Unofficial Summary of the Rush Limbaugh Show for Tuesday, November 8, 1994 by John Switzer This unofficial summary is copyright (c) 1994 by John Switzer. All Rights Reserved. These summaries are distributed on CompuServe and the Internet, and archived on CompuServe (DL9 of the ISSUES forum) and Internet (cathouse.org and grind.isca.uiowa.edu). The /pub/jrs directory at ftp.netcom.com contains the summaries for the past 30 days. Distribution to other electronic forums and bulletin boards is highly encouraged. Spelling and other corrections gratefully received. Please read the standard disclaimer which was included with the first summary for this month. In particular, please note that this summary is not approved or sanctioned by Rush Limbaugh or the EIB network, nor do I have any connection with them other than as a daily listener. ************************************************************* November 8, 1994 BRIEF SUMMARY OF TOPICS: words to the Clinton version of "It's a Wonderful World"; Clinton calls for more affordable homes, but it is government that is contributing a third to a house's price; American voters are more happy than angry; ad for Senator Kennedy mentions Rush; Kennedy campaign gives voters free rides to the polls; liberal Democrats are losing their power; the people are more informed than ever; Rush thinks truly historical changes are happening today; Tony Coelho is outraged that Michael Huffington is trying to "buy a Senate seat" and that Republicans "always" depend on a bunch of white males who have a lot of money; when you figure out how much Democrats are spending per vote they get, it is they, not Michael Huffington, who are spending the most; Kathleen Brown pulls lots of TV ads over the weekend, probably because she knows it's over for her campaign; Bill Clinton gives seven radio interviews on the morning of the elections; editor from the Nation magazine thinks the Democrats are heading for a melt-down, but bets Republicans will be shortly following them in 1996; caller doubts the elections will be any sort of "revolution" because of low voter turnout; caller thinks Republican victories will mean the people have rejected the "conservative Democratic strategy"; caller thinks Republicans know only how to oppose; dominant media will not react gently to the loss of its power, and will concentrate on Republicans more than ever; Mexican protestors burn Pete Wilson in effigy; opponents to Proposition 187 are saying it's okay to tax Californians so that money can be sent to illegal aliens; caller thinks Republicans are distorting the welfare state; the lack of health care benefits in low-paying jobs doesn't justify welfare; exit polls can raise false hopes; Tim Russert says three Republican leaders are scared of having Oliver North in the Senate; Anthony Lewis thinks 1996 GOP convention will be "more bashing of the un-Christian and un-straight"; words to promo for "Geriatric Park"; Michael Lerner thinks Bill Clinton should stop accommodating the ethos of selfishness and start encouraging the ethos of caring, as well as sending every taxpayer a thank you note on April 16th; Michael Lerner thinks Clinton should introduce a new health care bill that projects a "full vision of what spiritually and morally sensitive health care could be"; highest form of charity is giving them a job; caller fears Republicans won't do enough about the deficit and entitlements such as Social Security; cutting Social Security will require one-term congressmen; it's untrue that conservatives think government should have no role in providing some form of social insurance; caller is saddened at how little attention is being paid to Friedrich Hayek's "Road to Serfdom" on its 50th anniversary; Rush will interview himself in the next issue of the Limbaugh Letter; Snapple is being sold for $1.7 billion; California's Proposition 186 for single-payer health care would re-energize liberal plans for health care should it be passed; some in Los Angeles fear riots should Proposition 187 be passed; former Democrat thanks Rush for turning her into a Republican; major networks will not be providing gavel-to-gavel coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial; Japanese are worried about a trend towards public kissing; Israeli professor who spread AIDS to perhaps hundreds of men is murdered; voters will be casting ballots on term limits, gambling casinos, euthanasia, and tax restrictions; Rush despairs of ever learning the logic behind the NFL's home telecast rules; Missouri initiative would require all tax increases to be approved by the voters; caller thinks Proposition 187 will discriminate against Latinos, so the goal should instead be real welfare reform; Rush sees no problems with Proposition 187 going back to the courts, so that perhaps the Supreme Court reconsiders the issues involved; Gore Vidal predicts Rush will be written about in the next century; caller wonders why the Republican National Committee hasn't been doing more to help Republicans in Chicago; newspaper baron Conrad Black says his experience with journalists has proven to him that most are "ignorant, lazy, opinionated, intellectually dishonest, and inadequately supervised." LIMBAUGH WATCH November 8, 1994 - It's now day 658 (day 677 for the rich and the dead, and no days until the November elections) of "America Held Hostage" (aka the "Raw Deal" which has 804 days left) and 721 days after Bill Clinton's election, but Rush is still on the air with 660 radio affiliates (with more than 20 million listeners weekly world-wide), 250 TV affiliates (with a national rating of 3.7), and a newsletter with nearly 500,000 subscribers. His first book was on the NY Times hardback non-fiction best-seller list for 54 consecutive weeks, with 2.6 million copies sold, but fell off the list after Simon and Schuster stopped printing it. The paperback version of "The Way Things Ought To Be" was on the NY Times paperback non-fiction best-seller list for 28 weeks. Rush's second book, "See, I Told You So," was on the NY Times best-seller list for 16 weeks and has sold over 2.45 million copies. LEST WE FORGET The following are from the Rush Limbaugh show on Tuesday, November 3, 1992: o Senator Daniel P. Moynihan gave the following suggestion to President-elect Bill Clinton: "Yes, I think we're going to pick up on that over $100,000 class, and there's money there - there's a lot more money than there was 15 years ago. And I think taking the capital gains tax down - 28% where it is now and which is not quite toward the top of the income tax break - cut it to 15%. Call it a deal and get governing. That's the, uh, false thing about taxing and spending - let's govern." o WZZM TV 13 of Grand Rapids, Michigan announced the results of its "Great Late Debate" where viewers voted on whether they'd prefer to see Rush's show or "Married With Children" at 11:30 p.m. - 3,925 viewers wanted the sitcom while 7,359 voted for Rush. Rush thanked WZZM and his loyal viewers in Grand Rapids, but he was somewhat dismayed that during WZZM's election night celebration they dropped only one single balloon in his honor. o A debate was raging about whether Magic