RUSH: Baghdad Bob Gibbs, the president’s press secretary, and there’s a piece on it. Where did I read this? I got so many things here. There’s a piece that says that Baghdad Bob, Robert Gibbs, and Valerie Jarrett do believe that Obama is messianic. These are the people that are the problem. It’s not
Rahm. Rahm is saving Obama. That’s the thrust of this story: Rahm is saving Obama. It’s Valerie Jarrett and this Gibbs guy who think he is The Messiah, a transformational figure, and they are just basically bowing down as though he’s the Dalai Lama going out the back door next to the garbage. Well, I guess they don’t bow down to the Dalai Lama going out the door next to the garbage. Here’s what Gibbs said. These people are not living in reality. ‘We’ve seen in survey after survey that Americans want to see Republicans and Democrats stand together on health care.’
There is no such survey! There is no such survey whatsoever, ladies and gentlemen. Last week — maybe it was the week before — I noted that the mayor of Washington, DC, was sitting there with 25% of his snowplows out of service basically telling the citizens, ‘If you want your street clean you’re going to have to go out and do it yourself.’ Despite all the taxes they pay there, despite all the public services they are supposed to get for their taxes, they still have to go out there and clean their own streets. Not the sidewalks, folks, the streets in some parts of town. The DC mayor is telling people to shovel their own streets. Meaning, the government cannot handle it. Yet, less than ten days later they tell them that government will deal with their health care, and they tell me that I’m crazy for not trusting the government to take care of it but I’m going to do it on my own for myself. I’m the one crazy. Same thing with what School Bus Nagin told them after Katrina.
‘Next time you’re on your own. Don’t wait for government.’ Remember that when the school buses didn’t evacuate people? He said, ‘Next time, you’re on your own. Don’t wait for us.’ Well, why in the hell doesn’t somebody shout from the rooftops: ‘Don’t wait for us on health care!’ There’s no evidence that they could do it because there’s no evidence any government program of any significant size whatsoever, health care related or not, has done what its objective stated it was. They’re big-time failures, and the American people know this. They do not want to invest in it. There’s no majority support for this. Zilch, zero, nada. I don’t know what’s going to happen now with this Thursday bipartisan televised summit up at Blair House. But I think what the Republicans ought to do… (interruption) No, no, I would not have said that at CPAC. Snerdley, you’re right. By the way, I do have some sound bites coming up from CPAC.
I would not have said that the only people who can stop Obama, the Republicans, should be excoriated for being just as bad. I don’t know how you can say, after hearing Marco Rubio, that the Republicans are just as bad. It would never occur to me to say that. I don’t know what the objective would be. Here’s what the Republicans ought to do: With every position advocated by Obama, Republicans ought to counter with a poll to show that a majority disapproves of it. With every position Republicans advocate, attach a poll to that, too. Every one they advocate put a poll behind it. Republicans own the issues on health care! Republicans own the position of ‘no’ on health care. Look at the polls. Eighty percent are sick and tired of a liberal-oriented Congress. Over 60% don’t want health care.
What’s the risk in standing with the American people in a representative republic? Where’s the risk? There is none! The Republicans own the issue. They have not joined Obama. They don’t have their fingerprints anywhere near this disaster, and now is not the time to get their fingerprints on there. The Republicans are who’s standing with the American people here. The American people are say, ‘No,’ and it’s the Republicans who are standing with them, and everybody needs to know that. Obama can say we’re the party of ‘no,’ because the American people have said ‘no’ to your position. ‘We are aligned with the American people, Mr. President,’ and then provide the poll that supports that. They’re out there. One by one, lay out what the Republican plan is on that issue and show the American people saying ‘yes’ to that with a poll.
Republicans have polls in their in favor but they gotta use them as a blunt instrument the same way the media and the Democrats use their polls. Look, the people have said ‘no’ to Obama’s proposals, his taxes, his fines. They have said ‘yes’ to free markets, capping trial attorneys, tort reform, insurance sales across state lines. Don’t position this as what the Republicans are saying. You position this as what the American people are saying. You position your opposition to Obama on the basis, ‘Hey, this is what the American people are telling us. In poll after poll after poll, Mr. President, they don’t want any of these things. They don’t want lies. They don’t want more expensive health care. They don’t want to have to go to jail if they don’t have a policy.’ Don’t position this as what Republicans are saying. Position everything as what the American people want, what they have rejected as well. If I ran the Republican Party — which I don’t, except in the White House they think I do.
If I ran the Republican Party I would position this as the American people versus Obama. And the Republicans are simply representing the majority, because this is the American people versus Obama. It is not the American people versus the Republicans and Democrats. This is the American people — on this issue, cap and trade and everything else in his agenda — against Obama, American people against Harry Reid, American people against Kennedy Democrats in Massachusetts. This is the American people against this president. The Republican Party out to move in there and be their leaders. Beat that like a drum. (sigh) Reconciliation.