“Frigging idiots” to the right of Rush, “frigging idiots” to the left
By Simon Maloy

One thing we have to say about Rush is that he's very crafty when it comes to economics. That's not meant to imply that Rush is in any way a master of the complexities of economic theory - his grand economic scheme can be boiled down to: 1) cut taxes for rich people like himself; 2) smoke cigar while staring lovingly at Reagan portrait. No, the way in which Rush is crafty is his manipulation of economic data. One would be hard-pressed to make the case that the economy isn't showing signs of recovery right now -- GDP shrank at an annual rate of just one percent last quarter, a vast improvement from the previous two quarters; the stock market continues to gain ground, and the housing market has largely stabilized. Unemployment, however, is a lagging indicator of economic growth: “As business picks up after a recession and companies start receiving more orders and restocking their shelves, employers will still resist hiring new full-time workers, and instead pay overtime or rely on part-time employees.” But you look at Rush's shows from the past week, and you see that his constant refrain of the economy being “in the toilet” is bolstered by -- you guessed it -- the unemployment numbers. That's not to say that he's wrong to cite the unemployment stats -- it's just very misleading to cite them as the prime indicator of economic health.

Oh, and this line from The Washington Post article linked to above should really burn El Rushbo up: “Another driver behind the slowing contraction was federal government spending, which rose at a 10.9 percent pace in the second quarter, compared with a decline in the first quarter, as government stimulus spending began trickling out.”

Anyway, Rush got “Open Line Friday!” rolling by reading from a Bloomberg article reporting that the “first 12 months of the U.S. recession saw the economy shrink more than twice as much as previously estimated, reflecting even bigger declines in consumer spending and housing, revised figures showed.” This story appeared to confuse Rush, as he suggested that it belied Reuter's reporting on the GDP estimates from the second quarter of this year. Of course, the two stories have little to do with each other, as Bloomberg was reporting on the period from fourth-quarter 2007 to fourth-quarter 2008. Regardless, Rush gave the same treatment to the Associated Press, mocking the news wires for reporting that a one-percent annual drop in GDP was “wonderful news.”

We got more people unemployed than the Great Depression, said Rush, and what's the big news of the day? The beer summit. “And why was there a beer summit? Because two guys with an attitude jumped all over a cop.” If you saw the pictures of it, said Rush, you saw Gates and Crowley in their coats and ties, and the President and Biden without their jackets, and pretzels and peanuts were among the snack fare. This is a lousy image for America, said Rush.

Then it was back to the economy as Rush said that AP and Reuters are saying it's great news that things were not as worse as expected. The bottom line, said Rush, is that the economy is shrinking, but they're saying it's better than expected. This is what Pravda used to do. People are being told what they are personally seeing and experiencing isn't true. This is not reporting, said Rush, this is repeating the party line. People like Chuck Todd and his cohorts will be pleased the economy is getting sicker and slower.

And then we whipsawed right back to the beer summit, as Rush said that it was hot out there on the White House lawn, and it was rude of Obama not to tell his guests to take their coats off. And they had peanuts and pretzels, which is food that makes you fat. Another moment of hypocrisy, Rush surmised.

And right back to the economy to round out the segment, as Rush read from an AP story on planned layoffs at Caterpillar. The AP couldn't be bothered to mention that Obama cited Caterpillar as an example of the success of the stimulus. And, of course, we have Cash for Clunkers, said Rush, which has been suspended after four days. This program has been the most stimulative thing they've done, Rush declared. Imagine if just half the stimulus had been the tax cuts.

After the break, Rush attacked Nancy Pelosi for calling health insurers “villains.” This is the standard Democratic playbook, said Rush -- demonize others, even though they are the ones driving up government spending and cutting millions of jobs with the stimulus. Expanding on this, um, point, Rush said: “And now we get cash for clunkers. And care for suckers. Cash for clunkers, healthcare for clunkers. You could almost say they're the same plan. We're gonna get rid of your old clunker car, we're gonna get rid of your old clunker grandparents with Obama's healthcare. Cash for clunkers, death for clunkers.” Pelosi and Obama have the gall to call various Americans villains, Rush said, refusing to maintain focus. This is going to end up just like Social Security, he said, with the young are going to pay for the old. They've designed a plan that will deny care for the people who raised us.

Cash for Clunkers is a disaster, Rush declared. Turns out the cars aren't clunkers, the program is (zing!). Why suspend the program after four days? Nobody knows the real reasons, said Rush, but Heritage is on top of it. Have they really used up all this money? Rush said he's talked to people who said there hasn't been one actual Cash for Clunkers transaction. (Even though he took a call yesterday from someone who said he got a new truck through the program.) They can't administer this program! How are they going to manage health care?

What are the reasons that they're giving for cancelling the program, Rush asked. Too many people joined in? That means they had no idea what to expect, said Rush, and no idea what the demand would be. Rush then offered his thoughts on what's going on: “The only answer -- if what they're saying is true -- the only answer for suspending the program is Obama doesn't want you to have that much more of your money back. Obama doesn't want to give you or the country, the citizens, more than $1 billion back. That can be the only explanation.” Given that the administration is “scrambling” to extend the program, we're not sure how that makes any sense. Anyway, Rush asked what the hell is going to happen when they start offering insurance. The lesson here is that the program doesn't work because it's run by the government. This is how government works -- it doesn't.

