This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Don Obama
By Simon Maloy

Happy Tuesday, everyone. Did you hear that President Obama's plane flew low over New York City yesterday with a fighter escort, all for the purpose of snapping a few photos? Apparently, it caused a bit of a panic. The director of the White House military office took responsibility for making the decision, and President Obama was reportedly infuriated by the whole affair. Now, it's entirely reasonable to assume that even the most hands-on president does not insert himself into the scheduling of Air Force One photo shoots. In fact, it would be unreasonable to assume otherwise. But given that Rush tends to view pretty much everything that happens with this administration as part of a carefully orchestrated plan to distract everyone from the disaster Obama is wreaking, we're fairly confident as to what his take on this one will be...

After briefly downplaying the concerns about swine flu, Rush kicked off today's program by noting that Sen. Arlen Specter will announce today his switch from (R-PA) to (D-PA). Rush counseled Specter to take Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and his daughter, Meghan, with him, and then pondered who else in the Senate should make the switch. The only other name he tossed out was Sam Brownback (R-KS). That struck us as... odd, seeing as when Brownback ran for president last year, Republicans "fear[ed] he may be too conservative to win a national election." Brownback's sin, it seems, was voicing support for Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius -- who, according to Rush, is "for every abortion that ever happened" -- as Health and Human Services secretary.

Rush went on to note that the AP's Charles Babington wrote that Obama "is reversing the famous dictum of President Ronald Reagan, who said government is the problem, not the solution." Rush was happy that someone in the mainstream media finally laid it out -- Obama is the opposite of Reagan. Then Rush said that lots of his friends keep asking him what the deal is with these people who supported Reagan in the '80s who now support Obama. Rush said he had a term for them that he couldn't use on the air without being fined, so he fell back on the watered-down epithet "stargazers." They just love "stars" and "celebrities," and there's nothing "intellectual" about their love of Obama, said Rush, because Obama's not "brilliant" and he's not a good "manager."

Just look at the Air Force One flyover, said Rush -- Obama "cannot credibly" say he didn't know about it (see our comments above). According to Rush, someone had to have told Obama that he couldn't travel on April 27, and he had to have asked why, and they must have told him. You'll notice there's no actual evidence as to why Obama can't credibly deny having intimate knowledge of his plane's photo shoot, it's just Limbaugh explaining what "must have" happened. Anyway, Rush wrapped this topic up by saying: "But to do this, at that altitude, over that part of -- over any part of Manhattan -- but, particularly, down there over Ground Zero, it has to mean that you're in a 9-10 mentality."

Then Rush was on to the UAW, claiming he was vindicated when he said back in December that the auto industry will not die because the UAW won't die and Obama's just going to hand the whole industry over to the unions. Rush read from The Wall Street Journal, which reported this morning that the "United Auto Workers union would eventually own 55% of the stock in a restructured Chrysler LLC under the deal reached by the union and the auto maker." This, Rush said, squares with his claim that Obama's intention is to return the wealth of the nation to its "rightful owners."

After the break, Rush announced what the media "template" for reporting on Specter's party switch will be: How can the GOP remain a national party if it can't hold on the moderates like Specter? Rush said that question is wrong because Specter is not a "moderate Republican," he's a "liberal Republican." Rush suspected that the switch had a lot to do with Specter's opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, saying that Specter expected more accolades for opposing the bill. This is all part of a "natural winnowing process" Rush said, as people who are not really Republicans or conservatives are leaving the party, which will become more focused. Leading into the break, Rush cited Larry Kudlow, writing on National Review Online, in claiming that the recently announced General Motors deal is a real "screw job" for GM bondholders.

After the break, Rush reiterated his assessment that Specter leaving the Republican Party is a good thing, and the only reason he did it is to get re-elected. Another way of looking at it, said Rush, is to listen to people like New York Times columnist David Brooks, who will say that moderates are on the march, but the truth is that to be a moderate, you have to be a Democrat.

