RUSH: Bill in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. Bill, great to have you. I’m glad you waited. Welcome to the program, sir.
CALLER: Rush, it’s such an honor. I’m not gonna drown you with the accolades previous callers have set upon you. I’m just gonna — and forgive me if I don’t sound like I’m excited to talk to you, but I’ve considered you a close friend over the last 20 years.
RUSH: No, no. (chuckles) I appreciate that very much. You don’t need to explain.
CALLER: Well, Rush, I’ll tell you what. I’ve gone through 12 heart attacks and cancer, and my faith and your radio show has kept me going to the day where I was able to see this election take place.
RUSH: Twelve heart attacks and cancer?
CALLER: Yes. That’s why I’m talking a little slowly. I just wanted to say one thing. You opened your show, “Why?” Well, just as the Democrats have pandered to individual groups left and right and divided this country, when Obama last year redefined marriage that’s been around for 5,000 years and has got into the social engineering and the sexual identity, you know what? There are a lot of people who believe male and female, who believe in the sanctity of marriage, and they were saying, “Hey, what the heck is this? I better get out of my seat before I wake up tomorrow and I don’t recognize this country at all.” What is your take on that, Rush?
RUSH: Well, you are… I’m not sure I understand what you are asking me. Are you basically talking about all of the disasters Obama has implemented in our culture? You mentioned gay marriage —
CALLER: Well, yes. He —
RUSH: — and the bathroom laws and this kind of stuff. Are you —
RUSH: Oh! I see. I thought you were going to accountability. I thought Obama would overreach; what I thought was gonna happen has happened. Obama campaigned as nothing but change. He campaigned as (impression), “I’m not George W. Bush. I’m hope and change. And whatever you want me to be, that’s who I am! You want lower sea levels? That’s me. If you want climate change stopped, that’s me. If you want us outta war, that’s me.” Whatever people wanted, that’s what he was. But what I knew…
By the way, I don’t mean to sound braggadocios, folks. Please don’t misunderstand. What I knew was who Obama is. Obama is a radical, radical community organizer. That means agitator, protest, unrest, chaos, left-wing authoritarian. Obama is an uber-liberal and uber-leftist. And I don’t know how many times I’ve said it. I’ve said it a gazillion times: “Liberals cannot win elections being honest about who they are and what they’re gonna do,” and Obama wasn’t. He happily presented himself as a blank canvas. But I knew who he was.
That’s why I said, “I hope he fails.” I knew what he was gonna do. He had told enough people his Obamacare plans. He had told enough people his Supreme Court plans. He had told enough people about his desire to transform America. He didn’t like the founding. Basically since it’s Christian and white, he didn’t like it. He thought the country was socially unjust and unfair; he was gonna change it. He didn’t campaign on any of this. That’s why he was gonna overreach.
But I did say — what you would have been right about if you’d have called and chastised me — I was really sad and disappointed he was not being held accountable. The guy wins reelection in 2012 and I said, “For crying out loud.” Then I saw the exit polls. “Cares about people like me: 81 to 19 over Romney.” They were still blaming Bush for the economy! I said, “For crying out loud. Nobody is attaching anything that he’s done to him.” So I evolved the Limbaugh Theorem to explain it.
The Limbaugh Theorem basically is that Obama casts himself as an outsider even when he’s running the show, acting like all these horrible things are happening because of his predecessors and he’s in there working really hard to change them. But it’s worse than anybody ever new and anybody ever told him, and so the progress is gonna be real slow. All the way he’s taken this country in directions it was never founded to go, never intended to be, and I was pulling my hair out because I thought he wasn’t being held accountable.
So your point is, right. He ultimately here has been held accountable in the biggest way. In this election last Tuesday, Barack Obama was finally held accountable for what he’s done. All of this decline was laid squarely at his feet. That’s another thing that is so joyous and delectable about this outcome, because he was campaigning saying, “You gotta vote Hillary to keep my legacy, to keep my issues alive, to make sure we maintain the progress I have been responsible for. You’ve got to vote Hillary.” And people said “no” in overwhelming, unexpected, dramatic fashion.
So I was wrong about him not being held accountable; it just took eight years for it to materialize. But I was not wrong in the direction he was gonna take the country. I knew it full fledged, ’cause I know liberals; I know what they’re gonna do. That’s what’s so frustrating — I’ve been through this before — that more people don’t see. But I appreciate the call, Bill. Congratulations on whatever you do to withstand 12 heart attacks. By the way, a clarification on Trump and 8% of the Hispanic. What happened was Trump got 2% more and Hillary lost 6% of it. So it’s a net gain of 8% Hispanic. Trump’s actual increase over Romney was two points, but Hillary lost six. That’s how you get to an eight-point Romney bump.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Now, in the next hour, top of the next hour, I’ve been threatening to do this. I know you’re not crazy about listening to Obama sound bites. I’m not, either. That’s why I didn’t lead off the program. I know you don’t want to hear Obama, especially now, but you’re gonna have to, folks. This is a teachable moment. It’s very important.
