CALLER: Sure, sure. Well, I’m nervous. My call is twofold, one to apologize and the other to thank you because I’m kind of a reformed liberal and I absolutely used to despise you. I would listen to you. I’m a sales rep. So I travel all the time. I would listen to you every so often and I would just scream at the radio and yell at you.
RUSH: Really? Most people that hate me, Debbie, don’t listen. You are unique. You did listen and still hated me.
CALLER: Well, I just had to yell at you because, you know, God forbid I am actually admitting, some people will be shocked, but I actually voted for Clinton twice and that kind of did it to me after that. Listening to you, you just made so much sense. So I have to thank you for that. But I’m a big fan now and I can’t even imagine. I look back now and think, ‘What?’ Maybe I was possessed or something because I look back and think, ‘How could I have even thought these things. How could I have been a liberal?’
RUSH: Were you talking back during the Clinton years, the Clinton administration?
CALLER: Absolutely. George W. was the first Republican I ever voted for and I’m very happy I did. Still am.
RUSH: Well, I probably might be able to explain that, not psychologically in your case, but there might have been some things. If you’ve been a liberal Democrat all your life, there were some things that really shook you guys up back then like losing the House in 1994 and then the attacks on Clinton for what he was. I mean, I think there was a cult of people that supported Clinton or just defended him, not because they loved him, but because who was attacking him. And one of those leading those attacks was, of course, me, El Rushbo. How do you go from such a passionate hatred or dislike to now becoming a fan?
CALLER: Well, because what you’re saying is absolutely the truth. You know, I’m that typical person. You know, I started out where I was young and naive and, you know, when I was 40, basically when I was 40, you know, and my career started getting into full swing, I started, you know, with my daughter, I had a child, I’m paying all these taxes, I started saying, ‘You know what, maybe we should start making people do something for the handouts we give them.’ Nobody’s given me anything. I’ve had to work all my life for everything I’ve ever gotten. And that’s a good thing. That makes me proud to be who I am, but I have had it.
RUSH: Okay, I can explain what happened to you.
CALLER: Good.
RUSH: I’m pretty sure, I could be wrong, of course, highly unlikely but I think you started thinking about things rather than just feeling.
CALLER: Exactly.
RUSH: And when you started thinking about it, none of it made any sense.
CALLER: You’re right. It doesn’t. I mean, what it was was hatred. I have to tell you a little story that kind of brought me back. Last weekend in downtown Appleton, I went to the farmers market and there was a gentleman always handing out these little programs for the Packers schedule and he is running for state assembly, I guess. And he was handing these out. And I never asked him anything. There’s a guy in front of me, he said, ‘Are you running Republican or Democrat?’ And he said, ‘Oh, I’m running Republican.’ This man, it just shook me up. He took the program, crumpled it up, walked over in front of this man, threw it in the garbage and stomped off. So just as quick as I could be, I thought God put me there for a reason. So I said, ‘Well, now that I know you’re not an idiot Democrat, I’ll take one of those programs.’ And I thought it was so funny, it was like I was put there for a purpose, like to finally pay back for all the probably crummy things I did as a liberal.
RUSH: Well, look. We all can look back at our past and find things about which to be embarrassed. But at the time you didn’t think you were making the wrong decision. Nobody purposely thinks they are making a wrong decision. So don’t beat yourself up over it. You have now seen the light. You are enlightened and it’s great to know that you’re out there. And again, I love Appleton, Wisconsin. I’ll be up there again probably later this month sometime. But I’ve got to run now. Thanks very much, Debbie. I’m glad you waited.