This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Gov. Rick Perry, who is “not a fringe kook”
By Simon Maloy

Remember that latest conspiracy theory coming out of El Rushbo, how the Department of Homeland Security report was created to discredit the tea parties? Turns out that report was written under the auspices of a DHS undersecretary appointed by... wait for it... George W. Bush. The plot thickens...

Rush kicked off today's show with some kind words for Susan Boyle of Britain's Got Talent and her virtuosic singing performance, lauding her for defying society's expectations and putting “a bullet through cynicism.” However, Rush said that even though Ms. Boyle was so inspiring and “cool,” there were still some media people who were being “snarky” in their coverage of her because she takes attention away from President Obama. He didn't offer any examples or explain how that makes any sense, but nonetheless he said the same thing happened with the tea party coverage yesterday. Rush claimed that when Obama was the one bringing people into the political process, the media reported it as a great thing because Obama is a black Democrat, and that fits the media “templates.”

But those young people volunteering for Obama, Rush said, didn't know what he stood for, they were just members of a “cult of personality.” The tea parties, however, had nothing to do with personality, said Rush. They were all about “substance.” Really? The only “substance” we saw coming out the of tea parties was along the lines of “we hate taxes” and “we hate spending.” Also, for a movement that had nothing to do with any one “personality,” there certainly did seem to be a prevailing current of antipathy toward the president. Anyway, Rush claimed that because these rallies were not positive toward Obama, they “had to be impugned.” According to Rush, the tea partiers are “extremists in the eyes of Janet Napolitano and others at the Department of Homeland Security,” and “when Obama's policies are the centerpiece, then the people that showed up at the tea parties have to be monitored by Homeland Security.” Monitored? Somehow we don't think DHS has that many black helicopters.

Rush then addressed the possibility that the tea parties could spawn a third-party movement, which he said would be “death.” The key, he said, is for the existing political apparatus -- the Republicans -- to “harness” the energy of the tea partiers. Rush then noted that watching the media coverage of the tea parties was like watching stereotypes of right-wing groups -- pictures of gun nuts, anti-tax nuts, etc. -- and that is exactly what the media intended. They wanted the focus to be on who was there, rather than why they were there. Rush counseled those dispirited by the media coverage to just ignore it, because to seek validation from the mainstream press was a waste of time. Rush declared it is now “us versus them,” and “them” now includes the media, “without question.”

Coming back from the break, Rush attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for saying that the tea parties were little more than Astroturf. Despite ample evidence that there was some pretty serious Astroturfing going on, Rush called this a “lie.” After another break, Rush had to gently disagree with Charles Krauthammer, adding the caveat that if he were in the position of having to choose someone else's brain as his own, it would be a toss-up between Krauthammer and Antonin Scalia. Rush specifically disagreed with Krauthammer's contention that yesterday's tea parties differed from the Boston Tea Party in that the colonialists were actually faced with “taxation without representation,” whereas yesterday's tea partiers had their chance to vote and the Democrats won. Rush dissented, claiming that winning large majorities does not give the Democrats “carte blanche” to disregard the Constitution. Now, the Democrats aren't doing that, but aside from that, the point is well-taken. Then he claimed that the colonialists didn't actually have it that bad: “This is not a direct comparison of the Boston Tea Party. That was a revolt against far less than what's going on right now. Taxation without representation is one thing. This is -- that was a smidgeon of a problem compared to what's happening now.”

Then he took some shots at CNN's Susan Roesgen for her confrontational interview with a tea partier in Chicago yesterday. Rush said that interview is why CNN is a joke, adding that Roesgen probably had no idea why those people were upset. Rush said they were upset at the fact that all the stimulus money had to be borrowed or printed. To us, it seemed like they were upset that Obama is a Nazi. Anyway, Rush claimed that Roesgen nonetheless “is a good reporter in that she's got great eye makeup -- fabulous eye makeup.”

