Rush Limbaugh: Head of the GOPJuly 27, 2011
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RUSH: Ladies and gentlemen, the discussion subject of who runs the Republican Party all of a sudden surfaced again when the Republicans somehow will not come up with a deal that Obama wants to sign. By the way, Jay Carney yesterday admitted that Obama doesn't have a plan and acted incredulous that people would want to see it, (imitating Carney) "What do you mean? I'm up here at the podium every day; what more do you need," he said.
You know what I would do? I'm gonna tell you, folks, it's real simple. I've mentioned this before. Stop presenting a plan. All we're doing is compromising with ourselves. Just stop presenting the plans. Just sit around and say, "We'll wait for yours." Say it to Obama, say it to Carney, whatever, but we're through. Anyway, Democrats are all ticked off now. And, by the way, Dingy Harry's plan, nobody has seen it. Democrat lawmaker: "Nobody I know has seen the Reid plan." And they're still opposed to it. They're opposed to it and haven't seen it. So the Democrats are not presenting plans, which is the tactic, and we ought to stop. You know, it's pointless.
I'm sure our leadership thinks that they're gaining points with the American people by behaving morally, we're not gonna default, we're gonna make sure this country's credit rating -- I'm sure they think the American people appreciate hearing that, but in the process, they're simply compromising with themselves, come up with plan A, go up to Obama, "No, don't like it." "Okay, we'll be back. Here's plan B." "Nope, don't like it." Come back with plan C, Obama says, "I like that but I'm gonna add 400 --" No, okay, Republicans walk out. Plan D, plan E, F, goes on and on. What are the Republicans doing but revising their own plans? Just stop. That's my advice. By the way, on Sergeant Schultz's show on PMSNBC, the guest was Steve Israel, Democrat member of Congress from New York. Sergeant Schultz said, "Let's go to the Reid plan," which we now know that nobody has seen. "Do you think the Reid plan has a chance, would go along with the Reid plan, what you know of it."
ISRAEL: How do you negotiate with a group of people when they believe that it is Rush Limbaugh who should decide the future of this country?
RUSH: Well, looks what's back, folks. I once again have come back from the graveyard of just being an entertainer to now being the titular head of the Republican Party. I am the guy who is deciding the future of the country and they're wondering how do you negotiate with a group of people who believe that I should decide the future of the country. This continued on Wolf Blitzed Situation Room show on CNN. Wolf Blitz and Alex Castellanos and James Carville had a discussion about me.
CASTELLANOS: Rush Limbaugh's obviously a very influential conservative radio talk show host. Anything wrong with the Speaker calling Rush Limbaugh, briefing him on his proposal trying to generate support among Rush Limbaugh and his listeners out there?
CARVILLE: It's not wrong but it's an interesting piece of relevant information that this is who he's reaching out to. I would be interested in Mitt Romney's position. I would be interested in the Tea Party's position. I would be interested in Rick Perry's position.
RUSH: So they're upset. What Carville's really saying is, (imitating Carville) "What got me ticked off, Wolf, is nobody cares about what my position is. Nobody called me. Rick Perry doesn't call me, Tea Party doesn't call me. Hell, Mary doesn't even listen to me anymore. I can't get anybody to listen to my opinion on what we ought to do. We got Boehner calling Limbaugh. Where's my gumbo?" This continued. Alex Castellanos, now, he is a Republican strategist.
CASTELLANOS: James, you wouldn't make a very good Republican. This is gonna come as a shock, I guess.
CARVILLE: Right.
CASTELLANOS: And James, just because you make stuff up does not mean it's true. For example, when you said that Speaker Boehner called to get directions or instructions from Rush Limbaugh, no. I think Wolf just pointed out he's the largest radio audience in the country, and it's the Republican base, and explaining our position to them is a pretty good idea.
RUSH: Okay. So Castellanos says, "Boehner just called the Limbaugh show because there's a lot of people listening to it, and Boehner's explaining the idea." Carville replies.
CARVILLE: Rush Limbaugh is the most powerful person in the Republican Party. I think he's probably the person that has the greatest intellectual sway in modern Republicanism. Again, probably should call him. I just think it's an interesting thing to see who the Speaker is speaking to in the middle of this crisis, that's all, and I think the public will find this interesting. I know I do. I don't think it's wrong, I don't think it's immoral or illegal, it's just think it's interesting.
RUSH: (laughing) So apparently they've got some polling data that shows I'm really polling negative, mention my name is the theory here that they can really do damage to the Republicans, and Boehner, he's calling Limbaugh -- he's calling everybody! Boehner's talking to a lot of people about this, as Carville knows. Now, yesterday afternoon on PMSNBC, the Dylan Ratigan show, the guest is former chief economist of Joe Bite Me, the name is Jared Bernstein. During a discussion about the federal debt negotiations, there was this little exchange.
BERNSTEIN: They're backing away from the Boehner plan because it's not conservative enough. They're afraid there's a tax increase hidden in there somewhere and Boehner is on the radio explaining to Rush Limbaugh, no, no, no way, can't happen. It is a massive movement away from governing. I believe voters send people here to govern, but when you sign a pledge like that, you stop governing, and it's extremely detrimental to the economy and to the debate.
RUSH: Jared Bernstein there, Joe Bite Me's former chief economist, basically making the case we gotta have tax increases, we gotta have tax increases, and Boehner is calling Limbaugh and Limbaugh is saying no tax increases. "That isn't governing." Mr. Bernstein, you're not governing. You're destroying. You and your pals and your method of budgeting, you are destroying the golden goose, however you want to characterize it. And he's certainly not governing. If you want to say you're governing, you're certainly not doing it well. Jared Bernstein, by the way, just so you know, Jared Bernstein is the guy who promised that unemployment would never go up to 8% if they got stimulus bill. He's the chief economist who started that statistic, and everybody picked it up. Obama picked it up and Biden picked it up, a lot of the Democrats. Jared Bernstein is the guy who promised that unemployment would never go above 8%. Jared Bernstein and Christina Romer wrote the stimulus bill. This guy that you just heard is who wrote the failed stimulus bill. This morning on The Daily Rundown on PMSNBC, the end of the show during the Shameless Plugs segment, the host F. Chuck Todd said, "Very quickly, shameless plugs, Karen Finney, your turn."
FINNEY: A column in The Hill on Grover Norquist, the un-elected head of the Republican Party, just want to remind people about his history.
TODD: Hey, Rush Limbaugh's gonna have something to say about that.
FINNEY: (laughing) I know he will.
RUSH: F. Chuck says that I am the head of the GOP, not Grover Norquist. But remember, we're racist, sexist, bigot, homophobes. This is yesterday on the Dylan Ratigan show on PMSNBC, Democrat strategist Jimmy Williams.
WILLIAMS: One person is controlling the agenda of the United States of America, and his name is Grover Norquist. Grover Norquist was Newt Gingrich's butt-buddy, he was Jack Abramoff's close friend.
RUSH: They can't make up their mind, Norquist or me, Norquist, Newt's butt-buddy. That's the lingo that passes for reasoned political analysis on PMSNBC.
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