This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Rush's adamant refusal to not call Sotomayor “racist”
By Simon Maloy

Happy “Open Line Friday” to everyone. Finally, after nearly a week, the conservative Republican factions on the Sotomayor nomination are beginning to demarcate themselves. Rush, Newt Gingrich, Tom Tancredo, and Fred Barnes have settled on the argument that she's a stupid, racist, reverse racist, radically racist, affirmative-action pick. Meanwhile, on the elected-Republican side of things, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas says that Rush's and Newt's comments about Judge Sotomayor are “terrible” and “wrong.” On the other hand, Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas has already announced his intention to vote “no” on the nomination, and Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma voiced his concern about the influence of Sotomayor's “personal race” and “gender” on her adjudicating. Meanwhile, John McCain and Jon Kyl of Arizona are refusing to say much of anything beyond expressing their desire to have her record “examined.” The reactions from these Republican senators become even more interesting when you look at the racial make-up of their states. Kansas and Oklahoma are 8.8 and 7.2 percent Hispanic, respectively -- well below the 15.1 percent national average. Texas, however, clocks in at 36 percent Hispanic, while Arizona comes in at 29.6 percent. We already know Limbaugh's antipathy towards McCain, but Cornyn and Kyl are no one's idea of RINOs. Then again, favoring reality over ideology is grounds for excommunication in Limbaugh Land, so it'll be interesting to see how El Rushbo handles these two.

And sure enough, Rush got the show started on that very topic. Saying that he has become “America's piñata,” Rush claimed that he has become the “passkey” for RINO Republicans to get unchallenged media coverage. The White House, Rush said, loves to see Republicans bash him, but they're also scared of Rush because they know that he's telling the truth. So bashing Rush has worked for Colin Powell and Tom Ridge, El Rushbo explained, and now it's working for John Cornyn. After airing Cornyn's comments on Limbaugh and Gingrich -- noted above -- Rush said that we can not forget that the Democratic Party “was and is vicious,” as evidenced by their treatment of John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and Janice Rogers Brown. They “destroyed” Brown, said Rush, and no one stood up to defend her except him. Actually, there was someone else who stood up in defense of Judge Brown -- newly minted RINO John Cornyn.

Normally, Rush said, he doesn't respond to this media-bashing, but the fact of the matter is that his wit, wisdom, and brilliance are being drowned out, so he has to stand up for himself. A day will come, Rush said, when reality hits and every American will look up to the heavens and ask: “Why didn't someone warn me?” Rush declared himself “that someone,” and all these Republicans using Rush as a “one-night stand” with the media are not going to stop Rush from being “that someone.”

Rush then read from a Reuters article: “Job losses muddy outlook for U.S. housing comeback.” Despite Obama's assurances, Rush said, the economy is not coming back from the brink because we have serious problems that are being made worse by this administration. No one, Rush said, is willing to be honest in their criticism of Sotomayor. Not even one of Rush's heroes -- Charles Krauthammer. Rush wanted to know why Krauthammer says Republicans shouldn't call Sotomayor a racist -- Rush is called a “racist” 20,000 times a day, he said. The fear, Rush explained, is that this blunt talk is going to force moderates and independents to sprint to the Democrats, but that doesn't make sense. The Democrats define meanness and lousy manners, so how is it that these moderates have no quarrel with the meanness of Democrats, but are intolerant of harsh criticism from Republicans? Rush said you can not go through life worrying about appeasing your critics because you will never succeed, and that's what's happened to the “squishy” and “moderate” Republican Party.

After the break, Rush was still on the Sotomayor nomination, reading from Krauthammer's column. Rush responded: “Yeah, exactly. No offense, Charles -- I said this on Tuesday, and I said the reason to do it was to tell the American people who Obama is. She is a reflection of Barack Obama's own racial identity, his own bigotry. That's why she was chosen.” Sotomayor's “wise Latina” comment is absolutely disqualifying, said Rush, but Republicans are supposed to sit by and watch this person who is utterly unqualified be confirmed? The only reason the Republicans are putting duct tape on their mouths is to appease critics. They're being told, said Rush, that shutting up and holding back is smart politics. Rush said he stands for the “truth” and that “enlightened men” are “truth seekers.”

