Here are some thoughts delivered by Rush Limbaugh. Read them, think about them, and decide for yourself…..

Now, the conservative movement has to have a political arm. It has to have a political identity. That has always been the Republican Party. But there’s a battle now within the Republican Party over who’s going to lead it and who’s going to define it. And even during the Reagan era, a lot of you in this room were prominent then. You know that there was a lot of resentment for Ronald Reagan among the quote/unquote “elitists” in our own party because he wasn’t properly educated, he didn’t come from the right geographical areas, you know, all the things that elites use to distinguish themselves. And plus he wasn’t smart. We have — well, that’s what they thought. He was a bumbling dunce, they agreed with Tip O’Neill. But in the meantime, while they had never been able to secure more than 135 seats in the House and go Bob Michel is our leader, and Nelson Rockefeller getting drunk at the ‘76 convention in Kansas City, falling off his chair is about as far as they ever took us. Reagan comes along, two landslides. And using the same thing that Reagan knew, we took over the House in 1994. And all of us in the Republican Party saw “that era is over.” And I never hear the Democrats say “the era of FDR is over.” Not only are they trying to revive FDR, Obama is trying to say he’s Lincoln, too. [Laughter]

We’re sitting around deciding among ourselves, how are we going to approach the Walmart voter? And how are we going to go out and get — we’re into an argument now amongst ourselves, “we have to be for Big Government, too. We have to be for spending to create voting blocks that will vote for us. We have to, because that’s what the American people want.” Well, what’s left to spend? Seriously, what is left to spend? We can’t spend any more than we are unless we start printing, and I’m convinced that we’re not already doing that. We don’t have this money we’re using to bail out left and right. It’s just tragic to see what has happened. Right before our eyes. Now look at these poor automobile execs. I find it difficult to believe that every automobile executive for 35 years has been an idiot. When you look at what’s happened to the business, you figure: There’s got to be something. Why don’t we look at what is wrong with it? And why don’t we look at what’s wrong with the mortgage industry? [Laughter] And why don’t we look at what’s wrong with the housing industry? Why don’t we look at what’s wrong with — and, you know, everywhere you look at what’s wrong with this or that, guess who you see? Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter. You see Democrats. [Applause.]

Without exception. If, during the first bailout of the mortgage business, Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, if they could have found a Republican to blame it on, he would be in Guantanamo Bay right now. [Laughter] After they had done hearing after hearing after, they could not find a Republican. So they had to circle the wagons. And of course we get the impressions, Republicans, “well, these people are losing their homes. We can’t have them — no, of course we can’t have any suffering in America anymore. We can’t have any suffering, can’t have any discomfort. Government’s going to solve all that. There will be no difficulties whatsoever. Government can fix all of this.”
We have, I think, as conservatives, a golden opportunity here to reintroduce to people — because this isn’t going to work. Down the line it isn’t going to work. Central Planning — like, I don’t know if you were following the stock market, poor old Ben Bernanke, every time he opens his mouth, folks go sell because the market jumps down 200 points. Happened today. No matter what he says — and of course Hank Paulson, I’m sure they’re trying their best. It came out today, the magic number, the magic number for mortgage interest is 4 1/2 percent. Central Planning says so. Central Planning: 4 1/2 percent. Where do they pull this stuff out of? This is not going to lead to prosperity for anybody except liberal Democrats who want as much control over people’s lives via the government as possible. I look at the auto execs, to get back to them for a moment. And I look at the big oil execs. And I look at — to me, the most insulting, incompetent, insufferable, arrogant people on these House and Senate Committees lecturing these people. I don’t know of one Senator who could produce a drop of oil for anybody’s gas — I don’t know a Senator — Herb Kohl may know how to win in the NBA, but I don’t. These guys don’t know diddly-squat. The people that are up there being queried and being interrogated on losing money for their companies are being interrogated by people who are the most irresponsible with other people’s money I have ever seen in my life! The members of Congress! [Applause.]

So, I’ve had this fantasy. Let’s say I’m Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil. And because of whatever market conditions, the price of oil’s up there at 147 and that means on cue it’s time for the Barney Franks of the world and the Chris Dodds and the Harry Reids to start hollering and yelling about excess, obscene profits and so forth. I would love it if Rex Tillerson, being grilled, would say “Senator, I want to change seats with you. You need to be asked questions by people in my industry, such as why in the hell are you standing in the way of us exploring and discovering for more of the product that you want us to deliver to the people of the world?” [Applause.]

