On “Right-Wing Extremists”

RUSH: Rich in White Plains, New York, you’re up. Hello, sir, great to have you here.

CALLER: Wow. How you doing, Rush? I can’t believe I’m talking to you. You are the man.

RUSH: Thank you very much, sir. I appreciate that. Many women have told me that as well.

CALLER: Rush, in light of Evan Bayh’s most recent comments about extreme partisanship causing him to leave, he makes the same assertion the liberals do that there are as many right-wing extremists as there are left, and the so-called extreme right-wing is as radical as the left. So I mean aside from the few neo-Nazi skinheads or what’s left of the remnants of the KKK can we please define what a right-wing extremist is?

RUSH: Yeah.

CALLER: I mean is it those of us who don’t want to see the unborn killed or want the right to own a hunting rifle, or don’t want half our salary going to the government because I can’t stand what the liberals are doing trying to perpetuate this idea: ‘Well, we do it, they do it, the right-wing is as guilty as the left wing.’ You know, that’s a bunch of crap, Rush.

RUSH: It is. But the whole notion that there are right-wing extremists is a moving target, depending on who’s popular in the country at the time. Right now the right-wing extremists are Sarah Palin, me, and the tea party people. Those are the right-wing extremists.

CALLER: Rush, and what do the so-called right-wing extremists represent? I mean that’s just the bomb being thrown.

RUSH: Look, I’m not saying we’re extremists. I’m saying that’s what they call us to try to discredit us. They will not debate us in the arena of ideas on the very subjects that you mentioned because they will lose. So they’re trying to discredit those of us who espouse those views by calling us extremists and wackos and all this. I’m going to illustrate this with a guy from the Southern Poverty Law Center when we come back in the next hour. Sit tight.