This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Barack Perón
By Simon Maloy

We watched President Obama's press conference last night, and at various moments, we found ourselves surprised, troubled, enchanted, and humbled -- surprised that the president didn't allow Major Garrett to ask him about the tea parties; troubled that we actually sort of wanted Major Garrett to ask about the tea parties; enchanted by the flawless Half Windsor in Chuck Todd's cornflower blue tie; and humbled by the fact that we found the press conference entertaining and informative, while all the serious people out there were bored to tears. But we have a hunch as to what emotions El Rushbo experienced, and we're pretty sure we're going to be on the business end of a Class 5 Limbaugh hissy fit today.

Well, yesterday, it was Don Obama. Today, it's Barack Perón, as in Juan Perón of Argentina, announcing his "takeover" of Chrysler. This, according to Rush, is "left-wing fascism" like Perón enacted. Then Rush said he hadn't watched the president's press conference live, but he had seen it, and he saw the "surprised, troubled, enchanted, and humbled" question, which he said was what happens with the "feminization of our culture."

Anyway, Rush wanted to explain to us what was really happening with the Chrysler bankruptcy: it's both a "failure" and a "success" for Obama. Rush said that it's a failure for Obama in terms of "how he sold" his Chrysler plans to the American public because he told us all that the government was the only institution that could save the company. It's a success for Obama because, according to the super-duper top secret plan only Obama and Rush know about, this is exactly what Obama wanted, to turn the auto industry over the unions.

Then Rush explained why he was referring to Obama as "Barack Perón": because this is "classic Juan Perón-sim." Well, that at least makes sense in a circular logic kind of way, we guess. Anyway, Rush said what's happened here is that the Chrysler bondholders were "intimidated" into "surrendering their legitimate claims in a bankruptcy." Intimidated into bankruptcy? From what we read, the reason Chrysler is going into bankruptcy is precisely because the bondholders wouldn't agree to the deal that Chrysler, the UAW, and Treasury all approved: "But the administration said about 40 hedge funds that hold roughly 30 percent of that debt also needed to sign on for the deal to go through. Those creditors said the proposal was unfair and they were holding out for a better deal."

After the break, Rush asked us to indulge him as he summarized everything he said in the first 15 minutes for the benefit of those people listening on stations that might have carried the president's Chrysler comments instead of Rush's show. So it was Barack Perón all over again. According to Rush, most Americans don't recognize all the nefarious things going on right now because it's never been done in the United States before and is "outside the American political spectrum."

Then Rush noted that Cessna is discontinuing production of its Columbus business jet, claiming that Cessna has lost its battle with the Obama administration. We weren't aware that Cessna and the administration were locked in combat, and it appears that Cessna wasn't either: "Cancellations are coming from all manner of customers, including wealthy individuals and small corporations. Some customers can't get financing, while others don't think it makes sense to take delivery on a new corporate jet when employees are being laid off."

Coming back from the break, Rush said that Obama "lied" last night when he cited Winston Churchill's refusal to torture German prisoners during World War II as a reason for why the United States does not torture. Rush declared it an "absolute myth" that the United Kingdom "never, quote-unquote, 'tortured.' " OK, so let's say that Obama was, in fact, wrong, and the Brits did indeed use "torture" methods on the Germans. We're not so sure that's a particularly effective indictment of Obama or of his intention that the United States disavow those methods.

Then Rush offered yet another analogy for how the country can view Obama. Yesterday, we were all newly married women who realized that our husband was a jerk but just couldn't admit yet that we'd made a mistake. Today, we're older, wealthy men who've married "gold diggers." So said Rush: "You, who have been victimized by that scenario, you understand what's going on and we can sympathize, because we are being played as similar suckers. We essentially are going for a gold digger -- our sugar daddy."

Rush then moved on to explaining how Obama's policies are anti-individual because he wants to "remake America." Into what? Rush asked. Presidents don't get to remake America, because that involves remaking the Constitution, Rush claimed. When a president takes the oath of office, Rush said, "you're not promising to change it." The Rush asked: What's wrong with America? Why do we have to remake it? What are the flaws?

Back from the break, Rush asked us all to remember "the reason that Barack Obama gave back the Churchill statue." That reason, Rush said was: "His grandfather lived in Kenya during the colonial days when Britain ran it. And the Brits under -- yeah, I think it was during Churchill's second premiership or prime minister-ship, put down the Mau Mau Rebellion. And Obama's grandfather, Odingo Obama Onyango, whatever, was either killed or severely wounded, and that's why the animists tore Churchill and the Brits in the first place."

