The Limbaugh Wire: Where every day is the "Limbaugh Challenge"
By Simon Maloy

El Rushbo's on-air reading of Andrew Klavan's sophomoric Los Angeles Times op-ed challenging the nameless, faceless, cowardly, anti-intellectual "liberals" out there to listen to Rush got us thinking. We endure the "Limbaugh Challenge" every day, listening to and absorbing every second of every hour. And while there's no denying that we are anti-intellectual cowards, listening to Limbaugh's entire program every day has done nothing to change our opinion of the man. So please, use us as a cautionary tale before subjecting yourselves to prolonged Limbaugh exposure.

Anyway, let's get to today's "challenge." Rush kicked off the program attacking the Treasury Department's viability assessment of General Motors, claiming that the government is going to shut down GM's SUV production, even though 11 of the 20 profitable vehicle models it produces are SUVs. Well, the reason Treasury pointed out that 11 of GM's profitable lines are SUVs is because SUVs are "vulnerable to energy cost-driven shifts in consumer demand." Simply put, too much of GM's profits are dependent upon vehicles that people don't buy when gas prices go up. But don't worry, Rush returned to gas prices later.

From there Rush moved on to an Associated Press article reporting that Ford and GM "are offering payment protection plans to help reassure consumers who may be putting off buying a new car because of worries about losing their job." Rush's response? "Yeah, OK, well -- ask you a question here: With whose money are they going to pay for your car payment? Mine, dingleberry, and every other taxpayer's." Actually, no ... as the article points out, "Ford has not requested federal bailout funds." So Ford will be paying with Ford's money, not taxpayer money.

After the break, Rush read from Byron York's Washington Examiner article this morning on the Pay for Performance Act of 2009, described by York as a bill "that would, in some key ways, go beyond the most draconian features of the original AIG bill." Rush wondered what's to stop the government from going after the salaries of employees at non-bailed-out companies. Then he attacked "egghead" Austan Goolsbee and the Treasury Department's automobile task force, claiming that there is no one with any automobile industry experience or automobile appreciation on it. After again attacking Treasury's viability assessment of GM, Rush cited Commentary's Jennifer Rubin's blog entry claiming that Obama's proposals for GM and Chrysler are "all an elaborate charade to hide . . . yes . . . a good old fashioned bankruptcy proceeding."

After another commercial interruption, Rush read from an Associated Press article reporting that "[s]ome workers at Chrysler plants in Warren [Michigan] are criticizing President Barack Obama's decision to stop spending taxpayer money on automaker loans." Rush zeroed in on a quote from an auto union local president: "We knew someone was going to have to take the proverbial 'bullet,' and it would have made it a lot easier to accept that had the CEOs of the banks also been required to give up their jobs." According to Rush, "happiness" in the economy these days is seeing someone else lose their job. This view was reinforced in his own mind by "ridiculous" polls from The Washington Post and Rasmussen showing that people are increasingly happy with Obama's handling of the economy. According to Rush: "[M]aybe we have descended into a nation that sort of loves the concept of soft tyranny."

Then it was time for the new conspiracy. Citing an Investor's Business Daily editorial attacking Democrats for passing legislation restricting energy exploration on U.S. lands, Rush claimed that the combination of this legislation, combined with Obama's "takeover" of the auto industry, combined with Treasury's chastising of GM for relying too heavily on SUVs, means that Obama and the Democrats are intentionally causing the price of oil and gas to rise so that they can create a market for the hybrid and electric cars they are forcing GM to produce. This goes back to Rush's prediction from yesterday that the next industry Obama will "nationalize" will be oil and gas (and not the teleprompter industry). According to Rush, "We are Venezuela in the early years."

Rush ended the hour by encouraging listeners not to believe any media reports about potential trouble at the G-20, because none of these leaders would be going if everything weren't already set in stone.