Another break, and we were treated to quite the rant on -- you guessed it -- Sotomayor. The effort to silence all of Obama's critics is working everywhere, said Rush, except for The Rush Limbaugh Show. Rush dismissed the idea that honestly characterizing the words and ideas of Sotomayor is going to doom Republican efforts to gain Hispanic votes, asking: “Who are we to think that all Hispanics think alike?” That's not only wrong, said Rush, it's insulting. But, Rush said, Republicans are buying into it. The GOP is becoming extinct by virtue of its own actions -- appeasing its critics, standing for nothing, all for a great interview on television where they can be praised by the enemy.

Rush continued: “When a nominee for the United State's Supreme Court, one of only nine lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court, one of only nine makes an overtly brazen racist comment about tens of millions of American citizens while she is a judge and that nominee is rewarded for it with a nomination to the Supreme Court, we don't need lectures. I don't need lectures from any columnist or any commentator on TV about decorum.” What everyone has to understand, Rush said is that “the left from Barack Obama on down are committed to a divided country. They are committed to a country at war with each other over race, over gender, over sexual orientation, over whatever they can promote. The more chaos, the better.”

Then Rush professed his amazement that Sen. Chuck Schumer said that Republicans can vote against Sotomayor at their “own peril.” This is a blatant attempt, said Rush, to use race to intimidate Republicans, and he gets away with it. He doesn't even have to intimidate, Rush added, because Republicans are already compliant. There's something “self-destructive,” Rush said, about Republicans not challenging Sotomayor, adding: “Letting Sonia Sotomayor get away with her statement is renouncing decades of progress in civil rights. Do you understand what a setback this is? A woman as a judge makes a blatantly racist, bigoted comment and she is rewarded with a promotion to the Supreme Court?”

Rush added: “So we have made a lot of progress with civil rights but now, with this? How do you get promoted in the Barack Obama administration? By hating white people or even saying you do or that they're not good -- put them down, whatever.

After saying that he doesn't care what race Sotomayor is, only that she's qualified, Rush said: ”Anybody who votes against Sotomayor is not voting against a Hispanic for the court. Most of them voting against Sotomayor voted for Miguel Estrada. They didn't vote against a Hispanic, who as a matter of a fact -- Estrada never made a racist comment. However, those who do vote for her are voting to enshrine bigotry on the Supreme Court and to renounce decades of racial progress." The question needs to be asked, said Rush: How could a president nominate such a candidate? Rush added: “That's what would be asked if somebody were foolish enough to nominate David Duke or pick somebody even less offensive.”

After the break, Rush rounded out the hour by noting that the Politico reported: “White House urged to address 'racist' charge.” The point of reading from this article, Rush said, is that obviously what he's doing is working -- the White House knows that if “racist” sticks, it's a problem.

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: The bash-Rush -- the passkey for RINO Republicans to get glowing media treatment -- works for Colin Powell, it worked for Tom Ridge, and it's now working for John Cornyn, a person from -- I'm probably going to embarrass him by saying this, but I was asked by friends to do a fundraiser for Senator Cornyn when he was running, and I did -- flew to Texas and I did it. Yesterday on NPR, John Cornyn was asked this question: “We've heard Rush Limbaugh. We've heard the Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich calling Sonia Sotomayor a racist, saying that she should withdraw.” I didn't say that, Newt did, but that's the question. “What do you make of the rhetoric that's tumbling out of these people these days, Senator Cornyn?”

CORNYN [audio clip]: I think it's terrible. This is not the tone that any of us want to set when it comes to performing our constitutional abilities of advice and consent. Neither one of these men are elected Republican officials. I just don't think it's appropriate. I certainly don't endorse it. I think it's wrong.