Rounding out the hour, Rush noted that Texas Gov. Rick Perry was talking about secession yesterday. Rush said it was “not insignificant” that Perry was talking up Texas leaving the union -- not for the obvious reason that a state executive is open to separating his state from the rest of the country -- but because Perry “is nowhere near a kook in any way, shape, manner, or form.” Rush said this talk is a response to “the abuse of government.”

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: This was new people being brought into the political process. But since it wasn't anything to do positively with Obama, it had to be impugned. The people had to be mischaracterized and criticized, and their reputations destroyed and so forth -- their very identities. The -- you know, the big -- as far as the media in concerned, the Democrat Party, since they're not caught up in personalities, since they're not part of a cult, since they're not out there bowing down to Obama, they're extremists in the eyes of Janet Napolitano and others at the Department of Homeland Security.

They're caught up in adult issues. These people at the tea parties were caught up in adult issues like irresponsible spending, self-defeating bailouts, higher taxes that are going to follow all of this.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: So when Obama's policies are the centerpiece, then the people that showed up at the tea parties have to be monitored by Homeland Security. People who have never been politically active showed up at tea parties yesterday. People who have never attended.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: The radical socialist agenda is something that has been unveiled since the inauguration. It was not part of the campaign that people voted for, but I still maintain that most of the people that voted for Obama did so on the basis of cult. You had your Democrat Party loyalists, people that hate George Bush and hate Republicans and so forth. People that voted for Obama on substance are very, very few.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: These protests that happened yesterday -- and they're going to be ongoing -- they are about abusive government. Abusive government can take on many forms and has under the less than 100-day tutelage of Barack Obama. Certainly in this administration, they're going after the individual.

This administration is targeting the individual. This administration is targeting the private sector with a vengeance. This is not a direct comparison of the Boston Tea Party. That was a revolt against far less than what's going on right now. Taxation without representation is one thing. This is -- that was a smidgeon of a problem compared to what's happening now.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Now this is not insignificant when the governor of Texas talks about “we could secede. I don't think it's going to happen. I hope it doesn't, but we could.” When the governor of Texas starts talking about this because of the abuse of government on his citizens and on his state, and forcing his state to take federal money when he doesn't want it.

And I also think -- you know, there's still -- I run into them -- there's still some conservatives who still -- the drive-by media is gospel to them. I say they're conservatives; they're not active. They're not liberals, they're just -- and I'm wondering at some point how much of the excesses of the media are going to finally start causing other people to have lights go on in their head and say, “Hey, something's not quite right here when you have the governor of Texas start talking about the possibility of getting out of all of this because of the abuse of government.” That's going to cause -- 'cause this guy is not a fringe kook. This guy is nowhere near a kook in any way, shape, manner, or form.

Ladies' man

LIMBAUGH: I've been thinking about this during the break. The CNN reporter, Susan Roesgen -- in her own twisted way, she's right. 'Cause if you object to government abuse, then you would object to CNN as well, since CNN is nothing more than the voice of government. CNN is nothing more than the voice of Obama. So, if you object to government abuse, then why -- yeah, of course, you would object to CNN.

So, if you are anti-black listing by Homeland Security, if you are anti-socialism, if you are pro-life, if you are anti-national health care, if you're anti-appeasement of our enemies, then you would be anti-CNN.

Where is Candy Crowley when we need her? Where is Frank Sesno when we need him? I mean, he had a thing for Gorbachev but other than that, Frank was pretty good. Where are all the great names that used to be -- where are the Bernard Shaw, who fled from the Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad? Where are all the greats?

But Susan Roesgen is a good reporter in that she's got great eye make-up -- fabulous eye makeup. Did you notice? That counts on television.

Clips from this hour

Rush defends Texas Gov. Perry's secession comments “because this guy is not a fringe* kook”

Limbaugh: “When Obama's policies are the centerpiece then the people that showed up at the tea parties have to be monitored by Homeland Security.”