Johnson should be allowed to play in the Olympics, and USA Today claimed that not one of 250,000 AIDS cases was transmitted through sports contact. However, page 1105 of the May 5th, 1990 issue of The Lancet, a British medical journal, documented the case of an Italian soccer player who contracted AIDS during a game. The Italian player's team was playing a team from a drug rehabilitation center and one of the opposing players ran into the Italian player, bumping foreheads. It turned out that the opposing player had already tested positive for the HIV virus, and two months later the Italian player tested positive for the virus as well. o The employees at Radio Concepts from St. Cloud, MN were disappointed by Clinton's election, but they still got together to produce a special version of Louis Armstrong's "It's a Wonderful World": "I say `tax the rich' and the corporations, too. I simply don't care for me and you. And I think to myself `what a wonderful world.' "I see President Clinton and VP Gore Make the rich pay the bills so the poor can have more. And I think to myself `why, they'll never tax me.' "Now the Supreme Court will soon have Cuomo on the bench And we'll let Hillary take care of the rest. I see Democrats shaking hands saying `how do you do,' But what they're really saying is `we screwed you.' "Folks telling me, callers calling him. Letting him know Rush was right again. And they say to him then `thank God we have Rush.' Oh, and they say to him then `thank you for Rush Limbaugh.' " o Vice President-elect Algore and his wife got lost while walking through the woods, and it required 38 Secret Service agents to get them out. Rush marvelled at what could happen to America's "most profound and preeminent environmentalist on the planet." o In a scene that could have been from the movie "Medicine Man," D. D. Suharta, a researcher from the University of Illinois, returned to a tree in Malaysia from which he took sap samples in 1987, only to find that it had been cut down. Suharta was interested in the tree because its sap in low concentrations showed an ability to stop the spread of the HIV-1 virus without destroying human cells. o Bob Dole called for a special prosecutor to investigate Lawrence Walsh for his release of an indictment against Caspar Weinberger only three days before the Presidential elections. Rush thought this was a good idea, but warned Republicans that it would be a mistake to blame Bush's defeat on Walsh and the indictment. Certainly the way Walsh handed down that indictment was dirty and repugnant, but Republicans shouldn't whine about it; had the Bush campaign been run better and had stronger convictions, the GOP would have been able to withstand these sorts of attacks, so the blame can't be laid at Walsh's feet. Rush recalled, though, that in the 1986 confirmation hearings for Justice William Rehnquist appointment as Chief Justice, Arizona attorney James Brosnihan testified that Rehnquist harassed minority voters in Phoenix in 1960. A number of other witnesses, though, came forward to say that they never saw Rehnquist even come close to such actions, giving strong credence to the belief that Brosnihan's actions were motivated by partisanship. Thus, Rush was not surprised to learn that Brosnihan was recently hired by Lawrence Walsh as an assistant prosecutor, and it was Brosnihan who pushed for the release of his politically timed indictment three days before the election. o Senator-elect Patty Murray (D-WA) told Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joseph Biden that she didn't want a post on the committee, but she was confident that "one of the other three women will accept Biden's offer." Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), a member of the steering committee that determined committee assignments, stated that he hadn't seen any requests from any of the women to be on the Judiciary Committee. Rush found this curious because many liberal women, such as Carol Moseley-Braun and Lynn Yeakel, had claimed they ran for the Senate only because of the way the Judiciary Committee treated Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas hearings. o Senator-elect Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D-CO) was well-known during his tenure in the House for his pony-tail, which required special permission from House leaders. Senator George Mitchell gave similar dispensation to Campbell so that he could continue his traditional personal dress while serving in the Senate. o New York Judge Sol Wachtler, 62, was in trouble for allegedly threatening and blackmailing a woman with whom he had previously had an affair. Wachtler was caught on the Long Island Expressway, trying to evade police, shredding kidnap notes, and throwing them out the window; New York society, though, was "reeling" and coming up with all sorts of excuses for his behavior, claiming he shouldn't have to be punished by the law because he had suffered enough from "all this bad publicity." Rush wondered if Clarence Thomas would be shown this same sort of solicitude if he were to do the same things. o Insight magazine did a report on Andrew Hacker, a white sociologist who had written a book (Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, and Unequal) which claimed that whites were still keeping blacks down. Hacker, a self-proclaimed expert on "black authenticity," stated during a roundtable discussion which was reported in Essence magazine that General Colin Powell "put 99% of himself, or his black self, on hold, in the back, because he was ambitious, wanted to get ahead and did." Hacker was being celebrated by the liberal community, yet he had basically said that blacks, by their very nature, were lazy slobs who could do nothing else but exist on the public dole. Because Powell studied and worked hard, was ambitious, applied himself, and persevered in order to succeed, Hacker was claiming that Powell betrayed his nature and "turned white." If this wasn't racism in its purest form, Rush didn't know what was. It was this type of attitude that had kept blacks in dependence and bondage to the liberal plantation. o Convicted murderer Lloyd Wayne Hampton was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in Joliet, Illinois for the 1990 murder and torture of a man; Hampton told authorities that he killed the man precisely so that he would be caught and executed. The state was glad to oblige Hampton at midnight, and EIB's Chicago affiliate, WLS, held a "post-execution gala." o One caller, George, said Rush was not a conservative, but rather a monarchist who believed he was infallible. George stated that Rush's "talent on loan from God" line not only proved that he believed in some sort of talk radio "divine right," but that he thought everyone should believe as he did. Rush admitted he did believe everyone should share his opinions, but he was willing to persuade people on these things as opposed to imposing his will on others. As to talent being on loan from God, that was true for everyone - everybody has to return their talents to God someday. ******** MORNING UPDATE On Saturday, President Bill Clinton addressed the National Realtors