RUSH: Wayne, Pennsylvania. This is Bob, I’m glad you called, sir. Welcome to the program.
CALLER: Hey, Rush, how you doing?
RUSH: Very good. Thank you.
CALLER: I’m a big fan. You’re the man, you’re the best.
RUSH: I appreciate that.
CALLER: However, listening to you the last few weeks, I think you ought to change the EIB Network to the DNC network. You’ve been “Dumping on Romney” for the last few weeks every day, and maybe you ought to hook up with David Axelrod and put on a show.
RUSH: Are you serious or are you just being provocative here?
CALLER: Uh, well, I… (laughing)
RUSH: I mean, that’s like me saying, “Obama ought to choose Romney to be his VP, the way things are shaping up.” How would you react to that?
CALLER: Well, uh, no, I wouldn’t care for that.
RUSH: Well, you got Romney’s guys devising Obamacare; you’ve got another Romney guy defying the bailout of the mortgage problem here. He’d make a great VP.
CALLER: Yeah, there you go again.
RUSH: (laughing)
CALLER: You know, yesterday and you put Santorum up there.
RUSH: I’m just tweaking you.
CALLER: I’m tweaking you as well.
RUSH: Just tweaking you out there, Bob.
CALLER: Well, yesterday, and then you had to put on Santorum’s acceptance speech. I watched that, by the way, live that night. I voted for Santorum, by the way, three times. Good guy, but his last Senate race?
RUSH: Yeah, he is a good guy.
CALLER: Yeah, he is a good guy, but he got swamped by — I’m sure a lot of people forgot who the person who beat him. Bob Casey, that is, but you never —
RUSH: Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bob Casey. Yeah.
CALLER: By the way, I’m not sure if you realize that Specter here in Pennsylvania has got a new job. He’s a standup comedian.
RUSH: I saw that. I did see that Arlen Specter’s trying his hand at that, along with Larry King.
CALLER: Yeah, but as for the candidate —
RUSH: “The Suspenders Tour.”
CALLER: (chuckles) The candidates that you support… I know you’re not a Romney guy. You know, maybe you ought to just man up and say it —
RUSH: No. No, no, no. Look. Here’s the thing. There’s just one thing I object to here, and that is the notion that there’s only one Republican could beat Obama and it’s Romney. I don’t think that’s true. I think that’s very, very wrong. I think any number of Republicans could beat Obama in the normal ebb and flow of things. But what is…? I’m host of my program. Do I not have the right to promote Santorum? Promoting Santorum that makes me Axelrod?
CALLER: No, no, no. You go right ahead. Like I said, you’re the best. But, you know, these other candidates, I just can’t see them beating Barack.
RUSH: You can’t see anybody but Romney beating Obama, right?
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: That’s really what it boils down to for you?
CALLER: That’s for me. That’s correct. I think we’ll get swamped and we’ll probably lose all 57 states.
RUSH: What is it, then, about Romney that gives you confidence he can win?
CALLER: I just think he’s electable. He’s been around. He’s handled himself well in the debates. Now, there are times when you can rattle him. That concerns me. He gets rattled and he ought to just take it, make a little joke about it or whatever.
RUSH: Okay, why…? Let’s take Gingrich. Why can’t Newt win?
CALLER: Oh, come on! (laughs) Too much baggage. You’ve heard it before. You know, he could implode any time.
RUSH: Okay, Santorum. Why couldn’t Santorum win?
CALLER: Well, look at Pennsylvania. He got swamped. Jesus crackers.
RUSH: Let’s see. Rick Perry? Why couldn’t Rick Perry win? He was a governor 14 years in Texas, a great record in Texas. Why can’t he beat Obama?
CALLER: Yeah, and just the other day you said, “Perry, don’t count him out,” and what did he run in the caucus? He ran fifth. He ought to just go back to Texas. He’s just not electable.
RUSH: No, no, no! As a Santorum guy you should want Perry to stay in.
CALLER: I do. I was happy to hear that, by the way, that he’s gonna go to South Carolina.
RUSH: No, but you just said he should go away. “This guy is worthless!”
CALLER: Well, go away, yeah.
RUSH: (angry muttering)
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: I had to tell you that he’s a good deal staying in for you.
CALLER: Listen, the ticket that I want to see? I want to see Romney and I want to see Rubio. Rubio is the star, as you mentioned.
RUSH: Yeah, but he says he’s not interested —
CALLER: I know.
RUSH: — and Bobby Jindal says he’s not interested.
CALLER: Yeah. Yeah.
RUSH: So you would reject Obama-Romney?
CALLER: Of course! Come on. (snickering)
RUSH: I just wanted to be clear. Just trying to get the lay of the land here. That’s Bob in Wayne, Pennsylvania. God, thanks for the call. Hee-hee-hee. You have to laugh at some point in the day, folks. You just have to.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: You know, Gerald Ford said that Ronald Reagan was unelectable. George H. W. Bush said that Ronald Reagan was unelectable. The entire Republican establishment thought Ronald Reagan was unelectable because they were governed and informed by the Goldwater landslide defeat. That’s what they think will happen to every conservative. Don’t doubt me. We just heard old Bob, Wayne, Pennsylvania, say one of the reasons he doesn’t think Santorum’s electable is he just got creamed running for reelection in the Senate. I would hasten to remind you ladies and gentlemen that Romney lost to Senator Kennedy for the Senate in Massachusetts by around 16 points. If you’re gonna sit here and cite, “Well, Santorum, he was an incumbent, he lost, he can’t win.” Romney lost to Ted Kennedy by around 16 points. (interruption) What do you mean I’m comparing cheese and crackers?
Cheese and crackers? I just don’t know where this “only Romney’s electable” stuff comes from. Well, I do know where it comes from. Stop and think of that. It’s absurd to say it about any one individual. To pick any one individual among our roster of candidates, only Ron Paul can be elected, only Romney can be elected, only Santorum can be elected. Why do we handcuff ourselves? Why do we say that about ourselves? Why do we run around and say our guys can’t win? I have never met a party that beats itself up. I have never met a party that beats itself, period, the way this Republican Party does. It’s just stunning. Now, Reagan seems inevitable, everybody wants Reagan, but, remember, he was at one point unelectable, according to the experts. And I know there’s a lot of people pining for Marco Rubio, but he said it again on December 23rd, (paraphrasing) “No way, no matter who is the nominee,” no way he would consider the VP slot.