So we have some sound bites from Obama in Greece. He was in Athens with the Greek prime minister. And he was in utter denial over what has happened. (Obama impression) “I wasn’t on the ballot, uh, this election was not about me, uh, but I’m gonna be very important for Mr. Trump. Trump, he’s not an ideologue. No, he’s a pragmatist, but he doesn’t know what he’s doing yet, he’s gonna need me.”
Now, he doesn’t use those words, but that’s what he’s telling himself. You see, like all self-absorbed people who think they are God’s gift — and look, can’t blame him. That’s how he’s been treated all of his life. The people who think they’re God’s gift, narcissists and so forth, when the bubble in which they live — and they create this bubble; they create this little cocoon where they tell themselves they’re wonderful and great and that everybody loves them. And when something happens that pierces that, they ignore it. They don’t deal with it. They push it away.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Let’s get to the audio sound bites. I’m not gonna allow any other news to set this aside. This morning in Athens, Obama, joint press conference with Alexis Tsipras, who’s the Greek prime minister, joint presser, and the first question’s from the French News Agency. “A lot of people in Europe are still struggling to understand what happened, Mr. Obama, on November 8th. Does it have to do with leaders struggling to read the mood of the country? Do you have the feeling that while in power you underestimated anger or resentment or fear in America?”
OBAMA: Did I recognize that there was anger, frustration in the American population? Of course I did. First of all, we had to fight back from the worst recession since the Great Depression, and I can guarantee you if your housing values have crashed and you’ve lost your — most of your pension and you’ve lost your job, you’re gonna be pretty angry. I was also aware of it because of the fact that you’ve seen some of the rhetoric among —
RUSH: Here we go.
OBAMA: — Republican elected officials and —
RUSH: Here we go.
OBAMA: — activists and media, some of it pretty troubling and not necessarily connected to facts.
RUSH: Right.
OBAMA: But being used effectively to mobilize people.
RUSH: So can I translate this for you? “Well, you know, the Great Depression, that worst recession, it wasn’t really nearly as bad as we made it out to be, but I succeeded in making people think that it was the worst that we’ve ever had and I was doing everything I could to stop it. People did lose their homes and they lost their pensions while I was president because I didn’t know how to really come out of that recession because I don’t understand capitalism.
And all the while there were people telling the truth about this. There were Republican media people — he didn’t name them, but who does he mean, I wonder? There were elected officials and activists who were telling the truth about the damage my economic policies were doing, and that effectively mobilized people. I know you’re thinking he said people lied. He did. But what he means is people were telling the truth about his leadership. And that’s what offends him.
To understand these sound bites, folks, you have to understand this. Obama is like all self-absorbed people who, in their own minds, are great, unique and great. They live in a little cocoon that they create themselves, a bubble they create for themselves. They live inside it and they’re surrounded by people who also tell ’em how great they are and how dumb and how ineffective their opposition is and how insignificant everybody else is.
If it’s negative, it’s ignored or it’s recast as a positive. If it’s negative, it’s somebody else’s fault, but it usually isn’t even negative. It’s all good, but if people don’t realize it’s good, it’s because the enemy is lying and is convincing people to believe the lies. In Obama’s mind he’s the center of the universe. I mean, he can’t make a speech without mentioning himself at least a hundred times. Not exaggerating.
And so I don’t think he’s come to grips with the fact that he lost the election. In fact, I know he hasn’t ’cause he’s saying he wasn’t on the ballot, this wasn’t about him. Hillary lost it, she’s to blame. Republican media people lying about things, they’re to blame, and that’s why I think we are in a very, very dangerous two months here ’cause the man still holds the levers of power, and that’s as far as I’m gonna go. I’m not gonna say anymore ’cause you don’t want to-alert anybody. Here’s the next bite where Obama says that he knows that people know that he did a great job and that none of this, including the election results, his fault.
OBAMA: Obviously President-Elect Trump tapped into that particular strain within the Republican Party. Having said that, people seem to think I did a pretty good job.
RUSH: Who?
OBAMA: So there’s a mismatch I think between frustration and anger. Perhaps the view of the American people was is that we just need to shake things up. Those folks who voted for the president-elect are better off than they were when I came into office, for the most part.
RUSH: This is exactly what I’m talking about. Somebody who has the ability to ignore reality, will not allow himself to be contradicted by truthful outside events, cannot accept what happened. In the midst of this, and this is an eight-year electoral disaster for the Democrat Party. I have detailed it every day since the election with even more detail today.
