RUSH: Now, here’s this column by the latest chick who is mad at me, Carol Devine-Molin from American Daily, and let me check something here. The American Daily, created in 2002 by Justin Heiser to provide news and commentary from the conservative side of things. The American Daily, now operated by MoveOff, LLC, the core value of American Daily is the contributing columnists and we provide them with timely support and encourage — okay, so it’s a conservative site. Carol Devine-Molin. Let’s see if she’s identified here, if there’s a signature. There’s not. The title of the piece: ”Who Is Rush Limbaugh and Why Is He Manipulating the GOP Vote?’ — For years I’ve been a fan of talk radio personality Rush Limbaugh, the ‘harmless lovable fuzzball’, and I’ve always enjoyed his humor and commentary. But recently, something has changed. He’s crossed a line. Limbaugh is now actively manipulating the Republican electorate in ways that are unacceptable for an entertainer, or even a self-styled ideologue and opinion shaper. Rush regularly underscores that he’s a ‘movement conservative’, not a Republican partisan. That’s fine. But then he has the chutzpa to engage in heavy-handed tactics that are meant to skew the outcome of the GOP election process. Sometimes I feel like he’s morphing into a right-wing propaganda minister of the air-waves as he mercilessly beats on some candidates, and gives others (that he likes) a free ride. Rush is on a strange power-trip. As both a proud Reaganite Republican and conservative who operated at the grassroots, I really take umbrage with what he’s doing. The Republican Party is my party and the party of millions of other rank-and-file who love the GOP. Who the heck is Rush Limbaugh? This is a guy who probably didn’t even cast his first vote until he was thirty-five. Bombastic Limbaugh has even taken recent potshots at Republican stalwart Newt Gingrich. It’s time for El Rushbo to chill out.’
By the way, Carol, I should tell you, those so-called potshots at Newt, I simply — (interruption) that’s right, I’m a tribal propaganda minister chief leading a herd, but it seems I’m having trouble corralling the herd, because the herd is off my tribal reservation. By the way, Carol, I should tell you, the contretemps with Mr. Newt was over comments he made on the Stephanopoulos show about how the Reagan era is over, and he came on the program, we talked about it. I saw him, I was at dinner with him Saturday night, and he said, ‘You know, I thought about that, what you said to me, all week, and you’re right; it was the wrong way to say it. The Reagan era is not over because the Reagan era was conservatism.’ We had a good, long talk about this. I wouldn’t have even mentioned this, but I got another woman angry at me, and so it was time to defend myself against a charge, and I will do so.
‘True, Rush Limbaugh is among the most influential conservative voices on the political scene today. That makes it all the more disconcerting that Limbaugh is being patently irresponsible by spewing over-the-top rhetoric that could very well depress the Republican vote in the general election and thereby help elect a Democrat become the next president of this great nation. This is not a matter of free speech.’ What? It’s not a matter of free speech? This person is a conservative and this is not a matter of free speech? ‘Of course the conservative poobah can make any –‘ This woman claims to have loved me, well, a fan. She claimed to have been a fan, and now look, virtual virulent hatred.
‘The conservative poobah can make any public pronouncements that he wishes. But, by the same token, words have meaning and impact, and given the high stakes in this election, it’s difficult to see how Limbaugh is being properly circumspect. Yes, Rush, it’s your right to say anything you want, and it’s my prerogative to register my deep displeasure. I’m in the awkward position of having to defend John McCain and Mike Huckabee against Rush Limbaugh’s rants, despite the fact that I will not be voting for either of these contenders in the primaries.’ Okay.
‘Limbaugh recently stated: ‘What I said was that I, for the first time on this program, I can see possibly not voting for the Republican nominee.’ On another occasion, Limbaugh was even more vociferous, as he espoused: ‘I’m here to tell you if either of these two guys [John McCain or Mike Huckabee] gets the nomination, it’s going to destroy the Republican Party, it’s going to change it forever, be the end of it. A lot of people aren’t going to vote. You watch.’ Well, what happens if either McCain or Huckabee survives Limbaugh’s onslaught and becomes the GOP candidate? That’s a distinct possibility for McCain, who is polling well and battling with Mitt Romney for the numero uno spot. Rush holds sway among conservative Republicans, and if he persists in his attacks against McCain, some conservatives will refuse to vote Republican in the general,’ blah, blah, blah. (laughing) Get this next one.
‘Sadly, Chief Wagawaga El Rushbo of the El Conservo Tribe is being both supercilious and short-sighted as he leads the pack against McCain and Huckabee. For Limbaugh, these two contenders must be quashed at all costs, utilizing his talk show power-pulpit to inflict devastating attacks. Limbaugh’s stridency begs the question: At this juncture, who is really having a deleterious effect upon the Republican Party? Limbaugh is acting like a petulant child, desperately attempting to get his way, even if it means overstepping his bounds and inflicting nasty targeted assaults upon GOP hopefuls. … And, please, I’m not buying El Rushbo’s bogus claim that there isn’t a whit of difference between McCain and Hillary or Huckabee and Hillary. It’s Rush’s contention that they’re all the same. If either McCain or Huckabee become the GOP candidate, Rush would rather let the next presidency play out under the ‘Democrat’s watch.”
