This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the post-Obama Oreo ban
By Greg Lewis
The final hour of today's Limbaugh programming began with Rush discussing the media's excitement over positive economic indicators. He began with audio bites from last Saturday's Your Money on CNN, consisting of hosts Roland Martin and Christina Romans rebutting Rush's claims from early July that they were “missing all the terrible things that had happened” by reporting on the rising stock market. Rush said that CNN and MSNBC were looking for any tiny bit of evidence that what Obama is doing is working, but in fact what is happening is Americans are struggling to deal with the damage Obama has wrought on the economy, arguing that no new jobs are being created, and the Dow is still down from its high of 14,000. It's interesting that Rush has taken to overlooking stock market gains since Obama took office, seeing as he previously used short-term market trends to judge Obama's performance.
Rush continued his assault on the media, saying that these were the same people who tried to tell us we were in a recession during the boom years of the Bush administration. Then he aired more audio of CNN's Christina Romans reporting on the recent stock market rally and rising 401(k) statements. Rush exclaimed that people are too scared to look at their 401(k) statements, and that the state-run media will do anything to tell people that what they are feeling isn't true. Then Rush played more audio of CNN's “infobabe” Heidi Collins asking for clarification from a reporter on economic indicators because she was “so ecstatic.” Rush made the point that CNN was really excited about the market's performance, even though the media was negative about stock market growth during the Bush years.
After a break, Rush wanted to talk more about the increase in housing starts. It's up 11 percent over the last period, but it's still down 28 percent from this time last year, explained Rush. Rush attributed this to subsidies for new homebuyers and the depressed nature of the market, making it a smart time to buy. Then he lamented that property taxes in Palm Beach County were increasing 15 percent -- government will “cry and moan” at the thought of having less money, said Rush.
Then Rush cited the Drudge-flagged story at AccuWeather.com that 3,000 record low temperatures were set in the month of July. A quick tip for Rush, or for anyone seeking to cite sources when making an argument -- make sure the source you cite does not explicitly undermine the argument you're trying to make. Here's the Drudge-hyped AccuWeather.com analysis on the 3,000 record low temperatures in July. After Drudge linked to it and before Rush read from it on the air, the author added this caveat: "The article was not meant to be a commentary on Climate Change or Global Warming (which is why I uttered neither phrase), though I understand why some thought that it was, given the link source :) Cold OR warm outbreaks, by themselves, are not signs of Climate Change."
Sticking to the subject of weather and climate, Rush cited an article in the UK Guardian reporting that Bush tried to hide evidence of global warming. Rush noted that his program's “official climatologist” said this article was hilarious because there is no way to hide such evidence. Anyway, this was another “teachable moment” for Rush, who explained that every argument the left is advancing -- from creating jobs, to health care, to the global warming hoax -- is being exposed as baseless and wrong. Global warming is a “classic example,” he continued, saying that it is just a springboard for a socialist agenda. He went on to argue that since China and India weren't getting involved with capping CO2 emissions, the whole reasoning for action on global warming “breaks down.” He then said:
LIMBAUGH: And yet, these are the people -- the left, the liberals -- who tell us they have all the compassion and they want people freed from whatever bondage they're in. And yet, when you listen to people like Barney Frank or Barack Obama, you understand that they got a different idea of bondage, and that's us in it. Honestly, you know, I've -- I had a dream that I was a slave building this sphinx in a desert that looked like Obama. I woke at 4 o'clock in the morning.
Rush came back from the next break noting that ABC radio news, which airs at the top of the hour during his broadcasts, reported that some economists are declaring the recession over. Rush asked if that means we can slash the remainder of stimulus money that hasn't been spent. Then Rush went into conspiracy mode, telling his audience, “I don't want to be a black helicopter guy here, but...” Just for the record, this is never a good way to start any statement. Anyway, he said:
LIMBAUGH: We know that Obama brought the CBO guy in for a kneecapping. When the CBO guy -- and this is a violation of ethics. That's an -- it's an independent agency of Congress. And Obama calls the director of the CBO up to the White House after they issued a report saying Obama's health care plan will bloat the deficit by another 250 billion -- that's frankly very low. So, I now -- since Obama brought the CBO guy up to kneecap him -- you know, I'll believe these numbers when I see the revision in two weeks. It'll be real interesting to see if these numbers are revised down a couple weeks from now.
