RUSH: I can’t tell you the number of people who reacted to me. It was about 2:30 yesterday, 30 minutes left in the program. We had the audio sound bites of Donald Trump speaking affectionately of “Chuck and Nancy,” how he enjoyed working with them. They came together on a deal to raise the debt limit, and Trump praised raising the debt limit and said it was always gonna happen ’cause it’s so important. They did everything. They did a deal for everything except the DACA kids. That was left out of the deal.
I can’t tell you the number of people asking, “When did Trump become a Democrat overnight? What just happened here? Trump’s talking a…” I was faced with a monumental task last night of trying to explain this to them. I can’t tell you the number of people not mad at me, but trying to figure out what’s going on. And so I evolved, developed some explanations for this that I think have weight. It’s not just one answer that explains this. There are many, and at the top of the list is something I’ve been trying to tell people about since Trump got into this: He’s not ideological.
I’ve trying to tell everybody he doesn’t see Chuck Schumer the way his voters do. He just sees Chuck Schumer as another New Yorker who may be dumb, but he doesn’t see him as a liberal. He sees him as an obstacle, he sees him as a guy that he can make a deal with. But he doesn’t see him the way we do because he’s not ideological. At the same time, how many of you…? What really happened? What happened was that Trump kind of stuck it to Ryan and McConnell, didn’t he? And I have to tell you, I mean, there’s a lot of people out there that probably were very happy with that, but not happy with the way he did it.
“I mean, do you have to make a deal with Pelosi and Schumer in order to stick it to Ryan and McConnell?” Well, if you do, he did it. Now there are two theories on what the reaction is gonna be. One theory holds that this is the smartest thing Trump could have ever done. This is like bringing in, call up a rookie from the minor leagues who knows what to do on day one. It’s taken Trump six months, but he’s finally figured this all out, and he’s had nothing but trouble from his own party.
He’s had nothing but obstruction, nothing but disrespect, nothing but a bunch of lying. On Obamacare repeal and replace, on tax reform, on whatever it is, the Republican leadership in the House and Senate has told Trump to go to (Raspberry!), and they haven’t done (Raspberry!) for him. While all that’s been going on, he has been beaten up by the media more than any person in my lifetime. Not just president. Trump (I happen to know this) is a sensitive person. He’s got a tough exterior. But nobody likes this. Nobody likes being beat up.
He doesn’t like having to go out there and make jokes about the fake media. He doesn’t like this. The alternative is much better. Being liked by him. The Republicans are afflicted by the same thing. But the Republicans, even they have not taken the abuse Trump has. Okay, so he cuts the deal with Pelosi and Schumer and calls them “Nancy and Chuck,” and he does this after Ivanka enters the room, and he does this pretty much in front of Mitch and Ryan. And they’re left to go to a press conference and go ba-da ba-da ba-da ba-da.
Okay, so the reaction. One theory holds that this is gonna bring the Republican leadership in line, that Trump has brilliantly maneuvered things here by making a deal with these guys. He sent the signal to Ryan and McConnell that if you don’t get on board with me, you guys may be the majority over there, but you’re not gonna run diddly-squat ’cause I’m gonna be doing deals with them. And this is gonna bring McConnell and Ryan around and start working with Trump. What do you think of that theory, Mister Snerdley? (interruption) You don’t buy it. Well, wait ’til the second theory.
But as an adjunct to that, I have to tell you, I have to repeat this. If just at any time in the past six months or any time in the next six, if for just three months Ryan and McConnell would work with Trump to advance his agenda, they would own everything for who knows how long. If they would have repealed and replaced Obamacare, if they would have then moved on to tax cuts and country real tax reform, and if they had built the wall, I don’t care what Chuck and Nancy do, and I don’t care what the Republicans do after that.
If those three things had serious action with an appearance of unity within the Republican Party on those issues, the Democrats wouldn’t stand a prayer for 25 years. That’s what’s so frustrating about this to me. If the Republicans had simply worked with Trump! He won the election on the basis of specific issues. He had a mandate, but it’s not theirs. The establishment mandate is whatever the donors demand — and the big donors run that roost, and that would be the Chamber of Commerce and lobbyists.
And that’s who Republicans and Democrats are gonna answer to. But just think, folks. Just after three months, it was all it took! If they could have just bitten the bullet for three months! Or if they would bite the bullet for three months. Now, that brings us to a point about this debt deal. It’s only for three months and they gotta be renewing it at Christmastime so the Democrats are gonna be bringing up the threat of a government shutdown again in December, at Christmastime and the Republicans gonna have to bite the bullet again, continually losing.
