This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Rush's interest in Gisele Bündchen's thoughts
By Greg Lewis and Karl Frisch

El Rushbo kicked things off today's show asking his audience if they were genuinely thrilled and excited about the California election results. This led Rush into the subject of federalism. First, he attempted to explain federalism: federalism, he said, is the opposite of central planning. Rush then asserted that federalism was in its "dying days" with Obama in the White House. Oh, and of course, he used the special election in California to comment on Obama: "[W]hat we saw in California last night is indeed a building reaction to Obama. It is no question, it is a building reaction to a growing government wherever it is -- state, federal." He added that the election results also make all of Obama's approval ratings "meaningless" because the President's policies are by no means popular.

Then it was time for some more intra-party bickering. Rush claimed that today's Republican Party is no longer about Ronald Reagan asserting that the people leading the party today think that tax cuts are a "bygone issue" and want growing governments, too: "This vote from California last night that brings Ronald Reagan back to life and that's the last thing that the Republican Party, the people running it today, want.  I'm not making this up, these people are saying so."

The ever-focused Limbaugh then went back to discussing federalism. Repeating his thought that federalism is "on its last legs" because the Obama administration is in power, Rush proceeded to read a passage in Mark Levin's Liberty and Tyranny about how federalism allows for mobility.

Rush went on to baselessly suggest that states like California, New York, and New Jersey will be getting federal bailouts (have there been any elected federal politicians seriously putting that forth?). He asked, "Why would they absorb all of these other debts from all these others states? Because if they're liberal Democrats they're wired that way.  They want, with a Democrat in Washington, a bigger federal government taking over more of the burden they can then shield themselves from with their local voters."

The right-wing talker tackled one more topic before hitting his first commercial break. Rush had some not-so-kind words for Colin Powell in reaction to Powell's speech in Boston last night:

LIMBAUGH: The only thing emerging here is Colin Powell's ego. Colin Powell represents the stale, the old, the worn-out GOP that never won anything. The party of Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, Bill Scranton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and those types of people. Has anybody heard Colin Powell say a single word against Obama's radicalism? Or Pelosi or Reid, for that matter? Maybe he has, but his fawning media sure hasn't reported if he has said it. He supports massive debt, I guess. He supports slashing the military budget, I suppose. He supports federal funding of abortion, I guess. He supports activist judicial nominees. He supports rationalizing private industries -- nationalizing them. He supports all kinds of things even so-called moderate Republicans like him used to oppose. But he's voted for Obama, endorsed him. I just told you what Obama's policies are. He doesn't speak out against them, and yet he's waiting for a GOP to emerge that will include him? They don't like what happened in California, mark my words.

After a break, Rush described his own personal mobility in the way he recently left New York because of taxes. Everything is about Limbaugh on The Rush Limbaugh Show. It's also about other rich people who don't like paying taxes, like Buffalo Sabres owner Tom Golisano. Rush read some of New York Post Golisano's op-ed in which he explains his decision to leave New York. From here, he whined and moaned as he told tales of the New York government harassing him about his taxes.

The subject then moved back to California. Instead of recapping what he said, can we take a brief timeout?  With Rush continuing to berate California, we might as well note that California's government does have its fair share of problems, but as The Economist explains, these structural problems won't be fixed with more hyper-partisan bickering, like the kind Limbaugh has been promoting on his show of late.

Before the hour came to a close, Limbaugh got in another shot at Colin Powell. Reading more about Powell's speech from last night, in which pro football quarterback Tom Brady and his wife, supermodel Gisele Bündchen, were in attendance, Rush quipped, "Frankly, I'm more interested in what Gisele Bündchen thinks than Colin Powell."

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous remarks:

LIMBAUGH: And by the way, I will admit before I get into the cold-water portion of this, what we saw in California last night is indeed a building reaction to Obama. It is no question, it is a building reaction to a growing government wherever it is -- state, federal.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Why would they absorb all of these other debts from all these other states? Because if they're liberal Democrats, they're wired that way. They want, with a Democrat in Washington, a bigger federal government taking over more of the burden they can then shield themselves from with their local voters.

Attacking conservatives:

LIMBAUGH: This vote from California last night -- that brings Ronald Reagan back to life, and that's the last thing that the Republican Party, the people running it today, want. I'm not making this up -- these people are saying so.

            [...]

LIMBAUGH: The only thing emerging here is Colin Powell's ego. Colin Powell represents the stale, the old, the worn-out GOP that never won anything. The party of Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, Bill Scranton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and those types of people. Has anybody heard Colin Powell say a single word against Obama's radicalism? Or Pelosi or Reid, for that matter? Maybe he has, but his fawning media sure hasn't reported if he has said it. He supports massive debt, I guess. He supports slashing the military budget, I suppose. He supports federal funding of abortion, I guess. He supports activist judicial nominees. He supports rationalizing private industries -- nationalizing them. He supports all kinds of things even so-called moderate Republicans like him used to oppose. But he's voted for Obama, endorsed him. I just told you what Obama's policies are. He doesn't speak out against them, and yet he's waiting for a GOP to emerge that will include him? They don't like what happened in California, mark my words.

