This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the Pope's pro-union apostasy
By Greg Lewis

Belling began his second hour with more lamentation about Michael Jackson. Observing the people walking into the memorial ceremony, Belling wondered if they work, or if they were all “victims” of the “Obama recession.” Belling added that if the stimulus plan worked, they'd all have jobs, but since it hasn't produced any, they're all able to go to the Jackson memorial.

Then Belling moved on to some of the “smaller” issues that Congress “loves” to deal with -- like pork barrel projects. He mentioned Rep. David Obey's (D-WI) proposed legislation that would ban sitting lawmakers from naming buildings funded with federal money after themselves -- and then mentioned the ensuing kerfuffle with Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) that followed. Belling criticized Obey for proposing this legislation after having a building named after him. Belling then moved on to a bill that would require the TSA to enforce size limits of carry on luggage, lamenting how this bill would further strengthen the “nanny state.” The final small issue Belling addressed was congressional opening hearings on the college football Bowl Championship Series (BCS) playoff system. Turns out Belling is one of the few defenders out there of the BCS.

Having spent enough time with the little issues, Belling moved on to fry bigger fish -- like the Pope. Yessir, Belling had a few bones to pick with the Pope and his recent encyclical, “Charity in Truth.” While he didn't have a problem with the entire thing, Belling thought that points of it needed to be put into “proper perspective.” Belling said he agreed with the Pope that profits shouldn't be the goal in and of itself, but he had a problem with how the Pope “attacks” the attempt to make profit, and how he implies that it is always greed. Belling then addressed the Pope's statements praising the importance of trade unions to protect workers: “Organizing in unions is the surest way to destroy steady, decent employment. Ask the workers at GM, ask the workers in the American steel industry.”

Anyway, it's a little above our pay grade to moderate a disagreement between a fill-in radio host and the Pope, but you can see why a conservative like Belling would be so upset about this encyclical -- it contains phrases like “common good,” “the economy needs ethics,” and “efficient use -- not abuse -- of natural resources.” OK, perhaps that was a bit of a cheap shot, but he spent a good part of the last hour saying that “liberals” root for defeat in war, so we'll call it square.

After the break, Belling took a couple of callers who also opined on the Pope's economic encyclical. The first caller suggested to Belling that the Pope might not have been directing his comments to the U.S., and that unions are necessary in communist countries where there is a lot of abuse against workers. The next caller thought that the Pope wasn't trying to slap our capitalist society, but was just reiterating the importance of Roman Catholic doctrine. Belling continued to press his point, saying that while the Pope and liberals argue that we need to “lift up” the third world, the increased demand in resources will result in negative consequences.

After another break, Belling read a recent National Review Online essay by David Kahane in its entirety. Titled, “I Still Hate You, Sarah Palin,” it was written from the view of a “liberal” and appeared to be a sort of satire about how conservatives need to start playing “dirtier,” like the Democrats. At least that's how Belling explained it to us after he was through reading the entire piece. Now, we don't fancy ourselves modern-day Wildes or Twains, but really... is this the best “satire” the right can come up with? The same old silly and childish taunts (Obama's “The One,” Democrats are Communists, the Saul Alinsky boogeyman) retrofitted with first-person pronouns and regurgitated from the viewpoint of a sneering liberal stereotype? We realize that lame satire is the norm on The Rush Limbaugh Show, and we understand that it's difficult to find new and exciting ways to call Democrats elitist, socialist, America-hating cultists, but, come on, guys, you can be a little less ham-fisted than that.

When Belling came back from another break, he continued his conservatives-are-wimpy rant, this time using Michael Steele as an example. Steele, explained Belling, ran around apologizing for things Rush Limbaugh said, and the Democrats would never worry about this kind of thing -- did they ever worry that they were too mean to Sarah Palin? They didn't, argued Belling.

Belling continued in this vein, saying that the left are trying to destroy anyone in their path, and it was ridiculous that Sarah Palin has had 15 ethics investigations, but “no one has looked into why Tony Rezko, a convicted felon, bought an empty lot next to Barack Obama's house the same day Barack Obama bought his property. It is ridiculous that conservatives never hammered on that throughout the campaign, and it's ridiculous that we drop it now.” That's an interesting claim to make, considering that the McCain campaign, the Republican National Committee, and many conservative commentators did in fact “hammer” on Rezko “throughout the campaign.”

This strikes us as akin to the argument you heard from many conservatives after the electoral drubbings of 2006 and 2008 -- conservatism never fails, people fail conservatism. What Belling is saying here is that all the absurd lies and smears aimed at liberals and Democrats are true, but it's the fault of Republicans for not sufficiently enlightening the public. But when you consider that the Republicans did try and turn issues like Rezko and Ayers into campaign issues, and they failed because voters saw through the smears, then you can see what all of this really is -- a coping device for malcontents like Belling, which allows them to remain confident in the absolute good of conservatism and the absolute evil of liberalism even after the American public rejects them en masse.

Belling concluded the hour with a couple more callers who essentially echoed Belling's thoughts on Sarah Palin and the left's supposed attack machine. Belling quipped that we needed to ask ourselves, “What would the liberals do?” and added that if conservatives aren't willing to use the same tactics as Democrats, then the Dems are going to keep winning.

Simon Maloy, Zachary Pleat, and Ariana Probinsky contributed to this edition of the Limbaugh Wire.

Highlights from Hour 2

Outrageous comments

BELLING: Organizing in unions is the surest way to destroy steady, decent employment. Ask the workers at GM, ask the workers in the American steel industry.

America's Guest-Truth Rejector

Belling falsely claimed that nobody “looked into” the controversial Obama-Tony Rezko land deal during the presidential campaign:

BELLING: It is ridiculous that Sarah Palin has had 15 ethics investigations and that no one has looked into why Tony Rezko, a convicted felon, bought an empty lot next to Barack Obama's house the same day Barack Obama bought his property. It is ridiculous that conservatives never hammered on that throughout the campaign, and it's ridiculous that we drop it now.