Because no one deserves a vacation less than Obama

By Tom Allison

Rush opened the show today with quite the conservative misinformation triumvirate: promoting a Bill O'Reilly column, recommending a Drudge headline, and announcing that he would be calling in to Glenn Beck's radio show. Rush was really harping on the fact that the President would go on vacation and ask for privacy for himself and his family when he normally risks over-exposure. Rush thought that “People to Obama: Leave us alone” would be an appropriate headline for Drudge.

In addition to referring to Martha's Vineyard" as “Marxist Vineyard” throughout the show, Rush was still appalled that Obama would pick such a liberal elitist enclave as a vacation destination, especially with the economy in the shape that it is.

“Public option is dead”

Ignoring Obama's and the Democrats' preference for bipartisanship, Rush claimed that the public option was dead because even though Democrats have control of both Houses of Congress and could pass it on their own, they're instead blaming Republicans and the media for stalling health care reform. Rush claimed that “the far leftists” are to blame, but they're blaming the moderates and the media. Rush also revived the stale smear that Obama told the military to Mirandize battlefield prisoners caught in war zones. It's actually the FBI that's Mirandizing detainees, they're not doing it “on the battlefield,” and this policy started during the Bush administration.

Rush again invoked “Cash for Caskets”

Coming back from the first break, Rush once again suggested renaming the “death panels” as "Cash for Caskets." Rush also promoted an Associated Press article reporting that there wouldn't be a cost-of-living adjustment for the next two years for Social Security.

Rush then asked, “Where does he [Obama] support private business?” Rush suggested that Obama wants to nationalize everything, including real estate agents, home builders, and farms. Rush claimed that Obama is a hypocrite because he “lives in public housing flies on public airplanes and eats public food” but doesn't support private business or enterprise. Rush also said that nationalism sucks everything out of the private sector. Incredibly, Rush recommended that Obama move out of the White House and reside next door at the Blair House.

Limbaugh was also upset that “Marxist Vineyard” is too white.

“We have a president actively in opposition to the Constitution”

Coming back, Rush claimed that there are two worlds out there: the real world and the “Obama-snorting world.” Rush then aired audio from Rep. Brian Baird's (D-WA) town hall meeting last week during which a questioner claimed that Baird wants to indoctrinate children and told the Democrat to stay away from his kids. Limbaugh said that the man was speaking for the American people and that he was "beaming with pride" when the questioner claimed that Nazism is a leftist philosophy -- a favorite revisionist theory of Rush's. Rush concluded that “Obama is doing everything he can in any number of ways” to take over the country and that “we have a president actively in opposition to the Constitution.”

Rush went back to criticize Obama's vacation “Marxist Vineyard” comparing the scene to the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. “The only thing missing was Robin Leach,” said the rich and famous Limbaugh.

Rush: “Leave our penises alone!”

Rush found himself quite upset about reports that the CDC is considering promoting circumcision for newborn American boys. Rush did not mention that this is part of an effort to reduce HIV transmission, but instead drew a line in the sand, declaring: “Leave our penises alone!”

Rush also promoted a Washington Examiner article on how “maybe a week on Martha's Vineyard can bring back some of the magic between the Obama administration and the media.”

Limbaugh fearmongered over “VA Death Book”

Rush got the second hour rolling by going all in with the “VA Death Book” smear. Like Fox News' Chris Wallace over the weekend, Rush misled his audience to believe that the Veterans administration is directing enrollees to the booklet Your Life, Your Choices, when in each instance the advanced directive document refers veterans to the booklet as an example of a resource that could be offered. Rush also wrongly claimed that the Bush administration scuttled the booklet only to see the Obama administration bring it back.

Rush's career again flashes before his eyes

One of the more interesting moments of the program happened when a caller claimed that “we're being slapped with the death book” and then scarily compared America to an abused housewife who is about to violently taker her revenge:

CALLER: Absolutely. And it just seems to be getting worse and worse. It's like the abused wife who all of a sudden take the shotgun out, you know? I mean, just flips out. One of these days I'm just -- we're gonna just pull --

LIMBAUGH: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no --

Rush told another caller that Obama doesn't understand working people and suggested that he's in George Soros' pocket.

Another caller claimed that the health reform bill is “going to destroy us” and that every doctor in the country is terrified of the bill. Rush responded that the government doesn't have the right to tell you whether you live or not.

And in case we needed any more evidence of the right wing media fueling the “spontaneous” town hall protests, Limbaugh's last caller actually asked Rush what question she should ask at her local town hall meeting. Rush asked her what she would want to ask, and the caller responded that she wanted to know where in the Constitution does it say that the government can take control of health care. Of course, Rush himself had made this exact observation earlier.