The other theory, though… (interruption) You disagree with the first one? (interruption) Snerdley, this theory might appeal to you. You might think this is… (interruption) You’re not gonna like it, but, I mean, it might appeal to you. The other theory is that privately McConnell and Ryan are not bothered at all about this. That they absolutely love this getting done, no matter it’s a three-month deal or a one-month, they don’t care. They just want… When they’re in the majority, they want the picture that Washington is working.
Just the image out there that things are getting done and if they don’t have to do it, all the better. They’re in the majority and Washington’s working. Oh, hallelujah, Washington’s working! It doesn’t matter what’s getting done, doesn’t matter who does what or who doesn’t. There isn’t any gridlock. Trump and Congress are working together, and things are getting done. And that is orgasmic. What do you think of that theory? (interruption) I think that theory… That’s too dangerously close to true for my comfort.
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RUSH: From the Washington Post: “Trump’s Deal with Democrats Bewilders His Biggest Fans: House Conservatives — The House’s conservative rabble-rousers…” (laughing) Conservative rabble-rousers! These would be the gentle people like Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan. These are not rabble-rousers. Well, maybe they are. Anyway, this is the Freedom Caucus that they’re talking about here. And they are supposedly “bewildered” by Trump happily making this deal on the debt limit and the continuing resolution and all that with Chuck and Nancy.
“For months, as Trump delivered daily frustrations to Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, House Republicans had little reason for doubt. But on Wednesday, Trump sent the hard right,” the hard right “a new message: Your enemy’s enemy is not necessarily your friend. The president’s quick embrace of a legislative strategy for a must-pass disaster relief bill proposed by Democrat leaders set the stage for a grand negotiation later this year that will hand the leverage to the minority and frustrate the majority’s governing ambitions.”
It says here, “If history is any guide, that likely includes any hopes conservatives had for ambitious spending cutbacks and a thorough recalibration of the federal government’s size and scope.” Now, look, folks — and then there’s this. Excuse me. What paper this is from? Also the Washington Post. “Trump Sides with Democrats on Fiscal Issues, Throwing Republican Plans into Chaos.” The Democrats haven’t thrown Republican plans into chaos. The Republicans have done that! What Republican plans? Have any of you asked yourself that?
I’ve been asking myself: What is the reason we vote Republican? What do we do with these victories? I’m serious. I’ve asked the question before on this program. If this is what you get when you vote Republican, what’s the point? The Republicans won the White House, the Republicans maintained control of the House and built on their margin, and they won the Senate — and they did it all on the backs of Donald Trump campaign. Where is the evidence of it? The Republican Party is in power in Washington, but they’re not.
And you know why they’re not? Because they do use it. Where is the movement of the agenda? There isn’t any. What is the point? You can’t blame Trump, in a sense. Well, you could make the case that you could blame him. But look. If you look at this from his perspective, his party has been stymieing him. His parties have been roadblocking him. The Democrats have, too, but everybody knew they were gonna do that. The Democrats are the opposition and you expect the opposition to oppose you. But if I were Trump, I have to tell you, just in a human sense, I would be livid with these Republicans!
They won the elections based on Trump’s agenda, and they haven’t done anything to implement it. It’s almost as though they’re afraid to. It’s like they’re afraid to use their power. With every succeeding election — the 2010 midterms and then everything but the presidency in 2012 and the 2014 midterms and then the election last year — the Republicans are winning and winning and the Democrats are losing and losing, and yet you don’t see any evidence of it. You don’t see Republican ideas being implemented.
And you may not even see Democrat ideas being stymied. But the point is, the Republicans, if they have an agenda, are not advancing it. They’re not trying to implement it. They’re not trying to use the power that these elections have given them — that they have sought, by the way. It’s an entirely different story with the Democrats. The Democrats are trying to advance their agenda whether they win or lose. Am I right or am I wrong when I tell you that it always it seems like the Democrats are on offense and the Republicans are on defense no matter who wins elections?
Okay, so you’re Trump. You maybe didn’t expect to win the presidency. Maybe you believed all that big data, too, that Hillary was gonna win. Maybe you’re as shocked as anybody else that you won. But you did, and what a feeling that must have been. What must it feel like to win an election for the presidency? That’s got to be… I don’t care what else you’ve done in your life. I’m not talking about from the public popularity standpoint of it, just winning an election. What it means. I mean, that’s really rarefied air.
And it cares with it awesome responsibilities and awesome perks. And it’s got potential for the best in life. It’s got potential for disaster. But it has got a to be a huge, huge deal. And then after you win the election you see your buddies in the Republican Party thanking you and praising you and giving you credit for all of this and promising to get with you, that there aren’t any more excuses now. Reince Priebus said that on this program five days after the election: There aren’t any more excuses for not moving the agenda forward.
