RUSH: The Countrywide Six. ‘Christopher Dodd said he and his wife knew that Countrywide, Inc., was treating them as VIP customers when they refinanced mortgages on two homes in 2003, but that it didn’t cross his mind he was getting a perk from Countrywide.’ What does VIP mean? VIP is a perk! Here is Senator Dodd on Capitol Hill yesterday.
DODD: I would never, ever, ever be a part of that. That there was a VIP section we were in, but we’re [sic] assumption was — No one ever said to us, ‘You’re going to get some special treatment.’ We thought it was a courtesy.
DODD: I never talked to them about my mortgages, and I never would! I mean the idea you call a CEO of a bank to get a mortgage to try to work something out, I just wouldn’t do.
RUSH: Why not? A lot of other people do? Kent Conrad did; Richard Holbrooke did. There are six of you that did. Donna Shalala did. The point is, all you people have enough money. This should not happen. Don’t we always hear that we can raise taxes on the rich ’cause they have more than they need? Didn’t the Clintons say they got tax cuts they didn’t even ask for? These people were looking for a deal. The people that get freebies in their lives are the most greedy people you have ever met. Folks, trust me on this. I’ve seen it. The people who have grown up and have been given things — stars, athletes or whatever — they expect everything is going to be given to them. That’s how business was done. It’s what they learned. It’s what we know. This is a very powerful decision. Of course you call a CEO, and maybe he didn’t call the CEO, but the CEO called him. He’s chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. I’m going to tell you, if I went out to get a mortgage and I was getting a deal, I would know it.
You’re told what the rate is, and I guaran-damn-tee you the bank is going to say, ‘By the way, we’re going to knock a little off of this here, Mr. Limbaugh, because we enjoy your business.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. We’re going to waive closing costs and we’re going to waive a point here off the interest rate.’
‘Really?’
And then you walk out of there and you don’t even know it? (sigh) Culture of corruption? Really the funny thing is that these are people that are independently wealthy. Well, they may not be independently wealthy, but Richard Holbrooke is one of these guys that got one of these things, and so did Donna Shalala. And the culture of greed piece in the American Spectator today by the columnist called The Prowler quotes an ethics aide: ‘You have to keep in mind that for folks like Shalala and Holbrooke, there’s nothing wrong with what they did. They just got a sweet deal that the great unwashed probably couldn’t get. It’s just interesting to see all these people who financially are well off by any standard, getting caught up in something totally unnecessary.’ It’s not. This is my whole point. The rich and the powerful always demand a deal. That’s what rich and power is all about. They always want something that’s cut off. They want a better deal than the great unwashed. They think they’re entitled to it, for crying out loud! This makes total sense. They’re all Democrats — phony baloney, plastic banana, good-time rock ‘n’ rollers — who tell us and everybody else, ‘You shouldn’t object to a tax increase. You have more than you need.’ Seems like they never do, do they?