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: I know, I know, I'm on the wrong side of this just like I'm on the wrong side of everything these days, because the vast majority of the American people are going, "Hey, what's wrong with that? That's a wonderful idea. Hey, why do you have to throw cold water on every good idea that comes down the pike in this country? I mean, I think it's great that they're going to pay for my car if I lose my job. That's only right." Yeah, OK, well -- ask you a question here: With whose money are they going to pay for your car payment? Mine, dingleberry, and every other taxpayer's.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: In fact, The Washington Post comes out with the most ridiculous poll. Well, I don't know how ridiculous it was because the Rasmussen poll pretty much says the thing -- Obama's approval numbers through the roof, six in 10 people love what he's doing with the economy. Rasmussen says that his approval index skyrocketed from plus-4 to plus-11, yet everybody is just -- they're just happy as hell with the way Obama is taking control of the economy and dishing things out. I think -- maybe we have descended into a nation that sort of loves the concept of soft tyranny. Maybe we have a majority of Americans that actually like it or are willing to support it.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Look where we are today. The government has taken over two automobile companies for the express purpose of getting rid of SUVs and trucks. They have. Same thing's going to happen with healthcare because you can't have a change without a crisis, without a villain. Obama has to always be portrayed as the hero. Phony outrage fueled by all of the president's men. The drive-by media will be able to turn the country upside down. We are Venezuela in the early years.

Echo Chamber

Lots this hour -- Investor's Business Daily editorial, Byron York in the Washington Examiner, Jennifer Rubin from Commentary.

Clips from this hour

Limbaugh: "We are Venezuela in the early years."

Limbaugh: "Maybe we have descended into a nation that sort of loves the concept of soft

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the Hummers that Obama destroyed
By Simon Maloy

Top of the second hour, and Rush returned with the G-20 summit still on the brain, claiming that even though Obama no longer has the magical "aura" from the campaign, it will be impossible for the G-20 to be reported as a "failure." Once again, according to Rush, there's no way Obama or any other European leader would even be going if they weren't going to come out "smelling like a rose." All Obama has to do is go over there and blame everything on Bush and he will be the hero, the savior of the G-20.

Back from the break Rush finally got to some calls, the first one from a man who thinks it's wrong for the president to "fire" CEOs because we elected him. The caller also announced that he's on his sixth Suburban, but he's also going to buy a Prius to save money on gas. Rush warned him off the Prius, saying that the caller had to do a cost analysis to figure out he'll be paying thousands of dollars more for the Prius. As for Obama, according to Rush, yes, we elected him, but the people who supported him are happy with his policies, and who is going to stop him anyway? Rush criticized RNC chairman Michael Steele for talking about his "partying days" instead of attacking Obama's auto industry policies.

Another caller, this one asking why he hasn't heard too much about the real problem with the auto industry -- the unions -- and saying that Obama is willing to have a tough conversation with everyone involved except the unions. Rush completely agreed, repeating his claim from yesterday that Obama's announcements yesterday were "payback for the unions," and that Obama will not insist that the unions make any concessions. This argument would be a lot more compelling if Rush had not spent the previous hour detailing how the unions are upset with Obama over the GM/Chrysler announcement. That's some "payback for the unions." Oh, and as we pointed out yesterday, Obama has already said that his auto industry plans "will require unions and workers who have already made painful concessions to make even more." Anyway, before the break, Rush took a call from a woman who was upset that she was being attacked by her coworkers for driving a Corvette. Rush said she's been "stigmatized on purpose," and that in the "era of Obama" it is "immoral" to drive a 'Vette.

Back from the break, Rush aired one of his parodies, this one of Kim Jong-Il speaking about Barack Obama. Setting up the parody, he said that "Sexretary of State Hillary Clinton says Japan has every right to defend itself." If you thought "Sexretary" was funny, you should have heard the parody -- faux-Kim criticized Obama for being too slow in setting up a "socialist" paradise in America. Get it? Too slow! Well, we're no good at explaining these things, but trust us, it was classic.

After the parody, Rush apologized to the caller with the Corvette for being "flip" in his answer to her. Rush said that even though she paid a lot of money for the car, paid an extra tax for a car that was fuel-inefficient, and paid more money for higher quality gas, she was still being stigmatized, and that's not right. We're not sure how paying more money for something should insulate one from criticism.

The next couple of callers argued with Rush about certain car models and fuel efficiency, the culmination of which was Rush assuring that he would never tell them which car to buy, he would just tell them not to be an idiot and buy a Prius because they want to save the world. According to Rush: "But see now, our freedom -- our liberty and freedom to have the kinds of car we want is being attacked because we're being told by the central planners, the statist tyranny crowd in Washington, that our choices are wrong."

