http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2015/05/20/a_snapshot_of_the_sizzlers_in_the_republican_fieldA Snapshot of the Sizzlers in the Republican Field
May 20, 2015
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RUSH: I should have printed this out. It was right before the program started, and it was time-crunch time and I didn't have time to print it out. It's a story about a black Republican who thinks that the Republican Party is going to save itself and is going to triumph once again by doing two things: accepting the welfare state and immigration. And if the Republican Party does that, by 2024, by 2028, if the Republican Party hasn't come to grips with those two things, it will not exist.
And this African-American, I don't even know if he's a Republican, I can't remember his name. Somebody will find it for me at the break or I'll find it myself. I've never heard of him, by the way, which doesn't mean anything. He could be a hot-to-trot guy on Twitter or Facebook and I wouldn't know. But I guess he's hot enough to trot that people write stories about what he thinks. and he clearly says the Republican Party is gonna have to come to grips with the fact the American people want a welfare state. They've said so. They're living it. They don't have any problem with it.
And the American people, open borders, immigration, Republican Party, because of demographics, is gonna have to get there. If it doesn't, it will never be able to compete with the Democrats. And it's more of the same. In other words, the Republicans, in order to survive, are gonna have to become Democrats that call themselves Republicans. You couple that with Mrs. Clinton thinking we're already there, and I'll tell you what I think of all of this.
I think it means she's setting herself up for what could be a landslide loss, because I'm here to tell you this country has not accepted the welfare state. It's the other way around. I'm telling you the people of this country and the evidence is in by phone calls and e-mails and texts to Congress and polling data and however you want to look at it, this country has not decided open-borders immigration is the future. The majority of people in this country and people who vote in this country, those things are not reality yet. And to the extent that Hillary or any other Democrat thinks they are, I think they are setting themselves up for major, major disappointment.
But that again then depends on what the Republicans do with it. (interruption) Yeah, I think it is, it's a black guy that writes For Slate, which of course, Slate -- (interruption) Oh, he is, he's a total lefty? All right, okay. Well, don't disregard it. It's just another liberal in a long line of liberals telling Republicans what they have to do to survive. So we'll see.
I just refuse to believe we've hit this tipping point, and I refuse to believe that it's a fait accompli for Mrs. Clinton. Just like when Scott Walker had the early lead in that first-ever event in Iowa that he just smoked everybody, and then he went to New Hampshire, smoked everybody. This was before everybody had gotten in. But he was just smoking everybody, and it was one of those circumstances where, maybe a little too much, too soon, because when you're in the sixties in approval and so forth a year and a half out, the most likely direction that you would go is down.
But that hasn't happened to Walker so much. I'll tell you, the highlights right now, if you had to boil down the Republican presidential primary and who's hot right now, there are three names that come to mind: Rubio, who is a recent arrival to hot; Cruz; and Scott Walker. Scott Walker continues to have great answers, say when this Iraq question comes up. He's unflappable on the campaign trail, and it's precisely because of what he has already been through as governor of Wisconsin.
Cruz is a natural-born fighter and doesn't accept anything. And Rubio has come on strong, which is a surprise to people because the conventional wisdom was that Rubio and Bush can't be in at the same time because they're both from Florida and they'll both divvy up votes and they'll divvy up donors and all that. Just disregard the conventional wisdom when you hear it all the time.
Carly Fiorina is coming on strong in terms of someone really taking it to Hillary. The Bergen County Record, is that still the name of the paper? A scathing editorial today on Governor Christie, just scathing. Does this guy not know that two-thirds of the people of this state now don't like him? Does this guy not know he's not popular anymore? Does this guy not know he has become a public buffoon? Does this guy not know that the people of New Jersey are not dazzled by the act anymore?
It's just vicious, and it makes the point that Christie's so out of touch with real people, he doesn't know how unpopular he really is. But that's what's going on with Christie. And then Jeb, ah, wild horse because there's an argument that he who ends up with the most money is the ultimate winner, money being the mother's milk of politics. And it's assumed that Jeb is gonna end up with more money than any of these other people.
But Rubio came in with a couple of shocking donors. Larry Ellison from Oracle and Norman Braman, the former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles who's becoming a billionaire selling cars. What does that tell you about the car business? Maybe how overpriced they are. I'm sure he's a good salesman, no, no, no, no, I'm not being critical of anything here. But all the while, the real excitement, the real thrills, the real intellectual opportunity, the real argument about how to fix this country's taking place on the Republican side.
Mrs. Clinton isn't saying a word about anything because in her mind she's already elected. That's the strategy, to appear presidential. And you have George Will coming along pointing out it's not gonna work because all she does is demonstrate how unsuited for this she is, how incompetent she is, which is my take, too. But it never seems to manifest itself. Anyway, it's still a year and a half out and anything can happen. But those are the three names right now on the Republican side that seem to have the sizzle.
Would you not agree, Snerdley? And it's exciting. It's exciting on the Republican side. By the way, I don't want to leave Rand Paul out. You know, Rand Paul has got his fists up and he's out there punching away, too. (interruption) Lindsey Graham, why did he get in the race? You say people are wondering why Lindsey Graham... (interruption) Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Snerdley is asking me a question over the IFB. (interruption) Does Lindsey Graham actually think that he has a chance to win out in the field, does he actually think he has a chance? I haven't talked to Senator Graham about this. I don't know what he's thinking. It's open to speculation.