Association convention, telling them that all Americans should own their own home. Clinton then promised to work with realtors, builders, mortgage lenders, and government officials to find ways to create more home owners than ever before. Some cynics, of course, might claim Clinton is just engaging in more empty campaign rhetoric, but Rush is willing to work with the President on this. The truth is simple: more people could afford their own home without their government's help if it weren't for their government. In the last year, Clinton administration timber policies have dramatically increased the price of building houses, and increased taxes have only made this worse. Of course, the guys in Washington think all tax money belongs to them and that they can spend it better than the people. Nevertheless, all these things, not to mention costly environmental regulations, are why 30% of the price of the average home in America is due to federal, state, and local regulations. Thus, you could afford your own home without your government if it weren't for your government. With that in mind, Rush encourages everyone to help the President create more home owners than ever before by acting today and firing the Democrats. FIRST HOUR Items o Rush notes that Americans have only "one vote per clip" (except for those in Chicago and other selected parts of the nation), and he's having a great time reading all the columnists who think the Americans are too informed, too angry, and too cynical. In actuality, though, the voters have finally figured out how their government works, and they are expressing their disagreement with certain sections of that government today. Rush would therefore say that there is more happiness than anger among Americans today, and there certainly will be more happiness than anger on his show today. He notes, though, that this doesn't mean Republicans will do anything but "fight, fight, fight" in their effort to bring back democracy to the U.S. Congress. o Rush has been mentioned in a print ad for Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). EIB doesn't know where the ad originally appeared, but the copy of it which he has features a picture of Kennedy pointing with the caption: "His voice is always heard. Friend and foe alike know that Senator Ted Kennedy is a force to be reckoned with. Whether he's battling Bob Dole or twisting Democratic arms, upsetting Rush Limbaugh, or supporting President Clinton, Kennedy matters! He's that powerful!" The ad then goes on to list all the great government programs Kennedy has authored and supported, and then at the bottom states "Kennedy, he makes a difference! Vote November 8th. For a ride to the polls, please call xxx-xxxx." Rush hopes some conservatives call the Kennedy number to get their free ride to the polls; after all, it's about time Republicans get some freebies from Senator Kennedy. o On Larry King Live last night, Mary Matalin and Tony Coelho discussed the elections. Coelho is an old-school Democrat power-broker who's been everywhere during this campaign, having been brought back into the public eye to help the Democrats limit their losses this year. Coelho, a white male millionaire who was making millions in Wall Street, has been working hard to save the Clinton Presidency and thereby save the Democratic party. Rush recalls how two years ago the Democrats were euphoric over Bill Clinton's victory, and as they looked at a Democratically-controlled White House, Senate, and House, they had visions of doing "FDR 2," empowering themselves for another 50 years. Today, though, they are on the brink of losing both houses of Congress and losing the majority of governorships in the country. Meanwhile, their President has higher disapproval ratings than approval ratings, which is why most Democrats begged him not to show up to campaign on their behalf. The past two years must have been an unpredictable shock to the long-time Democratic powers that be, who know see their power base eroding; even their mainstream voters are apathetic, so much so that they might not even turn out to vote this year. This is why the Democrats have been trying to scare these typical Democratic voters into thinking that Republican victories would destroy the nation. The liberal Democrats are not going to take this threat to their power lightly, but Rush is certain that as the liberals fight back they'll lose even more of their power. Typically the liberals have been able to move to the right for the campaigns and then after winning re-election, continue governing on the left, but this isn't working anymore. This is because the people are more informed than they've ever been in modern times, thanks to interactive computer networks, to the renaissance of the talk radio format, to the alternative media. These things all allow the people to become not only better informed, but express their will better than ever. Rush talked to John Fund this morning because Fund has a great piece in today's Wall Street Journal, and one thing they discussed was how truly historical changes often aren't noticed while they are happening. Typically, those involved in great changes are too busy to realize what they've accomplished until afterwards, but Rush feels that this year the people are bringing about a major revolution in how their country is governed. Those in Washington derive their power solely from the people they govern, but for the past several years this seems to have been forgotten. The people have been slow to awaken to this, but they have become informed now, thanks to the beauty of the First Amendment which allows the people to express themselves and to become well informed. Today is thus a day to be encouraged, optimistic, and hopeful. If nothing else, the days of the liberal way of doing things is over - the people are no longer going to tolerate the secret backroom deals that have been the standard way of doing things in Washington anymore. It is the people and the fact the people are more informed than ever which is making this happen, and this is turn is due to how the people have more information sources than they've ever had before. Regardless of how the elections turn out this year, today's elections will be the beginning of a tremendous change in American politics. As to Tony Coelho, he said something outrageous on Larry King Live last night which shows just how out of touch he and the rest of the liberal Democrats really are. Rush will talk about this after the break. *BREAK* Tony Coelho and Mary Matalin were on Larry King Live last night, and during their discussion about the elections the topic of "outside special interests" was mentioned. Rush pointed out last week that House Speaker Tom Foley has raised 93% of his campaign's nearly $2 million of contributions were from outside of his district. Of course, though, Foley is attacking his opponent, George Nethercutt, for being too heavily influenced by "outside special interests." A caller last night brought this subject up, and Coelho tried to counter by saying that Michael Huffington was trying to buy a Senate seat by buying $35 million. Coelho said "this is what Republicans always