And then as you start moving the agenda, first thing you try the travel ban, you see what happens there. You don’t get much support from your own party, and then you get moving on Obamacare repeal and replace. Maybe you should have done something else first, get move on it, but you don’t see any support. You see your own party’s got a bunch of different factions in the house that are opposing you, supporting you and maybe, you know…
You, as Trump, you haven’t yet fully informed yourself on the nuts and bolts of the bill and you’re using power of the office and whatever, Art of the Deal, persuasion, tactics of the deal you’ve got to get it done, but still you’ve got opposition. But after that nothing getting done, no money for the wall, no eagerness for the wall, just a bunch of talk. And while all this is going on, the press is trying to destroy you, your administration, get you thrown out of office, if not thrown in jail.
And this goes on for eight months. At some point if you’re Trump and you’re a doer, you want to start getting things done. Remember, he’s not ideological. So, “Trump’s Deal with Democrats Bewilders His Biggest Fans: House Conservatives”? Maybe. “Trump Pulls off Stone-Cold Stunner.” This is a fascinating take here in TheHill.com. By Niall Stanage. You know, maybe he pronounces it “Neal.” You never know about Brits, how they spell that name. It could be “Nee-all,” could be “Nile.”
“President Trump for once united Washington on Wednesday — in shock. Republicans and Democrats alike were left scratching their heads after the president did a deal with [Schumer and Pelosi] over the express wishes of the most senior members of his own party. Trump signed up to terms proposed by the Democrats on government funding, which would soon have run out, and the nation’s debt ceiling, which would soon have been hit.
“Crucially, another funding measure and another hike in the debt ceiling will be required before the end of the year. That’s a big problem for [Ryan and McConnell] who wanted a longer-term deal, kicking the” can all the way to “November 2018,” which is true. They did. They wanted a debt ceiling bill and a hurricane funding bill in the continuing resolution to go all the way through November of next year. That would cover every aspect of the reelection, the campaign efforts of next year.
hey just wanted to kick the can down the road and get it all done. Fine and dandy strategically. That wouldn’t have accomplished anything. That wouldn’t have moved anybody’s agenda forward. Just another raising of the debt limit. I mean, the Republicans were gonna do this, too. But everybody thinks Republicans now have been dealt a dastardly blow by Trump because he now has given the Democrats all the leverage because we’ve gotta go through this again right before Christmas!
Right before Christmas, the media will once again be talking about the threat of a government shutdown if the debt limit isn’t raised — and once again, Trump’s gonna have to make a deal with the Democrats (who are not in power in Washington). This is the analysis. Now, this piece at The Hill basically says that Trump did this because he doesn’t know what he’s doing, that Trump is in over his head.
“Why did Trump do it?” writes Mr. Niall Stanage or Stanage, heck, I don’t know how to pronounce this. “Why did Trump do it? People in his orbit say that the president was demonstrating to GOP leaders that they do not have the whip hand — and that, if they repeatedly fail to move his agenda, the commander in chief is willing to look elsewhere.” Yeah. I mentioned that as a possibility yesterday. And Trump’s anger at the Republican leadership is certainly understandable, but if Trump thinks that he’s gonna get anything but poison pills from the Democrats, he is once again sadly mistaken.
So this guy is saying if Trump thinks he’s made some new friends here with Chuck and Nancy, ha-ha-ha, he’s got another thing coming, ’cause they hate Trump and they think Trump’s a buffoon and they don’t think Trump even knows what he’s doing. So even though Trump united Washington, even though Trump made it appear that Washington is working, he still doesn’t get any credit. This is something that Trump had better take note of.
Even if he makes deals with the Democrats, and even if those deals advance the Democrat agenda, Trump is not gonna get the love of the media. They’re not gonna turn around on a dime and report that Trump is growing. They are way too invested in Trump is a boob, Trump is a pig, Trump is unqualified, Trump is unfit. They cannot come off of that.
No matter what Trump does, anything that results in the Democrat agenda being advanced because the Democrats work with Trump is going to be laid at the feet of Schumer and Pelosi. They are going to get the credit. And I’m gonna cringe reading it, but I can tell you what it’s gonna be: Donald Trump, neophyte, outsider, unskilled and unknowing of the ways of Washington, is repeatedly being schooled and used by the Democrat seasoned veterans of the Beltway who understand exactly how it works.
No matter what, Trump isn’t gonna get any credit. He’s not gonna get any love. That’s not how it’s gonna work. Ask the Republicans. They’ve been looking for the love for 30 years. They’ve been joining Democrats on such things as amnesty. Any number of things. John McCain turned the media into his base. They’ve been looking for love in all the wrong places for 30 years. They’re never gonna get the love of the Drive-Bys either. And so this has happened, and I can understand Trump’s frustration with the Republicans. I can understand Trump, man of action, wants to get things done, at least get something moving.
