RUSH: I want to show you how liberals think. This was Friday. They had a seminar at Georgetown University during a conference on the presidential transition. The moderator was John Harris of The Politico. He spoke with George ‘Stephy’ Stephanopoulos from ABC. John Harris said, ‘How much does that increase the challenge that President Obama has of changing the tone, the partisan tone in Washington, the fact that there’s this industry that to some extent feeds on conflict and ideological debate.’ Now, I don’t know what industry he’s talking about. I would wager talk radio. But I think the industry that feeds on conflict and ideological debate is the Drive-Bys. We just clean up their messes here every day. But here’s what Stephanopoulos said.
STEPHANOPOULOS: It makes it tough because to the extent you take it on it appears to be a partisan act. You know, so when the president takes on Rush Limbaugh, who he thinks is just, you know, engaging in shout fest, it becomes fodder for the echo chamber.
RUSH: So what is this? Stephanopoulos saying that Obama attacked me in order stop partisan attacks? But when you do that it looks like you’re being partisan when he’s really trying to change the tone? He was really trying to change the tone when he called me out. Oh, I didn’t figure that out. He was just trying to change the tone when he called me out and told people to stop listening to me. I don’t know if that conference call is still happening. Rahm Emanuel, James Carville, The Forehead, Paul Begala, and Stephanopoulos. I don’t know if it’s still happening, but Rahm Emanuel, chief of staff, had called those guys for a conference call, the old Clinton war room guys every day to discuss the day’s agenda. Speaking of Carville, he was on CNN’s Situation Room on Friday night, the fill-in host Suzanne Malveaux asked Carville, ‘The president really put a lot of time in at least courting Republicans. Do you think it was worth it? Do you think he shoulda just given up on that and basically go with his own base at this point?’
CARVILLE: My friend Rahm Emanuel said today that they did waste some time on bipartisanship, and, look, this is speeches, this is for college kids in Iowa and columnists in weekly magazines and newspapers. Rahm, they don’t want you to succeed. They’re not going to be for you, none of them. Rush Limbaugh said it. He said, ‘I don’t want him to succeed.’ It’s a show that’s dominated by talk radio, the southern base, and that’s just what the Republican Party is.
RUSH: You can’t get more southern than Carville. (laughing) (doing Carville impression) ‘Rush Limbaugh, Rahm, they don’t want you to succeed. Rush Limbaugh said it. Where you been? Don’t you know that? Don’t you know that? Rush wants you to fail.’ Which is right. I want this whole plan to bomb out. And the only way this plan will bomb out is if it causes the pain that we know it’s going to cause, ’cause folks, if this, quote, unquote, works, it can only work for Democrats; it can only work for the Big Government types; it can only work for the authoritarians. You better join me in hoping this thing fails ’cause there’s nothing in this to create jobs; there’s nothing in this that’s going to create careers. This is not about that at all. This is about stimulating Obama’s presidency, stimulating the Democrat Party.