RUSH: Carl in Fort Lauderdale. Carl, I’m glad you held on. Welcome to the program, sir.

CALLER: Rush it’s sensational to be on the phone with you. Thank you.

RUSH: You bet, sir.

CALLER: That lady that called before and you were trying to help her out where her Democratic friends keep beating her up, and you were explaining the lack of power having only the House. But I remember so clearly — and I was so mad and I’m still mad — right after the 2010 midterms there was one of these requests from Obama for $2.4 trillion in expanded debt. Well, the House and Boehner and those guys put together their own package.

And, just as soon as it was done, and maybe before, Reid says, “I’m not gonna vote on that.” And Obama says, “If they do and they pass it, I’m gonna veto it.” And instantaneously, immediately, they hustled back into the hole and they come out with a bill exactly as Obama wanted it. Now, I’m in District 22 here in Florida with Allen West. I thought he was gonna be a strong man, but he laid down like the rest of them. I think that’s where a lot of disappointment comes from in America, from conservatives. They just lay down.

RUSH: What do you mean Allen West laid down?

CALLER: He backed Boehner.

RUSH: (deep sigh)

CALLER: By the way, can I say hello to my buddy?

RUSH: Yeah, go ahead while I figure out what I’m gonna say to you.

CALLER: Hey, Wayne! I’m on the phone with Rush! (chuckles)

RUSH: (chuckles) Big day. That’s a big day.

CALLER: It is.

RUSH: I don’t remember specifically the spending argument that you described. I’m not denying it. I do know there were a bunch of battles over raising the debt limit, and it was always made to look like the Republicans caved. And I will admit to you: I thought that in each one of those fights the Republicans held the cards and could have dictated to Obama. I always thought that. I thought the same thing that you do. I thought that it was Obama that needed the money. He’s the one that wanted to spend. He’s the one that needed to spend. We could have held out. What is the debt limit for? What does the word “limit” mean? What good is it if it doesn’t exist and you just keep expanding it? Why even have a debt limit?

CALLER: After they passed it, you called it his new slush fund.

RUSH: Well, it was. Everything is a slush fund!

CALLER: Well, why’d they pass it?

RUSH: Now, Allen West…

CALLER: Why’d they do that?

RUSH: See, as a powerful, influential member of the media, I know things that I can’t tell because of confidences. But I’ll just tell you: I was with Allen West. When was this? It was last… It was around one of these instances, and he was just as depressed as he could be over things he was hearing the leadership say to freshmen and so forth. Basically what it was — and Democrats do it; Republicans do it. They say to incoming freshmen… Remember, now, we’ve talked about this. The House leadership was not crazy about these new Tea Party freshmen.

They thought they were nuts. They thought they were kooks. And they bring ’em in, and they say, “Look if you want to have any future here, if you want us to help you with your reelection, you’re gonna have to vote with the leadership.” And immediately they face a choice. And that’s why a number of freshmen stand out. You’ve got the guy in Illinois. [Joe Walsh] He stands up, and he’s independent, and he refuses, and the Tea Party people love him.

But most of them end up, in one instance or another, going along with the leadership. They’re under a lot of pressure to do this. And I remember Allen West. He did the best he could. He told me that he and his fellow freshmen did as much as was humanly possible, given what they were up against. They didn’t have, within the Republican Caucus, enough of these guys to stop the rest of the Republicans in the House. And then, of course, when you’re talking about raising the debt limit, you’ve got all the pressure that’s being brought to bear.

You’re talking about all the news about what’s gonna happen to our credit rating, all the news of what’s gonna happen to the financial markets. And, as is the usual case, Carl, everybody’s predicting the apocalypse. “If the debt ceiling isn’t raised, why, there goes our credit rating! If the debt ceiling isn’t raised, why, Social Security checks may not go out!” And guess who’s gonna get blamed? The Republicans! The media is blaming them and other Republicans are blaming them. And their hopes of being reelected are dowsed in their first terms if that happens.

That’s why I keep saying that it’s gonna require a whole lot of elections, and a whole lot of conservatives winning them, to begin turning back the tide here. But whether these concerns were real or not doesn’t matter. If the financial markets would not have reacted negatively had there not been that specific increase in the debt limit, it is still being reported. The people are hearing it. So it’s a vicious, vicious cycle and battle that takes place. But I don’t believe that, on general principles, Allen West has shrunken from duty and responsibility or “laid down,” as you say.

But I appreciate the call, Carl.