RUSH: Tim in Salem, Oregon, you’re next. Great to have you here, sir.
CALLER: (pause) Thank you very much.
RUSH: You bet.
CALLER: You have an excellent staff, by the way.
RUSH: How do you know?
CALLER: What? (pause) Because I talked to ’em a couple of times.
RUSH: Oh? I’m curious. How many of them have you talked to?
CALLER: (pause) Three.
RUSH: Three?
CALLER: Uh-huh.
RUSH: Cool. All right. I’m sure they’ll be happy to hear that.
CALLER: (pause) Rush, as I’ve listened to you talk today (pause), how can I help you?
RUSH: Tim, is your radio on? If your radio’s on you need to turn your radio off. We’re on about a 45 second-delay, and if you’re trying to follow the radio you’re gonna be totally, totally confused. Turn the radio off.
CALLER: (pause) I’m doing that right now.
RUSH: Okay.
CALLER: (pause) It’s off now.
RUSH: Okay, the radio’s off. Now you should start again. You’ve talked to the three members of the staff, and they’re great people, right?
CALLER: Yes, sir.
RUSH: All right. Now, what did you say you wanted to help me with?
CALLER: My question, Rush, is: ‘What can I do to help you as you’re having to deal with these issues?’
RUSH: What issues?
CALLER: Like the shooting in Arizona.
RUSH: Oh, you mean when I’m being attacked for that?
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: What can you do to help?
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: Yeah. I think you do it by continuing to listen and not being affected by it all. Don’t believe it. That’s the single best thing you can do and everybody in this audience is like that. Nobody buys it. That’s the single best thing that you could do. I really appreciate your asking and I appreciate your thought. That’s very moving, and that’s… I don’t know. Just help get out the truth. Don’t be afraid to tell the truth — say the truth, tell the truth — to people that you come in contact with who do believe that stuff. ‘Cause they’re attacking you, too, when they say this stuff. It’s not just me. They’re saying that you are all capable of doing what Jared Loughner did because you listen here.
If I were you and if you aren’t, I’d take it personally. It’s meant that way. It’s not me. In fact, they know it isn’t me pulling the trigger. They think it’s one of you! They think it is I, El Rushbo (a harmless, lovable little fuzzball) mesmerizing you, hypnotizing you, motivating you to do what this guy did. It’s really… These comments are aimed at you. I would take it personally and I would not stand for it. Don’t think it’s just an attack on your host. They’re calling all of us accessories to murder with this, and now the latest template is, ‘Well, man, you guys are really going overboard defending yourselves here. You really, really, really are.’ And Palin there, ‘She must really have guilty feelings about this to go and defend herself.’ She was dragged into this. Tim, thanks for the call.