Posted on 03/25/2011 5:44:32 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Craig in central Florida. You are on Open Line Friday. Hi.
CALLER: Hey, Rush. Dittos. It's great to talk to you.
RUSH: Thank you, sir, very much.
CALLER: I'll get right to my point here. I just have a simple question for you. Are you going to endorse a GOP candidate?
RUSH: You mean in the primaries?
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: It would only be the second time if I did it. I know, the pressure is on, the pressure is on. Everybody says look what happened last time when I didn't, I know.
CALLER: If you don't plan to, I beg you to do it, you know, considering the circumstances in the country right now, and based on the results from last time, getting McCain.
RUSH: Yeah, I know. You're blaming me for that?
CALLER: No, no, no, I'm not blaming you. I mean, everybody has a reason for what they do but, you know, the country needs conservatives, in particular need that kind of leadership.
RUSH: Let me ask you a question. I'm gonna turn it around on you. You know who the field is right now pretty much, right?
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: Who do you endorse?
CALLER: If I had to vote for somebody right now I'd probably vote for Bachmann.
RUSH: Michele Bachmann.
CALLER: I mean I like Palin. I don't really understand all the hatred for Palin. I think it's almost like an infection that a lot of even conservatives buy into that --
RUSH: Fear. It's fear.
CALLER: I don't understand it, but I would vote for Bachmann. But you know it's gonna save the candidates a ton of money, a tone of hard feelings and backbiting. And it's gonna allow them to save their money to go up against Obama who's gonna have, they say, a billion dollars in the bank.
RUSH: Well, some of that goes beyond the scope of my responsibilities here, saving money. But nevertheless, I understand your concerns. It's a question I've been asked by many. If you look at the way this field is shaping up, you've got Bachmann, you have Palin, Christie, Trump, any number of people here that you could coalesce behind. It will be an interesting period of time. Did I hear you say that you like McCain or did you say Palin?
CALLER: No, no, no, I like Palin.
RUSH: Palin.
CALLER: McCain, I feel the same way that you do about McCain. I mean I voted for him but I held my nose when I did it, though.
RUSH: Well, the real question is who is Colin Powell going to endorse because he is said to be the prototypical Republican and he's not gonna be running and we've always been told that General Powell, keep a sharp eye on how he's thinking, who he endorses, that's probably the best route the Republican Party could take.
CALLER: Well, I could kinda care less about that, but I think you're ducking me here. You're really not gonna give me a yes or no?
RUSH: (laughing) I'm just having fun with you.
CALLER: I know.
RUSH: No, I don't know. Look, what do you want me to do? If there's nobody in the field that I am jazzed about, which is entirely possible, if there's nobody in the field, what I'm gonna have to do then is say, okay, this election had better be about Obama, and I think it ought to be anyway. This election should be all about Obama because, frankly, I would vote for Elmer Fudd than Obama. I would vote for whoever the Republicans nominate.
CALLER: Of course.
RUSH: I don't care.
CALLER: Everybody would. Any conservative would, but you're in a unique position to just clean out the field, allow all these candidates to back up the person --
RUSH: No. No wait a minute, now. Wait a minute -- (crosstalk)
CALLER: -- spending their money trashing them.
RUSH: I'm not trying to slither out of this. I'm trying to tell you as honestly as I can, what if there isn't anybody I'm passionate about? I could do that, I could pick somebody, but if I don't have passion about it, I can't. I'm not a liar. I can't come in here and tell you I'm razzmatazz, rolled, and ready to go.
CALLER: Nah, you don't have to be passionate to endorse somebody.
RUSH: Thanks to you my own staff is ganging up on me in here.
CALLER: Good.
RUSH: The election is going to be about Obama. (interruption) I'm suggesting to you that it is entirely possible a loser candidate will get the nomination. That's what I'm telling you. It has to be about Obama, it has to be. That's what all this is about. It has to be about Obama. We can't handle four more years of this. What do you mean, if it's you-know-who? Who the hell is you-know-who? (laughing) Now they're throwing names at me, folks, they're telling me, "If you know it's such-and-such it's gonna be a disaster and if it's that person it's gonna be a disaster." It may well be. That's what I'm telling you. It may well be a disaster, and regardless what it is, the election has to be about Obama, it's got to be. That's the only logical thing anyway. We have got to stop this, even if it's a stopgap, Elmer Fudd, I don't care, pick a name. This is why I don't understand all this talk, and I hear about people, "I don't think Palin's the one, do you, Rush?" Well, she's a lot better than some of the others already in the field, all right? We could say that about a lot of them. (interruption) Yeah, I know, I know, I need to -- (interruption) No, because nobody knows that.
