right before the 2012 election.
They don't want him to be the frontrunner, so they're pouncing now too.
Yeah, but here's the thing, Jason.
Chris Christie is the only guy that polls ahead of the Democratic frontrunner, who's Hillary Clinton.
So when Rush Limbaugh and these guys go after Christie, why would they want to pull down the one guy who won?
Well, a lot of conservatives think that the problem the GOP has been having in presidential elections is not nominating someone who's conservative enough, that a lot of Republican votes are being left at home.
People aren't inspired by the candidate, and so they're not coming out to vote.
And they think a more pure conservative candidate with a more pure ideology is the way to go.
And they think that Christie, in that sense, might be another Mitt Romney or another John McCain.
Okay.
Now, this is what you just heard.
That is the discussion going on inside the Republican establishment.
They don't understand.
Well, I'll say they don't understand it.
They're angry that there is not blanket support for Governor Christie in the Republican Party.
They're a little bit ticked off about that.
They are convinced in a poll, there are two polls, and the election is still two years away, two and a half years away.
But they are convinced because of two polls that Christie is the only Republican who can beat Hillary.
Now, the first thing, I'm not even persuaded, I'm not convinced yet that Hillary is going to be the nominee.
But the thing that gets me here is that once again, we're going to go back to the same well.
We're going to go back another Northeastern, moderate Republican who has tried to make his bones on the basis of working with Democrats, cooperating with Democrats, crossing the aisle, cooperating bipartisanship, working together with government to get things done.
It just, there's no track record of that being a winning formula for the Republicans.
I don't have anything against Christie.
I need to ask you something, Snerdley, or any of you.
Because this is when Rush Limbaugh and these guys go after Christie, why would they want to pull down the one guy?
Do I come off here in Bridgegate like I'm going after Christie?
Because I don't think I do.
But how am I heard?
That's what you need to tell me.
How Well, oh, okay.
All right.
Snurdley says, look, all you had to do was call them a bunch of wildebeests, and they think you are mocking Christie and his size because they do not get the nuance.
Well, you know, that's a relevant point.
But as I stated, I happened to watch a long time ago a bunch of these animals eating other animals shows during the era of animal rights.
I thought I'd learn about animal rights, and I'd watch these National Geographic and all these other shows that show animals eating each other.
And I'll never forget the one on the wildebeests.
And one wildebeest got in trouble, and they all scrammed and ran away, and the lions had their way with the one wildebeest.
So I just used that as the analogy.
It wasn't because anybody looks like a wildebeest.
I was simply describing standard, ordinary, everyday Republican operating behavior.
They don't defend anybody.
And I, by the way, that's right.
And I even made the point that they don't defend any.
And they weren't defending Christie.
It wasn't me.
Well, it wasn't just me.
There wasn't anybody in the Republican establishment that was running out there.
Every one of them had a caveat.
Every one of them.
Well, that was a home run.
If he's telling the truth.
But we want to win.
We know what wins and we know what loses.
I don't need to re-litigate this because everybody in this audience knows exactly as well as I do what we're up against here in beating Democrats.
And we know the history.
The average perfect Republican candidate is going to lose every time.
The average perfect Republican candidate is a moderate, bipartisan Northeasterner who, as his number one qualification, he'll run around and brag about how well he can get along with Democrats and then how important amnesty is and how we got to be very careful in opposing Obamacare.
And we find out that they're basically pretty much comfortable with big government when they're running it.
And we think that's the problem, no matter who's running it.
And we think the solution to the problems we're in is getting rid of people who believe that government's the end all to every problem.
It's no more complicated than that.
So there's that.
Now, let's stay on this because this is last night, late night with Jimmy Fallon.
Bruce Springsteen performed a parody of his big hit, Born to Run, that made fun of Christie and the bridge scandal.
Do you know what else I saw?
I said, Letterman, they're making fun of Christie.
See, this is the point.
These guys all think they end up bulletproof.
They come out and they embrace Democrats like Obama and they walk the boardwalk with Obama and they act all cooperative and they don't criticize Obama and they don't criticize the Democrats and they talk about working together because some silly reason, they think that's what voters want.
And it never works.
So what did I see last night?
It was actually kind of funny, but I was thinking that it was making fun of Christie in a way that would be, you know, the old Alenski thing.
You pick the target and you mock them.
You ridicule them.
And it's hard to come back from that.
And it was a split screen thing of somebody on the right side of the screen.
And my memory is vague.
On the left side, Christie's giving a speech.
Okay, that's it.
That's all he's doing.
He's giving a speech.
On the right side, somebody is eating.
It's a split screen.
