By Greg Lewis

Rush “theory”: Obama admin and “leftist radicals” want people to turn away from the private sector so that they can continue their “all out assault on the private sector”

Limbaugh kicked things off today by discussing why the left was upset about the health care bill. He singled out three reasons: that the public option is coming out, that the Medicare expansion is coming out, and that the Dorgan amendment allowing for the reimportation of drugs from Canada “went down in flames.”

But before he went any further with his health care discussion, Rush had to address an apparently more important story in the U.S. News & World Report headlined, “How to live happily on 75 percent less.” Rush called the story “cover” for Obama because it says that you won't be as successful as you once were. Then Rush presented a “theory” he had that the Obama administration and “leftist radicals” actually “want” people to turn away from the private sector, and that their “all out assault” on the private sector is being done purposefully.

Anyway, Limbaugh's message for those in his audience who were struggling after being laid off was to tell them that the Obama administration and its policies are making it more difficult for them to realize their dreams.

Getting back to health care, Rush claimed that Sen. Roland Burris said he would not vote for a bill sans public option, which to Rush meant that Burris was holding out his hands to see what he can get like Sens. Mary Landrieu and Joe Lieberman did. Then Rush talked about how the left wing “kook” websites are going “batty” over the Lieberman deal cutting out the public option and Medicare expansion from the Senate bill. Rush said a lot of people who voted for Obama believed the hype that he would be “post-racial” and “post-partisan.” Rush said the opposite has happened and there is now “more partisanship” than ever before.

After the commercial, Rush continued to talk about the “kook” leftist websites being “livid” over the defeat of the Dorgan amendment which would have allowed the reimportation of prescription drugs. Rush provided evidence that Obama himself supported the idea on the campaign trail, and claimed that Obama sold the left out by cutting a deal with big Pharma. Rush also noted that he “warned” the left about this back in August.

Rush claims we had “eight years of prosperity” under Bush

Back from another break, Rush mentioned that when Bill Clinton was elected in 1992, he said that the era of greed and selfishness was over. Rush said this was in reference to the eight years of prosperity under Reagan (second term) and H.W. Bush. Rush added that now after “eight years of prosperity” under Bush 43 (er, not so much), the left is seeking its revenge.

Limbaugh a complete hypocrite on partisanship -- but you already knew that

Then Limbaugh explained why he opposes liberals, during which he takes pride in increasing partisanship since Obama took office, even though he moments earlier blamed Obama for the rise in partisanship:

LIMBAUGH: It is not simple-minded, it is not simplistic to say “I oppose that, it's liberal. I oppose that candidate, or I oppose that president because it's liberal.” It's -- in fact, it is highly wise, it's very smart to cite liberalism as the primary reason you oppose any liberal or any Democrat. It's the smartest thing you can do, is to stop liberalism at any chance you've got -- not work with it, not compromise with them, not try to prove to them that that you're a nice guy. Just beat 'em! Just stop 'em! Especially now. We have never faced a more radically left leadership in this country than now.

And there's no compromise with them. There's no, there's no -- the days of the usual day at the office, where “OK, the Republicans lost the election so the Democrats are in power, we gotta work with 'em and we'll get the power some day” -- no, that's not the way to look at it. There's nothing about this agenda, nothing that's been advanced that's worth compromising them with or helping them get passed. There's nothing worth trying to reshape so it's not as bad. It just needs to be stopped. It's the wise choice.

Rush: "[P]eople are going to die prematurely with the government in charge" of health care

Then Rush read a Washington Post piece on the failure of Democrats in the health care “PR fight,” citing the paper's latest poll. Rush singled out one question in the poll which found that 51 percent of respondents said government intervention in health care is “necessary to control costs and expand coverage.” His response?

LIMBAUGH: So that's 51 percent of the people in this poll who are absolutely mentally disturbed. It is plain common sense to understand that government does not control costs, government will not expand coverage, people are going to die prematurely with the government in charge of all this.

Rush went on for a few minutes after this about how media outlets like the Post and the New York Times are partly responsible for the “PR failure” and said that it shows that they are losing their monopoly they once had on political discussion.

He then related the health care debate to the global warming “hoax” debate. Rush explained that the left is getting mad at the people who are shutting them out of their “dollar gravy train.” In other words, Rush claimed that there were “gazillions” of dollars to be had for health care and for global warming, and liberals are getting really ticked that conservatives are blocking these issues.

Limbaugh suggests Republican opposition to health care reform should be more like Howard Dean's ... by supporting a public option?

Hour 2 began with Rush noting that Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC was “fit to be tied” during an interview with GOP chair Michael Steele because Republicans were shutting down debate on the health care bill by forcing Sen. Bernie Sanders' single-payer amendment to be read in full on the floor.

Then Rush finally got to his much-teased audio clips of Howard Dean calling for the Senate bill to be killed because it lacks a public option. Rush had previously said that this clip makes the case of Republicans opposing the bill. Rush started out this bit by saying that liberalism “cannot exist in the sunlight ... like Dracula.”

He then railed against the Democrats for not coming up with an “honest plan,” which he defined as a plan that would accomplish their two goals: getting more people insured, and controlling costs. Never mind that that is exactly what the current bill sets out to do, Rush added that if they just tried an “honest” proposal, they would have gotten it passed.

