In which Rush describes Obama's “Mussolini-type” tactics
By Greg Lewis
Yesterday on his program, Rush, in the midst of his comparing-Obama-and-Democratic-leaders-to-Nazis-and-Hitler-fest, took a moment to point his heated rhetoric at environmentalists. Rush mentioned that he posted two links on his website in order to “illustrate what a bunch of radical, environmentalist wacko insaniacs the Nazis were.” One of the links he haphazardly placed on his website, however, actually reached the exact opposite conclusion Rush tried to make -- and it probably explains why he later removed the link from his website. And after some poking around on the subject, we came across former Seattle Times blogger David Postman who actually took this question to several historians familiar with these subjects. For example, Thomas Zeller, co-editor of the book How Green Were the Nazis?, stated that he “would not claim that Nazis were in the vanguard in the field of conservation.” Postman went on to argue that “conservation leanings of some Nazis were not a creation of the Third Reich, but merely a holdover from an idea that existed before the Nazi era.” Basically, saying the Nazis cherished nature is like saying Mussolini's Fascist Party cherished traditional Italian cooking -- you'd be tying the regime to something that has historically been a part of its culture. And even then, you'd still be ignoring the fact that the ideals of modern environmentalists don't line up with those of the Nazis.
“Open Line Friday” began with Rush reminding us of all the “crap” he took when he was “six months ahead of the game” and he said he wanted Obama to fail. Then Rush moved on to going down the list of town hall-related headlines on Drudge: town halls turning violent in Florida and St. Louis, including a “black conservative” who was “roughed up” by union thugs, doctors showing up to a town hall in Houston, and “tempers flare” at Michigan town meeting. Then Rush mentioned that the unemployment rate isn't 9.4 percent, arguing that if you look at the U6 number, it's 16.3 percent.
Then Rush said that Obama needs to learn something from Bill Clinton, and do what he did whenever he was in trouble -- consult with his ministers. As you might imagine, this was just an excuse for Rush to play a series of Rev. Wright sound bites on his show, telling Obama to return to his preacher and his church.
After another replay of his “comedy” bit from earlier this week about how health care reform would kill senior citizens, Rush noted that some of his listeners are losing spirit because they are perceiving to have lost the momentum. Rush countered this emotion, telling his audience that when you're in an argument, and the other side changed the argument, it means they're losing. Rush continued to describe what has happening at the town halls:
LIMBAUGH: I mean, it got violent. The union thugs from SEIU and AFL-CO were -- CIO were called out here to keep the halls only halfway filled with opponents. Those people are getting in there when these members of Congress get stand up and start talking and lying about it, these people are reacting. We haven't lost the momentum on this. What's happened is that the president of the United States has marshaled his forces against over half the country. He gave 'em a pep talk yesterday and said, “We push back twice as hard.”
After repeating that he doesn't believe that members of Congress are receiving death threats, Rush said that union thugs are showing up at these town halls to intimidate senior citizens. Then after explaining how he would sell health care if he were a politician on recess, Rush talked about Obama's remarks last night at a rally for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds. Rush descried Obama's attitude as angry, nasty, and cocky, and that he was “whining and moaning like a spoiled child” for saying that he inherited this economy from Bush. He also complained that Obama sounded like he was campaigning, playing this line from his speech, conveniently leaving out the part in bold:
OBAMA:I need every one of you to knock on doors and make phone calls, and get fired up once again so that we can go towards the future, confident with Creigh Deeds leading the great commonwealth of Virginia.
Yeah, he sounded like he was in campaign mode because he was campaigning for Creigh Deeds, and urging those in the audience to get “fired up” for Creigh Deeds.
After the break, Rush noted that Rep. Brad Miller, who claimed he received a death threat, is now claiming that hundreds of members of Congress have gotten death threats. Rush criticized Miller for making such a baseless claim. Then Rush said that Pelosi saying people are showing up to protests with swastikas is not the first time Democrats have done this. His proof of this was a clip from a 2001 interview Obama did with a local Chicago station, falsely suggesting that Obama believed that the U.S. court system “eight years ago” was “Nazi-like.”
After the next break, Rush read from an Associated Press article reporting that the White House was advising Democrats on health care protests. Rush said the White House is having to provide instructions on how to “sell this lie.” “The dirty little secret,” said Rush, “is Obama has to lie. He can't tell the truth. This country is not of the same values. This country is now oriented in a core value way the way Obama is, and more and more people in the country are seeing this, and learning it, and living it.”
In response to that, we're just going to reprint Simon's eloquent prose from earlier this week on Rush talking about Obama's “different” values:
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 wanting to govern like an African colonial -- it's all about forwarding the ugly notion that Obama is foreign and dangerous.
Then Rush read a Washington Examiner piece reporting that a “revolt” brewing among AARP membership against the organization's leadership on health care reform. The Rush took a caller who explained that he attended the town hall last night in St. Louis for Rep. Russ Carnahan, and described how things got a little out of control. Rush said that one of the six people arrested at the event was a reporter, and wondered how that could have happened. Was he wearing a purple shirt with the SEIU logo?
Anyway, Rush went on to describe the “union thugs” at these events who were “big” and intimidating. This is the exact opposite of what people thought they were getting then they elected Barack Obama. This was as good of an opportunity as ever for Rush to bring fascism into the fold:
LIMBAUGH: Obama sends out his army. You gotta -- folks, this is -- this Mussolini-type stuff. This is the president of the United States, who cannot deal with opposition, there will not be any, he is going to silence it -- sending his union thugs out to physically assault in some cases and to, in all cases, intimidate average Americans who just want some answers.
Then Rush took a caller who said they were protesting the Pelosi event in Denver. Rush seemed a little outraged when the caller informed him that the homeless shelter which Pelosi was there for was funded by stimulus money.
Rush returned from another break by reading an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal by Scott Rasmussen. Rush said that he would like to see what happens if Rasmussen's health care polls asked questions that were more “informative.” And of course, by informative, he meant more full of lies. He suggested the questions should cover how the government would get into your bank account, how it would require end of life counseling, and eliminate private insurance. Do we need to say that these claims are still all false?
Rush closed out the hour with a caller who was gravely concerned with what Obama was doing, and upset that he was telling people to get “fired up.” Rush said the proof of success of the protests so far was the reaction of the president and the union thugs.
Zachary Aronow and Zachary Pleat contributed to this edition of the Limbaugh Wire.
Highlights from Hour 1
Outrageous comments
LIMBAUGH: And by the -- it was a Democrat official who slapped -- a Democrat official slapped a guy named Osteen, who was just trying to talk to her husband about the plan. I mean, it got violent. The union thugs from SEIU and AFL-CO were -- CIO were called out here to keep the halls only halfway filled with opponents. Those people are getting in there when these members of Congress get stand up and start talking and lying about it, these people are reacting. We haven't lost the momentum on this. What's happened is that the president of the United States has marshaled his forces against over half the country. He gave 'em a pep talk yesterday and said, “We push back twice as hard.”
[...]
LIMBAUGH: The dirty little secret is Obama has to lie. He can't tell the truth. This country is not what Obama is. This country is not of the same values. This country is not oriented in a core-value way the way Obama is, and more and more people in the country are seeing this and learning it and living it.
“Fascism” watch
LIMBAUGH: Obama sends out his army. You gotta -- folks, this is -- this Mussolini-type stuff. This is the president of the United States, who cannot deal with opposition, there will not be any, he is going to silence it -- sending his union thugs out to physically assault in some cases and to, in all cases, intimidate average Americans who just want some answers.