do, Larry, they get white males who have a lot of money." At this point, Rush started screaming profanities at the TV because he has just about had it with the left's demonizing of white males. Since this kind of attack doesn't fly with mainstream America, Coelho had to be trying to court the Hillary Clintons, the feminists, the multiculturalists, and other fringe groups of the left by getting them outraged at their favorite target, "evil" white males. Coelho, though, is a white millionaire male, and the Democrats have more millionaires in Congress than do Republicans. As to Huffington, he, unlike Foley, is spending his own money, not relying on funds from special interests. Rush admits he was highly irritated by Coelho's comment, yet at the same time it shows how out of touch Coelho and the Democrats are - on the eve of the election, Coelho is bashing white males, and this is the kind of attacks which have gotten Clinton and the Democrats in trouble. The people are not happy at how the Democrats are kowtowing to special interests such as the feminists, yet on the eve of the election, Coelho decided to bash white males. President Clinton is so unpopular in the South that he can't even go there during this election, and the fact that the Democratic party, which is run by rich white males, is bashing rich white males is just one reason. Does Coelho's comment about white males mean that the Democrats no longer want white males to be part of their party? Does this mean that their quota of white males is now filled and that no more are to be welcomed? And as far as buying votes and Senate seats, Coelho was just being hypocritical to the extreme. Rush's TV show last night calculated how much money some Democrats were spending on their campaigns, and the facts are clear; when you count how much money Democrats spent on votes that they get, it's the Democrats who are spending the most money. As a point of reference, Robert Kennedy spent $2.84 per vote he received in 1964. Now, thirty years later, if Michael Huffington wins the election today with 51% of the expected vote, he will have spent only $3.45 per vote. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), though, is expected to spend $7.46 per vote should he win re-election this year, and Senator Jay Rockefeller, yet another rich white male, spent $38.77 to win his Senate seat in West Virginia. Thus, just who is buying Senate seats? *BREAK* Items o The California press, and some national media, is talking about how Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Brown "went black" over the weekend, pulling thousands of dollars worth of TV ads from smaller TV markets because she ran short of money. Supposedly, her campaign mismanaged the funds, so it had to cancel some ads. Brown, though, is the California State Treasurer, so if her campaign is mismanaged, what does that say about her abilities? Is it believable that she can't manage her own campaign, running out of money right at the final weekend before the elections, the most crucial period in any campaign? Rush thus doubts the story that is being told, and instead thinks Brown looked at the numbers, saw she was losing, and decided to funnel some of her funds or support to other candidates, such as Dianne Feinstein or someone else. Rush just can't believe that her campaign was so mismanaged that Brown couldn't come up with the money for a few campaign ads; she seems to have decided to pull out without really pulling out, perhaps to salvage her reputation. Of course, Rush could be wrong about this, but if so, then it means the California State Treasurer is woefully inadequate in managing money. o President Clinton gave seven radio interviews in one hour this morning, trying to convince voters that they should vote Democratic. Rush recalls that it was only in May or June that Clinton complained that Rush had an unfair advantage because Rush had all this time to say what he wanted and Clinton and the Democrats couldn't possibly respond. Rush bets Clinton could get on seven radio stations every day if he wanted to, given that most small talk show hosts would salivate at the thought of hosting the President of the United States. Phone Mika from New York City, NY Mika is an editor from the Nation magazine, but he's not Mika Morrison, the "right-winger," but the other Mika, the "left-winger." He agrees with Rush that the Democrats are heading for a "meltdown" this election, but doesn't think it's any sort of revolution because 70% or so of the electorate is not going to bother to vote. Rush recalls how the low turnout in the 1988 elections generated a lot of complaints about voter apathy, but the same people are now complaining about the people becoming too much involved with their government. In any case, though, the people who vote in any election are the ones who are motivated, and if the Democrats have a low turnout this year, then what does it say about them, their party, and their ideas and policies? Rush would suggest that those who are voting are doing so to actively affirm something other than traditional liberalism, while those who aren't voting no longer care about liberal policies; they certainly don't care enough to even bother to vote. Rush thinks this is revolutionary, especially if Republicans do gain as many seats in Congress as he thinks they will. Mika, though, thinks this is a stretch because Republicans are going to suffer their own meltdown in the next couple of years. He agrees with Rush that it's more likely that Republicans will not win absolute control of Congress but will win enough seats for effective control, and this is not really that bad a thing. The current elections will be a repudiation of the "conservative Democratic strategy" that has been dominating the Democratic party for the past two years, and maybe the Democratic party will realize it's time to change policies. However, the people are not going to choose watered-down Republicans when they have the "real thing," which is the Democrats, at least when they present real alternatives. Rush says the Democrats have not been at all conservative during the past couple of years; they have been pursuing very leftist policies, such as taxing the rich and government health care. Mika says taxing the rich is very popular, and the Democrats' health care plan was not a government takeover. Rush says the Clinton health care plan clearly was a government takeover, but Mika doesn't support the Clinton plan. Rush says it was the Clinton health care plan that was being discussed and which was important, even though it did end up being continually watered down. Mika asks what the Republican plan will be once they get in control; Republicans can't rely on market forces to cure things, especially since the Republicans know only one thing: how to oppose. Rush says this is not true and the Republicans' Contract With America proves this. As to health care, competition on the health care has to be reintroduced, and this will be done when the consumer gets back to paying the bill. Mika doesn't see this happening, and notes that it will be Republicans who will have the problems during the next two