This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the “so-called” abuses of Abu Ghraib
By Simon Maloy

Rush got the second hour started much in the same fashion as the first -- explaining why the Democrats keep dancing on the graves of conservatives. It's because they want everyone to think conservatives are dead, even though they're not. We tell you, folks, few things are more interesting than hearing the same thing said several different ways over the course of 70 minutes...

Then Rush aired audio of Debbie Dingell saying on MSNBC that Rush's call for a “teaching tour” was “arrogant.” Rush's response was to say that the real arrogance is coming from Obama, who wants to remake the country, all the while pretending that he's listening to the American people. Rush explained: “All these people talk about listening to the American people, like Obama said. He was -- he's not listening to anybody. He's making a show of listening. He's making a big show of making people think he's listening to them and doing what they want. He is a committed, left-wing ideologue demagogue who's doing everything to implement his agenda as quickly as possible, regardless what anybody thinks.”

Moving on from Dingell, Rush aired a montage of media figures “freak[ing] out” over Rush's “teaching tour” remark. Rush explained that he has 6 million listeners at any given moment, and that he receives thousands of emails during the course of every show explaining how he's wrong. Rush said that you can't take the advice of 20 million people and expect to retain your sanity. “This whole notion of listening, it's just -- it's a scam.” Rush hoped that we haven't reached the point in America where you have to scam the American people to get their votes.

Then he turned his sights on Jonathan Martin of the Politico, who said on CNN this morning that Rush likes Sarah Palin because Rush sees something of himself in Palin -- they both drive liberals crazy. Rush was offended by this, and thinks the more interesting question is why the left hates Palin. It's because they're scared to death of her, Rush explained for the nth time. Then he aired audio of Martin saying that GOP leaders view the media coverage of Palin as a distraction. Rush said that Palin could build the party, and all the “intelligent” conservatives out there say she can't because she won't attract liberals. “Thank God!” was Rush's view on that.

After the break, Rush had another question for the “moderates” -- if they're so into “reaching out,” then why aren't they reaching out to conservatives like Limbaugh? It's because they're hero worshipers, said Rush. They just want to bask in the light of others. Then Rush aired audio of Joe Scarborough asking Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) about Rush's “teaching tour” idea, and Pence, laughing it off, explained that they're going to have a symposium with cap-and-trade experts to explain to the American people what the policy entails. Rush said that someone has to go out there and teach the truth about what Obama is doing and what conservatism is. “This is why we do need a teaching tour. We need to teach people what's actually being done by way of deceit. An intricate web of deceit is being woven by Obama and this administration, misleading people entirely,” Rush said. Rush's audience already knows the dangers of cap and trade, he said, because he's been “teaching” them about it for two years. Rush then proclaimed himself an “expert” on conservatism, adding: “it happens all the time and you know, it really isn't more complicated than this folks, the easier you make something look, the more everybody else thinks they can do it. It's a trait of greatness.”

After another break, Rush finally took his first caller of the afternoon (with only half the program gone by), a college student who wanted to know what Obama's “end game” is. This set Rush off into a good old-fashioned rant about the all-consuming evil that is liberalism. “It's tough to know what the end game is. All I know is I don't want to be alive if he accomplishes it. You know, I don't want to be around when it happens. So I don't think Obama himself can pull off his end game. It's going to take longer than he's got, unless, of course, we change the term limits on presidents and allow three terms.” Rush explained to the caller that Obama is a “redistributionist,” he wants to punish achievement, he's defining prosperity down, and he has little faith in “the individual,” just like all those other haughty liberals. “Look, they really do look at themselves as best and brightest. They're smarter. They're better people. Their DNA is better than yours. Their pedigree is better than yours. They are better people. They look down on you. They have an arrogance and a condescension towards average people, and their belief is that you can't do as well for yourself as they can do for you.” Obama's “angry,” he said. He has a “chip on his shoulder.”