To close out the hour, Rush returned to a topic he touched on earlier in the show -- the popularity of Hummers in Iraq. Then Rush read from a New York Times article which reported that car dealers across America are suffering from the fact Hummer sales are dropping precipitously. Rush was outraged! "Iraqis love it, and they're buying them as fast as they can, at full price and fully loaded. In a nation that is just emerging from the seventh century, thanks to us, and the people over there are buying Hummers and they're excited. And here in the world's greatest superpower, the greatest outpost for freedom ever in the world, the same automobile is being tarred, feathered, and destroyed by the Obama administration and the American left. Actually, Rush, the Times article you read from reported that "[s]ales of Hummers over all have fallen so far -- 51 percent last year, the worst drop in the industry." That would be before Obama was in office allegedly talking down the Hummer, which means the vaunted free market just couldn't find room for the Hummer anymore.

So is Rush saying that the Hummer is too big to fail?

Highlights from Hour 2

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: But see now, our freedom -- our liberty and freedom to have the kinds of car we want is being attacked because we're being told by the central planners, the statist tyranny crowd in Washington, that our choices are wrong, that we're -- they're not good for the country, they're not good for the planet, and we have no right to drive things these -- we're going to have the size of our automobiles dictated to us.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: " 'Iraqis love Hummers because they're a symbol of power,' said Mr. Hilli, a chubby 37-year-old who couldn't stop laughing. Hummers in Baghdad are symbols of much more besides: increasing security, returning normalcy and a yearning for the trappings of sovereignty." That's what a Hummer represents to Iraqis. It helped that we didn't have such a bad opinion of Americans in one of the provinces, said Ali al-Hilli. " 'People often asked the soldiers to stop their Humvees so they could get their pictures taken in front of them. Soon conditions improved enough to drive all over the city. Hummer H3s began rumbling off the lot, at 50 to 60 grand apiece, in dollars, and all the money down, fully loaded. (No one wanted them any other way.)" No Iraqi wanted a bargain-basement Hummer; they wanted them fully loaded. "Iraqis are paying historically high prices for gasoline. At $1.40 a gallon, that would not break any American hearts, but not long ago in Iraq it was 19 cents." It's now a buck forty. The increase had no effect on sales of Hummers. 'If you can afford this car, you don't care how much gasoline costs,' Mr. Hilli said. Iraqis love their cars. In Iraq, people judge you by your car, and you're not a man without one,' " he said. ... When it comes to Hummers, they will nearly always be bigger than anyone else's vehicle."

Now, I have another story out of St. Louis. Chesterfield, Missouri, near St. Louis, and it is -- well, it's The New York Times as well, I think: "A dealer's big bet is on the line as Hummer falls from favor." Now remember, you just heard about the Hummer. Iraqis love it, and they're buying them as fast as they can, at full price and fully loaded. In a nation that is just emerging from the seventh century, thanks to us, and the people over there are buying Hummers and they're excited. And here in the world's greatest superpower, the greatest outpost for freedom ever in the world, the same automobile is being tarred, feathered, and destroyed by the Obama administration and the American left.

Ladies' man

LIMBAUGH: A little pot-bellied dictator in North Korea, Kim Jong-Il, claims they're going to launch some sort of a missile. Our intelligence tells us this missile is going to be launched between April 4th and April 8th. The Japanese are going on alert status; they may fire interceptor missiles at it. The Sexretary of State Hillary Clinton says Japan has every right to defend itself.

Clips from this hour:

Limbaugh quotes Ayn Rand - "The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters and intends to be the master" - and says, "That is President Obama."

Rush laments Hummers being "tarred, feathered, and destroyed by the Obama administration and the American left"

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the incontrovertible, imaginary evidence against climate change
By Simon Maloy

Rush kicked off the final hour by drawing a line in the sand, telling his listeners that they have to drive "these people" out of office and they have to start now, because "this is getting absurd." "This," according to Rush, was a new piece of climate change legislation drafted by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA), which Rush said will "finish this country off." It's an "Al Gore wish list." Rush then asked his listeners to imagine: what if some "incontrovertible evidence" materialized that demonstrated that global warming is not happening? What would Waxman and Markey and others like them in Washington do? We enjoyed this mental exercise, largely because it reinforced the notion that the "incontrovertible evidence" against "global warming" exists only in the minds of Limbaugh and his acolytes.