Then Rush returned to the UAW/GM/Chrysler deals, treating the subject with his usual reserve and moderation: "What has just happened is that Don Obama has made Don Corleone look like Daffy Duck. Don Corleone was nothing compared to Don Obama." Claiming that Obama's "consiglieres," the UAW, will give Obama and the Democratic Party effective control of the auto industry, Rush added: "So, in the case of, you know, Don Obama, you keep your friends close, your enemies closer. World War II, ladies and gentlemen, ended with a surrender on the USS Missouri. Capitalism may have surrendered in the General Motors boardroom." This was Obama's game plan all along, said Rush, to nationalize every business. And now when you go into a Chrysler dealership, you'll be walking into a "satellite office of the Democrat Party." According to Rush, the dealerships will close on Election Day, you'll be able to register to vote at them, every car will have Obama bumper stickers, applicants for loans will have to be Democrats, you'll be audited if you complain about the repair bill, "and you might want to keep a sharp eye on your kneecaps."

We must add here that despite all of Rush's bloviating about these deals being a huge boon for the UAW, the Wall Street Journal article he read from earlier also reported: "The accord is likely to provide outlines for labor deals at General Motors Co. and possibly Ford Motor Co., said labor experts, dealing the union a broader setback. In addition to cuts in wages and benefits, the loss of working members and their dues due to factory closings, will shrink the union's clout and give it less money for organizing and political operations."

After the break, Rush rounded out the hour with a call from a woman announcing that she will be popping a few corks on some bottles of port this evening in celebration of Specter's defection.

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: Now, Kathleen Sebelius -- confirmation hearings are up today. Of course, with the swine flu out there, everybody is saying, "We gotta -- we gotta get -- we -- she's" -- they're doing a Geithner.

"She's the only one. She's the only one that can head up Health and Human Services. Doesn't matter -- doesn't matter that she hasn't paid her taxes. It doesn't matter. She's the only one that can do it. We need somebody in there. We need -- it doesn't matter that she's for every abortion that ever happened. If she's for Health and Human -- it doesn't matter. We've got to have her in there."

[...]

LIMBAUGH: But to do this, at that altitude, over that part of -- over any part of Manhattan -- but, particularly, down there over Ground Zero, it has to mean that you're in a 9-10 mentality. It has to mean that this is not even on your mind. It means if you're a member of the Obama administration, that that's a Bush problem.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: What has just happened is that Don Obama has made Don Corleone look like Daffy Duck. Don Corleone was nothing compared to Don Obama. You want to talk loan sharking? Let me tell you how this loan sharking worked.

Bondholders -- people who purchased General Motors bonds -- did so to the tune of $27 billion. Big government -- Don Obama -- put up $15 billion, just a tad less than that. So, basically, the private sector bondholders put up almost twice as much money to save General Motors as Don Obama did. And at the end of the day, Don Obama gets 50 percent of the country and the bondholders get 10 percent of the company. The bondholders put up twice as much as Don Obama and Don Obama gets half the company; the bondholders get 10 percent -- that means they invested in the bonds wanting a profit.

There are bondholders who were using the $800,000 throw-off -- that's how much some of these bondholders have gained over the years -- the bonds had thrown that much income off, and they were -- it was going to be -- one guy's retirement is worth nothing. It's worth 10 percent of that. So, he's got a retirement now worth 8,000 thanks to Don Obama. Don Obama owns half of General Motors, and Don Obama's army -- his consiglieres, his capo de pittis or whatever they are -- the unions, they have the other 39 percent of the company.

How does somebody put up half as much money and get five times as much control of the company? And what makes this even worse is that if General Motors would go bankrupt, the bondholders wouldn't get 10 percent, they'd get 100 percent. That's what reorganization or restructuring is all about. So someone has to ask the question: How in the world would any bond buyer trust a bond again?

So, in the case of, you know, Don Obama, you keep your friends close, your enemies closer. World War II, ladies and gentlemen, ended with a surrender on the USS Missouri. Capitalism may have surrendered in the General Motors boardroom.

