RUSH: Roger in Steffner, Florida, welcome to the EIB Network. Great to have you here.
CALLER: Yeah, Rush. First-time caller, long-time listener.
RUSH: Thank you, sir.
CALLER: I just want to make one point. All the Democrats being interviewed on television today were saying how they wanted to focus on the economy, and the Republicans wanted to focus on health care.
RUSH: (laughs)
CALLER: Isn’t that what they did last year at this time right after Obama said he was gonna focus on the economy like a laser?
RUSH: That’s what he said yesterday, too! (laughs)
CALLER: (laughs)
RUSH: He said it yesterday, too. Jobs… Yesterday Obama said jobs is his new focus. This about the fourth time. He said jobs is his new focus and he said he’s gonna listen to ‘anybody who has a good idea about how to create ’em,’ which he’s said that before, too. It’s all smoke and mirrors. But see, you’re right. You’re catching it.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: The Democrats care about jobs? All of a sudden they care about jobs, and Democrats claim the Republicans talking about health care is not focusing on the economy when it…? Look, nobody is being fooled by what the Democrats say now. Everybody’s catching it. You’re calling to comment on it. Nobody’s being bamboozled by it. They don’t get away with this like they used to. That’s a positive.
CALLER: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Well, I just wanted to point that out, you know, that all of a sudden they want to start focusing on the economy after they shoved that huge health care bill down our throats last year.
RUSH: You’re right. You’re right. Roger, I’m glad you called. We move on. Boehner, by the way, just… I guess election was long ago, hours ago. Oh, oh, oh! There’s Pelosi. She’s smiling. She’s opening some book. She does not have a gun in her hand. I just want to report that. Boehner is standing next to her. Look, our microphones are there. Let’s listen to a little bit of this as Pelosi introduces Boehner.
PELOSI: To the new members and their families, this… (stammers) A — a special congratulations, and welcome to you.
RUSH: The eyebrows are not moving.
PELOSI: We all wish you great success. (clearing her throat)
RUSH: Oh, they did! They went up a little bit there!
GALLERY: (applause)
PELOSI: (haltingly) Con-grat-u-la-tions. To. You.
RUSH: Mmm-hmm.
PELOSI: We all come here to represent our constituents. Our respect for each other is founded in the respect for the people that we represent.
RUSH: Yeah? All right. That’s a new one.
PELOSI: This month we will celebrate 50th anniversary of the inauguration of John F. Kennedy as president of the United States. As a student I was there in the freezing cold. For some of you it was… You’ve read about it in the history books. Uh, for Michael and I, to us, it was our youth. Right, Bob? Uh, I was there in the freezing and heard the stirring address that inspired generations of Americans —
RUSH: You must have forgotten what he said.
PELOSI: — to public service.
RUSH: How in the world can she cite what JFK said?
PELOSI: In his 1962 State of the Union address right from here, from this dais, President Kennedy said to the Congress:
RUSH: What’s he gonna say?
PELOSI: ‘The Constitution makes us all trustees of the American people.’
RUSH: She’s a fetishist! She’s got a Constitution fetish! Did you hear this? She is citing the Constitution.
PELOSI: Today, as we take the oath of office —
RUSH: She’s got a fetish!
PELOSI: — to defend our Constitution —
RUSH: She’s got a fetish for it.
PELOSI: — we do not as trustees of the America’s best hopes —
RUSH: I can’t believe it.
PELOSI: — and custodians of America’s highest values.
RUSH: Okay. I cannot believe what a fetish this woman has for the Constitution. She’s referring to it almost as like it’s a sacred biblical text. I can’t believe what I’m hearing!
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: I guess JFK was a fetishist, too. She’s quoting JFK on the Constitution. We know now that people who respect the Constitution, it’s a fetish that they have. And don’t forget, JFK’s inaugural address was basically a declaration of war on communism, and that’s why I find it really strange that Democrats today cite him. Well, I know why they cite Kennedy. It’s not because of what he said; it’s ’cause his last name and a number of other things. She’s still refusing to pass anything over to Boehner. She’s talking about kids, being the first woman speaker, introducing half the families in San Francisco and all that, but it will eventually happen, folks.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: The Pelosi filibuster is over and Boehner is now delivering his opening remarks. We’ll JIP them here in just a second. Pelosi is pretty classy, it’s the classiest I’ve ever heard her. Honest to gosh, it was. I feel a little shocked by it. It won’t last longer than it took her to make the speech, but for what it was, it was pretty collegial. Let’s listen to a little bit of Speaker Boehner as he just now begins to speak.
