This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Judge Sotomayor - the "horrible," "hack," "disaster" nominee who should "fail"
By Simon Maloy

Happy Tuesday from the Limbaugh Wire. We have to admit that President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court has us pretty frightened. Actually, no, let's rephrase that -- the prospect of chronicling and critiquing Rush Limbaugh's response to President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court has us pretty frightened. He's already slammed Sotomayor despite not knowing what court she serves on, and his unique views on women and Hispanics are well documented, so we're anticipating a Class 5 Limbaugh freak-out on this one.

Rush got the show rolling by praising Sotomayor's inspiring and tremendous personal story, but felt impelled to point out that she accomplished everything in her life during the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton years. We're not sure why he wanted to point this out -- perhaps to knock down liberal claims that Sotomayor can travel through time? Anyway, Rush counseled that Republicans should absolutely "go to the mat" in opposing Sotomayor, explaining: "I doubt that Sotomayor can be stopped; she should be. She is a horrible pick. She is the antithesis of a judge, by her own admission and in her own words."

Rush went on to offer some more thoughts on Sotomayor, which we could characterize, but we'll instead let his words speak for themselves:

• "She is a hack like he is a hack, in the sense that the court is a place to be used to make policy -- not to adjudicate cases, not to adjudicate constitutional law, but to make policy."

• "I mean, do I want her to fail? Yeah. Do I want her to fail to get on the court? Yes -- she'd be a disaster on the court."

• "You know, Obama talks about 'we need people with empathy.' It's not even about empathy, folks; that's just cover. He just wants one of his own on the court to do his dirty work from the highest court in the land, and she fits the bill."

Now, when Rush said that Sotomayor is a "hack" because she views the court as "a place to be used to make policy, not to adjudicate cases," he was referring to a 2005 panel discussion in which Sotomayor said the "court of appeals is where policy is made." Rush aired audio of her comments, saying that she is the embodiment of a judge that is all wrong for the high court, because she stands for "policy-making." Actually, Sotomayor was explaining the differences between judging at the district and federal appeals courts. As the legal observers at Volokh Conspiracy explained: "As presented in the clip, it seems to be nothing more than an observation that, as a practical matter, many policy disputes are resolved in the federal courts of appeals. This is an indisputably true observation. Moreover, the fact that many policy disputes are resolved in federal appellate courts does not mean that judges are resolving those cases on policy grounds." But, as a rule, saying something that is "indisputably true" does not dissuade the right from attacking you -- they actually seem to view it as more of a challenge -- so be sure that we'll hear more about this one from Rush.

Then Rush turned his attention to a speech Sotomayor gave in which she extolled the importance of diversity in the courts in which she offered this comment, which has been isolated for criticism by the conservative echo chamber: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Rush offered his thoughts on this: "So here you have a racist. You might want to soften that, and you might want to say a reverse racist. And the libs, of course, say that minorities cannot be racists because they don't have the power to implement their racism. Well, those days are gone, because reverse racists certainly do have the power to implement their power. Obama is the greatest living example of a reverse racist, and now he's appointed one." After reading extensively from Jeffrey Rosen's disingenuous New Republic piece calling Sotomayor's intelligence into question, Rush said that "she's not the brain that they're portraying her to be. She's not a constitutional jurist. She is an affirmative action case extraordinaire."

After the break, Rush returned to Sotomayor, saying that the statue of Justice is blindfolded, but there is nothing about Sotomayor that is blindfolded. Rush explained that he thinks her nomination is more about Democratic politics than it is about the Supreme Court. Obama's motivations for nominating her, he said, are that he wants "an anti-constitutionalist on the court," and he wants to use race and gender politics to scare the Republicans. In that sense, said Rush, the nomination is a "two-run homer" for Obama, because it puts the Senate Republicans in a box. Republicans operate under the "illusion," Rush said, that they're treatment of Sotomayor will impact their appeal with Latinos.

