RUSH: More polling data. Rasmussen: “A poll of likely voters shows that by the whopping margin of 20 percentage points, 55 to 35, Americans support the repeal of Obamacare. This marks the continuation of a striking trend. Since Memorial Day,” this is over six months ago, “Rasmussen has taken 21 polls on Obamacare’s repeal. In all 21 of those polls, repeal has won by double digits.” When a sitting president’s signature legislation is this wildly unpopular, you can bet the economy’s not gonna be the only issue in his reelection campaign. Of course the economy and Obamacare are linked. I don’t know how you delink them. The economy and Obamacare are linked. They’re tied together. So here you have this — and, meanwhile, we’re told that none of these guys can win.

There are some people — John Podhoretz in the New York Post today. I don’t have his column open, I don’t have his lede right in front of me, but he described, I forget which one, Romney and Gingrich; one of them can’t get elected, the other can’t get nominated. So the Republican establishment view is that the two Republican front-runners don’t have a prayer. One can’t get the nomination and the other one, if he does, can’t be elected. This is absurd! What these guys are saying is the only guy in our field who can get elected president is Romney, but he can’t be nominated, and they say that because the polling data shows that 70% of Republicans want somebody other than Romney. So this is all… Folks, that couldn’t have been more wrong.

Look at all the polling data! We know the gap between people who fear big government and fear big business is wider than ever, up 16 points, fear of big government, since Obama was inaugurated. We got 21 straight polls double digits, 55 to 35, people oppose Obamacare and want it repealed. What do you mean we don’t have anybody can get elected? We have a lot of people who can be elected! This is absurd to have this kind of shackle around ourselves and be thinking this way. Here’s Podhoretz’s column: “Two Republican presidential candidates — one who increasingly appears unnominatable [Romney] and one who’s probably unelectable [that’s Newt] — have begun firing political and rhetorical cruise missiles pointed at each other that could destroy them both.” I swear, I would love just one day this kind of analysis of Obama and the Democrats, of Harry Reid, of Pelosi, of Debbie “Blabbermouth” Schultz — who said on Fox yesterday, “What do you mean? Unemployment’s gone down during Obama’s presidency!”

The host said, “Wait, you gotta be mistaken. Unemployment’s gone up.”

“No, no, no! Unemployment’s coming down. It’s now below 9%. Uh, uh, uh, Obama has brought down unemployment!”

That’s their story and they’re sticking to it because the Obama presidency began last month. That’s Obama’s story in the campaign trail: His presidency began last month. Here’s Steve Schmidt blaming me for the lousy Republican field and it happened where? MSNBC. Morning Joe. A discussion of the Republican primary, Scarborough said, “Why is it that we have been forced to watch a reality show when there are so many qualified people like Mitch Daniels, Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan out there?” Why are they standing on the sidelines?

SCHMIDT: As President Kennedy pointed out, sometimes when you try to ride the tiger you wind up inside of it. And you’ve seen this over the last couple of years. Any insult to Rush Limbaugh is greeted with an immediate apology from whatever offending Republican no matter their rank or stature. You have someone yells “You lie!” in the middle State of the Union, the donations flood into the website. So there has been a reward system based on the intemperance of the rhetoric, not on the substance of the ideas, not on, you know, the strength of conservatism.

Can I translate that for you? Joe Wilson, who shouted “you lie” at Obama in the State of the Union. We’re not substantive. We are just intemperate. We’re just filled with hot rhetoric, and that’s why we’re popular, but policy and ideas and substance, we don’t have any of that, there’s nothing conservative about Limbaugh. Limbaugh’s just really good at revving people up. Intemperate rhetoric. This guy ran McCain’s campaign, Steve Schmidt. He brought about the McCain landslide. Yeah, some say that. I’ve never characterized him that way, but some say he’s the Bob Shrum of the Republican Party. By the way, to be carrying this grievance around this long. When’s the last time anybody apologized to me for ripping me, it was Michael Steele, right? That’s two years ago.

There was a three-month period where some Republicans said some stuff. I didn’t make ’em apologize. The audience got hold of ’em, their voters got hold of ’em. And then they went on and apologized. That’s two years old now, a year and a half. This Schmidt guy is still bothered by that. (interruption) Well, no, that. I don’t know if Schmidt was the one who said don’t use Hussein. I don’t know that McCain needed any guidance on that one. He’s ripped Palin. I know he was very unhappy with Palin as the VP choice and so forth. But Schmidt is the same guy, folks, who said that religion could kill the McCain campaign, that if they spent any time on McCain’s religion or anybody else, stay away from Jeremiah Wright, don’t go there. This is why I tell you, and I know many of you people don’t believe me when I tell you, it’s why I tell you the Republican establishment, they don’t like me. They don’t like conservatives.

Schmidt believes that people like me drive independents back to Obama. That’s what they believe. But Scarborough’s question: Mitch Daniels tried, Joe. He was out there. Jeb Bush, that’s too soon for a guy with that last name. Paul Ryan looked at it, said don’t want to do it. Nobody kept ’em out. Mitch Daniels, if anybody it was his family that told him they didn’t want him to do it, right? And I don’t know his family. Anyway, that’s what it’s like to be me. Now, another sound bite, Matthew Dowd. (interruption) How come I didn’t stop Huntsman from coming in? Well, Huntsman snuck in. If I’d-a known that Huntsman was coming in I’d-a stopped that, but somehow he got in there under my radar. One of my regrets is not stopping Ron Paul. It’s a sentimental thing. He’s in every campaign. It’s like, you know, Perot talked about the crazy aunt in the basement. Every campaign needs one of those. And I’ve got a radio show to do, Snerdley. I can’t stop ’em all. (interruption) Well, the reason I let Santorum stay in is because I like the guy, and I think Santorum would be a great president. Same reason I let Bachmann stay in. It’s the same reason I’m leaving the door open for Trump to get back in.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Richard, Bonita Springs, Florida. Hello, sir, and welcome to the EIB Network.

CALLER: Hi, Mr. Limbaugh. Yes, I had a question which I find rather baffling. It’s, “Why is it that none of the people on the Republican side seem to listen to this particular station — you and Hannity, et cetera — ’cause the advice is all there; what more do they need?”

RUSH: Well, if you’re asking about candidates…? Who are you asking?

CALLER: Yes.

RUSH: “Why don’t they listen?” Who is “they”?

CALLER: Well, I’m referring to Mr. Romney, to Mr. Gingrich and the rest —

RUSH: Well —

CALLER: — they seem to be —

RUSH: No, no —

CALLER: — relative, but they don’t seem to listen.

RUSH: Here’s the answer: If I were running for office, I wouldn’t listen to Newt or Romney. I’d listen to me or I’d listen to the people I hire. I mean, I think that’s just normal. I don’t take it personally they don’t listen to me or take my advice. I am well aware, folks, that most professional politicians look at me as a dual-edged sword. On the one hand, yeah, they’re happy that I’m out there and my colleagues and so forth. On the other hand, there are days I’m sure they wish that we weren’t here. But I don’t expect them to take my advice or to listen to me. I don’t. It’s like I wouldn’t expect Steve Wynn to listen to me and figure out how to run his casino as a result of it. No, no, it’s all about expectations. I think that’s ego, folks. Ego. Never forget it. Ego.