years. Rush agrees completely with this, which is why the Republican leadership will have to focus the Republicans in Congress for two full years. This will be especially important since those in the mainstream media such as Mika will be giving Republicans unrelenting attention and criticism. Mika says he is not part of the mainstream, corporate media, but Rush doesn't believe in the "corporate media" conspiracy. In any case, though, those in the mainstream press are angry that they no longer have their sweet monopolies, and they aren't going to go away gently. Instead, the dominant media will examine the Republican party and its 1996 Presidential candidate in a way unlike anything seen before, but this will make for some fun times. There's a reason to look this closely at Clinton, and there's no reason right now to investigate Republicans; however, once Republicans get into power and are prominent, there will be reasons to investigate them, too, and the people will demand to know the truth. Rush again notes this will make for some fun times, and Mika agrees, thanking Rush for having him on the show. Rush thanks Mika for calling, noting that the Nation magazine is perhaps the last refuge of pure liberalism in the country; to them, Ted Kennedy is probably not liberal enough, so it's interesting that Mika thinks a "Democrat meltdown" is in the works. *BREAK* Rush received a fax of a story from yesterday's Imperial Valley Press about how Mexican protestors burned Governor Pete Wilson in effigy yesterday as part of a demonstration against California's Proposition 187. Protestors early Sunday night walked for two miles along the U.S./Mexican border in a candlelight vigil against the proposition and Wilson. Rush recalls that a caller yesterday noted that Mexicans in America send a lot of money back to Mexico, which could very well be the case. However, Proposition 187 is really about whether California taxpayers should pay for the education and health care of illegal immigrants; the supporters of this proposition don't think they should be taxed so as to pay for these benefits to people who are breaking the law. In contrast, the opponents to Proposition 187 think that the residents of California should be taxed so as to send a subsidy to every resident of Mexico. Thus, why stop there? Why not tax all Americans, from California to Florida to send money to the Haitians, so that they don't have to risk their lives to come to the U.S.? Proposition 187 is about curbing the welfare state and implementing the law, but opponents to the proposition are basically saying that taxpayers should be taxed more so that their money can be sent to foreign countries. By this logic, though, you could just as easily suggest that this money should be directly to residents in those foreign countries, so that they don't have to break the law by illegally coming into the U.S. Phone Jeff from Indianapolis, IN Jeff wants to challenge Rush on a lot of issues, especially since the Republican party is distorting the welfare state. There are a lot of people who need the help given by the welfare state because of the wide disparity of wealth in America; there are good high-paying jobs out there, but those jobs need a lot of education and not everyone can cut it at college, whites and blacks alike. Not everyone can achieve the levels of education and skill needed for high-paying jobs. Rush says of course not everyone has the same abilities, but the purpose of the welfare state is not to help those who are incapable, but to make people dependent on the government. There are a lot of capable people out there, but they won't learn that until they are forced to depend on themselves. Jeff says that not everyone can go to college, and Rush agrees; he didn't go to college himself. Jeff, though, says Rush is lucky, but a lot of jobs require college degrees, such as computer science and engineers. Rush notes that a survey of the top executives shows that 46% of them didn't go to college. Jeff says that one reason for this is that African-Americans are being turned down for loans by a higher percentage than other minorities. Rush points out that usually people don't get loans because they have a poor credit record or can't demonstrate that they can pay the loans back, and this is true for everyone, not just minorities. He asks Jeff to hang on through the break. *BREAK* Phone Jeff from Indianapolis, IN (continued) Rush says that it's been proven that government cannot use welfare to bring happiness and prosperity to society's underclass; this doesn't work and it only creates more bitterness and anger among those it's supposed to be helping. The true solution is to teach people how to be self-reliant and independent, so that they don't have to rely on whatever it is that government can do for them - government cannot bring them prosperity. Jeff agrees; he's a college student who's working full time so he knows that this is possible. Jeff is for welfare reform, but he also knows that a lot of people need help. A lot of jobs aren't paying a lot of money and they don't offer any health care benefits; a lot of people stay on welfare because they can't afford these benefits on their own on what these jobs are paying. Rush says this use of health care as an excuse is getting out of hand - people have to eat before they can get sick. Plus, minimum wage and low-paying jobs are entry-level jobs, and everyone has to start somewhere and work their way up. *BREAK* SECOND HOUR Rush just heard that voter turnout in New York is very low, which doesn't bode well for the Democrats. Exit polls will probably be coming out soon, and it'll be interesting to see what the network news' projections will be once the polls close. However, exit polls can send false hopes, especially to Democrats. For example, Texas and California are two states where people can vote early via absentee ballots, but they don't show up in the exit polls data. Since absentee voters tend to be Republicans more than Democrats, this skews the exit polls towards the Democrats' side. Thus, it's not wise to put too much stock on early exit poll results. Interestingly, Democrats are conceding defeat in some major losses. For example, Tim Russert on this morning's Today show said he had spoken to three potential Republican Presidential candidates, "and the idea of Oliver North petrifies them because they're afraid of the 1996 convention and the kind of message he'll send. They want him to win a majority in the Senate but the idea of his presence and his message really does concern Republicans who want a broad tent." It is incredible that the press is already thinking about the Republican 1996 convention, and Anthony Lewis in today's NY Times writes that the 1996 Presidential GOP convention will undoubtedly please those who loved the 1992 convention's "bashing of the un-Christian and the un-straight." Lewis adds that nobody knows what kind of legislation the religious right would pass but their idea of society is clear: "a more Christian and a more pious America with women's right to choose eliminated and their struggle for political and economic equality turned back." Rush notes