So the situation, as Rush explained it, is that Obama has nominated a "party hack" who is likely to be confirmed, and in this situation the moderate Republicans, in Rush's estimation, are completely useless. Conservatives are confronting a "radical assault" on the country, Rush said, and the moderates like Colin Powell and Tom Ridge are distracting from that effort. Rush explained that Democrats and the media don't like him because he does the "heavy lifting" against the Democrats.

Another break and Rush was back, still attacking Powell and Ridge. Rush said that moderates like Powell and Ridge had to be put to the test, and there is no better time than the present, because we have a radical anti-constitutionalist appointed to the Supreme Court by the most radical leftist president we've ever had, who is also anti-constitutionalist. Rush's goal for the hour, it seemed, was to repeat the words "radical" and "anti-Constitutionalist" as many times as he could. Anyway, Rush continued, saying that Sotomayor's nomination is an outrage to "the whole concept of justice."

One more break before the end of the hour, and Rush came back with his three-point explanation of Colin Powell's motivations for his criticisms of Republicans and his support of Obama -- race, anger at Bush, and humiliation. The humiliation, Rush said, stems from Powell's 2003 presentation to the United nations regarding Iraq's scary (and nonexistent) WMDs. Rush said Powell is on a rehabilitation tour with the Washington establishment, and it's working.

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: I doubt that Sotomayor can be stopped; she should be. She is a horrible pick. She is the antithesis of a judge, by her own admission and in her own words.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: She is a hack like he is a hack, in the sense that the court is a place to be used to make policy -- not to adjudicate cases, not to adjudicate constitutional law, but to make policy.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: I mean, do I want her to fail? Yeah. Do I want her to fail to get on the court? Yes -- she'd be a disaster on the court.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: You know, Obama talks about "we need people with empathy." It's not even about empathy, folks; that's just cover. He just wants one of his own on the court to do his dirty work from the highest court in the land, and she fits the bill.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: So here you have a racist. You might want to soften that, and you might want to say a reverse racist. And the libs, of course, say that minorities cannot be racists because they don't have the power to implement their racism. Well, those days are gone, because reverse racists certainly do have the power to implement their power. Obama is the greatest living example of a reverse racist, and now he's appointed one.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: So she's not -- she's not the brain that they're portraying her to be. She's not a constitutional jurist. She is an affirmative action case extraordinaire.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: I happen to think that this appointment by President Obama is more about Democrat Party politics than it is about the U.S. Supreme Court. It's a close second because he does have an anti-constitutionalist -- if he gets her confirmed, he will have an anti-constitutionalist on the court. That's what he wants.

Clips from this hour

Limbaugh calls Sotomayor "a reverse racist," appointed by "the greatest living example of a reverse racist"

Limbaugh on Sotomayor: "She is the antithesis of a judge... She may as well be on the 9th Circus Court of Appeals"

Limbaugh: Obama wants an "anti-constitutionalist" on the Supreme Court

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Rush's warped vision of Obama's vision of America
By Simon Maloy

Rush came back for the second hour by noting that the California Supreme Court voted to uphold that state's ban on gay marriage. All Rush wanted to know is whether there will be more rioting in California over this. Then in was on to Rush's latest poll numbers from CNN, which found that "Americans have a much more favorable opinion of Powell than Cheney or Limbaugh." Rush didn't buy this -- he insisted that he was one of the most popular people in America. But the poll was irrelevant anyway, he said, because Rush doesn't hold elected office.

Before the first break, Rush touched on a new study which found that unhappiness among women in America is rising. Rush wished that the study had differentiated between liberal and conservative women, and posited that the study would have to be redone in the wake of Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination to see if it made women happier.

After the break Rush took his first call, this one from a man suggesting that Rush get cracking on his "teaching tour," because this is the perfect time to explain to America why "originalist" justices are the only acceptable option for the Supreme Court. Rush reiterated his insistence that the GOP oppose Sotomayor because that's the best way to demonstrate to the country who Obama really is. Regarding the promotion of "originalist" justices, Rush said that it's going to be very hard for Republicans to talk about that because of Sotomayor's personal story, which Rush said was amazing and quintessentially American. What needs to be said about her story, Rush said, is that it happened during the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton years -- the period of American history for which Obama, in Rush's view, is constantly apologizing. Rush explained: "She's done it all. That shouldn't have been possible in the America Obama believes in. Sonia Sotomayor, if you listen to Barack Obama, should not be. We should never have heard of her."