See, it’s a change election. It’s not about him. It’s not about policy. Just people want new faces. They want to see new direction. It’s nothing serious here. “But I want you to know that the people who voted for Trump, they are better off, I don’t care what they think, they’re better off now than they were when I came into office.” And that’s what he tells himself. This is dangerous. It’s important, however, that he continue to think it. That’s all I’m gonna say. So I’m gonna dial back. For all of our sakes, it’s probably better that he continue to think this.
Here’s the next bite. (interruption) No, I’m not worried about anybody telling him the truth. He thinks I lie anyway, so if somebody tells him what I said, he’s not gonna believe it, folks. Don’t worry about it. Here’s the next bite. Next question comes from Chris Jansing, the NBC White House correspondent. “Do you feel any responsibility for the election of Donald Trump? And in the broader context, when you see his election, when you look at a politician like Theresa May, Marine Le Pen, do you believe that it is either a movement away from or an outright rejection of your worldview?”
OBAMA: It’s fair to say that I was surprised by the election results, and I’ve said so. I still don’t feel responsible for what the president-elect says or does. Since your question is directly related to the notion of a rejection of my worldview, last I checked, a pretty healthy majority of the American people agree with my worldview on a whole bunch of things. We know what happens when we start dividing ourselves along lines of race or religion or ethnicity. So my vision’s right.
RUSH: Says the number one divider in the country. The man responsible for these divisions getting wider just said, “Well, last I checked, pretty healthy majority of the American people agree with me on a whole bunch of things. You know, we start dividing ourselves, that’s not what I’m for.” I watch this with my mouth open, folks.
This gonna be textbook stuff at psychiatry school someday. I watched it with my mouth — I keep inching closer. I’ve got to back off. Right, Dawn? I got pull back here. Here’s Obama. This was late yesterday at the White House, Wall Street Journal. “As Democrats scramble to regroup after a pretty shocking upset, what’s your advice about where the party goes now and who should lead your party?”
OBAMA: I won Iowa not because the demographics dictated that I would win Iowa.
RUSH: What?
OBAMA: But because I spent 87 days going to every small town and —
RUSH: That’s not why.
RUSH: Stop the tape. I’ve gotta go to a break. I’ve gotta get a break in here. But that’s not why he won. It’s the right bite, don’t misunderstand. Just wait ’til you hear the rest of them. That’s not why he won Iowa.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Okay, the question (summarized): “Democrats scramble… Shocking upset… What’s your advice? Who’s the leader of the party now?”
OBAMA: …VFW hall, and there were some counties where I might’a lost, but maybe I lost by 20 points instead of 50 points.
RUSH: (impression) “Well, that’s not true.”
OBAMA: There’s some counties maybe I won —
RUSH: That’s not true.
OBAMA: — that people did not expect, because people had a chance to see and listen t’yuh and get a sense of who you stood for and who you’re fightin’ for.
RUSH: Um, I’m sorry. I thought he was throwing hill under the in that? Where does that…? But he… Look, I’m confused. Here. The thing about Iowa, that people forget, he’s talking here about 2008. (impression) “How he won Iowa.” (chuckles) You know how he won Iowa? (snorts) It’s a caucus state; he bused people in from all over the area. Everybody… The Clinton campaign was shell-shocked. They had idea what hit them. But it was not an organic Iowa victory for Obama, but here he is. (impression) “I won Iowa not ’cause demographic, but…”
I’m looking at it. There’s two other bites here, so I’m scanning to look for the name Hillary in his answer and I don’t see it. Well, anyway that’s neither here nor there. The answer still is odd. I mean, the question: “Democrats scramble to regroup after shocking upset. What’s your advice where the party goes and who should lead your party,” and he talks about how he won Iowa eight years ago? I mean, it makes my point here about the little bubble and the cocoon about how all this is about him. He knows this is about him, and he’s trying to tell people why it shouldn’t be, because in his mind it isn’t.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Okay. I have been brought up to speed. I’m sorry, my friends, but I’m not gonna make any excuses for the way I interpreted this. Not to make a big deal about this, but here is the question asked by somebody from the Wall Street Journal. “As Democrats scramble to regroup after a pretty shocking upset, what’s your advice about where the party goes now and who should lead your party?”
Answer: “I won Iowa not because the demographics dictated that I would win Iowa. It was because I spent 87 days going to every small town and fair and fish fry and VFW hall. And there were some counties where I might have lost, but maybe I lost by 20 points instead of 50. There are some counties maybe I won that people didn’t expect, but because people had a chance to see you and listen to you and get a sense of who you stood for and who you –” And everybody’s saying that that’s throwing Hillary Clinton overboard.
Right now they’re talking about it, they were, during the break on CNN. “Did Obama throw Hillary overboard?” I heard that answer in an entirely different — if people hadn’t told me he had thrown Hillary overboard, that’s the last thing I would have thought he was talking about.