that Lewis is a dinosaur just like Coelho, engaging in more white male bashing. Rush thinks people such as Lewis and Coelho should be added to EIB's ad for "Geriatric Park": <> This summer you can take your family to the only place on Earth where living fossils roam in their natural environment. Congressional House Pictures presents Stephen Spenberg's "Geriatric Park." <> Get back here, Billy, it's two o'clock! Senator Metzenbaum could wake up at any minute! <> Scientists have cloned the cells of New Deal Democrats, and despite their harmless appearance, they can be extremely dangerous. <> Oh my god! Tom Foley is coming toward me! What do I do? <> Don't worry, they never "attax" you when you stand totally still. Stare into his eyes and hand him your checkbook. <> Geriatric Park, where disaster awaits at every corner. <> Hey, Jerry, where the heck is your wife? <> She fell into the entitlements tar pits. <> Oh, geez, at least the government will cover those funeral expenses, huh? <> Oh, good point! <> Geriatric Park, home of the frightening Barney Frankus Liberalus <>, the Carol Moseley Brauntosaurus <>, and who can forget their leader and granddaddy of them all . . . <> What the heck is that? <> Oh my god, it's the Arkansaraus Taxanspendus! Aauuugggghh! <> Geriatric Park, because no matter how many years pass, some things always stay the same! Coming soon to a theater near you. ******** Michael Lerner, Hillary Clinton's "politics of meaning" guru and publisher of Tikkun magazine, and someone who is discussed to some extent in Rush's "See, I Told You So," gives some advice to the Democrats in the latest issue of Tikkun. In an editorial titled "A Special Focus, After the Fall," Lerner writes that Clinton will have to admit that he made a "deep mistake" in being too accommodating to the special interests and "ethos of selfishness." Rush thinks Lerner's mind has to be fried to write stuff like this, but Lerner is evidently serious since he adds that Clinton, instead of promising specific legislation over the next two years, "should challenge the ethos of selfishness and replace it with an ethos of caring." After that, the President should call for a "national movement for a progressive politics of meaning," asking for 10,000 young people to dedicate the summer of 1995 for door-to-door campaigning to educate Americans into challenging the ethos of selfishness. Rush bets Americans will be slamming their doors real fast when they open it to see a young person talking about the "ethos of selfishness." Lerner, though, has even more ideas. For example, he thinks that President Clinton should also "send a letter to every American taxpayer on April 16th, thanking them on behalf of all those who benefit from federal programs and reminding them of how much good they're doing for others by paying their taxes." Rush would love to see this - he can only imagine the taxpayers' reactions upon getting this letter from Bill Clinton. This idea is almost as good as having the national elections fall on the first Tuesday after April 15th. Lerner, by the way, is an adviser to Hillary Clinton and a repeat guest in the White House. Lerner is the one who actually got Hillary to realize at age 46 that "there are things bigger than ourselves." Lerner, though, is not finished, but thinks Clinton should not only introduce a new health care bill, but it should be one which goes further than a single-payer system. This bill should challenge the profit motive in health care and "projecting a full vision of what spiritually and morally sensitive health care could be." The EIB ask what "spiritual health care means," and Rush admits he has no idea what any of this means. This is just what the Clintons' spiritual guru thinks the President should do to come back after today's "fall," and Rush can only hope the Clintons take Lerner's advice. In particular Rush wants to start getting his letter from the President on April 16th thanking him for paying his taxes. It's about time someone thank him for paying his taxes. In fact, Rush thinks every taxpayer should be informed of every dollar that the government has collected from them and where it went. There should also be a full accounting of the money each taxpayer has sent in. Rush is so excited by this idea, in fact, that if Lerner were only running for office, Rush this very day would pull a Perot and endorse him. *BREAK* Phone Edward from Cleveland, OH Edward gives "98% dittos" and remarks that Memnonides once said the highest form of charity is giving someone a job, while the lowest form of charity is handing them money. Rush agrees with that. Edward is a conservative Republican who voted a straight Republican ticket this morning, and he thanks his parents for bringing him up as a Republican. However, while he thinks Republicans will do a better job than the Democrats, he's still worried about the deficit because he doesn't think the Republican party will cut spending enough to fix the deficit. In particular, entitlements have to be cut, and most particularly Social Security has to be cut, given that its benefits have been increased far more over the years than the country can afford. However, Republicans don't seem willing to do this, so Edward is worried that just as it took Nixon to go to China, it will take Democrats to cut Social Security and they will do this only when the government is on the verge of bankruptcy. Republicans should be doing this but they know they'll be thrown out of office for doing this, but perhaps that's a price that should be paid. Rush says that Medicare, as far as on-budget programs are concerned, is far worse than Social Security; Medicare and welfare programs constitute about 60% of the federal budget, while Social Security is covered by an "off budget trust fund" gimmick. Edward knows that Social Security won't be there for him, so he's planning his own retirement, and Rush agrees that this is the smart move. If people, though, could just be shown how much better off they'd be if they could invest their FICA taxes in their own retirement fund, they'd be stunned and amazed, and would immediately demand the end of Social Security. Social Security, though, has become such an integral part of the American culture that the only way it's going to be ended is if Congress ends up with members who intend to stay there for only one term because once they cut Social Security, they aren't going to get re-elected. *BREAK* Phone Rick from St. Louis, MO Rick says a couple of callers have mentioned welfare reform, and it's been a big subject during the campaign. The conventional wisdom, though, seems to be that conservatives don't want government to have any role in this. At a dinner party Rick was at last weekend, the mostly liberal crowd seemed convinced of this, and this bothers Rick because Friedrich von Hayek wrote 50 years ago in "The Road to Serfdom" that government does have an active role in providing some social insurance. Hayek is one of the founders of true conservatism, and he illustrates that conservatives aren't anarchists or totally against government, but this notion seems to have become the prevailing wisdom. Rush points