Now, this makes absolutely no sense. It makes no sense because it doesn't comport at all with the vision of America Obama offers. We know this because Obama frequently speaks of another American whose accomplishments during the Reagan/Bush/Clinton years are a testament to the greatness of America -- himself.

Anyway, Rush led into the break by saying that the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee should acknowledge Sotomayor's story and congratulate her on it, and then point out her lack of judicial qualifications. But they won't do it, Rush said, because Republican moderates are dying to get as many Latino votes as possible.

After the break, Rush took a call from a man who said that the Supreme Court nomination could have been worse in that he could have picked Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Rush said that it would be better to have Granholm on the court than in charge of the entire state of Michigan, but that's neither here nor there because, he says, "You can't do worse than this. And the reason you can't do worse than this is this woman does not use the law. I don't care what liberal judge Obama finds, it's going to be bad for the law. It doesn't matter who it is. This woman may be as radically bad as the Supreme Court can get, simply because of her jurisprudence." Rush again said that Republicans have to oppose Sotomayor because you have to look towards the future and there are elections to consider, though Rush said he can't see Republicans filibustering the nomination in the committee. We assume he thinks that's a good thing, because Rush is on record proclaiming the filibustering of judicial nominees as "unconstitutional, in my layman's view."

Rush's next caller said this is the time for a true conservative to come out and publicize the fact that they are opposed to Sotomayor, and then they'll be in the spotlight as a conservative who is not afraid of Obama or the media. Rush said what she wants someone the media is going to love, but any conservative with any aptitude will be torn to shreds by the media. The media hated Reagan, Rush said, and now they despise Rush. Their policy is destruction, personal character destruction, and conservatives don't do that (HA!). According to Rush, conservatives go after people on the issues.

One more break and Rush was back with another caller, this one wanting to know why the Iranians and North Koreans act provocatively by test-firing missiles and setting off nuclear weapons. Rush said this goes back to Biden warning during the campaign that Obama would be tested. The Iranians and the North Koreans are both defying the United States, Rush said. They're conducting a "trade show" for nuclear technology, demonstrating to people like Hugo Chavez what they have for sale.

Highlights from Hour 2

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: And yet here is this minority female Latina. She's Puerto Rican. She grew up in the South Bronx. Her father died when she was 8 or 9. She was diagnosed with diabetes. As Obama told today, she was told because of diabetes she -- and her minority status -- she'd never get anywhere. And yet she got into Princeton. And then she got into Yale Law. And then she got onto all these courts, she worked for Morgenthau's DA office in Manhattan. She's done it all. That shouldn't have been possible in the America Obama believes in. Sonia Sotomayor, if you listen to Barack Obama, should not be. We should never have heard of her.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Look, I don't think you can -- Todd, this is really tough. You can't do worse than this. And the reason you can't do worse than this is this woman does not use the law. I don't care what liberal judge Obama finds, it's going to be bad for the law. It doesn't matter who it is. This woman may be as radically bad as the Supreme Court can get, simply because of her jurisprudence.

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Obama and the underpants gnomes
By Simon Maloy

One more hour to go, and Rush got it going by noting with some amusement what White House communications director Anita Dunn said today that the media should be fair to Senate Republicans because Rush Limbaugh doesn't speak for them. Rush thought this noteworthy because just a few weeks ago, the White House said Rush was the leader and chief spokesman of the GOP. Rush said this is designed to manipulate the Senate Republicans to get them to vote to confirm Sotomayor.