Rush mocks bipartisanship

Kicking off the third hour, Rush read from a Fox News article on VA doctors misdiagnosing patients. Limbaugh was also quite surprised about McCain's calls for Obama to drop the public option in health care reform, saying that it is big news whenever McCain supports a Republican position.

Rush continued:

LIMBAUGH: Just as things were going good -- just as things are going good, what happens? McCain rides in to quote-unquote “save the day.” You know, I've got this déjà vu Gang of 14 thing running through my head. Well what do we -- no, I'll tell ya I got concerns. It's -- right, public option, no good, won't pass -- leave it there, Senator. Leave it there. Don't have a meeting with him to figure out what can pass -- leave it there. Don't let this guy do it! You guys come up with your own decent reform plan when you get power back. Don't let this guy do it!

Oh no, oh no. Here we are. We are -- we've got victory in our jaws, all we have to do is clamp down, and here comes McCain with the jaw constrictors. “That's right, Limbaugh, that's right. Bipartisanship! Bipartisanship! I'm gonna show that we can do this if we work together.” No! No, you don't want to be part of this. When the other guy's gonna bomb out, when the other guy's gonna flame out, when the other guy's gonna -- McCain, would you follow en enemy fighter pilot down and crash just because he was going to? No. You would stay up there and gloat, especially if you shot him down. If this guy's gonna go down in flames -- figuratively speaking -- watch from the cockpit.

Rush moved on to a McClatchy article about the worsening homeless problem in Washington, D.C. As you might expect, Rush blamed it all on Obama.

Rush: Torture prosecutor “irrelevant” and “destroying national security”

Touching on reports that Attorney General Holder will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate detainee abuse by CIA officers, Rush let his audience know how he feels about the issue:

LIMBAUGH: I am telling you, the only reason they're doing this is to distract everybody from health care. They said in Martha's Vineyard we don't want to be covered, leave us alone. They come out with this CIA torture and interrogation stuff, Holder follows suit by saying, yep, we're going to do a prosecutor. We're going to look whether there really was any violation -- and this is all about rallying Obama's base, which he's losing. Because Obama's base will get much more excited seeing the U.S. as the world's villain than they care about health care. This is despicable. This is irrelevant. He's closing Gitmo -- this has nothing to do with now. This is all about distracting everybody, this is all about getting his base back. And it's all about destroying United States national security in the process. People are a menace.

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

Highlights

CALLER: I just wanted to talk to you about the cuts in Social Security. I'm not ready for it yet, my husband's a 24-year disabled vet. We just got slapped with the death book, and now the COLA thing. It's the hypocrisy that's pissing us off. It's the blatant, in-your-face hypocrisy. It's like being married to a malignant narcissist who keeps saying to you, “Who are you gonna believe? Me or your lying eyes and ears?” And I'm sick of it.

LIMBAUGH: You are saying -- you are saying that Obama is the equivalent of being married to an abusive husband?

CALLER: Absolutely.

LIMBAUGH: Whoa.

CALLER: Absolutely. And it just seems to be getting worse and worse. It's like the abused wife who all of a sudden take the shotgun out, you know? I mean, just flips out. One of these days I'm just -- we're gonna just pull --

LIMBAUGH: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no --

CALLER: No, no, that isn't what I mean. I don't mean that literally. I'm saying it figuratively, as in the wife who just flips then, you know? That's what it's like being hitched up to this guy. You just -- every day, it's something new. It's a bombshell.

LIMBAUGH: Well I understand. I understand. You can't get away.

CALLER: I don't mean it that way, please forgive me. I don't mean it that way.

LIMBAUGH: Yeah, I understand. I know -- what you mean is you can't get away from the guy. Even when he's on vaca -- you can't get away form the guy. He is always screwing up your life. He is always oppressing you, beating you up, abusing you. Cutting your Social Security. Telling you that you gotta decide when it's good for you to die.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: I am telling you, the only reason they're doing this is to distract everybody from health care. They said in Martha's Vineyard we don't want to be covered, leave us alone. They come out with this CIA torture and interrogation stuff, Holder follows suit by saying, yep, we're going to do a prosecutor. We're going to look whether there really was any violation -- and this is all about rallying Obama's base, which he's losing. Because Obama's base will get much more excited seeing the U.S. as the world's villain than they care about health care. This is despicable. This is irrelevant. He's closing Gitmo -- this has nothing to do with now. This is all about distracting everybody, this is all about getting his base back. And it's all about destroying United States national security in the process. People are a menace.