And whoever, somebody's cutting into a steak on the right side, and the piece of steak goes flying into Christie's mouth as he's giving a speech.
And of course, the picture, what are they doing?
They're mocking his size.
They're making fun of him for being fat.
And I guarantee you that that was supposed to end by embracing Obama and supporting Obama and walking the boardwalk with Obama.
That's the kind of stuff you're supposed to stop by being cooperative with the Democrats.
And it never works.
You can't admit yourself into that club.
You just, if you're not naturally in the liberal Democrat elites, you're not going to be able to admit yourself.
There's nothing you can do to get into it.
You can temporarily be accepted on guest privileges by ripping your own party, but you're never going to be granted lifetime membership.
Well, I mean, you could end up as David Gergen, but look at how long it took him.
It took us like decades.
And that's just one example.
So anyway, here's Springsteen.
See, now, Springsteen, this is one of Christie's idols.
So here's Springsteen on NBC making fun of Christie.
Let me in.
I want to be your friend.
There'll be no partisan divisions.
Let me wrap my legs round your mighty rims and relieve your stressful condition.
I'm Wall Street Master stuck cheek to cheek with blue-collar truckers.
And man, I really gotta take a leak.
But I can't.
I'm stuck in the Chris Christie's Fort Lee, New Jersey Traffic Day.
Okay, so there's Springsteen reworking born to run.
Needs to take a leak, but can't get to the rest up, the Jim McGreevy official rest up because he's stuck in Christie's Fort Lee traffic jam.
Now, let's go back.
Let's keep going back.
Let's dial it back.
Let's go back to November 5 of 2012 in Keensburg, New Jersey.
Christie held a news conference to talk about Hurricane Sandy recovery.
During the press conference, he said this about a phone call that he had with President Obama.
The president told me if I had one more minute, there was someone else he wanted me to talk to.
He was calling from Air Force One, and he told me that in times of real difficulty, he thought that the only thing better than one Jersey guy were two Jersey guys.
And he put Bruce Springsteen on the phone.
Bruce said to me how proud he was of his state and how proud he was of the people in his state and how tough they are.
We had a good conversation today, and it was great to talk to the president and even better to talk to Bruce.
Okay, now I want to keep, it is sad.
It is really sad to keep this in context now.
This is November 5th, 2012, and Obama is just playing this like a Strativarius.
And he calls Christie and he gets him on the phone and says, you know what?
Doing better than one Jersey guy is two Jersey guy.
And he puts Springsteen on that.
And Christie's telling this story and how proud Springsteen is.
As long as it's going to help rebuild anybody's house, is this going to clear away any of the debris?
The governor's talking to Bruce Springsteen, and that's going to fix everything.
And whoa, what a great day.
And it's one of Christie's proudest moments.
And Obama got Springsteen on the phone from Air Force One.
And what ought to have been the reality, where was Springsteen when he made that comment?
He's on Air Force One with Obama.
He's not in Trenton standing by Christie's side.
He's on Air Force One with Obama.
And Obama calls Christie, hey, I got a New Jersey guy, Bruce Springsteen, Springsteen.
And they got Springsteen on the phone.
And Christie went even further.
He continued.
I went to the telethon that NBC ran.
Bruce and I had an opportunity to chat for a while.
We hugged.
He told me it's official.
We're friends.
I told the president today, actually, that the hug was great and that when we got home, there was a lot of weeping because of the hug.
And president asked why.
So, well, to be honest, I was the one doing the weeping.
Okay, now, now, fine.
Big deal to meet Springsteen.
Springsteen hugged Christie, and Christie was so movie.
He started crying.
Biggest day in his life.
How important.
Man, we got, we're all coming together after Hurricane Sandy.
We're going to, oh, this is orgastic.
We're coming together.
We're really, whoa, oh, man, we're going to really go.
We're going to rock.
I got Springsteen.
I got Obama.
And now look.
You got Springsteen on NBC making fun of Christie.
Well, obviously, what a, what, what, what, that's my point.
These people on the left are mean, small, petty.
This is the biggest thing.
Christie admitted, one of the biggest things in his life was to meet Springsteen in the aftermath of this hurricane.
He thought it meant they were all working together with Obama.
And now look.
Now look at what, and what we, what I don't understand, why they don't get this.
That's what I don't understand.
I'm sorry.
There's no question that's painful.
The nerve of Springsteen, Governor Christie, has attended over 127 Springsteen concerts.
Governor Christie loves this guy.
127 different concerts he's attended.
And he's mocked.
He's made fun of.
He can't be a real fan because he's a Republican.
You can only be a real fan and friend of somebody like Springsteen if you're a Democrat.