Rush closed out the hour with a caller who explained that the UAW controlling Chrysler is like the fox running the hen house. Rush chastised the caller, saying that you have to separate the UAW leadership from the rank-and-file auto workers. Rush also said that it will be "comical" to watch the UAW board members on Chrysler negotiate with UAW line assembly people on wages and benefits.

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: So, after you intimidate lawful bond debt holders, the bondholders, into surrendering their legitimate claims in a bankruptcy -- by the way, to illustrate this again, during the beginning of this so-called crisis in the automobile sector, when bankruptcy was first suggested and proposed, do you remember what the initial rejection to it was? There were two. "Well, no, who's going to buy a car from a bankrupt company? Nobody's gonna do that. Plus, the bondholders would get killed."

The company wouldn't survive the bankruptcy, and the bondholders, the private sector investor would get killed, remember? That's what happens in a bankruptcy. You're basically telling your creditors, "We're outta there. We're going to reorganize you. You may get some back, but certainly not all of it."

So that is what precisely has happened here. In -- the lawful debt holders have been intimidated into surrendering their legitimate claims in a bankruptcy.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: This method of bankruptcy and of saving a company by basically turning it over to people who have hardly any investment in it, the United Auto Workers, at the result of an iron fist from the state, i.e. Barack Obama, this is so far outside the American political spectrum -- business spectrum of people -- they can't get their arms around it 'cause they've never seen it before.

And they probably don't know what Juan Perón-ism is; they may not even know who Juan Perón is. They know who Evita Perón is, they think it's Madonna. And they think she was great! So if the Supreme Leader, Barack Perón, succeeds in a lot of this, then we are taking a page out of another dictatorship in our hemisphere no less -- and that would be Argentina.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: One thing, about Obama last night, all of a sudden singling out Churchill as some moral guidepost for not torturing, or being cruel or mean, or whatever you have to do to get information from prisoners.

Don't forget the reason that Barack Obama gave back the Churchill statue. His grandfather lived in Kenya during the colonial days when Britain ran it. And the Brits under -- yeah, I think it was during Churchill's second premiership or prime minister-ship, put down the Mau Mau Rebellion. And Obama's grandfather, Odingo Obama Onyango, whatever, was either killed or severely wounded, and that's why the animists tore Churchill and the Brits in the first place. So this was all -- this all just made up last night. Stolen, used -- it was some left-wing blogger.

"Fascism" watch

LIMBAUGH: Right on schedule -- right on schedule, in a few short minutes, the president of the United States, Barack Perón, will announce his Argentinean-like takeover of Chrysler. Yeah, we don't hear much about Juan Perón anymore -- we hear about Evita. But this is what's happening to Chrysler today. The president's gonna announce it here, according to the schedule, in four minutes. Right out of Juan Perón's playbook. Left-wing fascism coming up for Chrysler.

Ladies' man

LIMBAUGH: The country has fallen head over heels in love with Barack Obama -- blind love, not his policies, but with him. Now I want to give you an analogy here to what's happened. I gave you one analogy yesterday -- that you get married and you know within a month that you've made a mistake, but you don't dare start thinking divorce. I mean, you wouldn't -- and you wouldn't dare tell anybody that "Oh my gosh, I've goofed up here. I can't do this." So you stick it out.

Well, that's where a lot of Obama voters now are: "I can't believe I" -- but they're not ever going to admit that they think they made a mistake.

Here's another analogy along the same lines, although it does not -- well, it does involve marriage, but -- think of it this way. Any of you guys -- any of you men who have ever been seduced by a gold digger; any of you who have ever been seduced and married a gold digger, you know exactly what is going on right now.

These are the guys who fall for -- they're usually older; they don't have to be. They all have money. They fall for these beautiful, young, sexy women, who they think are ditzes. You know, they think that they're don't -- they're not old enough to have a lot of brains yet. They married 'em and it wasn't long before they got the divorce papers. They lost half of their net worth.

You, who have been victimized by that scenario, you understand what's going on and we can sympathize, because we are being played as similar suckers. We essentially are going for a gold digger -- our sugar daddy.

