This Hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Rush's “blessed life”
By Greg Lewis

Rush began the second hour of his program by leveling with his audience: He made it clear that he doesn't ever use health insurance because he's fortunate enough to not need it. Rush explained that his parents would never believe the “blessed life” he is now about to have. But his point is that even though whatever happens to health care reform won't affect him personally, it still angers him to no end. Instead of saying “Screw it!” to the health care debate, Rush would rather fight it because he wants an America to survive which offers everyone the opportunity to reach the point to which Rush himself has reached.

Then Rush played an audio montage from last night's ABC “infomercial” which Rush interpreted as Obama saying “bye-bye” to itemizing deductions and “hello” to 39 percent tax rates and Bush tax cuts being sunsetted in 2011.

Rush continued his rant against health care reform. He said the public option would lead to a black market for health care, and repeated his request from last hour for his listeners to ask their senators if they would join the public plan. Again, Rush stated that Obama was trying to destroy everything great about America with his policies:

And that is what led to American exceptionalism, American greatness, the American dream and all the things -- it's being threatened. And when you kill people's spirit to achieve it, you're halfway there. If you're Obama, you kill people's spirit. You're half way there to getting this dictatorial-type control, this authoritarian-type control, this despot type of control that you want.

Rush's answer to all of this was “no.”

After the break, Rush declared that Obama's “yes we can” slogan should be met from audiences with an enthusiastic “No, you won't.” Very original ... Rush then explained that one of the techniques that the state-run media is using to support Obama is to further demonize the insurance companies. An example of this, said Rush, was an exchange from last night's ABC special between Obama and the president and CEO of Aetna about competition between private insurers and government health care. Rush took exception to Obama's statement: “We're talking about a level playing field.” Rush asserted that it is absurd that the public plan would abide from the same rules. These are the same rules that are being applied to making cars and mortgages. Rush said the government doesn't have to make a profit, and Aetna can't just do what the government does and print money. Again, Rush is trafficking in illogic here. Just last hour, he was blasting members of Congress for being exempt from the “piece of garbage” government health plan. But now he's saying that private insurers, whom he credits from creating the best health care system in the world, aren't going to be able to compete against this same “piece of garbage.” Why not? If it's so completely awful, and if Americans are going to hate it as much as the DMV (a favorite talking point of his), then the private insurers should have no trouble competing, given what he considers to be their long track record of success.

Anyway, Rush then took a caller who claimed Obama's assertion that doctors are ordering more tests to get more compensation is ridiculous, and that they're actually doing so to protect their backsides. Rush responded that you can “forget” tort reform because tort lawyers are the second biggest contributing base to Obama.

After another break, Rush took a call from someone who was afraid he would lose his job and would have to pull roots and leave New York because of industry leaving the state. Rush told the caller to look on the bright side: at least he's not living in California.

Rush's next caller brought a unique perspective to the program, saying that he would like to be able to pay all his medical bills out of pocket like Rush, but the “rest of us” need health insurance, and asking what Rush's plan was for the “bottom 98 percent.” Rush suggested health savings accounts and tort reform to bring down health care costs. The caller then noted that what the system needs is more primary care physicians, because they're horribly underpaid. The caller added that cardiovascular surgeons are doing procedures that don't work, as evidenced by Rush's surgery “that didn't work” and got him addicted to drugs. This, as you might expect, set Rush off. He explained that it was the fault of the federal government that health care was so expensive, and that the failure of Medicaid is going to be the foundation for the public option. Rush berated the caller, yelling at him that he didn't have a right to tell doctors what to do.

Rush had this takeaway from the call:

I will bet -- even though I can afford every dime of medical coverage -- I'll bet the amount of money I spend on health care a year is less than the average American who is just as healthy as I am and doesn't need it either. You ever think, Henry, people go to the doctor too much? You ever think, Henry, that maybe the news media telling you you're going to die every damn day from some stupid ass piece of coffee or a loose chunk of change falling from a tree or the planets colliding a billion years - you think people are maybe convinced they're going to die simply because they're eating trans fat? Think that might be why they're going to the doctor? This whole thing is a rigged scam. And at the root of the problem, Henry, is the United States government and the state governments who have run this system into the ground and bankrupted it. They've made it unaffordable for you.

Rush came back from the break, again arguing that it is better to just pay for health care bills in cash, based on his own personal experiences. He explained that paying for it yourself saves money, and what they come up with Washington will make it worse. Then Rush took a quick caller who questioned the authenticity of Henry the caller. Rush said Henry was a fraud. The point of the caller, Rush claimed, was to “discredit me” and wondered whether Henry was calling from Rahm Emmanuel's office, or even the Oval Office.

Simon Maloy, Zachary Pleat, and Hannah Kieschnick contributed to this edition of the Limbaugh Wire.

Highlights from Hour 2

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: And that is what led to American exceptionalism, American greatness, the American dream and all the things -- it's being threatened. And when you kill people's spirit to achieve it, you're halfway there. If you're Obama, you kill people's spirit. You're half way there to getting this dictatorial-type control, this authoritarian-type control, this despot type of control that you want.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: I will bet -- even though I can afford every dime of medical coverage -- I'll bet the amount of money I spend on health care a year is less than the average American who is just as healthy as I am and doesn't need it either. You ever think, Henry, people go to the doctor too much? You ever think, Henry, that maybe the news media telling you you're going to die every damn day from some stupid ass piece of coffee or a loose chunk of change falling from a tree or the planets colliding a billion years - you think people are maybe convinced they're going to die simply because they're eating trans fat? Think that might be why they're going to the doctor? This whole thing is a rigged scam. And at the root of the problem, Henry, is the United States government and the state governments who have run this system into the ground and bankrupted it. They've made it unaffordable for you.