However, Rush continued, Democrats can't be honest, because that would kill them politically. Getting back to the Dean comments, Rush said that what Dean said is what Republicans ought to be saying.

Let's stop for a moment. First of all, Limbaugh's first argument here goes against everything he's said on his show since the health care debate began. What would make the bill more “honest” by his definition? A “simple” bill that would insure the uninsured and roll back prices. That's what Rush said. I don't know how Rush expects a reform of an industry as massive and complex as health insurance to be “simple.” That aside, the goals Rush lays out for an “honest” bill are exactly the goals the bill as it is written tries to achieve.

Moreover, Limbaugh's argument regarding Dean is similarly nonsensical. Howard Dean's point was that the bill shouldn't be passed as it is because, as he said in a clip Limbaugh plays, the problem of the bill is: “we're now committed to a solution using the private insurance companies.” Rush said this comment in particular was exactly right, and is the sort of argument Republicans opposing health care should be making. But Dean is talking about the lack of a public option being what he thinks is a fatal flaw of the bill. So is Rush a public option supporter now? Well, obviously he isn't, but if you take his rant here at face value and look at what words of Dean he is endorsing, that's essentially the message.

Rush praises Republican obstructionism, but admonishes the media for reporting that Republicans are obstructing

After a caller who lamented the high price of prescription drugs, Rush got back to the latest happenings in Republican obstructionism in the Senate. Rush said obstructing is something conservatives have been urging them to do. Rush spent a few minutes reflecting on the 1994 midterm elections, arguing against nameless Democrat “strategerists” who say if Democrats don't pass health care, then 2010 will be a repeat of 1994. But his point on all this was that Republicans were finally standing up and doing some obstruction.

However, Rush continued to take issue with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell's interview with Steele over the matter. Mitchell had pressed Steele for reading an amendment which was not “germane” because it couldn't pass (Sanders' single payer amendment). Rush said that Mitchell is admitting that single payer -- which he called the “most honest thing” Democrats have put forth -- isn't going anywhere.

Then Rush took a caller who wanted to defend Big Pharma in regard to drug prices. Rush said he was a big supporter of Big Pharma and the like, and warned the industry about “getting in bed” with the Obama administration and spending “protection money” in the deal they reportedly made in regards to health care reform.

Back for the final hour, and Rush was still boiling over about Andrea Mitchell being “fit to be tied” over GOP obstructionism. Rush asked why Mitchell wasn't upset over the lack of transparency in Reid's health care bill which nobody has seen yet. Rush reiterated his support for the GOP obstructionism, calling Coburn and his followers “patriots” for trying to delay health care.

Rush continued to rant about the obstacles the health care bill will face in the House, and repeated his conspiracy theory yesterday that it's Pelosi's intention to lose seats in the House to “thin the herd” of Blue Dogs. He also played sound bites of the “propagandists” at MSNBC being “livid” over Howard Dean's remarks.

Following a commercial time-out, Rush returned to rail against another MSNBC anchor. This time it was Contessa Brewer, who Rush called “hapless” and criticized her for reporting on the GOP “stall tactics” on display in the Senate to slow down the bill.

Wait wait wait wait wait. Let me get this one straight. Rush just totally lost his cool over the way MSNBC is covering the GOP's obstructionist tactic for calling it what it is -- an obstructionist tactic. But not only that, but it was just earlier on his show that Rush was applauding what he specifically called an obstructionist tactic.

Whatever. Rush Limbaugh lost his grasps of facts and logic a long time ago, so this really shouldn't be surprising.

Rush went on to take a string of phone calls covering such topics as moving detainees to Illinois and the effects of health care reform. One caller even wasted his time in dissecting the details of Sanders' single payer bill. Rush humored him on this and discussed it. (His waste of airtime, not ours.)

Closing out the program, Rush said Democrats are livid over the obstructionist tactics in the Senate, and he again referred to Sanders amendment as being the “most honest thing” Democrats have put forth in the entire health care debate because it spells out what the end game is.

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

Highlights

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: It is not simple-minded, it is not simplistic to say “I oppose that, it's liberal. I oppose that candidate, or I oppose that president because it's liberal.” It's -- in fact, it is highly wise, it's very smart to cite liberalism as the primary reason you oppose any liberal or any Democrat. It's the smartest thing you can do, is to stop liberalism at any chance you've got -- not work with it, not compromise with them, not try to prove to them that that you're a nice guy. Just beat 'em! Just stop 'em! Especially now. We have never faced a more radically left leadership in this country than now.

And there's no compromise with them. There's no, there's no -- the days of the usual day at the office, where “OK, the Republicans lost the election so the Democrats are in power, we gotta work with 'em and we'll get the power some day” -- no, that's not the way to look at it. There's nothing about this agenda, nothing that's been advanced that's worth compromising them with or helping them get passed. There's nothing worth trying to reshape so it's not as bad. It just needs to be stopped. It's the wise choice.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: So that's 51 percent of the people in this poll who are absolutely mentally disturbed. It is plain common sense to understand that government does not control costs, government will not expand coverage, people are going to die prematurely with the government in charge of all this.