Caller Challenges Rush on Rush Apparent Defense of Trump
CALLER: Listen, Rush, you had mentioned something earlier about how Donald Trump cut a commercial and that all the media has played that commercial for free, and that he's a master manipulator of the media.
RUSH: Right.
CALLER: And that got me thinking kind of something that irritated me about your show over the last several weeks, and it's that you utter the word Trump more than he does, and that's no small feat. And I understand your audience gonna walk a line, half your audience are Trump supporters, half of them are somebody else, but I don't understand why you give so much free airtime in the defense of a non-conservative. And you've said Trump is a non-conservative, so I understand defending him against the left-wing attacks, that makes sense to me. But every time some nobody throws an attack at Donald Trump you spend a good portion of your show, you know, knocking it down, and I just don't understand that. There's a real conservative in this race.
Rush was taken aback a little bit because the caller was telling the truth, and after a little back and forth over nothing Rush composed himself and started answering...
CALLER: You said that Ted Cruz is the most staunch conservative in this race.
RUSH: I thought I wasn't extolling the virtues of Cruz enough?
CALLER: No. You said that one time. You said Donald Trump is -- you haven't is he's fantastic, but you've defended him a thousand times for every one time you mentioned Cruz. And I understand this isn't about you supporting Cruz. I don't expect you to do that. You have to walk a line. I get that. I just don't understand the constant -- you know, I listen to the show three hours a day, 15 hours a week, and it's Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump. Even when it really isn't about Donald Trump, it's Donald Trump. And when you go to a break you say "an obscene profit time-out," and that's because you know what the value of your airtime is worth and you're giving this to a candidate who frankly needs it the least. I don't get that.
RUSH: Well, A, I appreciate you listening as often as you do. I really do.
CALLER: I love your show.
RUSH: And I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. My view of this is that I do here today what I've always done, and that is arrive here and take a look at the things and people I believe in being under attack and, when necessary, defend them. By the same token, you know, I've been open about what I think the value of Donald Trump in this campaign is from day one. And I think Ted Cruz is coming as close to anybody as emulating what Trump is demonstrating. Trump is demonstrating that every one of these things the Republicans have been frightened into silence over are unnecessary to be frightened of.
You don't need to be frightened of the media. You don't need to be frightened of political correctness. You don't need to be frightened of being conservative. You don't need to be frightened of anything. You can go out and say what you actually believe and you can get away with it and you can triumph. For seven years we've had to sit here and listen to the Republican Party stand mute, afraid to say anything for fear of what the media's gonna say about 'em or what the president's gonna say about 'em or what anybody else is gonna say about 'em. There hasn't been any opposition whatsoever from the Republican Party leadership to what has been happening in this country seven years. Along comes somebody who is voicing opposition to it and promising to do something about it, and his name happens to be Trump. I can't ignore it. I'm cheering what he's doing. I'm cheering what Ted Cruz is doing.
This is nut-cracking time, as far as I'm concerned. Mrs. Clinton cannot win this election in November. The Democrat Party cannot win this election. If they do -- well, I don't even want to think about it. So this transcends ideology for me right now. I haven't abandoned mine. I never will abandon mine. I am not gonna be fooled into voting or supporting somebody who is a closet liberal making himself look like something that he's not. Do not worry about that. But I think at this stage, where we are, the Democrats have to lose, and the people supporting them have got to be stopped. These political wins that they're having, victories that they're having each and every day, the attack on the Constitution has gotta stop. Immigration, it's got to stop.
There has to be a reimposition of common sense, application of existing law on so many things. The Constitution is being rendered irrelevant. It's got to stop. And if it's not stopped at this next opportunity to stop it, then it's gonna be another four years to try to stop it. So the objective on this program has not changed. It's exactly what it's been since the first day of this program. And that's to educate and inform people about liberalism and promote conservatism in the opposite way of doing things. And until somebody comes along and tells me that Donald Trump is actually a Democrat running a stealth campaign to actually get Hillary Clinton elected and can make me believe it -- there's no evidence of that, there's no evidence that Trump is not what he is, and don't forget, I know him.
He's not an unknown quantity to me. I have spent a lot of time with Trump. And by this I mean I know a little bit about him, not that I'm afraid to be critical of him, but I know a little bit about him. And he's not a Democrat. He is not a liberal. He may not even think in those terms, in terms of ideology. But whatever's happening here, folks, has not changed focus at all. I'm the one constant the last 27 years in American politics, if you ask me.
