Hour 2: Fill-in Davis Considers Joining Rep. Bachmann In Refusing To Complete Census

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Davis' lack of trust in the Postal Service under Obama
By Greg Lewis

Before the second hour got started, Mark Davis reminded us via Twitter that The Washington Examiner's Byron York would be joining us for a chat about fired IG Gerald Walpin. And, true to his word -- or tweet, or whatever -- York called in to explain the story so far, which Rush has previously attempted to explain (citing York), leaving out some important details and repeating falsehoods about the Walpin affair. Davis added his own unique brand of colorful commentary to the discussion. Responding to York's accusation that Obama violated the Inspector General Reform Act, Davis exclaimed that Obama “now gleefully rapes those guidelines and gets rid of Mr. Walpin in a neck-jerking period of time.”

As they were discussing the Walpin story, Davis insisted that they address the “Michelle Obama angle,” and York helpfully obliged, explaining that the White House denies she has any involvement, that there's no evidence indicating her involvement, and that it's the subject of non-credible internet reporting. He added that Walpin says he doesn't know anything about it. That's some “angle”...

All in all, Davis took away this from York's phone call: “Now, the important thing -- and this is important, and it's also important to hit this break on time, so here's where we'll go next. It is impossible for such stories to exist in a vacuum. The things that are happening already is of the people who are in the tank for President Obama, from the White House to its sycophant followers, are insisting that this is absolutely nothing. The people who are not fond of the presidency, of this president, are suggesting that this is Travelgate and maybe even Watergate 2.0.”

After the break, Davis moved on to Sen. Barbara Boxer's (D-CA) exchange with Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, who, during a hearing on Capitol Hill earlier this week, addressed Boxer as “ma'am.” That prompted Boxer to ask that Walsh address her as “senator” instead. Davis played the audio of this exchange and declared that it was “singular in its cloying narcissism.” Then Davis took a caller who was as equally upset over this, expressing his opinion that Boxer probably has a “dripping disdain” for people in the military. Davis then explained that he can't “climb inside her head and read her mind” (though he had just accused her of harboring a “cloying narcissism”), but so many Democrats have disdain for people in the military, which was at least part of why Boxer called the man out.

After another break, Davis came back with a new dose of crazy, this one courtesy of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN). Bachmann told The Washington Times that she would refuse to answer personal questions in the 2010 census “because the Constitution doesn't require any information beyond” the number of occupants in your household and because of the involvement of that insidious conservative boogeyman, ACORN. As TPM's Eric Kleefeld noted: "[W]hat Bachmann just announced she would do is a crime punishable by a fine of up to $5,000. But hey, there's something to be said for civil disobedience." Davis, however, decided to join Bachmann's cause, offering a dissertation on whether Bachmann's “thwarting of a law” should be picked up as a movement of civil disobedience. Davis pondered Bachmann's argument about what the Constitution says about the census -- just because it only requires the government to count the number of occupants in your household, does that mean it shouldn't count anything else? Davis noted that he hates answering census questions -- it's none of the government's damn business. But, Davis explained, we need to craft a basis for our civil disobedience -- these aren't exactly the lunch counters in 1961 (though some might say otherwise).

Davis then briefly explained that an executive upholding laws has a lot to do with trust. For example, Davis trusted Bush to conduct his warrantless wiretapping program. However, Davis doesn't trust Obama to “pick up his mail.” We think we get it: Warrantless wiretapping, which is confirmed to have repeatedly and unlawfully invaded the privacy of innocent Americans, is A-OK. But the ACORN invasion of privacy that hasn't happened, but will happen, according to the voices in Michele Bachmann's head? To the ramparts!

Anyway, after another break, Davis briefly opined on Bush's comments earlier this week in Erie about President Obama. Davis said that he would like to see Bush out there sticking up for his policies, but is conflicted by his feeling that previous presidents should not criticize their successors -- although he claimed that etiquette was “trashed” by Jimmy Carter.

Davis rounded out the hour with one more caller, who claimed that there was more lawlessness going on in the Obama administration than ever. Davis noted that the Walpin case is a great example of this, and then Davis launched into a professorial lecture about constitutional theory, explaining how conservatives are strict constructionists, but liberals foolishly view the Constitution as a living, breathing document. Davis endeavored to explain the alleged weaknesses: “There is no right to these things in the Constitution or anywhere else, and that is one of the fundamental logical flaws of the left, one of the just the intellectual weaknesses -- that if they want something badly enough, it becomes a right.”

Simon Maloy, Lauryn Bruck, and Zachary Pleat contributed to this edition of the Limbaugh Wire.

Highlights from Hour 2

Outrageous comments

BYRON YORK: So, last year, a law was passed that required that if the president wants to fire an IG, he has to give Congress 30 days' notice, and he has to give cause -- why he is doing that firing. And this was called the Inspector General Reform Act, and it was co-sponsored by then-Senator Barack Obama.

DAVIS: Who now gleefully rapes those guidelines and gets rid of Mr. Walpin in a neck-jerking period of time.

[...]

DAVIS: Now, the important thing -- and this is important, and it's also important to hit this break on time, so here's where we'll go next. It is impossible for such stories to exist in a vacuum. The things that are happening already is of the people who are in the tank for President Obama, from the White House to its sycophant followers, are insisting that this is absolutely nothing. The people who are not fond of the presidency, of this president, are suggesting that this is Travelgate and maybe even Watergate 2.0.

[...]

DAVIS: There is no right to these things in the Constitution or anywhere else, and that is one of the fundamental logical flaws of the left, one of the just the intellectual weaknesses -- that if they want something badly enough, it becomes a right.