BOEHNER: Thank you for being here, gentlemen, I appreciate it. (applause) I’m honored and humbled to represent a great, hardworking community in Congress. The peoples of Ohio state congressional district continue to afford me the privilege to serve for which I am deeply grateful. We gather here today at a time of great challenges. Nearly one in ten of our neighbors is out of work. Health care costs are still rising for American families. Our spending has caught up with us and our debt soon will eclipse the entire size of our national economy. Hard work and tough decisions will be required of the 112th Congress. No longer can we fall short. No longer can we kick the can down the road. The people voted to end business as usual, and today we begin to carry out their instructions.
RUSH: Oh, oh, the press is gonna hate this. Pelosi was so nice, and here’s Boehner being partisan in the first syllable? Oh-ho! It’s also historic here today, a first, I’ll tell you why in just a second but, well, we’ve got a first person of color, the first person of color as speaker.
BOEHNER: In the Catholic faith we enter into a season of service by having ashes marked on our head. And the ashes remind us that life in all of its forms is very fragile. Our time on this earth is fleeting. But as the ashes are delivered, we hear of those humbling words. Remember, you are dust, and to dust you shall return. The American people have humbled us. They have refreshed our memories to just how temporary the privilege of serving is. They remind us that everything here is on loan from them. That includes this gavel, which I accept cheerful and gratefully knowing that I am but its caretaker. After all, this is the people’s House. (applause)
RUSH: Right on, right on, right on, right on. John Boehner, opening remarks as speaker for just a little while here.
BOEHNER: This is their Congress. It’s about them, not about us. What they want is a government that’s honest, accountable, and responsive to their needs.
RUSH: You can’t do it.
BOEHNER: A government that respects individual liberty, honors our heritage, and bows before the public that it serves. Let’s start with the rules package that the House will consider today. If passed, it will change how this institution operates, with an emphasis on real transparency, greater accountability, and a renewed focus on our Constitution.
RUSH: Right on, right on.
BOEHNER: Our aim will be to give the government back to the American people.
RUSH: Right on, right on.
BOEHNER: In seeking this goal, we will part with some of the rituals that have come to characterize this institution under majorities, both Republican and Democrat alike. We will dispense with the conventional wisdom that bigger bills are always better, that fast legislating is good legislating. Allowing amendments and open debate makes the legislative process less efficient than our forefathers had intended. These misconceptions have been the basis for the rituals of a modern Washington. They, in my opinion, have not been served well to the American people. Today, mindful of the lessons of the past that we open a new chapter, legislators and the public will have three days to read a bill before it comes to a vote, legislation will be more focused, properly scrutinized, and constitutionally sound.
RUSH: Whoa, whoa.
BOEHNER: Committees, once bloated, will be smaller with a renewed mission including oversight. Old rules that have made it easy to increase spending will be replaced by new reforms that make it easier to cut spending, and we will start by cutting Congress’ own budget. (applause)
RUSH: Well! By the way, Boehner, earlier he just said that the Democrats have been turned back into dust, in case you didn’t get the dust-to-dust reference. The Democrats are now dust. That’s what happened in November.
BOEHNER: But above all else, we will welcome the battle of ideas, encourage it, engage it, openly, honestly, and respectfully.
RUSH: The media is not gonna like this.
BOEHNER: As the chamber closest to the people, the House works best when it is allowed to work its will. And I ask members of this body to join me in recognizing this common truth. And to my colleagues in the majority, my message is this. We will honor our Pledge to America, built on a process of listening to the American people. We will stand firm on our constitutional principles that built our party and built a great nation. We will do these things, however, in a manner that restores and respects the time-honored right of the minority to an honest debate, a fair and open process. And to my friends in the minority, I offer a commitment. Openness. Once a tradition of this institution but increasingly scarce in recent decades will be the new standard. There were no open rules in the House in the last Congress. In this one, there will be many. And with the restored openness, however, come a restored responsibility. You will not have the right to willfully disrupt the proceedings of the people’s House, but you will always have the right to a robust debate in an open process that allows you to represent your constituents, to make your case, offer alternatives, and be heard. (applause)
RUSH: You’re just gonna lose. But you can go ahead and offer all you want. But you’re not gonna get anywhere with it. That’s our hope, anyway.