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13 comments:
Rush doesn't get challenged enough and the callers he does take, he may give them 30 seconds or a minute to get their say and that's after waiting a couple of hours while he bloviates. A lot of talk show hosts now don't even take calls anymore.
I think Rush has the measure on this:
"But I think at this stage, where we are, the Democrats have to lose, and the people supporting them have got to be stopped."
I don't want Trump. I'll take him over Jeb, and I wouldn't even consider Kasich or Huckleberry. But otherwise, Trump is less preferred by me than a long list that includes Rubio, Cruz, Fiorina, Carson, and even Pataki (although those other names are in particular order other than Pataki being dead last). But I'll take Trump if he looks like he can beat the Democrat ticket. Jeb can't do that. Rubio isn't looking too good at it. I'd like to think Cruz, Fiorina, or Carson could, but none of them is looking promising. I'm good with voting for the Ideological best, but the ideal candidate at this juncture is the one that will win.
At worst, President Trump will at least get the media to question the wisdom of a President that brags about circumventing Congress to enact unpopular measures. If that's all we get out of a Trump administration, it will be a major step back towards being a Republic.
What did Rush say? I need to know what to think.
Doesn't work like that, Silly Girl, that's Democrats. Project much?
I listen to Rush with some frequency. He's the go-to-guy if you want hear liberals mocked with professional aplomb and genuine wit. There's something about social work, journalism, and comedy that appeals mostly to liberals. The comics will make fun of a Democrat if he screws up on a magnitude of Anthony Weiner, but most of their humor is directed at Republicans. It's wrong to make fun of gays unless they're Lindsay Graham or Michelle Bachmann's husband. Barney Frank is one of the more absurd figures in our current political landscape, but he has gotten a complete pass from the professional mockers.
The Donald stated the obvious about Cruz' citizenship, given the Ozark Mafia had already made noises about using it, so I have to chalk some of this up to the oft-displayed hypersensitivity on the part of the Cruzzers (if you will). The Choom Gang certainly gave it a shot when they made similar noises about McCain being born in Panama (of course, it was in the Canal Zone, but it was intended to snow the idolaters).
In effect, he did Cruz a favor making his campaign get it addressed now, rather than later.
And, if you listen to the interview, give Trump credit for slipping in a shot at Hillary and her emails.
Titus said...
What did Rush say? I need to know what to think.
No, you are told what to think at Puffington.
I'm not a consumer of Rush's programming, I usually work thru lunch at my desk, occasionally will go out for lunch and catch him for 10-15 min in the car. I find him always entertaining, but very seldom deep or profound.
I'm still thinking the Trump weirdness will pass after the early primary/causus numbers come in. I think its great when he sticks it to the people who need to have it stuck to them, but his quick wit, and big mouth do not seem presidential to me.
Was it WF Buckley's law :Support the most conservative candidate in the race who can win. Something like that?
The left are now on board with corruption and rape. As long as "progressive".
I don't really care for Rush. Content or style. He yammers on. Yeah we agree on most things. His guest host - Buck Sexton, he's awesome. Rush should hang it up and let his fantastic guest hosts take over.
Gay guys love HIllary. She's frumpy but progressive and they all want to suck Bill. Gross, right? You hillbillies wouldn't understand.
that funny feeling. Gotta get it all day long. grinder! good thing mommy and daddy pay the rent.
Haha, progs always think we all hang on Rush's every word.
Sorry, but no. We're not you; we don't take marching orders. Rush is great if I'm in the car going somewhere between 9-12, though. There is no better radio talk show host, and I have heard him many times take calls and respond to opposing viewpoints in detail. Also it's fun to blast him whilst driving around San Francisco. Leering turn to scowling so quickly, heh.
Nooo, that's not what the Dan Savage and Mark Morford and the Chron say is the Truth. Waaah.
I used to listen to Rush at work. it passed the time away. One day a co-worker heard Rush through my headphones when I set them down to go grab something and he said, "Hey, why do you listen to that guy. He's fat, drug-addicted, thrice divorced, conservative asshole." I look him dead in the eye and paused for a second and then said, "I need to listen to him for my daily instructions." put the headphones back on while not taking my eyes of my co-worker and then put a weird creepy smile on my face while still looking at him. Then slowly turned around and went back robotically to my task at hand. Then about 5 minutes later I started busting out laughing at the absurdity of the whole thing. I looked over at the guy, took the headphones off and said, "I'm just kidding man. I just listen to him so I can become a better asshole."
All the other guys around us all started chuckling. It's a you-had-to-be-there moment, but still funny.
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