Rush went on to assert that the tax credit for new homebuyers is probably what stimulated the housing market, which was a “teachable moment” because it shows what tax cuts could do for the economy at large.
Then it was off to the phones. Rush took a caller who asked how Obama would “make” her get insurance if she chose not to have it. Rush stated that there probably would be a fine. The caller pressed further, asking what would happen if “a whole bunch of us decide we're not gonna” get insurance. Would they put them in jail? Rush responded: “No, they'll fine you. ... They're going to get your money one way or the other. And they might put you in jail. Who knows with this bunch?”
Rush then took another caller, who stated that Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) has been doing so much on cap and trade and health care reform, but he seems to mostly fly under the radar. Rush agreed with the caller that Waxman is not usually put in the mix as one of the people with destructive designs on the U.S. economy.
The next caller said she was reading about Gates on the Drudge Report today and was upset because he was talking about “whitey.” The caller said it sounds like Gates and Obama were sitting side by side with Rev. Wright, and that Obama should apologize for taking Gates' side. Rush retorted: “Gods don't apologize.”
“Health Nazis,” Rush declared once back from another break, have put up a billboard in St. Louis saying hot dogs cause cancer. After gloating that he “warned” us about them coming after your SUV, Rush warned us that now they are coming after hot dogs. He then proceeded to read from an article detailing The Cancer Project's attempts to have hot dogs labeled with cancer warnings. Rush said that hot dogs are just the “starting point”; he named several other foods, like bacon and bologna, that he said they would go after next. But not Oreos, he said -- at least not yet:
LIMBAUGH: And after that, they're going to go after Oreos. Might have to put that off 'til Obama's out of office, but they'll eventually go after Oreos.
Rush rounded out today's program (“Open Line Monday!”?) with one more caller, this one claiming that Obama “lied” at his press conference when he said countries with government-sponsored insurance have better insurance than we do. Rush said Obama doesn't like the country and is trying to convince us that it isn't what it's cracked up to be. Meanwhile, the media has “met their Waterloo” and is trying to help Obama get health care passed.
And so concludes today's edition of the Limbaugh Wire. We'll be back tomorrow, when we'll inevitably notch one more entry in the increasingly vast Limbaugh Wire archives. On a side note, no apologies will be made for my impugning of Simon's character last week. He had it coming.
Simon Maloy, Hannah Dreier, and Zachary Pleat contributed to this edition of the Limbaugh Wire.
Highlights from Hour 3
Outrageous comments
LIMBAUGH: And yet, these are the people -- the left, the liberals -- who tell us they have all the compassion and they want people freed from whatever bondage they're in. And yet, when you listen to people like Barney Frank or Barack Obama, you understand that they got a different idea of bondage, and that's us in it. Honestly, you know, I've -- I had a dream that I was a slave building this sphinx in a desert that looked like Obama. I woke at 4 o'clock in the morning.
[...]
LIMBAUGH: Look, I don't want to be a black helicopter guy here, but we know something. We know that Obama brought the CBO guy in for a kneecapping. When the CBO guy -- and this is a violation of ethics. That's an -- it's an independent agency of Congress. And Obama calls the director of the CBO up to the White House after they issued a report saying Obama's health care plan will bloat the deficit by another 250 billion -- that's frankly very low. So, I now -- since Obama brought the CBO guy up to kneecap him -- you know, I'll believe these numbers when I see the revision in two weeks. It'll be real interesting to see if these numbers are revised down a couple weeks from now.
[...]
CALLER: I'm self-employed and I do not have health insurance. Now that's of my own choosing. Now when I want to get health insurance or if even if I don't want it, how can Obama make me get it?
LIMBAUGH: Pass a law that says you have to have it, or you'll get fined by the IRS.
CALLER: OK. But say, fine, I don't do it. What if -- and say a whole bunch of us decide we're not gonna do it. They gonna put us all in jail or what?
LIMBAUGH: No, they'll fine you. They're going to --
CALLER: And if I don't pay it --
LIMBAUGH: They're going to get your money one way or the other. And they might put you in jail. Who knows with this bunch?
[...]
LIMBAUGH: And after that, they're going to go after Oreos. Might have to put that off 'til Obama's out of office, but they'll eventually go after Oreos.