Clips from this hour

Limbaugh on Specter leaving GOP: "A lot of people -- Specter, take McCain with you, and his daughter"

Discussing swine flu, Limbaugh asserts, "AIDS was going to get really bad but it didn't"

Limbaugh on auto bailout: "Don Obama has made Don Corleone look like Daffy Duck"

Limbaugh: "Arlen Specter is a liberal Republican. ... People who are not really Republicans are now leaving" the GOP

Limbaugh on Specter leaving the GOP: "It's not a big loss"

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the Rush's valiant assaults on the straw man army
By Simon Maloy

Rush got the second hour started by noting that Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, in 1960, famously banged his shoe on his desk at the UN and threatened to "bury" the assembled congregation. Rush expanded on Khrushchev's threats: "But as I think back on it, what Khrushchev was actually saying was that 'Communists will bury you. We are eventually going to take you over.' My question -- and somebody help me out on this -- did he give a date? Everybody assumes that Khrushchev was going to do it during his tenure. And of course it didn't happen during his tenure. But I know the communists. I mean, they don't have four-year increments like we have with presidents and administrations. I don't think Khrushchev gave a date -- something to ponder."

Then Rush moved on to Obama's speech at FBI headquarters this morning, claiming: "This was a replay of his trip to the CIA. They grabbed the secretarial pool again -- just like they did at the CIA -- put them in the lobby out there." For those who aren't familiar, Rush operates under the concept that everyone in the national security sector -- except for the secretaries -- hates Obama and would never show up to see him speak, let alone cheer or applaud for him. Anyway, Rush aired a sound bite of Obama saying: "We know that Al Qaeda is not constrained by a constitution or by allegiance to anything other than a hateful ideology and a determination to kill as many innocents as possible." Rush interpreted this for us: "So, what he's basically again saying, 'Look, I kinda envy Al Qaeda. They're not constrained by a constitution like I am. But don't worry, I'm working on getting rid of that constitution or changing it, so that it's not such a burden on me.' " As we explained the last time Rush made this cockamamie argument, Obama is actually praising the Constitution because it separates us from Al Qaeda.

After airing audio of Obama saying at the FBI: "We are always stronger when we act in concert with our most deeply held values." Rush then pronounced that he was "offended" by the notion that we betray our values when we engage in acts to defend the country. We could only find one person who says that defending the country is antithetical to our values, and he happens to be made completely of straw. As such, Rush was quite easily able to knock him and his argument down, asking what values Obama is talking about. "His values are not the same as mine when it comes to this country."

Then Rush returned to the Air Force One flyover, claiming that no one can get that plane off the ground other than President Obama. But the Los Angeles Times reported that the "flight was authorized as a publicity photo shoot by the Defense Department." Rush appears to be confused: With the president not on board, the plane isn't officially Air Force One, since that call sign is reserved so air traffic controllers will know that the president is on board without having to provide them a lengthy explanation; the airplanes the president regularly uses can be flown without the president on board. Nonetheless, Rush claimed that Obama had to know that he couldn't travel that day. In fact, the Air Force keeps on hand two jets to be used as Air Force One at any time. But even if Rush were right that Obama knew he couldn't travel that day, that's no guarantee Obama knew where that plane would be or what it would be doing. Nonetheless, armed with loads of speculation, Rush soldiered on, claiming that "everyone" had to know where Air Force One was. How did Rush know this? Because he knows where his private plane is at all times.

After the break, Rush was incredulous that Obama said the flyover "was something we found out about along with all of you and it will not happen again." Rush said that the guy who took responsibility, White House military office director Louis Caldera, is part of the "we" Obama was talking about because he works in the White House! Again, that's true, but that's no guarantee that the president was briefed on his plane's photo shoot.

On the other side of the break, Rush took a call from a self-identified former Secret Service official who agreed with Rush that there is no way that Obama did not know where Air Force One was. Rush was glad this guy called in to back up Rush's wild speculation, and asked how it was the case that the White House military office director does not count as "we" to Obama, but the Navy SEALs who resolved the pirate hostage situation did count as "we" to Obama.

Rush's next caller claimed that it's un-American to buy American cars because you're just helping the unions, and that it's tough for him because he works at a GM dealership. Rush offered the caller some encouragement: "[Y]ou know, you're going to have some help. I wouldn't give up quitting the job just yet. You know, with the union owning 39 percent of General Motors, you're going to have some help. You know, when come in, want to test-drive a car and drive it. If they don't buy it, you know, you're going to have some guy walking around, threatening the potential buyers' kneecaps. It might be an easier sale."