Clips from this hour

Limbaugh on reported Chrysler bankruptcy: "[l]eft-wing fascism coming up for Chrysler"

Limbaugh on "enchanted" question at press conference: "That's what happens with the feminization of our culture"

Limbaugh on country's "love" for Obama: It's like a man who has "been seduced by a gold digger"

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Obama the lyin' liberal coming "down the path"
By Simon Maloy

Rush returned for the second hour saying that Obama has killed Chrysler as we know it, and asked when he's going to focus on Social Security, which is also facing massive shortfalls. Rush asked why we don't just put the UAW in charge of Social Security. Then he returned to Obama's grandfather and Churchill, this time citing the right-wing blog, Sweetness & Light, which cited the British press in reporting on Obama's grandfather's history with the British.

Then Rush claimed that Obama is just like "every other liberal to come down the path." This meant: "He lies. And so that's why I'm pointing these things out. Why the big deal on torture? Because Barack Obama's using it to criticize his own country. Barack Obama is weakening this nation's ability to defend itself. Barack Obama is going out of his way to point out every opportunity he has, what an immoral, unjust country this was until he was elected."

Rush moved on to some sound bites of Obama commenting this afternoon on the Chrysler bankruptcy, which Rush, once again, characterized as "Juan Perón-ism." After airing a sound bite of the president criticizing hedge funds that hold Chrysler debt for tanking the Chrysler/Fiat/UAW/Treasury deal (as we noted last hour), Rush said: "This is another assault on the wealthy. It's an assault on hedge funds. Hedge funds are the villain." Rush added: "This is classic statism: an authoritarian figure dumping on the private sector at every opportunity to mischaracterize their motives, to mischaracterize the reasons for their investment in things."

After the break, Rush announced that the bit of information he was about to give was "a little bit misleading" -- that Fox's Lie to Me, which aired in place of the Obama press conference last night, drew more viewers than any of the other broadcast networks. Then Rush said that he thought "they let the inhabitants of the Bunny Ranch out to start pretending to be the press corps last night." Rush then circled back and explained that his touting of Lie to Me was misleading because the combined network audience for Obama's press conference was 19 million -- much more than watched Lie to Me -- but the press conference audience was divided between ABC, CBS, and NBC.

Speaking of the press conference, Rush laid into the media for their performance last night, saying that it's the perfect time for a conservative leader to stand up and take Obama apart, because Obama's appeal comes from the cult-like drones out there who like him personally, but his policies aren't popular. Also, Limbaugh said, the Specter defection means that there's absolutely nothing the GOP can do now to stop anything Obama wants to do, so they might as well just oppose Obama on everything. We guess the only thing better than being the "party of no" is being the irrelevant "party of no."

From there, Rush launched into an extended harangue about how the media and Obama are trying to "demoralize" conservatives, and how the media are trying to shield Obama because they know he's "vulnerable" because all of his economic policies have "failed." Not only have they failed, according to Rush: "The fact of the matter is America is worse off in the last 100 days than it was before Obama became president, and that is a fact that you can analyze and stipulate to in any number of ways, primarily economic." This is apparently a huge opportunity for conservatives to ask why Obama wants to "remake" the country and by whose authority.

After the break, Rush continued the harangue, claiming that Obama has "moved heaven and earth" to fix Chrysler and the banks, but hasn't lifted a finger to save Social Security. The reason behind this, Rush said, is because Obama believes that nothing in government can ever go wrong. We tend to believe that the reason Obama focused on the banks and the car companies before Social Security is that the timeline on their shortfalls was far shorter than that for Social Security, which will remain able to pay out full benefits if the law stays the same for at least another few decades. Nevertheless, Rush said: "President Obama does not fix anything. President Obama does not reform anything. He just keeps grabbing, and spending, and dictating to enhance his own authority and that of the government. And in the process, the Obama administration is killing the United States economy as he remakes America." Rush finally wrapped it up by saying that Obama's been able to slither and slime and say that he stands for America's traditions when he's destroying them. Rush thinks it's time for "offense, baby."

After another break, Rush took a call from a man saying that everything Rush had shouted in the last half-hour was 100 percent correct, and now it's time to "drive a stake through the Democrats." Rush said that in the old days, Republicans would have had no trouble finding some visionary leader to take on someone like Obama. After once again criticizing Zeleny's question to Obama last night, Rush took one more caller, this one a senior in high school who claimed that his teacher had just chastised him for reading Fox News' website in class. Rush asked the student to summarize his teacher's lecture, and was particularly interested to know if the teacher had mentioned Rush. Sadly, he had not.