Then Rush offered us another reason why we should never doubt him -- he's been saying for years that exercise doesn't do anything unless you change your eating habits, and here's a story from MSNBC about how exercise isn't likely to boost the body's ability to burn fat. Then it was on to Ray LaHood -- one of those moderate Republicans who committed the cardinal sin of joining the Obama administration as Transportation secretary -- who Rush attacked for allegedly telling reporters that he wants to "coerce people out of their cars." We don't have immediate access to the Q&A session, but judging by this write-up in the Boston Globe, it seemed like LaHood was mocking Republican attacks on the Obama administration's transportation funding priorities - or as the Globe put it: "LaHood expressed exasperation with the suggestion from some of his fellow Republicans that redirecting federal transportation money from highways to other modes of transportation amounted to government meddling in individual decisions."

Then Rush read extensively from a Power Line blog entry, the conceit behind which was that Obama supporters "trust him precisely because they believe that he frequently misrepresents his own beliefs." Rush linked this to a Wall Street Journal piece by Bret Stephens, who linked Obama's policy proposals to the classic episode of South Park in which the underpants gnomes encounter difficulty in explaining the method by which their thievery of undergarments will net them a profit. Rush said this is how Obama operates -- don't bother with the details, tell people what they want to hear, but don't tell them how it will happen. When Obama "lies," Rush said, his supporters love it. They know he's lying, but it lets him get away with his ultra-liberalism, so they're all for it. Remarkable as it may seem, we've actually already dealt with conservative attempts to co-opt South Park for their own purposes.

After the break Rush aired audio of Anita Dunn saying that Rush doesn't speak for the Senate Republicans when he calls Sotomayor a "reverse racist." Rush said that Sotomayor is "not qualified because she doesn't understand justice." Then Rush took a call from a man who said that the GOP has to back Sotomayor because she'll be confirmed anyway and their opposition will be spun as hatred of Hispanics. Rush again reiterated that Republicans should oppose Sotomayor because that will help the country understand who Obama is. The media didn't vet Obama, so by being critical of her record you can understand who Obama is. The way to get Hispanic votes, Rush said, is with unflinching conservative values.

Another break and Rush wanted to clear something up. Republicans, he said, don't do "identity politics." The GOP, he said, didn't win the Hispanic vote the last time around, the they had a candidate (McCain) who was the "architect" of "amnesty" for illegal immigrants. Rush then explained why he called Sotomayor a "reverse racist":

LIMBAUGH: She ruled against the white firefighter Ricci and other white firefighters just on the basis that she thought women and minorities should be given a preference because of their skin color and because of the history of discrimination in the past. The law was totally disregarded. That's what I mean when I refer to her as a reverse racist. Obama himself is one, the chip on his shoulder that he brings to office. If people just listen to what he said over the course of his career, it's unmistakable. I know the media is going to harp on this reverse-racist stuff, and I just want all of you to know that I am perfectly willing to back it up and I'm proud that I said it. It happens to be true.

Rush then said that Democrats are going to attack any successful conservative or Republican, but they're particularly going to go after the minorities: "Ask Clarence Thomas. Ask Micha -- Ken Blackwell of Ohio. Ask Thomas Sowell. Ask any number of black conservatives." Supporting Sotomayor, Rush said, will have no effect on the Hispanic vote, and Republicans and conservatives should stop buying into the premises of the left.

Then Rush had a theory for us -- Power Line and Bret Stephens wrote about how much Obama's supporters love it when he lies, so maybe it is time for Rush and the Republicans to start lying as well. We guess that would be like opening the barn door thirty years after the horse had already left. Anyway, Rush said that one day soon he will lie about everything he says on this show and not tell anyone that he's doing it, then we'll see if the media and the Democrats start to love him for it. We're confident that when that day comes along, it will be marked by a profound sense of déjà vu.

Leading into the final break Rush took another caller who listened to Sotomayor's remarks this morning, and remarked that he has yet to see a government appointee thank the welfare system for their achievements. Rush answered: "Something I read this morning -- she is a workaholic, and her clerks become her family. And they go home with her and work, and they -- I mean, she's -- so she's a hard worker. She's a very hard -- so is John Gotti. But the story is very compelling."