Rush then expanded all this talk of automobiles into one of his favorite topics -- Barack Obama's all-out assault on the freedom and individuality of the American public. The American automobile is one of the greatest illustrations of human freedom, says Rush, and that's why it "irritates" Obama & Co. They want everyone to take mass transit and recharge their electric cars and "sacrifice." To illustrate this point, Rush quoted a little Ayn Rand: "The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters and intends to be the master." According to Rush: "That is President Obama."

From there, Rush launched into an extended monologue about "the smallest minority" in the world -- the individual. Rush wants everyone to be an individual and act in self interest, because that's his definition of the "common good." According to Limbaugh, when you buy a car that you don't want because you think you're saving the world, you're hurting the country because you're sacrificing your individuality, and the Obama administration likes that because they "eagerly and excitedly" want people to relinquish their individuality for the benefit of the common good that they define.

Then Rush took a quick call between commercial breaks, this one from a 17-year-old Republican who asked Rush to comment on his theory that Obama was replacing Wall Street CEOs with Democratic cronies as part of a scheme to win re-election. This observation was right in Rush's wheelhouse, though he gently corrected the young man, saying that the CEOs are already Democrats.

Rush came back from the break with yet another parody for us, this one a send-up of Elvis' "In the Ghetto," rechristened "In a Yugo." Two parodies in one show! And it's not even our birthday. After the parody, Rush excitedly read from this Los Angeles Times article, "Hybrid car sales go from 60 to 0 at breakneck speed." Rush loved it -- "Nobody's buying them!" "Nobody wants them!" But that doesn't matter, according to Rush, because of Obama's new conspiracy to jack up gas prices and force hybrids on everyone. Just so we're clear: The market shows decreased demand for Priuses, and Rush takes this as a sign that America hates hybrid cars. The market shows decreased demand for Hummers, and Rush is convinced that Americans would still buy Hummers if they hadn't been duped into hating them by a president that wasn't even in power when the sales figures began to plummet. We're not sure to whom that's more insulting -- free-market economics, Obama, or the American people.

Anyway, another caller, this one explaining how Toyota loses money on hybrids but makes it up on SUVs. Rush again repeated the Obama-gas price conspiracy, and claimed: "Politics is why you can't get a car you really, really like or why they don't make as many as you really, really like because they're being forced to keep the Gestapo off their back. They're forced to manufacture cars that people aren't buying to keep the Gestapo off their back."

Rush closed out the program by once again intoning that if Americans really wanted fuel-efficient cars there would be a market for them, but they aren't selling, and by promising his listeners that his monologue on individuality, Ayn Rand, "slaves and masters," and Obama will appear on his website.

That does it for today's Limbaugh Challenge. We're certainly not wiser, braver, or more intellectual for having undergone it -- in fact, perhaps less so on all counts. But we'll be back tomorrow regardless. To tide you over until then, we recommend you take a look Media Matters' comprehensive and obsessive coverage of all things Limbaugh.

Highlights from Hour 3

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: I'll give you couple of quotes from Ayn Rand on this. "It only stands to reason that where there is sacrifice, there is someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there is service, there is somebody being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters and intends to be the master." That is President Obama. "Where there is sacrifice, there is someone collecting the sacrificial offerings." What does it mean? President Obama says that we all need to sacrifice for whatever reason, this reason or that reason. What it means is we need to pay more. We need to have less affluent lives. We need to dial down our prosperity. And we need to give the money to him, not a charity. He is going to eliminate, for all intents and purposes, the tax deductibility. It's going to be 28 cents for every dollar of charitable donations. He wants to be the distributor of the charitable donations. He wants to be the distributor of the good -- of the goods because he wants the glory.

"Fascism" watch

LIMBAUGH: Politics killed the auto industry. Politics is why you can't get a car you really, really like or why they don't make as many as you really, really like because they're being forced to keep the Gestapo off their back. They're forced to manufacture cars that people aren't buying to keep the Gestapo off their back.