LIMBAUGH: All right, now we'll talk about this in detail as the program unfolds here. But we can not forget something here, ladies and gentlemen -- that is that the Democrat Party was and is vicious.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Today, the Republican Party seems more interested in condemning its supporters and its friends than in doing its job. Now, normally, I don't respond to all of this media-bashing because if I did, it would be all I do -- there's so much of it -- but the fact of the matter is, ladies and gentlemen, my wit and wisdom and brilliance is being drowned out out there, and I have learned over the course of many, many moons that if you don't stand up for yourself, nobody else will either.

Now, a day is going to come here -- a day will come when reality hits. A day is going to come when each and every American looks up to the heavens and says, “Why didn't somebody warn me?” I am that someone. I am that someone warning you. I am here to warn you each and every day, and all the drive-bys and even Republicans -- all of these people using me to win a one-night stand with the media, to win glowing praise from their enemies -- is not going to stop me from being that someone that you're going to say someday, “Why didn't somebody tell me about this?”

[...]

LIMBAUGH: The American people don't yet know who Obama is. She deserves a fair and honest hearing so that people can find out exactly who she is. And you cannot describe who she is without using the “racist” word, unless you want to fluff it up and not use the word but try to convey the image anyway just because you're worried about what people will think of you.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Charles Krauthammer today: “Use the upcoming hearings not to deny him the seat but to illuminate her views.” Yeah, exactly. No offense, Charles -- I said this on Tuesday, and I said the reason to do it was to tell the American people who Obama is. She is a reflection of Barack Obama's own racial identity, his own bigotry. That's why she was chosen. America doesn't know who Obama is. Use the hearing to inform Ameri -- since she can't be stopped anyway, we don't have the votes nor the wherewithal.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: When a nominee for the United States Supreme Court, one of only nine lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court -- one of only nine -- makes an overtly brazen racist comment about tens of millions of American citizens while she is a judge, and that nominee is rewarded for it with a nomination to the Supreme Court, we don't need lectures. I don't need lectures from any columnist or any commentator on TV about decorum.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: If we have any hope, ladies and gentlemen, of keeping this a united country and not a country divided by race and other factors that this administration and the left are committed to advancing -- I will say this again: The left from Barack Obama on down are committed to a divided country. They are committed to a country at war with each other over race, over gender, over sexual orientation, over whatever they can promote. The more chaos, the better.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: There's truly something not right about people who claim to be standing with us on our side who find it impossible to be critical of people who deserve to be called on their actions and their words. There is something self-destructive, perhaps self-loathing, about some of them. Letting Sonia Sotomayor get away with her statement is renouncing decades of progress in civil rights. Do you understand what a setback this is? A woman as a judge makes a blatantly racist, bigoted comment -- she is rewarded with a promotion to the Supreme Court? What is the message that was sent? Don't tell me that it was out of context. I know about being taken out of context, and she was not.

So we have made a lot of progress with civil rights, but now, with this? How do you get promoted in the Barack Obama administration? By hating white people or even saying you do or that they're not good or that -- put them down, whatever. Make white people the new oppressed minority, and they're going right along with it because they're shutting up. They're moving to the back of the bus. They're saying, “I can't use that drinking fountain? OK. I can't use that restroom? OK.” That's the modern-day Republican Party.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: I care about whether she's qualified, and I think she's disqualified herself. Not only does she lack the often-discussed appropriate judicial temperament, it's worse than that. She brings a form of bigotry or racism to the court. I don't care -- we're not supposed to say it, we're supposed to pretend it didn't happen, we're supposed to look at other things, but it's the elephant in the room. The real question here that needs to be asked -- and nobody on our side, from a columnist to a TV commentator to anybody in our party has the guts to ask: How can a president nominate such a candidate? And how can a party get behind such a candidate? That's what would be asked if somebody were foolish enough to nominate David Duke or pick somebody even less offensive.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Anybody who votes against Sotomayor is not voting against a Hispanic for the court. Most of them voting against Sotomayor voted for Miguel Estrada. They didn't vote against a Hispanic, who as a matter of a fact -- Estrada never made a racist comment. However, those who do vote for her are voting to enshrine bigotry on the Supreme Court and to renounce decades of racial progress.