Then it was time for another caller, this one saying that the panic caused by the Air Force One flyover yesterday was proof that terrorism is a real threat and not a tool used by the Republicans to get elected, as the Democrats alleged. Rush said this was a great point, cautioning yet another man of straw to not tell him that terrorism was just something Bush used as a tool and that it isn't real.

Before the break, Rush asked why they needed a publicity photo of Air Force One anyway. This was one of many unresolved questions that, in Rush's mind, means "[t]here's more to this than we know." Rush couldn't say what the "more" we don't know is, but he certainly seemed to imply that -- for reasons he declined to offer -- people in the Obama administration were fully aware that the flyover would cause a panic. We'll just refer you, once again, to our opening comments from the first hour...

After the break, Rush praised Michael Steele's response to Specter's defection, then returned to the flyover, responding to people asking if Obama was on Air Force One: "Folks, he wasn't on the airplane. He was at the FBI talking to the secretarial pool -- as though the secretarial pool was a bunch of agents -- and he was delivering a lecture on American values, like abortion. Well, he didn't talk about abortion. He said 'we're going to defend American values. We're not gonna waterboard Khalid Shaikh Mohammed; we're going to murder a million babies a year.' " We have only one comment on this -- the flyover was yesterday; Obama spoke at the FBI today.

Rush ended the hour with a caller thrilled that Specter had joined the "leftists" in the Democratic Party. Rush expressed his surprise at Steele's response -- he thought the Republicans would bemoan their shrinking numbers.

Highlights from Hour 2

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: Speaking of Obama, here is -- he went by FBI today. This was a replay of his trip to the CIA. They grabbed the secretarial pool again, just like they did at the CIA, put them in the lobby out there -- had this giant, big, "Oh yeah, we love you President Obama." And here's a portion of his remarks.

OBAMA [audio clip]: Living our values means that we must hold ourselves to higher standards than our enemies. We face a long struggle against a determined adversary. We know that Al Qaeda is not constrained by a constitution or by allegiance to anything other than a hateful ideology and a determination to kill as many innocents as possible.

But what makes the United States of America so special is precisely the fact that we are willing to uphold our values and our ideals, not just when it's easy, but when it's hard.

LIMBAUGH: So, what he's basically again saying, "Look, I kinda envy Al Qaeda. They're not constrained by a constitution like I am. But don't worry, I'm working on getting rid of that constitution or changing it, so that it's not such a burden on me."

I mean, guys like Obama look at the Constitution as a burden. He looks at Al Qaeda as sort of wistfully: "Gee, these guys aren't constrained by a constitution."

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Well, you know, you're going to have some -- you know, you're going to have some help. I wouldn't give up quitting the job just yet. You know, with the union owning 39 percent of General Motors, you're going to have some help. You know, when come in, want to test-drive a car and drive it. If they don't buy it, you know, you're going to have some guy walking around, threatening the potential buyers' kneecaps. It might be an easier sale.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Do you really believe that everybody involved had no idea that this would cause a panic? Do you really believe that everybody involved thought, "Big deal, we're gonna go up there and get a photo op in front of the statue. Nobody needs to know."

Do we really believe that there's not one person in the chain of command that caused this event yesterday that didn't realize that a Boeing 747 at a thousand feet over Ground Zero was just going to be looked up as, "Oh, hey, Mae Bell, look at that. Why it's a little off course. I wonder what the president is doing."

Is that really the reaction people are just gonna have? There's more to this than we know.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: "Rush, was President Obama on the plane? Could it be that -- do we know that he wasn't on it? Could it be that he wanted the photo op with it himself?"

Folks, he wasn't on the airplane. He was at the FBI talking to the secretarial pool -- as though the secretarial pool was a bunch of agents -- and he was delivering a lecture on American values, like abortion.

Well, he didn't talk about abortion. He said "we're going to defend American values. We're not gonna waterboard Khalid Shaikh Mohammed; we're going to murder a million babies a year. We're going to defend American values."

