RUSH: This Romney tape from the fundraiser in Boca Raton, when was that? May 17th. Now, I don’t know how long Jimmy Carter’s grandkid has had that tape, but I will bet you they’ve been sitting on that tape. I’ll bet this tape was not intended to be released right now. I will bet you that this Romney tape might have been intended as an October Surprise, not September. Like I said, I don’t know if they’ve had it since May 17th when Romney made the comments, but they’ve certainty had it longer than yesterday. So the fact that they have released it now… see, I think it’s Obama who’s in trouble. Obama is the guy with the record. Obama is the guy whose policies are having a detrimental effect on practically everything he touches.

It’s Barack Obama who cannot extricate himself from the realities of where this country is and where it is headed. Romney hasn’t had a thing to do with anything that’s happened, and what is happening has been devastating to this country. And try as hard as they can, try as hard as they might, the left wing, the media, the Democrats cannot find Romney fingerprints on any of this. Every fingerprint is Barack Obama’s, Joe Biden’s, Nancy Pelosi’s, Harry Reid’s, Barney Frank’s, you name it, Eric Holder. Everything that is happening — and none of it good — is traced nowhere to Mitt Romney. They needed this distraction this week from the implosion of US foreign policy in the Middle East and the continuing slide of the United States economy. Folks, I’m just trying to tell you, there are so many ways to see this positively. There are so many ways to see this and seize this as an opportunity.

Roxboro, North Carolina, is our next stop on the phone. This is Ken. It’s great to have you on the program, sir. Hello.

CALLER: Hey, Rush, thanks for taking my call.

RUSH: You bet.

CALLER: I just wanted to say, just in case Governor Romney’s listening, I’d like to personally appeal to him. For goodness sakes, you have no choice in the matter now. Take Rush’s advice and deal with this thing head on. If you take a defensive posture, the press and the Democrats will eat you alive.

RUSH: Go on offense.

CALLER: Absolutely.

RUSH: Seize the opportunity. Listen to me.

CALLER: Absolutely. Go for broke. What do we have to lose?

RUSH: A lot.

CALLER: Right. But if you play defense, you will lose. I think that’s just a foregone conclusion. They’ll skin you alive.

RUSH: Well, I agree.

CALLER: There’s just no choice.

RUSH: Well, I’ll tell you something else to broom here. Broom this fear of the independents. Screw the independents. We have 47% we’re talking about here. Forty-seven percent is a much bigger universe than whatever the independents are. Go for this bunch. Head for ’em right now. Tell them how great they can be. Tell them how crucial they are to making this country work. Tell them. Tell them. Give them some high expectations. Tell them what’s possible. Barack Obama’s not. Barack Obama’s not touching that. Barack Obama doesn’t want to go anywhere near how great people can be. He doesn’t want to go anywhere near how great this country can be because he doesn’t believe in this country’s greatness. He thinks it’s unjust, it was unfairly acquired or achieved. He’s trying to roll it back.

Folks, I’m telling you, it is such an opening. But you have to be able to see it. If you don’t see it, you have to be convinced of it. You have to believe it. From the Republican convention, I know Romney believes it. I know that Nikki Haley believes it, and I know that Marco Rubio believes it. I know that the governor of New Mexico believes it. I know that Sarah Palin believes it. I know that Trump believes it. I know that Clint Eastwood believes it. And I think Christie does. Just kidding. I know that Chris Christie does, too. I just like making him mad. He calls me: “What the hell were you talking about?” I’m just kidding, Governor.

It is. It is an opportunity. By the way, this Romney tape, I was just informed out there that this thing was a Twitter sensation three weeks ago, according to Carter IV himself, Jimmy Carter’s grandson, who’s claiming credit for finding this gold, says that it was a Twitter sensation three weeks ago. So if it was a Twitter sensation three weeks ago, they have been sitting on it. I don’t think they intended to use it now. I think their hand has been forced. “The clip, uploaded by a YouTube user named ‘RomneyExposed’ in late May, and then again in late August by an account called ‘Rachel Maddow’ … and eventually made it to Buzzfeed and Daily Kos.” So this thing on its own didn’t even cause a ripple.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Okay, I’m reading about this in the New York Times. It looks like Carter IV, Jimmy Carter’s grandson, found this tape earlier than three weeks ago. The story is he found it three weeks ago. If you read this the way I know how to read the New York Times, it’s possible that Carter IV found this thing farther back than three weeks. The point is, they have been sitting on it.