            [...]

LIMBAUGH: Frankly, I'm more interested in what Gisele Bündchen thinks than Colin Powell.

Statist watch:

LIMBAUGH: See, in a statist, centralized society, it's the people who are the problem. You can't let people be free. The people will do the wrong thing every time. People are stupid, people are ignorant, and we can't leave their lives up to them. That's the thing that animates people like Barack Obama and the Democrat Party.

Echo chamber:

Rush read passages from Mark Levin's Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto (p. 52).

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the now former titular head of the Republican Party

Rush began his second hour with an important announcement. First, he explained how, in recent months, he has been anointed the "titular" head of the Republican Party by the Obama White House and the drive by media. But as of today, Limbaugh announced that he is officially resigning as the titular head of the Republican Party. "I quit," he said, "I resign as the titular head of the Republican Party."

But that wasn't all. Rush then "pass[ed] the baton" to Colin Powell, appointing him as titular head of the Republican Party. Rush explained that it would now be up to Powell, the new titular head of the party, to instruct the party on the things it needs to do to win in 2010 and 2012 and beat back the "onslaught of Obamaism." (As we noted, Limbaugh said in the previous hour that Powell "represents the stale, the old, the worn-out GOP that never won anything.")

Then Rush moved on to some sound bites, the first from "infobabe" Contessa Brewer on MSNBC, who was seemingly ignoring Rush's challenge to the network to not mention him for 30 days. Later, Rush addressed comments made by "the former moderate Republican from Connecticut" Chris Shays yesterday on MSNBC. Shays, discussing the plight of northeastern Republicans, said that if there isn't a national party that will allow you to represent your constituents, then you shouldn't be in it. Rush's response to Shays was to suggest that it was Shays who abandoned his voters.

After the break, Rush took his first caller of the afternoon. The dittohead echoed Limbaugh's complaints on the Los Angeles Times coverage of yesterday's California special election, and said that he's a "right-wing extremist" because he felt the media had been a serious problem in the country for forty years. Rush might as well have responded with a resounding "Ditto!" Rush went on to criticize a "snarky" editorial in the Sacramento Bee.

Returning from another commercial time out, Rush read from an ABC News story headlined, "America's Richest Givers Hold Secret Meeting in New York." Rush's discussion of the story, however, was rather strange, and makes us wonder if he actually read much of the article. In response to the story, Rush asked what "problems" the billionaires mentioned -- Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and others -- had with philanthropy. Why, Rush asked, did they have to have a meeting to discuss the "problems" in donating? After reading the article, we wondered what the heck Rush was talking about, since it doesn't appear to say or suggest that any of the attendees of the meeting had "problems" with donating and their nonprofits. Anyway, Rush also blamed the fact that nonprofits are hurting for donations on the Obama administration, because as we all know by now, Obama is responsible for the lousy economy.

Then it was on to more talk about Obama's plans to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and the speed bumps it has been facing. Rush commented on the recent development that Senate Democrats plan to block funding for the closure of the prison until a plan where to put the detainees is decided upon. El Rushbo had a theory for this: "People think that the Democrats realize these's some really dangerous people down there. That's not it -- it's to give Obama cover. This is to cover Obama's ignorance. This is to cover Obama's stupidity last January in unilaterally announcing that Club Gitmo will close in January of 2010." He later added: "I tell ya, this is cover for Obama, 'cause the little boy president went out there and did something absolutely ignorant and stupid, and he's got to be covered for it now."

Rush also maintained his highly critical stance towards Obama's plan to close "Gitmo" reminding his audience of the Limbaugh-Cheney solution: "keep it open." He also opined on the notion that keeping the prison open creates more terrorists because it is used for propaganda purposes. "There's more evidence," said Rush, "that we evolved from that lemur monkey 47 million years old than there is Guantánamo Bay created more terrorists."

Highlights from Hour 2

Outrageous remarks:

LIMBAUGH: People think that the Democrats realize these's some really dangerous people down there. That's not it -- it's to give Obama cover. This is to cover Obama's ignorance. This is to cover Obama's stupidity last January in unilaterally announcing that Club Gitmo will close in January of 2010.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: I tell ya, this is cover for Obama, 'cause the little boy president went out there and did something absolutely ignorant and stupid, and he's got to be covered for it now.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: There's more evidence that we evolved from that lemur monkey 47 million years old than there is that Guantánamo Bay created more terrorists.

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Colin Powell, the new "titular head" of the GOP
By Greg Lewis and Karl Frisch

Rush began the final hour of his broadcast today noting it was "funny" how Robert Gibbs was saying Obama "will not make any decision that will place our security at risk," in regards to Guantánamo. This gave Limbaugh an opportunity to plug his "thriving merchandise business."

