This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the stupid turtles
by Simon Maloy

Welcome to a brand spankin' new week of the Limbaugh Wire. We're too excited to make some snarky observation, so let's get to it.

Rush kicked it off with the big news of the day -- President Obama's newly unveiled plan for the American automobile industry. As you might expect, Rush was quite critical of Obama, asking if he or anyone in his administration knew how to change a tire or what manifold pressure is. And as you also might expect, Rush was quite proud of himself, airing “prophetic” audio from last November in which he said that the Big Three were being asked to submit plans to Congress that could not possibly succeed because of the needs of unions and environmentalists and such.

From there, Rush proclaimed that when history look back at this “power grab” and attack on capitalism, they will ask: “Where was the media?” According to Rush, the media and all the “dime-store liberals” out there are in complete agreement with Obama “because this is all about punishment. This is all about getting even. This is all about chopping the heads off evil, chopping the heads off they bad guys, the CEOs.” Yes, it's all about “payback,” according to Rush, on behalf of the UAW, who are going to make out like bandits: “That's what this is all about. Plus, everyone in the auto industry has to make concessions except the unions. This is also payback for the unions.” As per usual, this theory does not stand up to even the most cursory fact-checking -- Obama himself said today: “What we are asking is difficult. It will require hard choices by companies. It will require unions and workers who have already made painful concessions to make even more.” Rush later added, “This is a union coup at the behest of the president. This is payback.”

Anyway, Rush claimed Obama was lying when he said that the government has no intention of running GM, and Rush wanted to know if there was someone -- anyone -- in the Obama administration who is an experienced business person. Well, as it turns out, there is -- Steven Rattner, a private equity executive who serves as lead adviser to Obama's automobile industry task force. But according to Rush, Obama is nothing but a “community organizer” who has no knowledge of the auto industry. Rush then went on to attack Obama for saying: "[Y]our warranty is worth more than ever. Your warranty is safer than it's ever been because the United States government will stand behind it." Rush's reaction was typically measured: “Is Hugo Chavez able to possess this man and have him go out and make speeches?”

Back from a quick break, Rush attacked Obama over reports that his “traveling party” for his trip to the G-20 summit will consist of 500 people -- Rush said he's been told that it is “a little excessive.” But, as for the G-20 itself, Rush proclaimed that despite misgivings among European leaders about Obama's economic and foreign policy initiatives, Obama has a “feather in his cap” -- he can brag to the Russians that now he “owns” the automobile industry.

Back from another break and Rush had “another Obama success story,” the St. Louis Business Journal reporting that Centrue Bank's president “has resigned because his income will be severely restricted by new federal limitations on bank executives.” Rush explained that this is a “success story” because a successful president of a successful bank quit, which meant the Obama administration can put in their own people. From there, Rush told us that his father, were he still alive, would have considered all this an “outrage,” and that he would have told his boy that capitalism is now “dead” because Obama has crossed the line between public and private that no president has ever crossed before.

El Rushbo then returned to bashing Earth Hour, claiming that he lit up his entire house, except for the back yard, “because of the stupid turtles.”

Rush segued from that rant into an attack on New York Gov. David Paterson and the state legislature for crafting a proposal to raise taxes on the well-to-do in response to the state's budget deficit. Rush was excised over this because it punishes the “achiever class,” it won't raise enough money anyway, he should be cutting taxes to incetivize people to work more, etc. But Rush quickly abandoned these ideological reasons for opposing the tax increases and got to the heart of the matter -- the personal reasons Rush opposes New York tax increases. Specifically, Rush has a back-up studio and a condo in New York that he rarely uses, and he's going to vacate the city if taxes go up.

Rush closed out the hour with yet another explanation of how he bravely fights against the “tyranny” and “dictatorship” of the Obama administration.

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: You run into your average ordinary dime-store liberal today, and let me tell you what that dime-store liberal's reaction's going to be: “Good, good. It's about time that CEO found out what it's life -- what life is like for the rest of us. It's about time for him to find what it's like to get fired just like the rest of us got fired. Good.” You're going to have 100 percent slavish, total support of this move by the media and by most liberals and Democrats who voted for Obama because this is all about punishment. This is all about getting even. This is all about chopping the heads off evil, chopping the heads off the bad guys, the CEOs. It's about time they find out what it's like to walk out the door having been canned.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Now, all of a sudden, your warranty is worth more than ever. Your warranty is safer than it's ever been because the United States government will stand behind it. Is Hugo Chavez able to possess this man and go out and make speeches? Poor old teleprompter, having to get Obama say these kinds of things.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: And so if you listen to this program, and you are new to it and you listen to us review -- listen to me review the Obama takeover of the GM plant, understand it has nothing to do with a personal animus about Obama. It's about the fact that we fear -- 62 million Americans fear by virtue of those who voted against Obama -- we love and we fear the loss of our liberty, the loss of our freedom. We fear a government tyranny. We fear any form of a dictatorship. We fear the notion that government has all the answers and will do everything necessary to solve every problem for individuals. It scares us.

America's Truth Rejector

Falsely claimed Obama exempted unions from “concessions”:

LIMBAUGH: I'll tell you what's headed down the road. You're going to see union members on the board of directors. You're going to see green wacko environmentalists on the board of directors, and General Motors is going to be designing and directing and building cars, selling cars that satisfy Obama's desire for green, environmentally friendly cars, blah-blah-blah-blah -- that's what you're going to see coming down the road. That's what this is all -- plus, everyone in the auto industry has to make concessions except the unions. This is also payback for the unions.

Clips from this hour:

Limbaugh on requirements for federal aid to GM: “This is a union coup at the behest of the president. This is payback”

Limbaugh: “Is Hugo Chavez able to possess this man and go out and make speeches?”

Limbaugh on requirements for federal aid to GM: “This is a union coup at the behest of the president. This is payback”