Another break and Rush was back saying that Heritage says carmakers and dealers are waiting for payments from the government. Rush then read from a USA Today article reporting that “many dealers have been confused about whether the program will be extended and for how long. Many stopped offering the deals Thursday after word came out that the funds available for the refunds had been exhausted.” What a waste of money, said Rush. It doesn't work, said Rush, explaining: ": It is a cluster - uh oh - boy, that was dangerously close. But it is. Folks, this is a circle - it's a cluster circle. It's a cluster circle out there, and these people are illustrating they can't even administer a one billion dollar program, they spend that every second." Classy, El Rushbo.

After another extended reading from Heritage's attack on Cash for Clunkers, Rush said that reports were running wild last night that car dealers were making consumers sign forms saying that they'll return the car if the government reneges on the deal. What a boondoggle, but so typical. Rush said he can't emphasize enough how tiny this program is. People want their new cars, he said, and they're offering $4,500 -- somebody in Washington should have understood there was going to be a mad dash on this. It's real simple, Rush said, and if someone in the private sector were to do this, it would be smooth. No regulations, no forms to sign.

Debbie Stabenow was on MSNBC this morning, Rush noted, and said she has no idea where Cash for Clunkers goes from here, and it moved more quickly than they thought it would. This “glittering jewel of colossal ignorance” doesn't know that it's been cancelled, said Rush. She's telling people to keep going to the dealerships. These people have no understanding of the economy. Stabenow loves this command and control economy stuff. Rush noted that Richard Wolffe asked Stabenow if it's possible that people could become victims of this program -- Wolffe was worried that people are going to wait to use the program until there's more money in the program, and because they're waiting on Congress, that's distorting the market. Congress is screwing up the market by depressing economic activity, said Rush. Then he aired a clip of Stabenow saying the program is based on what was done in Germany, which was wildly successful, and that this is a way to stimulate demand. Rush was outraged: “We're following a European socialist pattern!” Rush said he was practicing mature, professional broadcast restraint in not telling what he really thinks of people like Debbie Stabenow.

One more break and Rush came back explaining that he can't tell us how literally “stupid” and “dangerous” these people running government are. “They're just -- in addition to being dangerous. The danger they pose is doubled by their abject stupidity. You know, I'm tempted when I listed to Senator Debbie Stabenow, just shut up! Just shut up, cut taxes for everybody. Cut taxes $4,500 so everybody can use their money for all kinds of things.” Remember what we wrote up at the top about Rush's grand economic scheme? Anyway, Rush continued in this attack on Stabenow: “These people are stupid. Just cut taxes, people spend their own money. She will never support tax cuts across the board because she's an idiot. I'm sorry, just an idiot. A frigging idiot!” This is about liberty, said Rush, but she might be too big of an idiot to understand any of this. Take away all this money from the porkulus, which isn't working.

Then Rush aired audio of Christina Romer on CNBC this morning, in which she said that Cash for Clunkers is not suspended, the program is still there, there's been a flurry of activity to make sure the funds are there, and it's been great for the environment and the auto industry. Great for the environment? Heritage says otherwise. Rush said if you hear all over the news that the program has been suspended, and now you hear that it's not suspended, what do you do? You're likely going to wait. But you should realize that you're dealing with a bunch of “frigging idiots.” Rush continued: “And then you realize it's the same bunch of frigging idiots that wants to administer your medical treatment. Not just your insurance, but your medical treatment. And then you'll realize it's the same bunch of frigging idiots that claims global warming is being caused by you and that you gotta pay even more taxes to be punished for that. And then you gotta realize that these are the same frigging idiots that say they're going to rebuild the economy with green jobs in this new environmental technology sector, but you haven't seen an ad for one of those jobs because not one of them's been created.”

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

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: And why was there a beer summit? Because two guys with an attitude jumped all over a cop.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: And now we get the cash for clunkers. And care for suckers. Cash for clunkers, health care for clunkers. I -- you could almost say they're the same plan. We're gonna get rid of your old clunker car, we're gonna get rid of your old clunker grandparents with Obama's health care. Cash for clunkers, death for clunkers.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: The only answer -- if what they're saying is true -- the only answer for suspending the program is Obama doesn't want you to have that much more of your money back. Obama doesn't want to give you or the country, the citizens, more than $1 billion back. That can be the only explanation.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: It is a cluster -- uh-oh -- boy, that was dangerously close. But it is. Folks, this is -- it's a circle -- it's a cluster circle. It's a cluster circle out there, and these people are illustrating they can't even administer a one-billion-dollar program. They spend that every second.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: I tell ya, folks -- I cannot tell yaou how literally stupid the people running this government are. They're just -- in addition to being dangerous. The danger they pose is doubled by their abject stupidity. You know, I'm tempted when I listen to Senator Debbie Stabenow, just shut up! Just shut up, cut taxes for everybody. Cut taxes $4,500 so everybody can use their money for all kinds of things.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: These people are just stupid. Just cut taxes, people spend their own money. She will never support tax cuts across the board because she's an idiot. I'm sorry, just an idiot. A frigging idiot!

[...]

LIMBAUGH: In the meantime, if you have any sense yourself, you realize you're dealing with a bunch of frigging idiots! And then you realize it's the same bunch of frigging idiots that wants to administer your medical treatment. Not just your insurance, your medical treatment. And then you'll realize it's the same bunch of frigging idiots that claims global warming is being caused by you and that you gotta pay even more taxes to be punished for that. And then you gotta realize that these are the same frigging idiots that say they're going to rebuild the economy with green jobs in this new environmental technology sector, but you haven't seen an ad for one of those jobs because not one of them's been created.