You! Can you believe? How bad has it gotten when the CEO of General Motors drives a Malibu to the hearings? He can’t even fit in one! [Laughter] It’s all PR. It’s all smoke and mirrors. Yeah, because Harry Reid went out there and said they had the audacity to fly in their corporate jets. I don’t see Harry Reid giving his up and I don’t see Nancy Pelosi giving hers up. [Applause.]

But, more importantly, to force these men who are running corporations that have values and worths larger than some countries in the world to reduce the value of their time in a meaningless PR — these people have business interests all over the world. They have corporate fleets. They have to get executives to these places to do business. Why do we tell people — why do we not educate people as to the realities of the world instead of all this PR pandering? It’s because these guys are scared to death and they’ve come up with their hands out and they want money and so they’re bending over forwards and grabbing the ankles in front of people like Barney Frank. This is dangerous. Asking for money. [Laughter] [Applause.]

What I really wish, I wish these guys would come up and say, “How about you give us the money we need and then you leave us alone for six months? No requirements on CAFE standards. Tell us we don’t have to produce hybrids. People aren’t buying them. They’re available. They’re not going to buy electric cars. Let us build cars people want to buy and you people stay out of our business.” That’s what I want. The people have lost courage. Everybody is scared to death of government because government has stopped serving people. People have begun to serve government. And it’s got to stop. And we’re the ones, folks, we’re the only ones that believe this has to stop. [Applause.] And it’s going to take — it’s going to take courage. And, unfortunately, it’s going to take a little time for what’s happening now to seep in and really screw things up. Because we can tell people how bad it’s going to get and that’s not going to be enough. They’re going to have the problem is, it’s all going to be blamed on George Bush. Well, it is. Politically, it’s all going to be blamed on George Bush, as far as the media’s concerned, Obama is too big to fail. They’ve got too much invested in the guy. Historic nature of his candidacy, his election. This guy can be — he could end up being the most bumbling, incompetent, dangerous, worst president we’ve ever had, he’ll be covered for because “he’s too big to fail.” And it’s going to get blamed on the Republicans, whatever happens. Like right now, I can’t believe that we’re sitting by and letting this mortgage business get blamed on Bush. The one person who actually tried 12 different times to come up with some stronger regulations to stop the farce that was Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was shut down by Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. And today they get to redefine how we fix this and break it even further.
And we’re not going to redeem the principles of our founding as Americans or as conservatives — excuse me, again, I’m sorry — if we get into a debate with Democrats over who can be Big Government the smartest, which is where too many of our so called intelligentsia on our side in the media and elitists in our party want to go because they think that the public has determined they want Big Government and that nothing is going to change that. Gone are the days of teaching people that that’s wrong. I mean, I forget the old quote. You all are more informed than I. It’s been said by more than one or two statesmen. Once people figure out they can vote themselves whatever they want and that number’s over 51 percent, it’s over. And when you look at the few percentage of people paying income tax, we’re dangerously close to that circumstance. And as easily as they have spread class envy throughout our culture, I mean, the auto execs drive to this latest round of hearings and somehow that’s supposed to improve their public image? I bet they didn’t sell one damn new car over what they would have just because they drove a Malibu, carpooled to the hearings. But this is what people think is substantive these days. I do love this. It’s going to offend some people, but again that’s why I’m here. [Laughter] We just got the candidate and the campaign that the elitists in our party and the smarter-than-everybody-else-in-the-room media in our party said is the future of our party. We got a candidate to go out and get Democrats. And we had a candidate go out and attract moderates. We had a candidate go out and get Hispanics. We had a candidate to go out and get the this or that. We had a candidate who had no core beliefs, no principles. [Applause.]

And if he had them, he didn’t know how to express them. And so with what were we going to attract independents? “Well, I can work. I can work with Democrats.” [Laughter] Well, if I’m a Hispanic, I’ll go for the real thing. “Well, I could attract the moderates.” Yeah, that’s why Bill Weld endorsed Obama and that’s why Colin Powell endorsed Obama. All these moderates that were supposed to be on our side, this was their candidate, this was their campaign; this was their blueprint. And if it weren’t for Sarah Palin, my friends, it would have been a double digit loss. [Loud cheers and applause]