I never said that definitely, but what I did say was, if there’s no difference between the Republican nominee and the Democrat nominee, if they’re both liberals, then the country is going to go to hell in my estimation, and let it go to hell under the Democrats like it did under Jimmy Carter. I said it took Jimmy Carter to give us a Reagan. Anyway, this is Carol Devine-Molin of American Daily, the latest woman angry at me. I’ve now been anointed, I guess, tribal propaganda minister chief who is the irresponsible vote suppressing poobah, out of bounds, a petulant child, off the Wagawaga El Conservo Tribe reservation.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: I just noticed a phone call that I want to take, but that next chapter in the program is a response to Carol Devine-Molin of American Daily, who’s upset. She wants me to chill out. I’m influencing too much of the Republican vote. It’s not wise. I’m hurting the Republican Party. She may have a point, and so what I want to do is we have a special segment. I want to get her back in the fold. She’s mad at me. I don’t want her to be mad at me. We’ll have some things coming up to perhaps acknowledge her point and try to make amends, so that she’s not so upset. In the meantime, Melissa in Eagan, Minnesota, hi. Welcome to the program.
CALLER: Hi, Rush. I’m Melissa, first-time caller. How are you?
RUSH: Fine. Thanks very much.
CALLER: Thanks for having me here. First, I’m glad you had a commercial break before you brought me in because I got… Boy, Carol? Heh-heh. Helloooo? Rush talks about issues. It’s not a cult of personality. Rush doesn’t have it in for, you know, McCain just because he didn’t pick his name out of a hat.
RUSH: Thank you.
CALLER: We people who are conservatives are concerned about actual issues. This is not a Democratic squabble where it’s, you know, what nasty tricks can we pull out of the bag or a cult of personality or who’s what gender or race. We are actually taking time to discuss what differentiates, what makes us Republicans.
RUSH: Exactly right!
CALLER: Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be talking about?
RUSH: Yes, it is. We’re not supposed to be talking party loyalty.
CALLER: Thank you.
RUSH: We’re not supposed to be talking electability in November, per se. We’re supposed to be talking about issues, and the one thing — you know, people can say, ‘I’m off the reservation’ or whatever, but I have not strayed. I am consistent. Whenever I find liberalism and it seeks power, I’m going to oppose it.
CALLER: Yes, that’s exactly right, and for her to come on and throw a tantrum, ‘You can’t tell me what to think,’ that’s the first thing she says, and second of all, she is closely — in my opinion — concerned about ‘electability,’ and she doesn’t want you ‘disenfranchising,’ shall we say — or turning off — the most conservative members of our party for fear that the Republicans won’t get in in the fall. So she’s got the same argument that a couple of your previous callers have in previous hours have had, that you gotta go with… You know, they’re not saying it. They look for excuses, ‘Well, not conservative. Well, the pro-life.’ But really what it comes down to is they’re scared, and they want the electable. You know what? You can make your guy electable if you just open your mouth.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: But that’s not why I called.
RUSH: Oh, that’s not? (laughing)
CALLER: You just got me with Carol. But, you know, I just got a little theory, Rush, and I gotta tell you, my history with you started not so well. I went to a university (clears throat) and, you know, there we were told in the, you know, late eighties that Limbaugh was just somebody that, you know, ‘He’s not our people, and he’s somebody to be laughed at.’ So I thought I was a liberal for a very long time, and then about 2001 I turned on talk radio and never went back.
RUSH: Thank you.
CALLER: So I’ve been listening to you kind of full time-ish about a month here, and the one thing I have learned in the last six years is that talk radio teaches you — if you look into the right people — how to analyze the media that you are confronted with on a daily basis.
RUSH: Thank you.
CALLER: The important things are not the facts. Facts I can get out there on the blogs. I can look at congressional records. I can look at those, but to learn how to analyze the media…
RUSH: So this is why you think that I am the media foil, where McCain’s concerned?
CALLER: Precisely! I think that they need… The media aren’t sure yet where to go with the conservatives. You know, there’s the theory, oh, the New York Times wants McCain in because they think he’s the most…. (cell garbled)
RUSH: Wait. Wait. Wait. Melissa, hang on. I’m going to have to rudely interrupt you. We’re losing you on the cell phone, but you said something here that I have to step in and correct. You said the media aren’t sure yet where to go with conservatives. Yes, they are. They want to destroy conservatives. The media, liberals, Democrats, it’s all the same. They want to relegate conservatism to irrelevancy; to permanent, vast minority status. Why else do you think they are endorsing Senator McCain? Why else are they getting so excited about Governor Huckabee? The reason — and I’ve made this point over and over again, and this is not about the cult of personality; it’s not about any personal animus against either of these guys — but they are not conservatives, and the best way to tell that is the Drive-By Media loves these people. Do you think they actually want conservatives to nominate somebody that can beat Democrats? No! They want us to nominate somebody they can beat. I’m just trying to ring the warning buzzers here!
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: I just got a note from the North Carolina mistress: ‘You’re actually going to try to make a woman not mad at you? That’s a first.’ Yes, I am going to try to make a woman not mad at me. This is Carol Devine-Molin who wrote, ‘Who is Rush Limbaugh, and Why is He Manipulating the GOP Vote?’ She basically wants me to shut up and chill out. She may have a point. So, ladies and gentlemen, I am going to shut up. For the next series of moments, parodies, musical ditties and other things will take over this program because this woman’s a conservative. If I’m starting to make those kind of people mad at me, I may have to rethink.
(playing of Maverick John McCain parody song)
RUSH: I’m not saying anything. Do the program another way.
(playing of Double Talk on the Wild Side parody song)
RUSH: Hi. This is Rush Limbaugh. I’ve been accused of speaking too much on my program, by conservative women. I’m going to get back in their good graces by speaking less.
(playing of If You Don’t Know Me By Now parody song)
RUSH: I have so many good ideas for the American people, but I’ve been asked to shut up, so I’m shutting up. By the way, Arlo Guthrie has just endorsed Ron Paul.
(playing of Should I Stay or Should I Go? parody song)
RUSH: (doing McCain impression) ‘Did he say ‘El Diablo’ in there? Did they sing that in that song? Did they sing that?’
(playing of Be Our Guest parody song)