RUSH: Here’s Abraham in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Great to have you on the program, sir. Hello.
CALLER: Good afternoon, sir. Thank you for taking my call, Mr. Limbaugh.
RUSH: You bet.
CALLER: It’s an honor to speak to you. I was wondering if maybe you could please opine on this hypothetical where maybe Bernie Sanders writes us the wins the Democratic delegate count and Hillary Clinton does a number on him and uses her superdelegates and takes it away from him —
RUSH: Already happening.
CALLER: — and then he goes independent, third party.
RUSH: I don’t see it. I don’t see it. Bernie’s 74. He likes walking. I think they would find a way to take care of Bernie if he decided to do that. That’d be instant death, political death for Hillary. That won’t happen. Bernie’s gonna end up being a loyal soldier when this is all over. Bernie Sanders has never had a dime. He was a bum ’til he got his first paycheck at age 40. He’s still a bum. They’re gonna take care of him. Bernie Sanders is gonna have a Life of Reilly, which he’s never had.
It will be somebody else’s money, they’ll take care of him. I can’t see him going third-party. I wish he would, Abraham. I would love it if he did. You ever stop to think of something, speaking of third party. You ever noticed that when Clintons are on the ballot, billionaires decide to run for office, too? Just putting that out there.
Here’s Ken in Boston. Ken, great to have you on the program. Hello.
CALLER: Thank you, brother, for being an inspiration to all of us out here.
RUSH: Well, I appreciate that, very much.
CALLER: My question: What is the chance the media is promoting Trump — and he doesn’t need much — but they’re promoting Trump because they believe they can destroy him come the general election? You saw what they did to Mitt Romney.
RUSH: Wait, wait, wait. Is your question why do I think the media’s gone easier on Trump?
CALLER: Well, more than that, I believe they’re promoting him because they think they can destroy him the same way they destroyed Mitt Romney, with all his business dealings and everybody who got hurt with his four bankruptcies. I believe they destroyed Carly Fiorina because they thought she’d be a big challenge to Hillary.
RUSH: Maybe, but I don’t think they’re looking at Trump that way yet. Number one, these people all like Trump. He’s been going on their TV networks and shows for years before he became a candidate. They never liked Romney. They hated Romney from the first moment they heard of his dad. They’ve never liked Romney. They’re giving Trump a pass, to the extent that they are, I think, ’cause they’re scared of him.
Two things. They want the ratings he brings. Folks, these people are not gonna tick him off. They are not going to run the risk getting on his bad side, ’cause they need him appearing. They need to be able to promote Trump appearances on their networks for ad revenue. That, by the way, is another reason why I think the networks are gonna be interested in prolonging all of these primaries, as long as they can, for the ad revenue that’s gonna be coming in.
But I would also posit — you were frowning at me, Mr. Snerdley. You think they’re not being all that restrained with Trump? Hm-hm. Hm-hm. Hm-hm. Well, I know the beat reporter, like this woman here that I have comparing him to Hitler, that we’re finding out now how Hitler did it, with Trump. But TV people love the guy. They’re fascinated by him. He’s defying every definition of political gravity they’ve ever thought existed.
They’re mesmerized by the guy. They all want to be traveling with him. “Wouldn’t it be neat to be a rich guy like Trump? What do you think it’s like to be Eric Trump? Eric Trump, the son of a rich guy. Could I maybe just be Trump for a day? I’d love to be Trump for a day. Yeah. Yeah. I’d be a rich guy, just for a day. Travel with Trump on a Trump jet and see what that’s like. And the Trump women. My God, look at the Trump women, they’re all beautiful. Man, I would love to have a Trump babe, too. Ooh, ooh.”
I think they’re a little afraid of him at the same time. If you want to know who the press goes easy on, the names are Bill and Hillary Clinton, and that’s really the way to ask that question. Why are they going so easy and why do they always go so easy on Bill and Hillary Clinton. But Trump will get his when he’s the nominee, just like McCain did. It’s in the cards. You’ll see.
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RUSH: I tell you, there’s something else, too, with these TV people and Trump. I think a lot of people, not all of them, but a bunch of TV people put him on television thinking he’s making a fool of himself and thinking that he’s making a fool of the GOP. I think early on that’s what the Republican establishment thought. “Oh, let’s hear more of this guy. He’s just helping us left and right. He’s digging his own grave here.”
I think a lot of the Drive-Bys think that Trump embarrasses himself and makes a fool of the GOP and his supporters every time he opens his mouth. And so they certainly want to amplify that as well. I mean, it runs the gamut, like this piece: “The moment of truth: We must stop Trump.” Danielle Allen, political theorist at Harvard, contributing columnist, Washington Post.
“To understand the rise of Hitler and the spread of Nazism, I have generally relied on the German-Jewish émigré philosopher Hannah Arendt and her arguments about the banality of evil. Somehow people can understand themselves as ‘just doing their job,’ yet act as cogs in the wheel of a murderous machine. Arendt also offered a second answer in a small but powerful book called ‘Men in Dark Times.’ In this book, she described all those who thought that HitlerÂ’s rise was a terrible thing but chose ‘internal exile,’ or staying invisible and out of the way as their strategy for coping with the situation. They knew evil was evil, but they too facilitated it, by departing from the battlefield out of a sense of hopelessness.”