And even then, for only as long as they can use you.
But if you are a Republican, you are only a friend of a Democrat for as long as they can use you.
And why this isn't seen by people is beyond me.
I think Springsteen has to know because Christie was public with it.
Christie had, he had, he was, in fact, not only did Christie have no compunction, he was proud to tell people that he talked to Springsteen.
He cried because he had the chance to talk to Springsteen.
Now, you think about that however you wish, but the fact is, it was a big deal to Christie.
It's a big deal that Springsteen, and here are both Jersey guys.
It was a big deal that Obama got Springsteen on the phone from Air Force One.
And Christie thinking, man, this is great.
We're all working together and we're going to fix this problem.
We're going to fix New Jersey backup.
And this thing comes, and Christie has publicly said he didn't have anything to do with it.
He's apologized.
He's done all the right things, and here is the guy who brought him to tears by talking to him, making fun of him on a late-night comedy show.
That is really, you talk about low-rent character.
Okay, Laura in southern Illinois, it's great to have you on the program.
Hi.
Hi.
I was just calling to give some hope to conservatives.
I was raised a union Democrat Catholic, and I am now an evangelical Christian conservative.
Well, that's quite a transformation.
How did that happen?
I married a conservative who is from your school, and I was a debater, so we had a lot of fun debating, and I lost a lot.
And as I did more and more research, I just now wait, wait a minute now.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
What do you mean you lost a lot?
Who decided that?
I couldn't defend it anymore.
Oh, you mean you realized you were losing?
Yes, yes.
Folks, this is a first.
Do you understand what you are hearing here?
A wife admit.
This is unheard of.
Well, can I tell you, though, that why I think it's so hard for other people is because you have to truly be open.
I mean, you know what I mean?
I had to look into myself and change everything I'd ever been taught.
And that is very hard.
I know.
That is very, very hard.
Most people wouldn't even want to try to do that, Laura.
Well, exactly.
But, you know, I have to grow every day.
So my husband is a very awesome example.
Well, you must be.
Still married?
For sure.
I have his 17-month-old eating ice cream as we speak, so I can have him silent.
So, yes, for sure.
And can I put out a prayer request?
I'm going to boot camp this fall, and my husband is going to be a single father for two months.
And I want everybody to pray for him because my six-year-old and my two-year-old are going to eat him alive.
Wait, wait a minute now.
You were a liberal union Catholic Democrat, and now you are going to boot camp?
Yes, the Air National Guard.
I want my nursing school paid for, so that's the plan.
And I want to give back.
This is an amazing story that you are telling here.
Just forget the politics.
This is an amazing transformation that you've undergone.
I love my husband very much.
He is everything.
Well, that's great.
That's great.
But I mean, you, you know, here's the thing, and I mean this seriously, Laura, most liberals won't even debate on issues or ideas because they instinctively know they can't.
They don't debate.
They either run away after 30 seconds, start calling people names or what have you.
But the fact that you actually had an open mind and realized that you were wrong about things that you had believed all of your life?
Yes, and that was very hard.
I wouldn't debate him for about six months while I was going through a lot of stuff in my head over it all and researching on my own.
I wouldn't even talk to him because it was hard for me to admit.
Well, how do you even fall in love with the guy if at the time you thought he was so wrong and all wet about things?
Well, here's a funny story.
We met in 2004 in election year.
Our daughter was born in 2008 in election year, and my son was just born in 2012 in election year.
So all of our big milestones are just around debate, and we love it and thrive on it.
And in the end, we are so much stronger than I think most, and our children are going to be brilliant.
Do you still debate?
Yes, because we really just like it that sometimes, most of the time when we agree, somebody always picks the opposite view to show our kids.
And we was going to say, what do you and your husband debate anymore if you've come to this happy medium?
One of us always picks the opposite view just for fun.
Oh, just for fun, just to be provocative.
Yes, and usually to find the absurdity like we're supposed to point it out, you know, so show our daughter and hopefully our son when he can understand it all.
This is amazing.
This is evidence that it can happen.
It's evidence that this can be done.
But I don't think I've ever heard a story like this, not told the way you've told it.
I mean, I've heard of people converting, but not by recognizing their spouse was right and they were wrong.
It's just to give hope to the other conservatives that, you know, it can happen.
I have a cousin right now who's dating another conservative, and I'm like.
See, folks, marriage is a gateway to conservatism.
That's obviously another reason why the left hates it.
And our firstborn's a daughter.
So there goes that point.
Okay.
Well, look, Laura, I'm fascinated.
I'm glad you called.
I'm glad you got through.
