RUSH: Jenny in Sarasota, you’re next. Jenny is one of my all-time, top-ten favorite female names, by the way.
CALLER: Oh, really?
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: (laughs) Oh, great. Listen, I’ve been trying to get through for about a week. I’ve been listening to your show. I’m kind of a new Democrat listening to your show. I do agree with you about Obama. He scares me, and I just… But what my problem is, is I need you to convince me —
RUSH: Yes?
CALLER: — to vote for McCain. I’ve been listening to you, and you don’t have a whole lot of good things to say about him, and I’m having a problem. You did really well with your Operation Chaos, with the Hillary thing and all that.
RUSH: Yes, ma’am.
CALLER: But I want to challenge you to come up with some kind of operation for McCain to get positive and to — I don’t want to use this word ‘unite.’ It’s becoming a cliche. But the Republicans, we need to come together somehow, and you are a strong voice.
RUSH: Jenny, can you hang on? I have to go to a commercial break.
CALLER: Sure.
RUSH: I’d like to interrogate you further on the things that you’re saying, because you’ve aroused my curiosity.
CALLER: (laughs)
RUSH: Can you hold on?
CALLER: Sure.
RUSH: Good. We’ll be back right after this and continue, my friends. Hang tough.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Half my brain tied behind my back just to make it fair. Back to Jenny in Sarasota, Florida, who has a mere 11 minutes of her lunch break left. You’ll be through with this in plenty of time.
CALLER: Sure.
RUSH: You say you’re Democrat —
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: — but you’re a new Democrat, meaning you’re leaving them?
CALLER: No, I’ve been a Democrat all my life. I’m 51, and I have for the last few months wanted to either go independent or Republican.
RUSH: What is it that finally forced you away from this bunch?
CALLER: The selection of Obama for the Democratic primary.
RUSH: Were you for Hillary?
CALLER: Yes, I was.
RUSH: So you’re a little bent out of shape that —
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: — they kind of really stuck it to Hillary here. Here she is, this experience, having given every waking moment of her adult life to the causes that she’s fought for. She’s qualified and experienced, and here comes this young dweeb, and just because he looks good and sounds good, once again they kick the woman to the kitchen and put this new guy in there, and you feel a little betrayed.
CALLER: I don’t know if I’d say betrayed, but I was comfortable with her, you know, and just —
RUSH: A lot of women are. A lot of women are. I’ve heard that.
CALLER: Yeah. And, yeah, I felt it was kind of time, but, anyway, a lot of my values have changed, too, and so I’m more in line —
RUSH: You knew that this program, my radio program, was out there, but you only relatively recently decided to start listening to it?
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: And obviously what you thought you were going to listen to, or what you were going to hear was not — because what prevented you from listening prior to when you started?
CALLER: What prevented me was I was a staunch Democrat a few years ago, and —
RUSH: Yeah, but I mean this is a good show regardless. We have people from all three religions that listen here; we’ve got ’em from every age demographic; every race and every mixed race. I mean, the audience here has no boundaries.
CALLER: Right. Well, I have been listening to another talk radio show on 930 and I really enjoyed him, and I started listening to you during the primaries, and I really liked what you were saying, so that’s kind of what has drawn me. The only drawback was that you weren’t pushing for the Republican, at all, and so I was really disappointed.
RUSH: I’m not a house organ. See, you were probably surprised. You’ve been hearing that all I am is a lap dog for the Republicans and I get marching orders and —
CALLER: No.
RUSH: — well, now you know that that’s not true. I am an ideologue first, I’m a conservative — well, I’m an American first, then a conservative, then a Republican next, second or third —
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: — however you want to line ’em up.
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: I would be destroying my credibility if I came out with a full-fledged endorsement of Senator McCain. I think for a lot of people like me, Jenny, this is what I really wanted to talk to you about, this election is going to be an up or down on Obama, voting for or against him. The way I look at this, you’re telling me that you’re confused, you want to vote Republican but now I, Mr. Republican, as far as you were concerned, am not on the same page you are, and that’s got you a little puzzled. We actually are on the same page. You and I don’t want Obama, for different reasons. I don’t think the country can afford unchecked one-party Democrat, liberal Democrat rule for four years at this crucial time.
Obama is the candidate, but I don’t think he’s the power behind the throne, somebody’s running this campaign. But what he stands for and the people he’s associated himself with, his lack of experience, his ability and desire to have no aspect of his life discussed, and I think his genuinely non-impressive IQ, horrible things. McCain presents us conservatives with different challenges, in terms of the definition of our party. We don’t particularly like — don’t take this personally — we love having Democrats and independents join our party, but not as Democrats and independents. We’d love them to come across as conservatives. You’re coming across as a Democrat who doesn’t like Obama. Why do you like McCain, and it’s not a trick question. I’ve got one minute so you can get back to lunch, what do you like about McCain?
CALLER: Well, I am not far left. I am center. And like I said my lifestyle has changed.
RUSH: You all think that, you all think that, I know.
CALLER: Yes. But I like him because I think he’s —
RUSH: Just say it.
CALLER: I like his views. He’s honest. He says what he means, and I heard you this morning say he was a flip-flopper, and I didn’t think that was very positive, even though it might be a little bit true —
RUSH: Well, it wasn’t perhaps the most politic description. I should have better said McCain has seen the light.
CALLER: Well, there, that’s more positive.
RUSH: Yes, it is. McCain has evolved, he’s growing. He changed his mind. You know, somebody said, they asked John Maynard Keynes, ‘Why do you change your mind?’ The famous economist. ‘Well, I change my mind when the facts change.’ If I learn that I’ve been wrong about some facts. And this is apparently what has happened to McCain. So yes, you’re right, Jenny, I should have portrayed it in a more positive light. It was just the Stockholm Syndrome.