This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Astroturfing, which Republicans aren't using, but if they were using, it's only because liberals started using it first
By Greg Lewis

The third hour began with Rush reading from a Red State blog post claiming that the White House was calling for “informants.” The post pointed to a White House blog post requesting readers to send in false emails and other “disinformation” they come across regarding health care reform. Rush characterized this as the White House asking its “groupies” to “snitch” on people telling the truth about health care reform. And, this being The Rush Limbaugh Show, everything went straight downhill from there.

You see, according to Rush, the White House asking for “informants” is “parallel” to what is going on in Iran right now:

LIMBAUGH: There's a parallel going on in the world right now to this bunch that's running this country, and the parallel is Iran. They supposedly had a fair election. The people of Iran didn't think it was fair, they think it was a fraudulent election, and they started protesting in the streets. They -- even the people of Iran, this was too much to swallow.

The mullahs were just putting one over 'em. They wanted a reform candidate to win. They didn't think any of this -- they didn't think Ahmadinejad was the legitimate winner. They started protesting, and what was the result? The government went out and started cracking heads. Started putting people in jail. Some people have died as a result of government treatment when they were in the protests.

And now, you've got the White House asking people, its groupies, to be informants?

He also made this vague historical reference:

LIMBAUGH: So, this is, again, this has happened before in human history. Parents, whose minds weren't right, parents who were saying things against the regime, their children were supposed to inform on them. And so, now, the Obama administration is genuinely, legitimately asking for informants.

Then Rush moved on to Astroturfing, noting that many of the health care town hall protests are being described as such, but arguing that it was actually White House senior adviser David Axelrod who “invented” this strategy. Rush read a March 2008 Business Week article about the “secret side” of Axelrod. After a quick Bill Clinton sex joke, Rush said that liberals are accusing them of doing what they invent and do everyday, but the health care protests are “genuine grassroots.” People are genuinely opposed to fraud and deceit being jammed down everybody's throat. Yes, it's so genuine and spontaneous that a) there is a memo going around giving these people very specific instructions on how to Astroturf, b) the organizers themselves are bragging about how they're flooding the town halls with people, and c) the anti-reform group, Consumers for Patients' Rights, is publically taking credit for “helping gin up the sometimes-rowdy outbursts” at the town hall events.

After the break, Rush took a caller who has been unemployed since being laid off last February, and was concerned that the administration is rushing so many things that they're forgetting about creating more jobs. Rush added that the Obama administration is also “doing everything it can to prevent this economy from rebounding.” The caller went on to echo one of Rush's favorite falsehoods, that under health care reform, if his wife's insurance plan were to change, then they would lose the plan and would have to switch to the public option (see Hour 1 for rebuttal).

Returning from another break, Rush replayed, for the third time, his new “comedy” skit about “ObamaCare” he first aired in the previous hour. Then he aired an audio clip of then-Sen. Hillary Clinton in 2003 saying that she was sick of people saying it is unpatriotic to disagree with the Bush administration. Rush quipped that it still hurts his deaf ears to listen to that. Now the White House is asking informants to send them the “names” of people “being critical” of health care reform.

Moving on, Rush addressed Obama's lunch today with Senate Democratic leaders. First, he aired an audio clip of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) describing the lunch as a “pep talk.” Rush said that in sports, you only need pep talks when something is wrong -- so that must mean there is panic in the White House. He went on to read a “snarky” post on ABC's The Note about the Democratic luncheon.

Then Rush noted that Obama went to the White House press room today to celebrate Helen Thomas' birthday (it's her birthday today, too). He described their interaction: “Obama said that Helen wished for health care reform. Helen you're 89, be careful what you're wishing for here.” Rush continued: “Helen Thomas is 89 years old. If Obama health care passes, Helen Thomas is soon to be put out to pasture at Statist Farm. First time she gets sick, it's going to be judged not worth it.”

Next, Rush took a call from a woman who said that Americans are starting to wake up and let their representatives know they're not happy. Rush took this as an opportunity to rehash his new favorite conspiracy theory, telling the caller that “the only way you can insure 50 million more people and not add any more doctors is to make sure certain people die, and the right people dying will also save us some Social Security money.” The caller responded by saying they can't have the power if we don't give it to them. Rush went on to explain that if they passed health care, it would be difficult to turn back, but Rush noted that he is an optimist and thinks that something “that bad will not be tolerated.”

One more break, and Rush returned with an AP article reporting that National Guard troops might be needed in an Alabama county which made steep spending cuts in the face of a budget crisis. Rush figured that a red state like Alabama wouldn't get a whole lot of stimulus money. In fact, Alabama appears to have gotten a reasonable share of the stimulus money, with per capita allocation of funds on par with blue states like Maryland and Wisconsin.

Then Rush decried Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood's apparent hypocrisy during his appearances on MSNBC yesterday. Earlier in the day, he told Andrea Mitchell about the environmental benefits of cash for clunkers by getting old gas guzzlers off the road, but told Chris Matthews later in the day that if he bought a new car, it would be a Ford Explorer. Rush cried out that LaHood wasn't even being loyal to Obama, because Obama “doesn't own Ford yet.”

Finally, Rush took one last caller who claimed that liberals invented Astroturfing. Rush said liberals think conservatives are as trashy, duplicitous, and lying as they are. The caller went on to mention Obama's church, to which Rush responded that Obama went to his church to “establish cred” and also because he liked the message of “black socialism” and black liberation theology.

That's it for the Limbaugh Wire today. We'll be back for another round of punishment tomorrow. If we weren't, how would the Limbaugh Wire archives ever achieve its unstated goal of being the most thorough collection of Limbaugh-related snark on the Internets?

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

Highlights from Hour 3

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: I'm going to tell you who this bunch reminds me of. There's a parallel going on in the world right now to this bunch that's running this country, and the parallel is Iran. They supposedly had a fair election. The people of Iran didn't think it was fair, they think it was a fraudulent election, and they started protesting in the streets. They -- even the people of Iran, this was too much to swallow.

The mullahs were just putting one over 'em. They wanted a reform candidate to win. They didn't think any of this -- they didn't think Ahmadinejad was the legitimate winner. They started protesting, and what was the result? The government went out and started cracking heads. Started putting people in jail. Some people have died as a result of government treatment when they were in the protests.

And now, you've got the White House asking people, its groupies, to be informants?

[...]

LIMBAUGH: So, this is, again, this has happened before in human history. Parents, whose minds weren't right, parents who were saying things against the regime, their children were supposed to inform on them. And so, now, the Obama administration is genuinely, legitimately asking for informants.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: This administration not only is not focusing on jobs and the economy at the expense of health care, it is doing everything it can to prevent this economy from rebounding.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Oh, by the way, Obama went to the press room to celebrate Helen Thomas' birthday today. Helen Thomas and Obama have the same birthday. Obama said that Helen wished for health care reform. Helen you're 89, be careful what you're wishing for here.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Helen Thomas is 89 years old. If Obama health care passes, Helen Thomas is soon to be put out to pasture at Statist Farm. First time she gets sick, it's going to be judged not worth it.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: The only way you can insure 50 million more people and not add any more doctors is to make sure certain people die --

CALLER: Exactly.

LIMBAUGH: -- and the right people dying will also save us some Social Security money.