And so, you see, Trump is Hitler. And a lot of people know it but they don’t want to get involved. So they’re just backing off and they’re trying to blend into the invisible hoping nobody ever comes for them or notices them. “Watching Donald TrumpÂ’s rise, I now understand. Leave aside whether a direct comparison of Trump to Hitler is accurate. That is not my point. My point rather is about how a demagogic opportunist can exploit a divided country.”
We must stop Trump. Why? He’s gonna lose? Danielle, all the polling data says that Hillary’s gonna mop the floor with him. He doesn’t have a chance. And the electability polls, they tell us his high disapproval numbers make it impossible for him to win the general election, Danielle, so what are you sweating here? You actually think he’s going to talk people out of supporting gay marriage, meaning he’s gonna talk people out of supporting whatever it is that you think is crucial? Is that what your fear is?
You know there’s some fake tweets. This stuff is starting. Let me see if I can find it real quick. Fake Trump tweets going around, such as, “You want me to quote a Bible verse? Fine, I’ll quote a Bible verse. Trump 20:16. Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Deport him, and you won’t have to feed him or his anchor babies ever again.” Fake Trump tweets. Yeah, the Trump Bible. Chapter 20, verse 16, Trump 20:16.
Now, Twitter has a blue checkmark next to the real — it’s not TheRealDonaldTrump, but the fake Trump tweets are starting now. And in this case, the fake Trump tweets, I mean, you can read that one and say, well, it’s either pro-Trump, agree with Trump, or not, depends. My point is they’re scared to death out there in academia and in the Drive-Bys. They are scared to death, folks. All leftists are constantly scared because they know that the victories they have are really not solid, their victories are the result of authoritarianism and bulliness. They’re not the result of a majority of people agreeing with them. They know that a majority of this country is not for gay marriage. They know they’ve succeeded in bullying the country into it.
And she’s worried about how Trump is exploiting a divided nation? She’s exploiting a divided nation. She and her leftist buddies, they’re the ones dividing and then exploiting. They’re the ones that are imposing their will on us, and it isn’t happening democratically. They’re just bullying everybody into shutting up so that the left doesn’t come after ’em.
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RUSH: This is Stewart in Elizabeth, Colorado. Stewart, glad you called. Great to have you here.
CALLER: Hi, Rush. Appreciate that.
RUSH: You bet.
CALLER: Hey, I want to just share a few observations I have come up with concerning Trump. I appreciate what he’s brought to the campaign and voicing things, but I basically have come to the conclusion he’s like Obama in that Obama always said “hope and change, hope and change,” but never revealed his plan. Trump is saying we’re gonna win again, gonna win again, greater than ever before, but I don’t see real substance.
I think he slipped whenever he said he was for the mandate. I think he was showing his true heart, he was for Obamacare, and all he said was we’re gonna get rid of Obamacare and replace it with something better. I ask, with what? I also see him, whenever he gets cornered, he kind of reminds me of the penguin in Batman, “ra ra ra ra ra,” he just lashes out. He has no substance.
And then another observation, actually what he said when he was asked about his tone, and “will you change?” In essence, he said, “Yeah, I can be whatever I need to be with, whoever I’m with.” I want someone who has principle, who stands all the time constant. I see him basically more liberal. I equate him to Obama: a lot of words and appeals to people. All those words of win big and be great, appeals to people. But I’m asking, where’s the substance?
RUSH: I think “Make America Great Again” is a little bit more substantive than “Hope and Change.” I think it has a little bit deeper meaning to people. It’s certainly definitive or definable. But why do you think so many people…? If you’re right, and if all of this is a bunch of tricks, why are so many people falling for it, do you think?
RUSH: Oh, I think it’s the same thing with Obama: The terminology sounds great. It sounds great to me. I want America to be great again! I’ve traveled to different countries in the world, and I remember Clinton it was an embarrassment to be an American, probably.
RUSH: Well, who are you for?
CALLER: I am for Cruz.
RUSH: You’re for Cruz?
CALLER: Yes. Absolutely.
RUSH: Well, with Cruz, you don’t have any of those concerns, right? You know he’s stable. He’s got a rock solid philosophy that you don’t think he’s gonna waver on.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: He’s principled, and you know the principles are conservative.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: And he’s rolled up his sleeves. He’s been in fights defending conservatism and trying to secure victories.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: So you’ve…?
CALLER: He’s done it in Washington. Where Cruz says, “I’ll make a deal. I know you gotta work with people.” But I’m concerned about how many deals Trump is gonna make. I think people will be disappointed in the future if he’s elected.
RUSH: Well, you’re not the first person to call here and utter the same thing. I’ve had people say, “You know, this ‘Hope and Change’ business, Rush, it’s just as dangerous as, ‘Make America Great Again,’ all the specifics.” And what you’re really saying — even though you didn’t voice this — is Obama ended up being an authoritarian. He ended up being supported as an authoritarian because his wacko base wanted that stuff done — i.e., they wanted conservatives humiliated and defeated and ticked off and mad and losing everything, and they didn’t care how Obama did.
If he has to do it with executive orders, fine and dandy. And what you’re afraid of is that we’ve got people on our side who will be perfectly fine with our own version of an authoritarian, as long as he’s hammering those guys. And that troubles you. I think really the thing you should focus on is why you’re for Cruz, ’cause that’s I think probably much more persuasive. If you’re trying to change people’s minds about Trump, tell ’em why you’re for Cruz, ’cause you’re not gonna talk a Trumpist out of it. And the reason you’re not gonna talk a Trumpist out of it is because they’re feeling something really good, and they don’t want to let go of that.