Hour 3: Discussing Heilemann's comments about Limbaugh being leader of GOP, Rush says "[h]e's right"

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"