"Socialism" watch

LIMBAUGH: But the then-Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, went to the United Nations, took off his shoe. Started pounding his shoe and said, "We will bury you, and we will bury your children." Now, my grandparents' generation took that very seriously; they had to. But as I think back on it, what Khrushchev was actually saying was that "Communists will bury you. We are eventually going to take you over."

My question -- and somebody help me out on this -- did he give a date? Everybody assumes that Khrushchev was going to do it during his tenure. And of course it didn't happen during his tenure. But I know the communists. I mean, they don't have four-year increments like we have with presidents and administrations. I don't think Khrushchev gave a date -- something to ponder.

Clips from this hour

Limbaugh on Obama comment that Al Qaeda not constrained by constitution: "he's basically again saying 'Look, I kind of envy al Qaeda' "

Limbaugh on Obama's view of American values: "We're not gonna waterboard Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, we're going to murder a million babies a year"

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the car of Rush's boyhood dreams
By Simon Maloy

One more hour to go, and Rush got it started by claiming that he couldn't believe he was being criticized for "laughing too much" at the Air Force One flyover. What's funny, according to Rush, is how the media treats Obama like a sitcom, all the while Chrysler and GM have bent over and "grabbed their ankles" for Obama. Rush then claimed that he "wouldn't be surprised if what they were doing" with the flyover "was collecting footage, B-roll for the next 'Obama for President' campaign." Rush elaborated: "They're up there -- it's for Obama. And I -- you know, maybe they're surveying the Statue of Liberty from Air Force One, replacing that statue with one of Obama in 2013, who knows? I don't know, folks. I'm just telling you none of it computes. None of the official explanations compute."

After repeating his thoughts on "Don Obama" and his UAW footsoldiers taking over Chrysler and GM, Rush read from a Washington Post article on GM shedding the Pontiac, Hummer, Saturn, and Saab lines of cars. Rush was sadly wistful upon reading this, noting that his first car was a Pontiac, and that bands like the Beach Boys used to sing about these cars. Then he switched from wistful back to... well, normal: "I'm just seeing a bunch of Tony Sopranos as car salesman now." Rush then counseled his listeners that if they want to buy a GM automobile, the time might be now. There were many reasons Rush suggested that they buy GM, not least the fact that if "[y]ou lose your job, they'll make the car payment up to 500 bucks a month, up to nine months." We've said it before and we'll say it again -- here are Rush's original, non-hypocritical thoughts on this very same GM program: "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."

Leading into the break, Rush explained why there have been more cases of swine flu -- and more deaths -- in Mexico than in the United States: They have socialized medicine, and we don't... yet.

After the break, Rush took a call from a man who had not been listening to Rush the past couple of hours (nor reading the Limbaugh Wire, apparently) and asked El Rushbo to once again offer his thoughts on the Specter defection. Rush dutifully obliged: It's no great loss for the party; he was going to lose against Pat Toomey; and he didn't receive the accolades he expected for opposing the Employee Free Choice Act. Rush was again surprised that he never hears from the media how the Democratic Party has to be a moderate, big tent party. Really? We never hear that from the media?

Rush then took a caller who wanted Rush's opinion on what Specter's legacy will be. Rush's opinion was: "Who cares?!" Rush explained that legacies will be different depending on your perspective, and that he doesn't care much about legacies because Rush always looks forward, not back.

After the break, Rush noted that Gallup's latest poll was slightly out of line with other recent polls in that it put Obama's approval rating at 56 percent, which was lower (at this point of his presidency) than five of the six presidents who preceded him. And yet, Rush said, these poll numbers are being reported by the media as a great triumph for Obama, even though "these first 100 days have been a disaster." This demonstrates, according to Rush, that there is a huge gap between what is "news" and what is "fact." To us, it demonstrates that a 56-percent approval rating is still rightly viewed as a pretty good thing for a president to have.

After a quick plug for The Heritage Foundation and a commercial time out, Rush took a call from a man who found it unbelievable, in his "limited experience," that the executive branch didn't know what was going on with Air Force One. Rush agreed, but cautioned that this was just a minor incident. Wait until the stimulus plan starts "wrecking" the country, Rush counseled, then you'll see some impressive denials of what Obama did and did not know.