Highlights from Hour 2

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: Steve Gilbert at the Sweetness & Light.com points out a story from the UK Times online December 3, 2008 -- "Beatings and abuse made Barack Obama's grandfather loathe the British": The President-elect's relatives have told how the family was a victim of the Mau Mau revolt. Obama's grandfather imprisoned and brutally tortured by the British during the violent struggle for Kenyan independence, according to the Kenyan family of Barack Obama.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: But this man is like every other liberal to come down the path. He lies. And so that's why I'm pointing these things out. Why the big deal on torture? Because Barack Obama's using it to criticize his own country. Barack Obama is weakening this nation's ability to defend itself. Barack Obama is going out of his way to point out every opportunity he has, what an immoral, unjust country this was until he was elected.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Now, this, you just have to -- just have to laugh. This is another assault on the wealthy. It's an assault on hedge funds. Hedge funds are the villain. And furthermore, he is now impugning their motives. They were hoping everybody else would make sacrifices, that they would have to make no sacrifices. Some demanded twice the return that other lenders were getting?

Since when does any of this have any relevance. Once the federal government moved in with bailout money and with orders and instructions to the CEO on how this thing is to be restructured -- this is classic statism: an authoritarian figure dumping on the private sector at every opportunity to mischaracterize their motives, to mischaracterize the reasons for their investment in things.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: I actually thought -- what's that whorehouse out in Vegas? What's the name of the place? The Bunny? No, the Bunny -- I thought they let the inhabitants of the Bunny Ranch out to start pretending to be the press corps last night. When I watched highlights of it -- I didn't watch it last night.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: The fact of the matter is America is worse off in the last 100 days than it was before Obama became president, and that is a fact that you can analyze and stipulate to in any number of ways, primarily economic. We're supposed to give Obama more time before we say that, they tell us: "You can't judge him too quickly now. It's only been 100 days."

Oh, but they can? They can celebrate him as an effective president after 100 days, but we can't criticize? And we can't point out the toilet the country is about to be flushed down?

[...]

LIMBAUGH: President Obama does not fix anything. President Obama does not reform anything. He just keeps grabbing, and spending, and dictating to enhance his own authority and that of the government. And in the process, the Obama administration is killing the United States economy as he remakes America.

Clips from this hour

Limbaugh compares WH press corps to brothel: "I thought they let the inhabitants of the Bunny Ranch out to start pretending to be the press corps last night"

Discussing Churchill reference, Limbaugh says Obama "lies" like "every other liberal"; "Obama is weakening this nation's ability to defend itself"

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Rush's "running room" as leader of the GOP
By Simon Maloy

Kicking off the final hour, Rush professed to be shocked that the Associated Press had released two "fact checks" criticizing Obama last night, saying you don't normally see this sort of thing. Really? Because we see them all the time. That darn liberal media strikes again...

Anyway, speaking of the liberal media, Rush turned his attention to Vice President Biden's comments on Today this morning on the swine flu and public transportation, saying that Biden was creating a "panic." Then he noted that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano appeared on MSNBC a little while later saying that if Biden could say what he said again, he'd amend his comments slightly. Rush said that if you're a Democrat, the mainstream media always gives you a chance to say it again. Noting that Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) was not happy about Biden's comments, Limbaugh said it's time to "circle the wagons" around Biden -- Specter, as well, because senior Senate Democrats are reportedly unhappy that Specter will be allowed to retain his seniority on committees. Then Rush aired audio of Chuck Todd, speaking with MSNBC "anchoress" Contessa Brewer, describing the vice president's comments on Today as "Biden being Biden," and that Brewer said Biden may have been echoing what many Americans may be thinking.

Then Rush got around to doing what we'd been waiting for him to do all day -- mocking Obama for, at the press conference last night, encouraging Americans to take specific steps to prevent flu transmission: hand-washing, covering coughs, etc. Rush noted that the president did not specify for how long they should wash their hands, or what soap they should use. As with all the tire gauge foolishness from the campaign, we find it fascinating that conservatives are mocking Obama for suggesting to Americans things they can do that will keep them healthy or save them money. We guess, by their logic, people would be better served by driving on their rims and licking doorknobs.

After the break, Rush took a call from a college professor in central California who said that there are people in her area who try to keep their unemployment benefits going as long as possible, and that there are even college courses that they take that instruct them on how best to do this. Rush was dumbfounded, saying that the real question here is what came first -- the unemployment benefits or the classes on how to maintain benefits. Not quite the cleanest chicken-or-the-egg scenario we've encountered.