Continuing, Rush explained that he knows that Democrats and liberals have become partisan since the 2001 recount, and he has “no doubt that there is a visceral, almost an uncontrollable emotional rage and hatred they have for their political enemies. That being said, I don't know how many of them actually want a totalitarian, authoritarian government, under which, they, too, are going to live.” Rush explained that a lot of Democrats were probably blinded by hatred of Bush during the campaign to see what Obama was really all about, but “if Obama remains as singularly focused and fortified on this anti-American prosperity agenda that he's got, at some point, some people are going to wake up and say, 'This is -- I don't hate my country this much. I don't think my country is this unjust. I don't think this country deserves to be torn down and rebuilt.' ” There will be doubts about Obama that crop up, said Rush, and that's why there needs to be a real conservative out there -- like Joe the Plumber, we guess -- to capitalize on those doubts.

After a break, in which we assume Rush had someone wipe the spittle off the golden microphone, Rush took one more caller before the hour ended, who proposed that the GOP might be so ineffective at articulating conservatism because Rush and the rest of talk radio are so good at it. Rush said a lot of people have said that Rush gives Republicans cover, but Rush thought that the truth -- and he said he probably shouldn't say this publicly -- is that a lot of elected Republicans wish he would go away because they buy into this notion that he's polarizing. Any time you're outspoken and speak without fear, Rush said, most people can't do that and don't want others to do that because it will cause them trouble. Rush makes waves, he said, and these guys don't want to.

Rush closed out the hour with -- well, we'll just quote it: “Also, Obama will not release the photos of Air Force One, buzzing Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty last week. No, those are too secure. They're too private. They're classified. But we are going to release pictures of so-called abuse at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay. This guy can be despicable at times.”

Highlights from Hour 2

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: All these people talk about listening to the American people, like Obama said. He was -- he's not listening to anybody. He's making a show of listening. He's making a big show of making people think he's listening to them and doing what they want. He is a committed, left-wing ideologue demagogue who's doing everything to implement his agenda as quickly as possible, regardless what anybody thinks.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: This is why we do need a teaching tour. We need to teach people what's actually being done by way of deceit. An intricate web of deceit is being woven by Obama and this administration, misleading people entirely.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: It's tough to know what the end game is. All I know is I don't want to be alive if he accomplishes it. You know, I don't want to be around when it happens. So I don't think Obama himself can pull off his end game. It's going to take longer than he's got, unless, of course, we change the term limits on presidents and allow three terms.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: He doesn't have a lot of faith in individuals. Liberals don't. They have contempt for average people. Liberals must look at average people as incompetent, and, in the process, in so doing, they credit themselves with needing power.

Look, they really do look at themselves as best and brightest. They're smarter. They're better people. Their DNA is better than yours. Their pedigree is better than yours. They are better people. They look down on you. They have an arrogance and a condescension towards average people, and their belief is that you can't do as well for yourself as they can do for you.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: The have had their hatred for George Bush and Republicans ginned up, fortified, and fueled for the last seven years, ever since the Florida 2000 outcome. So, I have no doubt that there is a visceral, almost an uncontrollable emotional rage and hatred they have for their political enemies. That being said, I don't know how many of them actually want a totalitarian, authoritarian government, under which, they, too, are going to live.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: I'm telling you, there are some people who, I think, maybe in the campaign, didn't see this. There was so much hatred for Bush. The belief that the country had never been worse than it was during the eight years of Bush, that any change would be better. But as this goes on, and if Obama remains as singularly focused and fortified on this anti-American prosperity agenda that he's got, at some point, some people are going to wake up and say, “This is -- I don't hate my country this much. I don't think my country is this unjust. I don't think this country deserves to be torn down and rebuilt.”

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Also, Obama will not release the photos of Air Force One, buzzing Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty last week. No, those are too secure. They're too private. They're classified. But we are going to release pictures of so-called abuse at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay. This guy can be despicable at times.

Ego on loan from Narcissus

LIMBAUGH: I was getting notes during my little monologue about Jack Kemp: “Well, I'll tell you. I -- Jack Kemp. I'll tell you what I think of Jack Kemp.” Didn't affect me, stuck to what I wanted to say about Jack Kemp. But it happens -- it happens all the time. And, you know, it really is no more complicated than this, folks. The easier you make something look, the more everybody else thinks they can do it. It's a trait of greatness.