Rush's next caller explained why a photo shoot would be arranged for Air Force One -- the flight crew probably gives signed photos to the staff at military bases and airports as thank-you gifts for accommodating the president's jet. Rush was glad to know there is a reason for these photos to be taken, but insisted on knowing when was the last time there was an Air Force One photo shoot and where it took place. There is probably a simple explanation for all of this, Rush said, but the denials from the White Hose "raise red flags."

One more break and Rush came back reading a "hilarious" statement from the "union thug group," Americans United for Change, which said Specter's decision is the "ultimate rejection" of the "Limbaugh-led party of no." Rush then aired some sound bites of Specter saying that wasn't going to let the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate judge his 29-year record, and that he still opposes EFCA. Rush said Specter had "firebombed" Pennsylvania Republicans, and that he'll have to remember Specter saying he still opposes EFCA, because, just last month, Specter said he wasn't going to leave the GOP.

Well, that's a wrap for today's Limbaugh Wire. It's always fun when our nose for conspiracy theorism turns out to be spot-on -- though in fairness, it's not tough to sniff 'em out when listening to Rush these days. We'll see you all tomorrow. Until then, Media Matters' ever-growing and thoroughly informative Limbaugh archives are at your beck and call.

Highlights from Hour 3

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: Everybody's asking me, "Rush, what if -- OK, you can't understand. What -- they didn't have to take the plane up there 'cause they could've Photoshopped it. What do you think is going on?"

I don't know what they're doing. I have no idea. But I'll -- I wouldn't be surprised if what they were doing was collecting footage, B-roll for the next "Obama for President" campaign. He may be paying for it out of the campaign. If they do, legally, he would have to pay for it out of his campaign funds. For crying out loud, that's just a phone call to George Soros. That's no big deal. They have the money for it.

I guarantee you that something like that is what they were doing. They're up there -- it's for Obama. And I -- you know, maybe they're surveying the Statue of Liberty from Air Force One, replacing that statue with one of Obama in 2013, who knows? I don't know, folks. I'm just telling you none of it computes. None of the official explanations compute.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: You know, if you want a General Motors car, while it's still General Motors, right now is the time to do it. Honest to goodness. So, what -- they're holding onto Cadillac. They're holding onto Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC. And they're -- they got a -- I happen to know this. General Motors has got a new sales plan for Cadillac and for Chevrolet -- still the Hummer, too. They've got to get rid of the inventory.

So, they're backing for five years the powertrain: five years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. A full year of On Star is standard on every Cadillac model. On Star is amazing. In fact, it's got a nav system that beats most other navigation systems if where you want to go -- like, if you're headed to Port St. Lucie, and where you want to go in Port St. Lucie is not in the navigation system, all you have to do is call the On Star operator, and they'll give you turn-by-turn directions because they know.

And that number -- if you're in an emergency, if you need your car unlocked, if you go into McDonald's and you get all upset in there because they're out of McNuggets, and you didn't shut the car off, the keys are in it, you go back out, you're still mad because you've got no McNuggets -- "Oh my God, how do I get in the car?" -- call On Star and they'll unlock the car for you. Well, they may not get you -- direct you to where they do have McNuggets if the McDonald's you're at doesn't have them, but, you know, On Star can do a lot.

And also, this: You lose your job, they'll make the car payment up to 500 bucks a month, up to nine months. And it's such a shame 'cause they're making -- Cadillac is a -- we've driven a lot of them -- but the Cadillac -- what's the crossover? What's the -- XRX or something. It's just a -- just a great car.

So, General Motors still moving automobiles out there, doing what they can. And they are making deals. Then, if you want a General Motors car, now might be the time to look into it.

Clips from this hour

Limbaugh on auto bailout: GM and Chrysler "bent over and grabbed the ankles"

Limbaugh refers to Americans United for Change as a "union thug group"

Limbaugh throws out another conspiracy theory: Maybe Air Force One was in NYC to replace Statue of Liberty with "one of Obama"