Hour 3: Fill-in Davis suggests you can't be both Catholic and a Democrat

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire was largely consumed by "unfettered dorkery"
By Simon Maloy

One more hour to go, and Davis got it rolling by explaining that he eventually will get around to attacking Obama this hour, because "[t]his is the president who went to Georgetown and said, 'Cover up the Jesus stuff.' This is a president whose enthusiasm for the termination of pregnancies seems to be unprecedented." Not true. See, Davis was referring to Obama's April 14 speech at Georgetown's Gaston Hall, before which the administration asked the university to cover up all the signs and symbols on the stage, one of which happened to be an image of the name of Jesus. The hacks at CNSNews.com got wind of this and accused Obama, falsely, of specifically requesting that Jesus' name be covered. And thus, a smear was born.

The next 20 minutes or so of the program were lost on us, because it was devoted entirely to the merits of Star Trek in all its iterations, including the new movie that's coming out. We were never really into Star Trek -- too young for the Shatner glory days and too socially well-adjusted in general -- so we can't begin to tell you if there was any conservative misinformation going on. If he had been talking Star Wars, then we would have been all over it. (OK, maybe not that well-adjusted.) Nonetheless, it was refreshing to hear The Rush Limbaugh Show take so thorough a detour into, as Davis himself called it, "unfettered dorkery."

After the break, we moved on from Star Trek back to the Notre Dame "controversy," as Davis noted that an archbishop at the Vatican attacked Notre Dame for creating a "scandal" by inviting Obama to speak. Davis wondered how Catholics can support the Democratic Party when its platform is to be "cavalier about the unborn." Davis asked: "Can you be a Democrat and a Catholic in good standing at the same time?" We guess it's harder than being an atheist Republican... Anyway, Davis again linked Notre Dame to Georgetown, repeating the Jesus distortion: "You know what happened when the president wanted to go to Georgetown -- they called Georgetown and said, 'Yeah, you know, the IHS thing? The Jesus imagery? Yeah, you need to cover that up.' And I don't know what angers me more -- that the White House called and asked them to do it or that Georgetown agreed to do it." Davis said that "discourse" on this controversy is useless because neither Obama nor Notre Dame are going to change their views on abortion.

Then we went back to Star Trek as Davis took a caller who saw the movie and appeared to enjoy it.

Coming back from a quick break, Davis noted that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has ordered a review of notification procedures for "training events" like the Air Force One flyover. Davis said notification procedures don't matter -- this whole thing was a bad idea from square one. Davis explained that he is inclined to have some respect for Gates, but he also screwed up in allowing the media to photograph the coffins of dead soldiers as they return to the United States. Now, you may be thinking: "This is ridiculous to blame Gates. The families are allowed to decide whether or not the media are allowed to photograph the coffins." Well, Davis had a ready-made response for you: "It's not just about them [the families]." Davis elaborated, explaining what his thoughts would be if one of his children were killed in military service: "It is the country's business. And just because I have a moment where I might kind of think that I'd sort of like the footage of his returning remains to be on MSNBC, maybe we, as a nation, are not served well by the availability of this footage and the presenting of it to, and then by, a dominant media culture that lives to talk this war down."

After another Star Trek detour and another break, Davis came back reading from an AFP story on President Obama's "new scheme to use unemployment insurance as a springboard to get laid-off workers back to work, by offering expanded access to retraining education." Davis said the list of things that Obama wants the government to do that are none of the government's business continues to grow. The private sector is supposed to create jobs, Davis said, not the government (except government jobs).

Then Davis finally got around to mixing politics and Star Trek, saying that he'd like for the EIB network to institute a new policy whereby any pronouncement from President Obama is accompanied by the "red alert" sound from Star Trek. He then played an example of what that might sound like, which nearly tore out our eardrums (we knew we didn't like Star Trek for a reason).

