Rush Limbaugh seems keenly aware of the reality described in a recent Roll Call article headlined “When Talk Radio Talks, Congress Listens.” The article reported that “Republicans privately admitted Members carefully monitor what's being said on conservative airwaves to make sure they aren't contradicting it or enraging talkers.” It also reported that Limbaugh and his fellow conservative media figures “can mobilize more voters than any press release or floor speech, so Members find themselves needing to be responsive or face their wrath.”
On his show before the State of the Union on Tuesday, Limbaugh used his direct line to Republicans in Congress to send a clear message: “The election in November was not about Republicans and Democrats getting along with each other.”
Limbaugh indicated his audience wouldn't welcome the air of bipartisanship at the State of the Union and the recent discussion about increased civility:
And they don't take great pleasure in seeing all this take place because, as I said -- and folks, I do not say this with any comfort or happiness. This does not please me to have to see this or illustrate it and reflect it and point it out to you. But this reacting to Obama and the media is the exact opposite of what the people who voted in November wanted and expected.
Limbaugh then seemed to warn members of Congress that there could be consequences for straying:
Whatever happened to the old phrase, “You dance with the one who brung ya”? You dance with the one who brung ya. And I don't care whatever Democrat any Republican sits next to tonight, that Democrat had no effect, that Democrat had no involvement in these Republicans winning the election. So in a sense, you could look at this as a -- as sort of a slap in the face. And if elected Republicans are asking themselves, “Well, what's all -- why do you people get so upset about -- we're just going to sit together.” You need to ask yourselves, “What would our voters do in these circumstances?” And that's very clear to understand. If you ask yourself, “What would our voters do?” And if you know your voters don't want you getting engaged and involved in these PR shows for civility, then don't do it.
But there's two years for the voters to forget. And Tucson. Tucson.
This is all -- it's all falling into pl-- you know, I have been asked to speak to a large number of members of the House very soon, and I told them that I would do it. And I'm wondering if the -- I just wonder if that'll actually happen now, given the program today. But I did promise. I did commit. So, I said that I would do it. And I will take full advantage of the opportunity. I'll tell you when after it's all happened and so forth. But dance with the guy who brung ya.
Limbaugh drove his point home by mentioning that he had been asked to speak to a “large group” of House members, and he “wonder[ed] if that'll actually happen now, given the program” at the State of the Union:
This is all -- it's all falling into pl-- you know, I have been asked to speak to a large number of members of the House very soon, and I told them that I would do it. And I'm wondering if the -- I just wonder if that'll actually happen now, given the program today. But I did promise. I did commit. So, I said that I would do it. And I will take full advantage of the opportunity. I'll tell you when after it's all happened and so forth. But dance with the guy who brung ya.
Republican members of Congress, you're on notice.
Full transcript is below the jump.
LIMBAUGH: But I'll tell you, all of this -- this is -- and maybe they know it in Washington. But if they don't, let me help out.
All of this sitting together and ribbons and stuff, this is not flying out here. This is not appeasing anybody. It's not making anybody feeling any better. Nobody's being bought off by this. This is not what this election was about. The election in November was not about Republicans and Democrats getting along with each other. This is a myth that the media and the Democrats continue to put forth, but it's not what that election was about. This election was about defeating Obama. It was about stopping Obama. It was about stopping the Democrats. It was not about sitting with them and getting along with them. And this is not going to fly.
Now, they may be able to fool themselves in the chamber and think that they're really mattering and that they're really doing great things and that they're helping this new civility and so forth. All they're doing is alienating themselves from the people who elected them.
I hate to say it, too, but this is -- the people that swarmed polling places in November want Obama stopped. They don't want his agenda joined. The people that swarmed the ballot boxes in November do not believe Obama is moderating and moving to the center. They don't believe any of this is genuine. They know it's a show. They know it's pure PR. They don't -- all of this civility stuff, this is not what the election was about. The election was about saving the country from Obama policies.
And they don't take great pleasure in seeing all this take place because, as I said -- and folks, I do not say this with any comfort or happiness. This does not please me to have to see this or illustrate it and reflect it and point it out to you. But this reacting to Obama and the media is the exact opposite of what the people who voted in November wanted and expected.
Whatever happened to the old phrase, “You dance with the one who brung ya”? You dance with the one who brung ya. And I don't care whatever Democrat any Republican sits next to tonight, that Democrat had no effect, that Democrat had no involvement in these Republicans winning the election. So in a sense, you could look at this as a -- as sort of a slap in the face. And if elected Republicans are asking themselves, “Well, what's all -- why do you people get so upset about -- we're just going to sit together.” You need to ask yourselves, “What would our voters do in these circumstances?” And that's very clear to understand. If you ask yourself, “What would our voters do?” And if you know your voters don't want you getting engaged and involved in these PR shows for civility, then don't do it.
But there's two years for the voters to forget. And Tucson. Tucson.
This is all -- it's all falling into pl-- you know, I have been asked to speak to a large number of members of the House very soon, and I told them that I would do it. And I'm wondering if the -- I just wonder if that'll actually happen now, given the program today. But I did promise. I did commit. So, I said that I would do it. And I will take full advantage of the opportunity. I'll tell you when after it's all happened and so forth. But dance with the guy who brung ya.
So, look at what's happened here. The Democrats didn't lose. Tucson happened because the Republicans and the talk radio people and Sarah Palin are too angry and loud. The Democrats still run the House. Obama's running the show. Everybody's reacting to what Obama wants to do. The Democrats have this idea of everybody sitting together. Everybody's going along with it. And the people who elected this majority are scratching their heads, saying, “What the hell?”