RUSH: Mark in Orlando. It’s great to have you. You are first today. Welcome to the program.
CALLER: Thank you very much, sir. I appreciate your taking my phone call.
RUSH: Yes, sir.
CALLER: Yes, I would just like to praise you, if I may. I think that your handling of the Cruz and Trump situation has just been magnificent. I think you’ve been getting a lot of negative feedback which, truth be told, just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. I mean, I think that we all understand that you’re the grandfather of conservatism. We all understand that Trump is not 100 percent conservative. I’m a Trumpster, Trumpist, whatever you want to call it. I absolutely identity with Trump on a personal level, I have no idea why, it’s just for some reason I think I myself along with millions of other people just connect with him on a very personal level. We believe that when he’s speaking, he’s speaking to us and he’s not speaking on a global scale.
RUSH: So what you mean is the fact that you know he’s not a conservative, and that doesn’t bother you that much, is that what you’re saying?
CALLER: Well, I think that there’s more at stake than just pure conservatism. I mean, I think that we are in the process of losing our country. As much as I love what Ted Cruz stands for, I just don’t think that he really gets what is actually going on here. Because this is deeper than Donald Trump. I mean, this is something that is almost spiritual in a way.
RUSH: Bow, that’s an interesting observation. And, by the way, I want to thank you. I’m not trying to offend anybody, but Mark here is the first caller that we’ve had who’s actually nailed it. He says, “You know what? You’re not saying critical things of either, and that’s why everybody’s mad at you.” And his point is, whatever else, I’m not the one damaging either one of these people, ’cause one of them is gonna be the nominee. And the real enemy is Hillary Clinton.
But you just said that you don’t think Ted Cruz understands instinctively the degree to which we are in crisis, not like Trump does. And I want to tell you something, Mark. He does. What you have put your finger on is a communication reality. Trump comes off as a guy you’re sitting next to at a ball game or the bar or on the couch watching TV, and Cruz sometimes sounds like somebody you’re listening to, not talking with, and it sometimes is off-putting. But Cruz gets it every bit as much as you do. Do not doubt me.