I was chosen by Barbara Walters as one of her 10 most fascinating people in the country the other night. It don’t matter. [Laughter] And it’s like that, Clarence? [Laughter] You know, do you know what a thrill it is? I have to tell you. I’m just like Larry Arnn said, I’m from this big metropolis, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Do you know what a thrill it is for me to be able to refer to an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court by his first name, Justice Thomas? That is such a thrill to know you that well to be able to. [Applause.] Now, many of you think I’ve lost my place. Many of you hopefully think I’ve lost my place. Barbara Walters asked me — she criticized me during the interview. I don’t know if this will make the cut on her show tonight. But like everybody on that side of the aisle, just really hammered me on Sarah Palin. And she said, “What do you see in her?” I said, “She’s smart. She’s enthusiastic. She’s got a core belief system.” I said, “Barbara, she has lived a rich and genuine American life. She defines what American life is all about. And she has thousands of people who will vouch for it.” Obama had to hide everybody who can vouch for his life [laughter and applause] until after the election. And she kept hammering me. And I said “What is your problem with her?” And Barbara Walters said, “She’s uninformed.” I said, “One interview. One interview with Katie Couric.” And I said “You, of all people,” I said, “I would think that you would be looking at this woman, who is maligned viciously by other women, I think people like you would be coming to her defense. She’s being treated the way she is because she is effective.” [Applause.]

Saxby Chambliss. Now, Saxby Chambliss is a fine American and he’s a wonderful man, but if it weren’t for his varicose veins, he would be totally colorless. [Laughter] Uh oh. I thought Dr. Arnn was walking out in protest. [Laughter] And Obama threw everything at Saxby Chambliss he had. He threw Ludacris. He threw Jay-Z. He threw everybody but Plaxico Burress and a loaded gun. [Laughter.] Of course, Obama himself didn’t go down there because he couldn’t risk losing. It was Sarah Palin that pulled that out down there, and Saxby Chambliss, God love him, Saxby Chambliss said the day afterwards, this proves we got to get back to our Reagan roots. There it is. [Applause.]

Reagan roots. Reagan roots is not anti-Communism and low taxes and the Laffer Curve and all the other things that Reagan was dealing with at the time. Reagan roots are the roots of our founding. And the primary leg on that stool is individual liberty. This is a nation founded on the concept that we are individuals. We are not a collective. We are individuals. And that we do our best when we are working in our own self interest, not selfishness, but our own self interest, improving our lives, our families’ lives; improves everybody’s lives around ours in our communities, cities, towns, the nation at large. Individual liberty will never go out of style because as our founders correctly noted, it is part of our creation. It’s what sets this country apart from every other collection of human beings in the history of the world. We have acknowledged that our creation comes from God, not from government, that our freedom is a natural yearning of our creation. And that is the natural yearning of our spirit, to be free, all humanity, all human beings. And as such, liberty will never go out of style. Freedom will never go out of style. We will never, ever say hopefully “the era of freedom is over.” We will never say “the era of liberty is over.” And as such, we will make a huge mistake if we fall in line with these dummkopfs, who think they’re the smartest in our room, who say “the era of Reagan is over.” Because the era of Reagan is basic Conservatism 101 which believes, what? The best in everybody. It does not look across a room of people with contempt. It does not look and see incompetence. It doesn’t see black, white, male, female, gay, straight. It sees human beings.
Conservatism sees Americans, sees potential, sees great opportunity, sees an opportunity for people to be the best they can be using whatever ambition and desire they have. Reaganism conservatism does not need to be adapted to issues of the day. There’s no such thing as the conservative version of Big Government. That is a sellout of conservatism. [Applause.] What we need to stand true on — we have to have the courage to continue to teach people that sometimes the way they’re going and the way they’re voting is not good for them, not good for their family, not good for the country. It may feel good at the moment. It’s always going to be a battle. I forget who said this, but it’s true. Any group of two people or more, any organization that is not, by definition, conservative, will be liberal. Because liberalism is the most gutless choice you can make. Liberalism’s following a cult figure. Liberalism is following a demagogue. Liberalism is doing whatever thinking — you have to do anything with a liberal, you just have to think in a way that makes yourself feel good. Walk outside the hotel tonight. See a couple homeless people on the grate and go, “Oh, that’s so bad. Wow, am I a great person, I care.” Yeah? What did you do for them? Well nothing, but I care. Yeah, well where’s your homeless ribbon? I don’t see it. Conservative looks at them and says, “What can we do about this? That’s unacceptable. What can we do about it?” We have to come up with solutions. Liberals don’t. All we have to do is make people think they care. And all liberals apparently have to do is sound intelligent while they don’t know diddly-squat.

Keemo on December 7, 2008 at 10:39 AM

katy on December 7, 2008 at 11:58 AM

Agreed Katy… I have (3) children, with our youngest being 17. My wife and I worked hard to correct the errors of today’s education system on a daily basis. However, this is not a new dynamic to our country, as this has been the rule leading back to my upbringing back in the 50’s and 60’s. Life’s teachings must be a priority in the home! Nothing takes the place of what happens in the home.

Best to you Katy… Heading out now to take care of the duties before the snow hits later today. Have a great day, and keep up the good work.

Keemo on December 7, 2008 at 12:27 PM