Limbaugh: Recent Iraq violence shows "terrorists have voted Democrat"

On the October 19 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh declared that the recent surge in insurgent violence in Iraq indicates that "terrorists around the world, particularly those in Iraq, are voting Democrat today." Limbaugh maintained that "the terrorists, the Islamofascists, the jihadists" are the "key voters in this year's election," and that "[t]hey are trying to create as much havoc as possible; raise the level of violence in order to affect the midterm elections." He added: "What could be the best outcome for them [the terrorists]? Cut and run, right? Whose strategy -- whose policy amounts to cut and run? Democrats."

As Media Matters for America has extensively documented, Limbaugh has previously asserted that terrorists "sound like" Democrats, accused Democrats of sympathizing with Al Qaeda, and stated before the 2004 presidential election that if Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) won, it would "give Osama bin Laden bragging rights all across the Middle East," and that "militant Islamists" would conclude that "they had the ability to affect the election of this country without firing a shot." According to Talkers magazine, The Rush Limbaugh Show reaches more than 13.5 million listeners each week, the largest talk radio audience in the nation.

From the October 19 edition of The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: The key voters -- enough teasing here, folks -- the key voters in this year's election are the terrorists, the Islamofascists, the jihadists. What will Al Qaeda do to influence the election? What will Iran's leader, Ahmadinejad, do? By -- by the way, he just said yesterday on some -- maybe it was earlier today -- on state television in Iran that Israel is illegitimate and doesn't deserve to exist. Let's keep negotiating, shall we? Like we're negotiating with everybody else. Come on, folks, I'm not making this up, and I'm not exaggerating.

Al Qaeda, the Islamofascists, the jihadists: They have an interest in the outcome -- a life or death interest, or death or death interest -- however you want to characterize it. Who do you suppose they're rooting for? Who do you think bin Laden and Ahmadinejad and -- well, let's even throw in Hugo Chavez -- who do you think they're rooting for? Well, remember, they're not undecided. This group is not undecided, ladies and gentleman. They have their minds firmly on what could be the best outcome for them. Cut and run, right? Whose strategy -- whose policy amounts to cut and run? Democrats. Maybe because they don't approve of war; they're anxious to redeploy; they're easily duped into negotiating; they prefer to talk rather than act.

Maybe, though, let's consider the possibility terrorists vote Republicans. After all, the liberal argument is that Republicans are creating a whole new generation of terrorists. Liberal politicians all over Arab TV, all over American TV, saying America can't win the war. If that's the case, the terrorists should want Republicans to hold the House and the Senate, so that we can keep losing the war and keep creating a whole new generation of terrorists.

You see, this could go either way. How are the terrorists going to decide what to do? It's not so easy. It looks at first like they would automatically support the Democrats, because the Democrats get out of the world and basically turn over the rest of the world to the -- to the terrorists. But the liberals tell us that it's Bush that's creating all these terrorists. If you're a terrorist, wouldn't you like a bigger and bigger and bigger family of thugs and murderers willing to die for your cause? So, it's a tough thing.

The undecided: Which way will they go? Which way will the terrorists vote? More attacks or a timeout? More threats or fake piece overtures? So, we have two questions: Who are they rooting for and what will they do about it? Sadly, I haven't seen the latest Zogby poll that has polled the terrorists or the jihadists or Al Qaeda on their preference. There is no Ali Abdullah Morris; there is no Yasser Pew, and there is no Ali Zogby or Hakim Rasmussen that I have seen. We won't know until they vote. But ladies and gentlemen, I -- the reason I repeat this for you, is, from September, is because this sound bite -- I've put together a montage of NBC's Richard Engel and CNN's Barbara Starr reporting on the Iraqi insurgence and the November elections.

[start audio clip]

STARR: The insurgents are looking at the midterm elections here in the United States as a target of opportunity, trying to raise the level of violence in order to affect those midterm elections.

ENGEL: They believe insurgents are intensifying attacks against American soldiers now in an attempt to influence November's midterm elections.

[end audio clip]

LIMBAUGH: Question answered, ladies and gentleman. It's no more a question of will the terrorists decide to vote Republican or Democrat in this election -- and here are our sources from the horse's mouths: Barbara Starr and Richard Engel, NBC and CNN.

The insurgents have made up their minds and they are voting. They are trying to create as much havoc as possible, raise the level of violence in order to affect the midterm elections. Sounds to me like they're voting Democrat. Sounds like the terrorists around the world, and particularly, those in Iraq, are voting Democrat today, because they think an increased level of violence and death will cause you -- I'm not talking about you cut-and-run conservatives because you're not voting, but those of you who are going to vote -- you're going to vote against the Republicans because you're going to blame the Republicans for the increased insurgency and death and destruction in Iraq.

So, it's obvious now what they want and we no longer have to guess -- drive-by media has told us: Terrorists have voted Democrat. The early voting's begun; they're voting Democrat plain as day.

—A.I.