After one last break, Davis took a caller whose daughter attends Notre Dame, and she explained that about 50 people were arrested this morning in a protest led by none other than Alan Keyes, who, when he ran against Obama for the Senate in 2004, memorably announced that Jesus would not vote for Obama. Davis said that he's not a Catholic, but, right now, he thinks he "may value the tenets of the faith more than the university does on this occasion in inviting such a radically, radically anti-life president."

And with that, we'll call it a wrap for the week here at the Limbaugh Wire. Unlike yesterday, we didn't learn anything new, but our distaste for Star Trek was renewed and reinvigorated. Rush will be back on Monday. Until then, have a great weekend, and be sure to check out Media Matters' Limbaugh archives. May the force be with you.

Highlights from Hour 3

Outrageous comments

DAVIS: What is up with Democratic Catholics? I mean, how exactly does that work? How, as Catholics, can you belong to a party, one of whose basic tenants is to be cavalier about the unborn? I mean, I guess I don't -- what am I expecting? For every Catholic to be a Republican? I don't know.

I mean, I know there are Catholics who are liberal on certain things and the Democratic Party would be their natural default setting, but when you get to the unborn, I'm just going to say that -- oh boy. Does Rush need these emails? Can you be a Democrat and a Catholic in good standing at the same time? You know, hey -- please tell me how you can. You've got 35 minutes to -- for somebody to tell me how you can.

[...]

DAVIS: Boy, that returning -- the returning coffins at Dover. See, it's kind of funny. It's like a similar theme. Here's another thing that he was willing to accommodate the minute, the minute someone said, "Hey" -- according -- this is at a White House news conference. The minute someone said, "Hey, let's start allowing video of our returning soldiers coming back in their coffins at Dover." There is only one answer to that, and that answer is no -- for the dignity of the procedure, for the concerns of the families.

And I love this: They said, "Well, if the family says it's OK, we'll do it." Well, guess what? Excuse me -- two reasons that's not OK. Number one: Nobody should be badgering the family. You know, "Oh, please, let us do it. Please let us do it. Come on, come on, come on. We'll tell your son's story." If it's the media badgering them or somebody else badgering, "Oh, come on. Let's honor your son by having that footage on CNN."

Nobody should -- no. No. Just no. And number two -- and sorry about this: It's not just about them. If, God forbid -- and so that I don't seem like a complete, you know, heartless whatever, I'll make it about me. And I believe you me, I don't enjoy saying this next paragraph. God forbid -- of course, I know that I would be prouder than if my son were to grow up and be in the military. If, God forbid, he gives his life -- well, he dies, I'd be proud that he gave his life for my country.

But if God forbid, he should die and his remains come back and come out the back of a transport plane to Dover, I am not the only person whose business that is. It is the country's business. And just because I have a moment where I might kind of think that I'd sort of like the footage of his returning remains to be on MSNBC, maybe we, as a nation, are not served well by the availability of this footage and the presenting of it to, and then by, a dominant media culture that lives to talk this war down.

[...]

DAVIS: This is going to be a real ground zero, if that term is usable anymore, for this debate -- and rightfully so. Notre Dame has, in a way, asked for it. And I love Notre Dame, and I have a huge respect for the Catholic faith. And the enduring question is: Do I -- as a non-Catholic, I may value the tenets of the faith more than the university does on this occasion in inviting such a radically, radically anti-life president. OK -- not to bring down the room.

America's guest-Truth Rejector

Repeated distortion that Obama asked Georgetown to cover up Jesus prior to speech:

DAVIS: This is the president who went to Georgetown and said, "Cover up the Jesus stuff." This is a president whose enthusiasm for the termination of pregnancies seems to be unprecedented.

[...]

DAVIS: You know what happened when the president wanted to go to Georgetown -- they called Georgetown and said, "Yeah, you know, the IHS thing? The Jesus imagery? Yeah, you need to cover that up." And I don't know what angers me more -- that the White House called and asked them to do it or that Georgetown agreed to do it.