Look, I can only guess, and it would probably be very, very unfair of me to guess. But if I had to take a stab, if you were waterboarding me right now, demanding to know what I think about it, I'd have to say, "Well, it's a resume enhancement, 'former presidential candidate.'" It's a resume enhancement for a lot of things. Fox News commentator job, public speaking, corporate outings, a number of benefits that accrue to people.
You see it now, I mean, you see somebody that ran for president eight years ago, "Former presidential candidate Jerry Brown," whatever the name is, it stays with you forever. Doesn't matter if you lose. "Former president." And you're an expert, by the way, in the process, so you're always being interviewed about the other people still in the race and how it's going.
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RUSH: Here's John in San Diego. Welcome, sir, glad you waited, and it's your turn. You're up on the EIB Network.
CALLER: Thank you, Mr. Limbaugh. Mega dittos. I've always wanted to say that.
RUSH: That you. Thank you very much.
CALLER: As far as dead Republicans go, the only ones that get to vote are dead Democrats. But my answer to your question about Lindsey Graham running is him and Mikey Huckabee, they're just gonna be running cover for the old Jebster, you know, when it comes to debate time and we get to the meat of the campaign next year.
RUSH: What John is referring to here, ladies and gentlemen, is that some time ago on this program I was asked by Mr. Snerdley why I thought Lindsey Grahamnesty, the senator from South Carolina, was getting in the presidential race. Because Snerdley said, "He doesn't possibly think he can win, does he? So what's he doing?" I offered an opinion that he is resume enhancing. By getting "former presidential candidate," you can command certain things -- speech income, maybe a commentary slot on Fox News, what have you. But yours, John, is an interesting theory. What John here in San Diego is saying, between the jokes, is that Grahamnesty and Huckabee are running to actually act as the establishment candidates, freeing Jeb to not portray himself as an establishment candidate and have some chance with conservative voters. Is that your theory?
CALLER: Absolutely, and then comes debate time... Well, there won't be a debate because Ted Cruz will, you know, clean the floor with everybody. But I think it's gonna be really interesting to see like how McCain said, "Oh, we can't go after Barack's middle name," and this and that and, "We can't attack Barack's policies 'cause he's of a certain ethnicity." I think that's how it's gonna work out. We can't go after Hillary. Heck, they might even run cover for Hillary! "We can't go after her; she's a woman," you know?
RUSH: Okay, wait. Wait, wait. Now, I'm getting confused as to what you mean by cover for Jeb. 'Cause what I thought you mean by that is that these two guys, they're getting in the race knowing they're not gonna win. They're getting in the race to provide cover for Jeb.
CALLER: Cover as far as he can go out and act like a conservative. Yeah, that's what I'm trying to say.
RUSH: Okay, okay.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: So what does that have to do with not calling Hillary out on her policies that's? That's where I lost you.
CALLER: Well, the same way McCain said, "We can't go after Barack's middle name. We can't go after him. We can't go after Reverend Wright," all that stuff back in '08. You know, it's like the way McCain was just so weak when it came to the campaign.
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: I got that but are you saying that what Graham and Huckabee are gonna tell everybody is we can't go after Hillary?
CALLER: Well, you might as well. They're all -- they all have the same ideology, it seems like lately. I don't know. It's politics. (laughing)
RUSH: Okay. No, no, I'm being serious. Maybe I'm dense. How does that cover for Jeb? Does that free Jeb up to go after Hillary?
CALLER: Well, they're gonna be the attack dogs, and Jeb gets to, you know, have --
RUSH: Oh, they are gonna go after Hillary? They're gonna go after Hillary so Jeb doesn't have?
CALLER: Yes, that's what I'm saying.
RUSH: Ohhhh. I thought they were saying that they won't go after her. Just like McCain wouldn't; Huckabee and Grahamnesty aren't.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: But you think they are?
CALLER: It's ugly. Then I have a comment on buying access. Hasn't that been going on since the days of the pharaohs (chuckles) in Egypt? I mean, it's --
RUSH: (laughing) Maybe so, but I don't know that anybody's done it like the Clintons have done it.
CALLER: Yeah, they're a little excessive, that's for sure, running a $2 billion --
RUSH: So you think a presidential candidate selling access for issues if she wins the presidency is just par for the course? That's just the normal state of things and, as such, you're not worried about it?
CALLER: I don't care if you sell access. It's who's buying it, the Saudis, the ChiComs? I mean, who else?
RUSH: That's the point! Nobody could buy it if you didn't sell it. Of course they're gonna try to buy it. It's the selling that's the problem!
CALLER: They already have bought the access. That's the problem. That's what's coming out, you know, all the money coming in from all these other despotic countries. It's like, "Wow, what are they gonna want, you know?"
RUSH: Well, yeah, exactly. They are buying it. But they're only buying it because Hillary is selling it. I don't think there's a Republican candidate out selling this stuff.
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RUSH: I like the idea that Huckabee and Lindsey Grahamnesty are in there to provide cover for Jeb. I just have to think about how that actually happens. But like I said: Huckabee wins in 2008 sabotaged Romney, by turning over his delegates (where, West Virginia and one other state, Florida) to McCain, and I don't think that's what John's talking about. There's some other form of. And I think if they're running as the establishment candidates, then it frees Jeb up from that responsibility so get hurt by it. But if that's the case (chuckles), then the establishment is admitting that they are their own biggest problem in the campaign and they've gotta do something to get the guy they want to win the nomination to be able to appear as not part of the establishment.
What does that tell you?
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