Now, she wasn’t in the question, and this answer is not connected to anything in the question. It’s not what the Democrats, how they scrambled to regroup. It’s not about advice about where the party should go, and it’s not about who should lead. His answer has nothing to do with this question, which is not uncommon. I mean, don’t misunderstand. But you have to assume quite a lot here to believe he’s trashing Hillary. Hey, if he’s trashing Hillary, it’s fine and dandy with me, I don’t care.
But I think the answer says more than that. I think this answer goes right to the thing I have been — this question is really simple. What should the Democrats do going forward and who should lead your party? And he goes back and tells a story about 2008. (Obama impression) “I know how to do it, I won. Here’s how I did it in one state. I won Iowa, and I did this and I did that.” So we then infer that he disagrees with whoever. I guess that’s how we get to Hillary, saying that he knows how to campaign and the Democrats of today don’t.
But he still makes it all about him. And he can’t take himself outside of this bubble that he’s in. What this also tells me is that, in his mind, he is still the leader of the Democrat, there is nobody classified, qualified anywhere near him to run this party. He’s the only guy that’s shown he knows how to win, the only guy that’s shown he knows where to get where we’re going and he’s gonna be the continued leader of the party. I don’t think he threw just Hillary over. I think he threw everybody overboard, if that’s how you want to look at this, that he’s throwing people overboard. He’s throwing everybody overboard except him.
(Obama impression) “I’m the only guy that apparently knows how to win elections in this party, and here’s how I did it. So, you know, you got to let people know who you are. And if they don’t know you gotta tell them who you are, like I do all the time.” Do we want to hear one more? Let’s hear one more, see if we can connect the dots on this. White House correspondent Mark Knoller. “How long did it take before you were at ease in the job?”
RUSH: This is so much bull —
OBAMA: — and the housing market had entirely collapsed. So, you know, one of the advantages that I had was that I was too busy to worry about how acclimated I was feeling in the job.
RUSH: That’s not what you were asked. Whoa, this is incredible, folks! In the first place, this so-called recession, the worst since the Great Depression 2008, I don’t care, folks, it wasn’t! Do you realize there’s still unspent TARP money out there? There’s still unspent bailout money. And then after he got his stimulus bill for rebuilding roads and bridges, there’s not one bridge that got built, there’s not one road that got — not that was already stated to get repairs. There wasn’t any infrastructure rebuilding and yet part of his press conference today, (Obama impression) “I think people very much appreciate and are happy about all the infrastructure repair I have overseen as president.”
There hasn’t been any. Democrats have lived off of this economic collapse narrative for eight years now, and it’s horse hockey. The truth of it is that there hasn’t been a recovery from it. The truth of it is that with all the legislative things that have happened like Obamacare and other economic policies, we are stagnant. There hasn’t been a recovery. Whatever happened in 2008 has not been improved. We had not been saved or rescued. That’s yet to happen. And these guys running around saying they saved us, they staved off worldwide — That’s establishment BS. That is establishment 101 BS. That is classic establishment.
You go out there and you unify around the concept or a principle that things are falling apart and might disintegrate except for us in the establishment. What an absolute crock. If you listen to Obama, we’re still suffering from what Bush did. It’s the easiest excuse, it’s the easiest cop-out for not having succeeded at anything regarding economic growth that I’ve ever seen, and it really does frost me. Hell, the recession that Reagan inherited in 1980 dwarfs this one.
I mean the thing that Reagan inherited when he became president in 1980, this doesn’t even get close to touching it, how bad it was. World financial collapse means if I have a house in the Hamptons I might lose it. World financial collapse. And if there was a world financial collapse, who the hell gave it to us? These very people that set themselves up as our saviors and the people that can fix it. This has really been a sore spot for me for all these eight years, is how supposedly bad that was and how Obama single-handedly rescued us from it, and it was all the Republicans’ doing, and it all happened because of the Iraq war.
Frankly I’m happy, I’m glad. If his approval number had come in under 50% we would have a problem, but he can now continue to live this illusion that he’s created for himself that his greatness has saved America. Believe me, believe me, the next two months, that’s okay. But do you believe it? 57% approval? And I’m gonna tell you something, there is one thing dangerous about it, and one of the reasons why I may not believe it.
Look at how now the media could go to Trump or his transition team the Republicans and say, “Hey, you guys better be careful about revising what Obama’s done. Look at job approval numbers. ” And if we have some cowardice in Washington our side, “Oh, my God, look at his approval, oh, my God, are we sure we want to shake this up?” This job approval number is potentially dangerous if people look at it and use it as a substitute for the election return results.
You see where I’m going with this, Mr. Snerdley? On the one hand you have the Democrats decimated and practically nonexistent. Well, compared to where they were, they’re a blip. But over here you’ve got Obama’s job approval, 57%. Maybe your average Washington establishment Republican, uh, uh, uh, uh, wait a minute now, we really might want to rethink.