After another quick break, Rush wanted to play a sound bite from Charlie Rose's roundtable last night, in which New York magazine's John Heilemann said that Obama should have said at the press conference that he was enchanted by Rush Limbaugh, because the absence of a compelling Republican leader allows Limbaugh to have a lot of room to run around. Rush said: "He's right; wide latitude, lots of running room, nobody with any alternative ideas out there." Remember way back when Rush denied vociferously that he was the leader of the GOP? Guess that's not operative anymore...

Then Rush claimed that Attorney General Eric Holder is in Berlin "begging" the Germans to take Guantánamo detainees. The "dirty little secret" behind this, Rush said, is: "We're just gonna release them under the premise that they've been held unlawfully. We owe these people -- we're just gonna turn them loose in Montana or wherever else. Just turn 'em loose, let 'em go." No, we're not going to "turn them loose in Montana" or anywhere. In fact, Montana has a brand-spankin' new prison facility just sitting up there waiting for them.

After one more break, Rush closed out the program with a call from a gentleman who noted that Obama took a question last night from a "sharp-looking black guy from BET," who asked how the stimulus package will benefit African-Americans. Noting that Obama included Latinos in explaining how the stimulus will benefit minority groups, the caller grew agitated, claiming that the BET reporter only wanted to know what Obama was "doing for the brothers," since they're the ones who "put him there." Rush answered by expanding on his theory on "blue" cities from yesterday, saying that in any blue city run by Democrats, education is a mess, the drop-out rates are high among minorities -- just look at New York. We'll point out again, as we did yesterday, that New York City has not had a Democratic mayor in over 15 years. Anyway, Rush said that Democrats are not trying to fix anything, "[a]nd if you have a statist and authoritarian whose objective is to grow the government as large as possible, I mean, it's the -- a fundamental element of that is having as many people dependent on that government as possible." We'll give you one guess as to who that statist authoritarian is...

Well, that does it for today's Wire, and, if you'll permit, I'll slip into the first-person singular in saying that also does it for me for this week. I've been writing this thing every day for the past... jeez, it's been less than two months? That's it? Well, either way, I've earned a long weekend, I think. But just because I won't be here doesn't mean the Limbaugh Wire won't continue, so please tune in tomorrow for a special guest author. Until then, please take a look at Media Matters' continually updated Limbaugh archives, and I'll see you all on Monday.

Highlights from Hour 3

Outrageous comments

Ego on loan from Narcissus

LIMBAUGH: Now, this is -- see this is where they're wrong. They -- and Carville was out there talking about the great Rush Limbaugh's a -- you know, the leader of the Republican Party and so forth, and that -- so there's no real political leadership. And everybody's scared of me in the Republican Party. They're afraid to disagree with me. So it gets him -- but he's right; wide latitude, lots of running room, nobody with any alternative ideas out there.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: See, the dirty little secret is that the more misery among people who are already -- I mean, people who are already miserable are voting Democrat anyway. People in dire educational or economic circumstances are already voting Democrat, and they've been voting Democrat all their lives under the premise it's all going to get better. It doesn't get better, particularly in blue cities, major metro areas.

The conclusion, therefore, has to be one of two things: either they don't know how to fix it, quote-unquote, or they don't want to. And if you have a statist and authoritarian whose objective is to grow the government as large as possible, I mean, it's the -- a fundamental element of that is having as many people dependent on that government as possible.

America's Truth Rejector

Falsely claimed the administration is going to "turn loose" Gitmo detainees in Montana:

LIMBAUGH: They want to close Gitmo January 2010, and they're gonna release people in America. They're just gonna -- and they want to release some in Germany. And they wants -- they want to release some in France. And that Holder, since we're going to do it, is trying to convince them to do it.

We're just gonna release them. We're just going to release them and let them assimilate no differently than if they were illegal immigrants. We're just gonna release them under the premise that they've been held unlawfully. We owe these people -- we're just gonna turn them loose in Montana or wherever else. Just turn 'em loose, let 'em go.

Clips from this hour

Limbaugh on closing Guantánamo: "[T]hey're just going to turn them loose in Montana or wherever else"

Limbaugh discusses assertion that Limbaugh is the head of the GOP

Limbaugh refers to Contessa Brewer as "anchoress"

Limbaugh: "Obama has been able to slither and slide between the lines, been able to say he stands for America's traditions while he trashes them"