out, though, that before the creation of the welfare state, a network of community, church, and the neighborhood helped out the indigent. Rush is not suggesting that America return to this era, but only that government is not the sole source of compassion. In fact, what liberals have defined as compassion has created an underclass that is being relegated to a subsistent life. Rick agrees, but just wants to make the point that most conservatives think government does have some role in providing some sort of social insurance. Rush agrees, and suggests that the next time Rick sees some of these liberals he bring up Jack Kemp's point that liberals measure compassion by how many people are on government welfare rolls, while conservatives measure compassion by how many people no longer need such help. Rush doubts that most liberals will be able to address this point, given that liberals tend to be stuck in cliches, never bothering to intellectually examine their treasured beliefs. Rick agrees with that, and thinks part of the reason the voters are angry with government is that it's failed to do what it's supposed to be doing. Rick is saddened, though, by how most people probably don't know who Hayek is, but Rush points out that he's mentioned Hayek and his books many times. Rick, though, notes that this year is the 50th anniversary of the "Road to Serfdom," but he's seen only two tributes to it in the press. He wishes more conservatives would discover Hayek and realize that he's one of their ideological ancestors. Rush agrees, but notes Hayek's books are tough sledding and heady intellectual fodder. Fortunately, though, Rush's newsletter did a review of this book, so EIB has done its best to get the word out, and at "nominal fees," Rush notes. He thanks Rick for calling and remarks that dinner parties are one of the great experiences of life. Rush hates to plug his newsletter, but it does review books from time to time; it can't do this every month because Rush can't read that much, but when a good book comes along it gets mentioned. Rush can't say too much more about the Limbaugh Letter, given that it has to buy ad time on his radio show like Snapple and everyone else, but it's approaching 500,000 subscribers, and its subscriber list is definitely the most sought-after mailing list by Washington think tanks. Limbaugh Letter subscribers don't have to worry about EIB shilling their names, though, but they will get a special treat in the next issue: Rush will interview a special guest, Rush himself. In fact, he'll be doing this interview of himself tomorrow after the show, and he vows that nobody will ever be misquoted in the Limbaugh Letter. And as long as he mentioned Snapple, Rush notes that EIB's advertisers never suffer from advertising on his show, and in particular Snapple was purchased by Quaker Oats last week for $1.7 billion. Five years ago, the three Snapple guys were selling their product at delis in only 10 or 11 states, but by making EIB part of their novel advertising strategy, and because they have an incredible product, Snapple has become a nationwide concern worth more than $1 billion. "That's what happens when you advertise on this program," Rush remarks, pointing out that Florida orange juice also had record sales this summer. The Limbaugh Letter, of course, is another record success story, so if anyone doesn't have it, they should get it. Now. *BREAK* Phone Steve from Los Angeles, CA Steve gives "cigar smoking dittos," noting he attended the Cigar Aficionado's "Big Smoke" in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago, but he's mainly concerned about Proposition 187. Rush interrupts Steve to note that California also has another major proposition on the ballot which is not getting much attention: Proposition 186 would impose a single-payer, state-run health care plan on the entire state, and should it pass the liberals will be re-energized, insisting that the American people do want liberalism and government-run health care. However, nobody is paying attention to this proposition because of Proposition 187. Steve notes there are people appearing on LA talk shows insisting that should Proposition 187 be passed, the city will be gripped with more riots. Rush isn't surprised by this news, given that LA has shown it's willing to be governed by fears of riots. However, in 1968 Richard Daley, mayor of Chicago, stopped any possibility of riots disrupting the Democratic convention by giving a three-word command to his police forces: shoot to kill. Steve agrees that this would have stopped the previous riots. Rush, though, knows these words won't be uttered to stop any riots, even though this is what law enforcement is supposed to do: secure law and order by preventing disturbances like riots. *BREAK* Phone Helen from Huntington, NY Helen voted Republican today, telling Rush "it's all your fault!" However, she's happy about this; she used to be a registered Democrat who would occasionally vote Republican, but now, thanks to Rush, she's been liberated and today for the first time voted Republican as a registered Republican. She thanks her in-laws for making her listen to Rush two years ago. Rush thinks this is great news, and Helen remarks that both she and her husband celebrated this morning because they both voted the straight Republican ticket. Rush asks how crowded the polling place was, and Helen says it wasn't crowded at all when they were there. Rush thanks Helen for calling and bets that her story is being repeated throughout the Fruited Plain today. *BREAK* THIRD HOUR Items o There's good news in the O.J. Simpson case - the networks will carry only updates about the case, not full coverage, although they are planning to carry the opening and closing arguments, if any. "Good!" remarks Rush, predicting that the trial will turn out to be even more exacting and demanding than any of the pretrial hearings were. o More and more people seem to be taking Rush's advice about how to make the world trade playing field more level: by exporting liberalism to other countries, so that those countries' businesses can be bedeviled as are American companies. PETA and feminism have already been exported to Japan, but the latest news from Japan is that a huge controversy is developing over an alarming trend among Japanese to kiss in public. It's been traditional that the Japanese bow to one another, as opposed to hugging or kissing. Now, though, more and more young Japanese couples are giving one another goodbye pecks as they part ways at the subway station, and there are those who consider this a major threat to Japanese culture. "Media reports" say that there have even been instances of outright necking on the subway trains, but this is "tame stuff" compared to the pornography that exists in Japanese publications and television. Some critics, though, think that kissing in public is outright ugly and impolite, and that those doing the pecking are giving no thought or consideration to those who might be watching them. Rush wonders what would happen if Japan had gay rights parades such as the ones held in New York, where gay activists march nude or do worse in