After the break, Rush offered a full-throated defense of his statement that Sotomayor is a "reverse racist," saying that she is the "antithesis of a judge" because judges do not make policy, the elected leaders of the people do. Rush then noted that Sotomayor once said: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Rush quipped: "If that's not a racist statement, I don't know what is -- reverse racist or whatever." Closing out the program, Rush took a call from a self-proclaimed former anti-establishmentarian who theorized that Obama, with his "insidious ... socialism," is saying: "OK, whitey, I'm going to pay you back now." Rush's response? "Oh, you were a long-haired maggot-infested FM type. All right, I got it. But you're on our side now. And I'm with you 100 percent, bro. You have -- you have nailed this."

And that's a wrap for today's Limbaugh Wire. We are eagerly anticipating Rush's upcoming nothing-but-lies show -- which is to say that we're eagerly anticipating tomorrow. And Thursday. And Friday. You get the idea. Anyway, we'll see you tomorrow, and until then please check out Media Matters' ever-expanding and never-dull Limbaugh archives.

Highlights from Hour 3

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: I referred to her today as a reverse racist, and you can see in the Ricci case that's currently before appeal on the Supreme Court with the decision coming in late June. She sided against a white firefighter and was admonished in her reasoning by a Clinton-appointed Democrat judge for not even addressing the constitutional issues. She ruled against the white firefighter Ricci and other white firefighters just on the basis that she thought women and minorities should be given a preference because of their skin color and because of the history of discrimination in the past. The law was totally disregarded. That's what I mean when I refer to her as a reverse racist. Obama himself is one, the chip on his shoulder that he brings to office. If people just listen to what he said over the course of his career, it's unmistakable. I know the media is going to harp on this reverse-racist stuff, and I just want all of you to know that I am perfectly willing to back it up and I'm proud that I said it. It happens to be true.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: The premise that we hate Hispanics is wrong in the first place. George Bush had 'em all over his administration, and the liberals tried to destroy every damn one of 'em. The two most prominent were Miguel Estrada and Alberto Gonzales. It doesn't have anything to do with Hispanic; it has to do with liberal vs. conservative. And the media is going to side with the left, and the Democrats are going to try to destroy any conservative or Republican who's going to be successful, particularly minorities. Particularly Republican minorities. Ask Clarence Thomas. Ask Micha -- Ken Blackwell of Ohio. Ask Thomas Sowell. Ask any number of black conservatives.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Something I read this morning -- she is a workaholic, and her clerks become her family. And they go home with her and work, and they -- I mean, she's -- so she's a hard worker. She's a very hard -- so is John Gotti. But the story is very compelling.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: In the same speech, Sonia Sotomayor went on to say, quote, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." If that's not a racist statement, I don't know what is -- reverse racist or whatever.

Let me read it to you another way. Chief Justice John Roberts in another speech said, "I would hope that a wise white man with the richness of his experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a Latina female who hasn't lived the rich white man's life." Do you think there would be any dispute that John Roberts had made a racist statement?

[...]

CALLER: It's just so much more insidious than just socialism that he's tried -- it's kind of like he's saying, "OK, whitey, I'm going to pay you back now. You had the last 200 --"

LIMBAUGH: That's what -- that's what you think's going on?

CALLER: That's what it seems like to me, with a lot of his --

LIMBAUGH: And you are a former lib?

CALLER: I wouldn't say I was a former lib, Rush. I didn't like you -- when I was younger, you know, I was into the punk rock music and all that, and I just -- anti-establishment. Now --

LIMBAUGH: Oh, you were a long-haired maggot-infested FM type. All right, I got it. But you're on our side now. And I'm with you 100 percent, bro. You have -- you have nailed this.

Echo chamber

Read extensively from Power Line blog entry on the idea that Obama's supporters like him because they believe he lies about his own views. Rush then linked the Power Line entry to a Bret Stephens column on Obama, South Park, and Guantanamo Bay.

Clips from this hour

Limbaugh compares federal judge and former prosecutor Sotomayor to late mob boss Gotti