Hour 1: Limbaugh Threatens Blue Dogs Over Health Care: "[You] Have Seen Your Last Days If You Vote For This"

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Rush's strident defense of the Tea-Partying "majority"
By Simon Maloy

There were a lot of things we expected when we started this Limbaugh Wire gig -- premature aging, hair loss, Stockholm Syndrome, etc. But one thing we didn't expect was competition. Seriously, what kind of sick, self-loathing, masochistic soul would look at what we do here every day and say to themselves, "Me too"? Well, that question has been answered, as the good people at Jezebel have started live-blogging El Rushbo's daily antics. Their approach is a little different from ours -- they place a premium on brevity, offer an interactive Limbaugh Bingo game, and reserve some of their best mockery for the callers. What they share with us, however, is an appreciation of just how hellish The Rush Limbaugh Show can be for anyone with sense, reason, intelligence, or ears. So, welcome to the fray, Jezebel. If misery loves company, then we can now consider ourselves soul mates.

Anyway, Rush must have been in need of a pick-me-up this morning, because he got today's show going with a feel-good monologue about how radical and evil and awful and liberal the Democratic Party is. Nothing really new or noteworthy here -- the hard-left Democratic leadership is doing the bidding of the trial lawyers, grassroots Democrats aren't that liberal, Democrats are marginalizing themselves, and they have policies in place that are destroying their own voters. Oh, and the media stinks, can't forget that.

Continuing, Rush said he knows that the American people are decent, liberty-loving, creative, and independent, and that's why Obama and Pelosi have to lie about everything. They are using the tactics of Saul Alinsky -- don't speak outside the comfort level of your audience. The Democrats use the language of competitiveness and liberty to fool the people. Rush added: "And at its core, this country rejects Obamaism -- at its core. That's -- Mr. Snerdley, this is so plain as day, I don't know why I didn't come up with it sooner. Why do they lie? Why are they lie -- why can't they be honest about what they're doing. Why can't they say, "Yes, you're going to lose your private insurance"? Why can't they say, "Yeah, we're gonna ration care"? It's not what people want. The American people do not want an all-powerful, socialist government. This is why they have to lie." Obama and the Democrats spend every moment of every day plotting ways to lie to and fool the American people, etc.

And Rush had a "special message" for the Blue Dog Democrats. These Blue Dogs are getting away with a great scam, said Rush. They fancy themselves fiscal conservatives, and they repeat that mantra to their constituents, but they can't maintain this fiction while voting yes on health care. They'll be kicked out of office for being exposed as leftists, said Rush. This vote will determine their political futures. Ask Republicans who lost elections in the past few cycles about campaigning one way and voting another. Rush said you Blue Dogs have seen your last days if you vote for this bill. You will be finished in 2010 if you vote for the most radical expansion of government ever.

After the break, Rush wasn't quite done with the anti-Democrat venom. A community organizer can not complain when communities organize, said Rush, but that's exactly what's happening right now. Back in July 2007, Obama said that being a community organizer is a qualification for the presidency, and now he's attacking organizing communities. Rush said: "This is what Barack Obama said was the best education he ever had was community organizing for ACORN. It was the highest good, a public service. And he's now trying to swat down citizens who have grievances? Of course. Because he's a statist, he's an authoritarian." Rush then played the audio of the DNC ad attacking the "mobs" at the town hall meetings. Rush said he predicted this - this is the President of the United States calling you a mob. "This is the president of the United States, who ran as a unifier. He has now resorted to nothing more than a raw political campaign as president against a majority of the American people who oppose him. The president of the United States is running ads referring to 52 percent of the American people as a mob" Really, Rush? These people represent the "majority"? The majority of Americans hang congressman in effigy, joke about the suicide of a senator newly diagnosed with cancer, and carry protest signs against Obama with Nazi SS lettering?

Rush then aired audio of Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-CA) appearance on The Daily Show last night, during which he said the town hall protests are not spontaneous, they're sponsored by the Republicans and Rush. They're trying to intimidate you, said Rush. The Democrats and the president blame you, they hold you in contempt. Rush then noted that on MSNBC yesterday, Keith Boykin said the protests are being organized by Republicans and Fox News, they're a coalition of cranks. Rush had a challenge for all the Democratic strategists and Robert Gibbs -- give the name of one person who has been hired by a lobbyist for an insurance company who has showed up at a town hall. Rush added: "But remember this, Mr. Boykin, community organizer, who thinks it's the greatest experience he ever had, can't start bitching when communities organize."