And God bless you for joining the Air Guard.
That's amazing.
Thank you.
I am super excited.
Pray for my husband, not for me.
I'm not scared.
I can do this.
So thank you very much.
I totally believe she's not scared.
That's, you know, that I'm just telling you, most people, that kind of change is too scary to upend your world like that, to turn it 180 degrees out.
Most people don't even want to go there.
That's amazing.
It really is.
I got to take a break.
We'll be back.
Don't go away.
Staying with the phones.
This is Dale in Syracuse.
Dale, great to have you.
Thank you for calling the EIB Network.
Hi.
Thank you, Professor Lindbaugh.
You bet.
Hey, so I've been, I'm hoping, and I appreciate you taking some time out of class here to talk with me because I've been trying to figure out this equation.
I just really can't figure it out.
It deals with Obamacare and the aspect of that Obamacare first, one of the things the Democrats really count on is that it allows my children to stay under my health insurance until the age of 26.
Right.
Yet now all of a sudden they're surprised that there's low enrollment numbers for that same age group.
Yeah, what does that tell you?
The law is flawed.
It's designed to fail, I think.
Now, the flaw, well, the law is flawed, yeah, yeah.
But I mean, who are these people to think that they announce Obamacare and that costs for the target group are going to increase?
What in the world made them think that these people were going to excitedly, eagerly make a mad dash to healthcare.gov and sign up?
Whether they were on their parents' policies or not, where is the evidence that young people are going to run to a new healthcare website, sign up for healthcare they don't think they need and don't want what kind of thinking is behind this You know, that's where I'm really confused because I've, I mean, here I've got kids that are under that age group that are under my insurance, and I've asked them, and they're like, why would I go get insurance if I'm under you, Dad?
I mean, it makes no sense whatsoever.
Well, you want the cynical answer to your question.
They're not supposed to sign up.
It's all supposed to end up in chaos.
And the insurance companies are supposed to go out of business, maybe with a temporary bailout.
And eventually, all this is going to lead to people throwing up their hands in frustration, saying, we tried.
We came up with the best plan possible.
We're not getting any cooperation.
It's too complicated still.
You know what?
We're just going to everybody's just Medicare.
Just put everybody on Medicare, i.e., single payer.
Government's going to run it.
And that's where they want to end up anyway.
And get rid of all this confusion and complications and arduous procedures that people have to take.
I mean, that's, and that's even a charitable view, but I've got the story right.
Early Obamacare exchange demographics are worse than under Romney care in Massachusetts, 2007.
That's a Forbes story.
Obamacare exchange enrollment skews much older than the U.S. population.
Cost increases are likely.
There's the key.
What's happening is the exact opposite of what the regime planned on.
The regime planned on young millennials who they thought would have jobs that are high-paying, imagine that, signing up but making no claims because they're healthy.
So they would pay all this money in, but they wouldn't require any expenses because they're not sick.
The money they pay would then fund health care for the elderly.
It's not working.
They aren't signing up.
In fact, the average age of enrollees is much older than the U.S. population.
Now, that means that the government isn't going to get nearly the money that the plan said it was going to get.
When healthcare, Obamacare was a piece of legislation being scored by the Congressional Budget Office.
It made all these claims.
It's going to cost X, but here's where the income is going to come from.
These people are going to sign up.
And the people signing up are all subsidized.
Four out of five.
Folks, are you ready?
Four out of five enrollees qualify for subsidies.
This is a total disaster.
It's a total breakdown.
And the regime putting out this news is saying this is going to result in everybody else's costs going up because they're nowhere near collecting the amount of money that they thought or told everybody they thought they were going to get.
Now, the cynical view is success, rising prices, taking even more money from people.
That's what this regime is about.
Creating more and more dependency on government.
It's a hideous thing that's happening here.
And all of this, have to say, was predictable.
And your question, what would a 22-year-old, 25-year-old, why would a 25-year-old sign up?
He's staying his parents' plan.
Why would he do it?
You say, why couldn't the regime figure this out?
Maybe they did.
Anyway, it's another disaster, folks.
Utter, total disaster.
None of it is going according to plan.
That's why Obama is playing dictator and changing the rules every day to accommodate for things that are happening nobody expected.
The experts are shocked.
Four out of five enrollees being subsidized.
That means they're elderly or poor.
Primarily both, elderly and poor.
The most dependent are signing up the fastest.
And the people who have to pay for it are not signing up.
They're going the penalty route.
Just enough time to say thanks, folks.
I got to get out of here.
I got to scram.
I have four more hours of stuff to do here.
At least.
So we'll see you back here tomorrow.
Cheerio, adios.
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