Snerdley's just said, "You gotta pick the person who can win." I gotta pick the person who could best beat Obama, who has the best chance of beating Obama, that's what you think? Who can win the nomination or beat Obama? Saving the country is about getting rid of Obama, and I'm telling you, you guys are not hearing me. You're not hearing me because you don't want to face the truth. The truth is, the sad reality is we may end up with Milquetoast as a nominee. We still have to get rid of Obama, in which case it has to be, the election has to be about Obama. It has to be. You'll see. You'll see. Staff still doubts me. I know some of you people do, but they know me best, they still doubt me. I'll tell you this. Whoever in this field takes it to Obama the straightest, the hardest, and the most direct is who's gonna win. Somebody's gonna have to take it to Obama. This is not a pussyfoot around type election. This is not, "Well, we gotta worry about what they say about us, gotta worry about our PR, we gotta worry about charges of racism." Somebody's gonna have to be willing to take it to Obama. It's going to be about him and four more years of this stuff, and we'll see if there's anybody in this field willing to do that. All right. Thanks for the call out there. I appreciate it.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: I'll tell you something else. This Libya stuff and the Japanese earthquake has created an impression that might not be accurate. Let me just put it this way. Do not believe that the Tea Party has forgotten about this budget business, the spending, what the Republicans on Capitol Hill are doing, make no mistake. They are as focused, they're gonna be as demanding, they're gonna be watching. It's only intensifying. This reluctance on the part of the Republican leadership to deal seriously with spending and defund Obamacare, there is a lot happening, it's not being reported on 'cause the press shoves it aside for this sexier stuff, the Japanese earthquakes, the tsunami, the Japanese syndrome and all that stuff, then Libya and everything else, but the pressure being brought to bear on Republicans regarding spending, Tea Party, they're swelling in their ranks, their enthusiasm's growing, their demands are intensifying. Just 'cause you're not hearing about it doesn't mean that it's been forgotten or the energy or passion has evaporated, because that isn't the case at all.
END TRANSCRIPT
If the candidate is truly conservative then yes.
I’ve held my nose for the last time.
My guess he will not endorse anyone..
RUSH: Fear. It's fear. -snip- Whoever in this field takes it to Obama the straightest, the hardest, and the most direct is who's gonna win.
Exactly. We listen to and get hypnotized by the media into fearing she can't be elected. She can. Who in this field is taking it to Obama harder than Sarah Palin? NONE OF THEM.
Count on it.
If Obama gets a second term it's over, and Rush knows it more than any of us.
Sarah will have The Wan tied in knots every day and twice on Sunday.
All Barry has is a TelePrompTer.
And Sarah has her wits.
Those here who prefer Michele over Sarah forget that we don’t elect House members to the White House. It has only happened ONCE in well over 200 years, in a freakish 4-way race.
“My guess he will not endorse anyone..”
I think he just did.
Unless Palin runs. Bet a nickle on it. (That’s all I can afford right now.)
Well, My support goes to Palin.
But I think Rush is right not to endorse anyone NOW. It’s much too soon. And therefore it’s also too soon to talk about whether he WILL endorse anyone.
There may be a time in this cycle when it’s time for him to endorse. But that time is not yet.
Meantime, I like what he said about those who oppose Palin: “Fear. It’s fear.” IF he endorses, I think that’s who it willl be.
And she’ll have two million dollars from me as soon as I can raise it! She has tens if not hundreds of millions of people behind her, no matter what the enemedia wants you to believe!!
“Those here who prefer Michele over Sarah...”
Palin is the only answer as of today. I think Rush just said that. See #4. You’re right about Bachmann. I’d love to see the heads exploding with her in the #2 spot, though.
Yepper.
No doubt!
She’s a legal eagle, how about Rep. Bachmann as attorney general? I see John Bolton at state, Sheriff Joe at ICE, etc...
There’s no doubt in my mind that Rush wants Sarah Palin for president. No one else on radio defends her more forcefully, or more consistently, than he does.
I’ll tell you another thing... If you’ve listened to Rush for as long as I have, then you’ll know that he responds to her in the same way that he responded to GWB and Dick Cheney when he used to interview them on his show.
He doesn’t give that sort of attention and respect to anyone, unless they are monumentally important to the conservative movement.
As far as the primary is concerned, I don’t know what Rush is going to do. Because of where we are in our history in real time, he may just break with his traditional pattern of withholding his endorsement during the primary, and come straight out and give her the nod.
Like every smart conservative, Rush knows that this time, it’s for all the marbles. We can’t afford to get this one wrong.
That’s the thing though. I just don’t think the country is ready for a two woman ticket. I wish they were, but I don’t think so. I have been going ‘round and ‘round with this and I think that a Palin/West ticket is about the best thing going for 2012. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
He would endorse someone if we have someone. It’s up to all of us to get that someone.
It boils down to this do you want a place like Detroit or a place as beautiful as Alaska? Not necessarily Palin; but you get the picture.
If you vote Obama; you will get Detroit. If you vote a conservative you won’t.
Please don’t let them decide the election? Let’s decide the election.
Is that old wind bag still on the air If so he will not endorse till the general
“I see John Bolton at state, Sheriff Joe at ICE”
God Bless America, is that a great concept.
I hate to disagree with Rush but this election is about way more than Obama. What did Obama have to do with the debacle in Wisconsin? What is Obama's role in the Congress not being able to cut more than 6 billion dollars from a multi-trillion budget? This election is about putting regular Americans into the seats of power who won't abuse that power. People who respect and will uphold the Constitution. I was mad as hell at Rush when he uttered those words on his program today. I hope he rethinks his remarks.
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