Another break and Rush aired the audio of the DNC ad again, and offered a riposte to its claim that the Republicans don't have a plan for the country -- we sure as hell do have a plan for moving the country forward, said Rush, it's called stopping Obama and the Democrats and saving the country. That's some plan. We're afraid it might be a little too narrowly focused though... Anyway, Rush then got on to one of our favorite lies: "The same party that passed a phony stimulus bill, giving ACORN community organizers billions of dollars to organize and protest and agitate -- the same party is complaining when private citizens attend townhall meetings on their own, on their own dime, and question what the government it wanting to do to their healthcare." No, ACORN did not receive billions from the stimulus. Otherwise, it's a good point.

Then Rush aired audio of Obama in Nevada in 2007, telling his supporters to argue with and get in the faces of their neighbors. This coming from the great unifier? Rush indignantly clucked. They have the nerve to call us an unruly mob? Then Rush aired audio of Obama saying in March that he didn't want to quell anger over AIG, he wanted anger channeled in a constructive way. Obama was telling the bankers he was the only one standing between them and the pitch. Rush added: "This man is not who he claims to be. He is not at all similar to the core of the American people. And that is why he has to lie with virtually every statement that he makes about his healthcare plan, or the stimulus, or the state of the economy." And here, folks, we get to the nub of things. Rush let slip the real reason behind all these attacks on Obama -- he's different from you. He's not like you. That's why Rush brings up Obama's birth certificate, that's why Rush jokes about Obama's brother in Kenya, that's why Rush reads fringe screeds about Obama being an African colonial -- it's all about forwarding the ugly notion that Obama is foreign, shady, and dangerous.

Rush then aired audio of Robert Gibbs at the White House press briefing yesterday saying that some of the protests are manufactured, and Conservatives for Patients Rights bragged about it. No, no, no, Rush said. Actually, yes, yes, yes. But anyway, Rush continued to insist that there is no manufactured anger. It is real and it is boiling over. Then Rush aired sound bites of Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) being heckled at an event in New York, specifically a sound bite of a man shouting that Hoyer is a "liar." This is a Democrat meeting, Rush said. Acutally, no, Rush, this guy wasn't a Democrat, he was a Tea Party organizer who crashed the meeting. Meaning it was manufactured outrage.

Coming back from one more break, Rush closed out this absurd hour of falsehoods and bile by reading from a series of blog entries from the Heritage Foundation about health care reform. Rush said that Americans do deserve an honest debate on health care, but these Democrats are lying. It's not us lying about the health care plan, it's the Democrats, because they care more about union bosses than they do the American people. Rush then aired a montage of the "talking point" that's been disseminated to the media, that the town hall protesters akin to the "Brooks Brothers riot" from the 2000 Florida recount. You're not real, folks, Said Rush. You're too well-dressed.

Greg Lewis and Zachary Pleat contributed to this edition of the Limbaugh Wire.

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: And at its core, this country rejects Obamaism -- at its core. That's -- Mr. Snerdley, this is so plain as day, I don't know why I didn't come up with it sooner. Why do they lie? Why are they lie -- why can't they be honest about what they're doing. Why can't they say, "Yes, you're going to lose your private insurance"? Why can't they say, "Yeah, we're gonna ration care"? It's not what people want. The American people do not want an all-powerful, socialist government. This is why they have to lie.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: This is what Barack Obama said was the best education he ever had was community organizing for ACORN. It was the highest good, a public service. And he's now trying to swat down citizens who have grievances? Of course -- because he's a statist; he's an authoritarian.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: This is the president of the United States, who ran as a unifier. He has now resorted to nothing more than a raw political campaign as president against a majority of the American people who oppose him. The president of the United States is running ads referring to 52 percent of the American people as a mob.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: But remember this, Mr. Boykin, community organizer, who thinks it's the greatest experience he's ever had, can't start bitching when communities organize.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: This man is not who he claims to be. He is not at all similar to the core of the American people. And that is why he has to lie with virtually every statement that he makes about his health care plan, or the stimulus, or the state of the economy. He has to lie. He has to lie about his plans because the people of this country would reject him by a landslide if he were honest.

America's Truth Rejector

LIMBAUGH: The same party that passed a phony stimulus bill, giving ACORN community organizers billions of dollars to organize and protest and agitate, the same party is complaining when private citizens attend town hall meetings on their own, on their own dime, and question what the government is wanting to do to their health care.