RUSH: Who’s next? Jack in Melrose, Wisconsin. Hi welcome to the EIB Network. Great to have you here.
CALLER: (garbled) Hello.
RUSH: Hi.
CALLER: Thanks for taking my call, Rush.
RUSH: Yes, sir.
CALLER: And I wanted to get your take on why the Republican establishment and the liberal news media aren’t digging up dirt on Mitt Romney like they do on some of the others.
RUSH: Well, I think the Democrats think he’s going to be the nominee. They’re waiting to release whatever dirt they’ve got ’til after he’s got the nomination and the Republicans can’t do anything about it. The Republicans, if there is any dirt on Romney — and I should preface by saying, “If there is any.” I don’t know that there is sufficient dirt to hurt Romney. The only guy that’s ever tried to use some is Perry. As far as if the dirt exists and the Republicans haven’t used it, they’re not… They haven’t chimed in on the Herman Cain thing, either. That’s all a media thing. The Republicans are not into self-immolation right now. I don’t think they’ve formed a circular firing squad. The New York Times had a hit piece on Romney. Bill Keller’s got a piece on Romney.
Bill Keller is out there. He’s the former editor, not just a columnist, and Bill Keller is out there saying Romney is the only guy that can beat Obama, which… They can all beat Obama! But they’re trying to pick Romney. Keller’s piece saying… See, the people in the mainstream media know that the Republicans crave their approval. The people in the mainstream media know that the Republicans think they’re the smartest and the wisest. So the mainstream people, people like — or media, people like Keller, I guarantee you it works this way, he’ll do a story saying Romney can beat Obama. The purpose of that story is to nudge the Republicans toward nominating Romney, because the truth is the regime wants to run against Romney.
But the Republicans won’t see it that way. The establishment types will see it as Romney’s the only guy. In fact, David Brooks (he of Obama’s “crease in his pants” as his qualifier to be president) was on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on Friday night on PBS; and David Brooks, he of the Republican establishment, said, “I still basically think there’s just one real candidate, and that’s Mitt Romney. But suppose there were two,” he said. “Suppose Jeb Bush had decided to get into the race. Everybody said, ‘Oh, I can’t do it! You’re Jeb Bush. Your last name is “Bush,”‘ but if Jeb Bush were in the race right now I think he’d be the front-runner even regardless of the name.” This is David Brooks. “A Jeb Bush candidacy,” according to Brooks, “would satisfy the serious establishment types and the more conservative types at the same time.”
According to Brooks, “Jeb Bush would unify the Tea Party and the establishment types in the Republican Party,” and then Brooks goes on to say: “So it’s one of the things that interests me is what happens if Mitt Romney stumbles. Then where does the party go? Because really there’s option A and no option B, practically. And so that would just create a crisis in the party, and then you really would see people rallying around somebody who’s not in the race right now.” So David Brooks, speaking for the establishment, says it’s Romney or bust — and if it’s Romney who gets the nomination and then something happens to Romney, that the Republican establishment gonna go try to find somebody to replace him that did not run, that’s not running for president now.
In fact, Brooks’ quote on television Friday night in Washington, DC, was, “If Romney falters, the entire Washington establishment goes into conniption fits.” I mention this only because you’ve got the New York Times pushing Romney now. Bill Keller pushing Romney: Romney’s the only guy that can beat Obama. Here’s David Brooks: “There’s only one real candidate, that’s Mitt Romney.” But Brooks goes farther: “What if something happens to Romney? Gosh, it’s a shame if they don’t have Jeb Bush running, oh, my God! If it’s not Romney and something happens we’re gonna have to go outside and find somebody an immediate replacement, because if Romney falters, the entire Washington establishment goes into conniption fits,” and I think we can take that to the bank. I think that Brooks probably does speak for the so-called Republican, inside-the-Beltway Washington establishment.
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