BOEHNER: In time, I believe this framework will allow the House to be a place where the people’s will is done. It will also, I hope, rebuild trust amongst us and the people we serve, and in so doing, provide a guidepost for those who follow us in the service of our nation. To our new members, Democrat and Republican alike, as you take the oath today, I know that you do so mindful of this shared goal and know that your constituents have placed much trust in you.
RUSH: You’re nothing until we say you are.
BOEHNER: As speaker, I feel part of my job is to help each of you do your job well regardless of your political party. My hope is that every new member, and indeed every member, will be comfortable with approaching me with regard to matters of the House. We will not always get it right, and we will not always agree on what is right. There’s a great deal of scar tissue that’s been built up on both sides of the aisle. We can’t ignore that, nor should we. My belief has always been that we can disagree without being disagreeable.
RUSH: Fat chance.
BOEHNER: That’s why it’s critical that this institution operate in a manner that permits a free exchange of ideas and resolves our honest differences through a fair debate and vote.
RUSH: And look at those Democrats, look at them! (laughing)
BOEHNER: We may have different, sometimes very different ideas about how to go achieving the common good. It is why we serve.
RUSH: If looks could kill. (laughing)
BOEHNER: Let us now move forward, humble in our demeanor, but steady in our principles, dedicated to proving worthy of the trust and confidence that has been placed in each of us.
RUSH: (laughing) Sorry, folks, I — (laughing)
BOEHNER: If we brace ourselves to do our duty and do what we say we’re going to do, I don’t think there’s, together, anything that we can’t accomplish, again, on behalf of the people we serve.
RUSH: All right, that’s it. That’s John Boehner. He’s addressing his constituents and the members of the House. That scar tissue reference, obviously, a dig at Ms. Pelosi. They shot a picture of Steny Hoyer and James Clyburn, while Boehner was talking about all this, ‘We’re gonna get along here, we’re gonna be agreeable,’ they were shooting this guy daggers. (laughing) I know the Democrats are sitting there saying, ‘What the hell happened to us? This is not the way it’s supposed to be.’ At any rate, a lot of ceremony today. We’ll probably last a few minutes longer before it retreats until what the normal day-to-day is, but at least it is the peaceful transfer of power, and it went off without a hitch today, which, again, is somewhat disappointing. I was really hoping that Pelosi would have to be dragged out of there refusing to give up the gavel. But it didn’t happen.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: I’m also happy to report, ladies and gentlemen: So far, no gunplay in the House of Representatives during the swearing in of John Boehner as the new Speaker of the House. Now we can finally say it: ‘Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi,’ and there is no denying that Pelosi’s place in history is secure. She will undoubtedly be remembered as the most unpopular Speaker of the House in our nation’s history. By the way, while we were away at our obscene profit time-out, the fetishist Speaker, John Boehner, just made all of the new members of Congress swear to uphold the Constitution. There will be outrage later today and tonight on MSNBC about this! I mean, 435 new fetishists! It happened within, what, how long? Ten seconds to have all of them say ‘I do’ and for him to say ‘congratulations.’
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Here’s some sound bites. This is Pelosi before she got gracious at the end when she was handing the gavel to Boehner. She was politicking to the end.
PELOSI: We have made the largest ever commitment to making college more affordable (applause) enacted Wall Street reform with the greatest consumer protections in history, and passed a strong patient’s bill of rights. (applause) It means that children with preexisting conditions can get care; young people can stay on their parents’ policy until they’re 26; pregnant women and breast and prostate cancer patients can no longer be thrown off their insurance; our seniors are paying less for their medical prescriptions. Taken together, it will save taxpayers $1.3 trillion. (applause)
RUSH: Now, I honestly don’t know if she really believes that. For all I know she might really believe that. None of it’s true. Not one thing she said about health care is true. But, she might believe it. I know she hasn’t read 2,000 pages of it. You know what she thinks? (imitating Pelosi) ‘Affordable health care for all Americans.’ That’s what she thinks they passed. Or that’s what she wants you to think they passed. Speaking of, what is it here, prostate cancer patients and — you know, I just got an e-mail from Dick Morris asking me if my prostate’s keeping me up at night. I did. I think I sent it to the trash folder, but let me see if I deleted it. Yeah, from Dick Morris reports: ‘Is your prostate keeping you up at night? Read on for a simple and 100% natural solution that may help you.’ I kid you not. From some guy named Dr. Brownstein, but it’s sent to me by Dick Morris. Okay, here’s the moment the cavalry arrived. This is Pelosi passing the gavel to Boehner.