I can also understand that Trump wants to throw the fear and the wrath into the Republicans and say, “Look, if you guys don’t shape up and join me, this is gonna keep happening, ’cause I’m not gonna sit here and be stymied every time we come up with something by you people. I’m just not gonna let it happen.” And they better listen to that, because when — and it’s true, hate to keep repeating myself — Trump’s not ideological. He doesn’t see himself doing deals with the left.
The great thing about Trump is — I should put it, the one thing about Trump is, if we just back off and let him go, his natural tendencies happen to take him to areas the left doesn’t like. Everybody thinks he’s a New York Democrat, and he may have been, but he’s not a New York liberal. A New York liberal wouldn’t have done any of the things Trump has done so far, other than this deal yesterday.
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RUSH: El Rushbo, a man, a legend, a way of life. Jason in Dayton, Ohio. We start with you first. I’m glad you called, sir. How are you doing, and what’s up?
CALLER: Good. How are you doing, Rush?
RUSH: Pretty good, sir. Pretty good. Thank you.
CALLER: Yeah, man, call me crazy, but I kind of had a different outlook on it. You know, him working with the Democrats kind of does a few things. I think it’s actually pretty positive. It shows that he’s gonna get some stuff done with or without the Republican Party and at the same time it kind of shows —
RUSH: Now, wait, wait, wait. I want to make sure I understood. He wants to show that he’s gonna get some stuff done with or without Republicans? Is that what you said?
CALLER: Yes, sir.
RUSH: Okay. I was just clarifying. I’m having trouble hearing. I’m not arguing with you. I just want to make sure I understand what you’re saying before I go on.
CALLER: Yeah. And at the same time, it kind of debunks everything that the Democrats are saying about him if he’s working with them.
RUSH: Oh! Okay. Okay. So Trump is able to show the Republicans he’s gonna get stuff done with or without ’em, and another thing is that as he works with the Democrats, and as the Democrats praise him, it kind of debunks all this stuff people are saying about him?
CALLER: Well, whether they praise him or not, that’s irrelevant. I don’t see that happening, but at the same time, it kind of does debunk everything they’re saying.
RUSH: With who?
CALLER: Just the Democrats in general, the whole liberal left media.
RUSH: See, I understand this thinking. But let me ask, Jason, if you don’t mind my saying — you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but how old are you?
CALLER: Thirty-five.
RUSH: Thirty-five. Perfect. And how long have you been paying attention to politics and stuff.
CALLER: I would say easily the past four years.
RUSH: Okay. Excellent again. Keep on. Don’t change. You have an independent ability to analyze things on your own. And what I mean is, you don’t need to copy what other people are saying in your own words. You have an ability to independently analyze. Keep that up.
But I want to share with you something about your second point. And speaking bluntly, it doesn’t work that way. And you know it yourself when you told me, “Well, no, the Democrats and the media aren’t gonna change.” Right now the lay of the land is that Trump’s a pig, Trump’s this, he’s hated, he’s despised, he’s incompetent, he cheated, the Russians helped him win, Hillary should have won. The people that believe this are deranged.
The people that believe this, Jason, are delusional. You cannot expect rational conclusions to occur to them because their positions that they hold now are the result of irrationality that you and I don’t really understand. So what you’re saying is you want people to see the truth about Trump like you do. You like him and you don’t like all these other people. So you think Trump working with the Democrats will make a point to people, that it will help dispel these insults and these criticisms of Trump. And it’s not gonna work that way.
You’re hoping that people will conclude on their own, “Hey, you know what? Trump’s working with — maybe it’s not true what they’re saying about him.” It doesn’t work that way. I can use my own career and 30 years as evidence or I can use Ronald Reagan or I can use George W. Bush or any Republican you want. It doesn’t work that way. And therefore any strategy of behavior or policy that’s designed to change the minds of irrational critics is ill-conceived.
Let’s use Trump here. Whatever Trump’s agenda is, just use it. Just spell it out, just promote it, just explain it. But don’t try to use — well, I’ll call it tricks. Don’t try to do things that people have to conclude on their own to change their minds. It just doesn’t work that way. I wish that it did. Use me and the stupid hurricane, the sliming, the smearing that I’m undergoing right now because of the lies and distortions the media and others on social media are repeating, things I’ve never said about the hurricane and panic and all this.
The people engaging in this can have it explained to them to their face what I actually said and it will not change the way they think and the way they’re speaking. They’re irrational to begin with. They have prejudice and bias to begin with. The same thing with Trump critics. The best thing to do here is to ignore the critics, don’t try to change their minds, don’t engage in behavior that’s supposed to be enlightening to them. Just do the right thing with as much energy as you can.