After commenting on "Dingy" Harry Reid's lousy re-election numbers and the proposed soda tax in New York, Limbaugh changed gears. Rush gave a long, "inside baseball," explanation of why minority-owned radio stations were weighted in such a manner that gave their minority listenership higher ratings than they might have actually had. But with the radio industry's newly adopted method of calculating ratings, which Rush explained is more accurate, it has revealed the ratings of minority-owned broadcasters to be lower than thought. This build up led to this Drudge-flagged Hill article about Democrats in Congress seeking a "financial rescue of minority-owned broadcasters."

El Rushbo thought that the "irony here [was] delicious" because when Obama and Tim Geithner get involved, they buy companies. He further explained: "What's happening here is this is about statists owning media. This is the first step toward Obama and the government owning minority radio stations." He later added that Obama, "the first black president," is trying to take over the media by bailing out minority-owned broadcasting stations before declaring, "This is shades of Hugo Chavez."

After the break, Limbaugh took a quick call from what sounded like a seriously depressed dittohead who was looking for "marching orders" because he was frustrated with everything going on. Rush told the caller that he too was waiting for marching orders, but from General Powell, who is now the titular head of the Republican Party. Har har ... har.

A quick commercial break and Rush was back talking about the Chrysler dealerships being closed. He read a Reuters article on some of these dealerships challenging the decisions to Chrysler, and then an American Thinker piece that featured a "letter from a Dodge dealer" whose franchise is being discontinued, which Rush read in full. Rush claimed that it was Obama who was the one "cutting" the dealerships and was glad to hear that some of the affected dealers would be taking action.

Then Rush changed focus slightly by going after Ron Gettelfinger and the UAW reading that the UAW is reportedly "reluctant" to be in the "driver's seat" at Chrysler and GM, despite their having a 55 percent stake in Chrysler and what will "likely get up to" a 38 percent stake in GM. Not surprisingly, Limbaugh had no kind words for the unions: "The truth of the matter is that Ron Gettelfinger and anybody at the UAW don't have a clue how to run a sustaining, profitable business. They only know how to leech from it. They only know how to complain. They only know how to whine about how evil management is."

He later asserted that the union cares only about getting benefits: "It's not about making cars; it's not about advancing the business. They don't want any part of that. They just want the business to be around to be able to leech off of it."

Finally, one last commercial break and it was time for Rush to bring his show to an end for the day. He began by airing a clip from MSNBC today, in which the anchors were seemingly taunting him in response to his challenge to the peacock network not to talk about him for 30 days. Before the show ended, Rush noted that MSNBC finally did report that he is no longer the titular head of the Republican Party. Rush said "that makes it official now" that Colin Powell "runs the show."

Limbaugh then played an audio clip of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's speech today, in which she said, "We are being out-communicated by the Taliban and Al Qaeda. That is absolutely unacceptable." Rush was outraged that she would suggest this, and exclaimed: "Mrs. Clinton, will you please tell me who it is that's been running this country down for the past seven years? It's you and your party. If anybody's responsible for our horrible image, and somehow a "lack of knowledge about the greatness of democracy," it's the Democrat Party. It's Barack Obama, who's been running around the world apologizing for this country. You need to go make that speech inside the Oval Office, Mrs. Clinton."

Oh, and speaking of Secretary Clinton, Rush had this to say about Bill Clinton becoming a special envoy to Haiti: "I'm just gonna tell you, if I was named envoy to Haiti, I'd quit government. Envoy to Haiti? You can't even pick up a prostitute down there without genuine fear of AIDS. This is not Clinton's place." Classy, as always.

That's it for the Limbaugh Wire for today, folks. Tomorrow, we expect Simon to be back from his vacation, rested and eager to get back to listening and writing about his favorite radio host. Vacations are overrated anyway -- they can't compare to getting your daily Rush fix.

Highlights from Hour 3

Outrageous remarks:

LIMBAUGH: What's happening here -- this is about statists owning media. This is the first step toward Obama and the government owning minority radio stations. Crisis is an opportunity after all, remember?

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Obama, the first black president, has cut the Chrysler ad budget in half; he's going to do the same thing to General Motors. That hurts the media, and in particularly the minority media, according to this story, so Obama will get an opportunity to buy into the broadcasting business. This is shades of Hugo Chavez.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: The truth of the matter is that Ron Gettelfinger and anybody at the UAW don't have a clue how to run a sustaining, profitable business. They only know how to leech from it. They only know how to complain. They only know how to whine about how evil management is.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: It's about benefits. It's not about making cars; it's not about advancing the business. They don't want any part of that. They just want the business to be around to be able to leech off of it.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Mrs. Clinton, will you please tell me who it is that's been running this country down for the past seven years? It's you and your party. If anybody's responsible for our horrible image, and somehow a "lack of knowledge about the greatness of democracy," it's the Democrat Party. It's Barack Obama, who's been running around the world apologizing for this country. You need to go make that speech inside the Oval Office, Mrs. Clinton.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Bill Clinton, envoy to Haiti. I'm just gonna tell you, if I was named envoy to Haiti [laughing] I'd quit government. Envoy to Haiti? You can't even pick up a prostitute down there without genuine fear of AIDS. This is not Clinton's place.

Echo chamber:

Rush read from an American Thinker post at length.