PELOSI: I now pass this gavel, which is larger than most gavels here, but the gavel of choice of Mr. Speaker Boehner, I now pass this — (laughing) — I now pass this gavel and the sacred trust that goes with it to the new speaker. God bless you, Speaker Boehner. (applause)
RUSH: God bless you, Constitution fetishes. Whew. Man, I tell you, the left in this country, if they’re watching this today, has gotta be doing circles. All of these references to things that they despise: God and the Constitution. The gavel, by the way, it’s huge, I saw it. I was watching it. That is a huge gavel. It took her two hands to hold the thing. And it was nowhere near as big as the one she carried to the hill after passing Obamacare, walking on the street there with the Congressional Black Caucus hoping for insults and stuff. That gavel that they had, I don’t think this was as big as that one. Barbara Lee, who is the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus this morning, after swearing in the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus swore in their members before they were sworn in as members of the House. And at that swearing in, the chairman of Congressional Black Caucus said, among other things…
LEE: The American dream, as we all know too well, has really turned into a nightmare for many. Poverty, the foreclosure crisis, health disparities, unemployment, the lack of economic and educational opportunities, violence —
RUSH: Stop the tape a minute. I am stunned. Recue this. I am stunned to hear a Democrat, an African-American woman, the chairman of the Democrat Congressional Black Caucus, just rip into President Obama the way she is here. Stunning. Listen to this again.
LEE: The American dream as we all know too well has really turned into a nightmare for many. Poverty, the foreclosure crisis, health disparities, unemployment, the lack of economic and educational opportunities, violence and crime, all disproportionately impact the African-American, low income, and communities of color. Now, during the 111th Congress, the CBC did not miss a beat —
RUSH: Right, it got worse.
LEE: And they fought each and every day to address and attack and close these disparities —
RUSH: Yeah.
LEE: — and fought for equity —
RUSH: It got worse.
LEE: — and for justice in every major piece of legislation.
RUSH: Yeah, meanwhile, as she said, this has really turned into a nightmare. But we’re on the case. We here at the CBC, we are on the case, we didn’t miss a beat while it was getting worse under our African-American president, Barack Obama. She didn’t say that, of course, but who’s been running the show for the past two years? Obama and the Democrats have been running the show. This woman has indicted herself, the Congressional Black Caucus, and, of course, Obama. Wolf Blitzer last night, CNN, The Situation Room, had on a congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, and they had this exchange about Democrat staffers losing their jobs because of new Republican representatives being sworn in.
BLITZER: I’ve heard, Dana, and you probably know this better than I do, that, what, 2,000 Democratic staffers have lost their jobs now as a result of the Republican takeover of the House and the increased number of Republicans in the Senate, 2,000 staffers have lost their job. Is that right?
BASH: That number would not surprise me at all. I mean it is such a huge shift in power, and shift in power means shift in personnel. And there’s absolutely no question about it, so many House members in particular lost their jobs, and that means that all of their staff lost their jobs.
RUSH: So? Two thousand, I mean that’s nothing compared to the number of people at CNN that are gonna lose their jobs if things don’t change there.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Your guiding light, everybody-wants-to-be-me Rush Limbaugh behind the Golden EIB Microphone. Now, the Congressional Black Caucus was sworn in as members of the House like a half hour ago, but this morning the Congressional Black Caucus was sworn in to the Congressional Black Caucus. Now, I would like to know: What did they swear to uphold in the Congressional Black Caucus? What is their ‘fetish’? We know that when they were sworn in as members of the House they had to swear to uphold to defend and protect the Constitution as much as they might object to that. So what did they…? I mean, I wasn’t privy to it. I don’t know what the oath of office is for the Congressional Black Caucus. I don’t know what their ‘fetish’ happens to be. And, no, I don’t ever recall a CNN sob story on the number of Republican staffers who lost their jobs in 2007 when Pelosi and the Democrats rode in. By the way, still no reports of gunfire from the House chamber. So the news continues to be okay out there.