public. As everyone knows, all of this stuff starts with a mere peck on the check; can the "heavy stuff" be far behind? o A professor in Tel Aviv who had AIDS spent the last year of his life advertising for sex, taping the men he slept with, and spreading the HIV virus around. The professor allegedly wanted to exact vengeance on his lovers, but he was found murdered a week ago, perhaps by one of the hundreds of victims he slept with, a list that probably included students, Palestinians, and U.S. sailors. o California's Proposition 186 and Proposition 187 are only a few of the many initiatives on state ballots this year. Oregon voters will be deciding the fate of a ballot initiative that would legalize euthanasia for the terminally ill; initiatives in Oregon, Montana, and Missouri would require voter approval for any new taxes. In Oklahoma, an initiative would put a 1% tax on entertainment to pay for breast cancer research, news which makes the EIB staff ask "what's the connection?" Rush says that liberals don't have to make any connection between their taxes and the supposed projects to be funded by those taxes. Florida, Rhode Island, Colorado, and Massachusetts have ballot initiatives to permit gambling casinos, which reminds Rush how it's horse racing which really gets hurt by casinos. California race track owners, for example, are making plans to get permission to build casinos at their tracks. Idaho and Oregon have initiatives to ban gay rights laws and school programs that suggest homosexuality is acceptable, while Wyoming voters will decide on a referendum to ban abortion except in the cases of rape or incest. Massachusetts, North Dakota, and South Dakota all have initiatives to repeal state seatbelt laws. San Francisco voters will vote on a proposal to ban sitting or laying on the sidewalk during the day, but Rush bets that there are already laws which would bar this if only they would be enforced. California voters will also be voting on a 4 cent per gallon gas tax to expand mass transit. Florida also has an initiative to ban net fishing near the shore. o Rush has made no secret about his great love for the NFL; if Rush were not in radio, he'd either be running an airport or be involved with professional football in some way. However, the NFL's home team blackout telecast rule continues to vex him. Nobody can explain to Rush why this rule exists or why it was written in the first place. This rule makes no sense - those who live in an NFL market get to see three games on Sunday whenever their home team is on the road; however, should the home team be on the road and playing before a sold-out house, they get only two games: the home team game and one other. When a team plays at home and is sold out, that game has to be televised and no other game can be played during that time; thus, the only game viewers can choose from in this case is the home team. Thus, when the home team is on the road, home team fans get a choice, but they don't get a choice when the team is playing at home and is sold out. This makes no sense whatsoever; if a game is sold out, then why limit someone's choices at home? The only possible explanation is that if the sold-out home game is not a very good one, some people with tickets might not show up, instead choosing to stay home and watch the competing televised games. But home team fans tend to go to the games no matter what, especially at NFL ticket prices. Thus, is the home team rule supposed to guarantee high ratings for the home team? If this is the case, though, why doesn't someone just tell Rush that this is the point? For example, the biggest game of next weekend is coming up Sunday: the Dallas Cowboys versus the San Francisco 49ers, but those in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, Denver, and New Orleans won't be able to see it. It makes no sense to keep the best game of the week out of the biggest television markets, but this is what will happen because of the NFL broadcast rules. FOX is happy about this because they think they'll have 80% of the country watching their game; however, eliminating the top two markets in the U.S. is not a smart idea. What FOX should have done is show the NY Giants game, which is being televised Sunday afternoon, on Sunday or Monday night, but FOX didn't do this because the network wanted the New York market, even though it meant not televising the best game. This means die-hard fans will have to get on an airplane to be able to see the game of their choice. The EIB staff suggest a ballot initiative to cure this horrendous problem, but Rush sighs because not even the referendum process could cure this societal ill. "This stuff really frosts me!" he exclaims before going to the break in utter frustration. *BREAK* Returning to the subject of professional football, Rush notes that what is going on with its television rules is exactly the same as if ABC decided to televise "Jurassic Park." However, because earlier in the day the local affiliate aired "The Lost World," another movie about dinosaurs, that station wouldn't be allowed to broadcast "Jurassic Park." This is exactly the same thing as what is going on in NFL football. Rush sighs because he despairs of anyone ever explaining this to him; perhaps he should make it his personal goal that he won't end his radio career until he understands the NFL blackout rule. If he stated this as his goal, the liberals would certainly go all out to explain this to him, just to get him off the air. Phone Kim from St. Louis, MO Kim thanks Rush for inspiring her to pay attention to politics this year. In particular she's been studying Missouri's Amendment 7, which would require all tax increases to be approved by the voters. Rush asks how the polls are on this amendment, and Kim says she fears the "liberal puke" ads on television have turned majority opinion against it. The opposition has worked overtime to defeat this amendment by claiming that should it pass, schools will be closed and criminals will be released from jail because the public would never pay enough taxes. Kim also has been paying a lot of attention to the Second Congressional District and Rep. Jim Talent's re-election campaign. Kim hasn't been too thrilled with Talent, though, because he is a typical moderate Republican. "Vote for him anyway," Rush exhorts. *BREAK* Phone Francisco from Palmdale, CA Francisco wants to take issue with Rush about California's Proposition 187, which he thinks says that anyone suspected of being an illegal alien should be turned in. He thinks people are being hypocrites because there's been a system to detect welfare fraud for years, but that system hasn't been implemented. Rush agrees, which is why the Californians are angry - the laws aren't being enforced and the legislature isn't listening to them. Francisco says that only six out of California's 50 counties have any sort of welfare check system, so if welfare fraud were the real reason for this proposition, this concern would be better served by enforcing the law. And last year crime cost Californians $18 billion, which is a lot more than the $5 billion supposed cost that illegal aliens are costing the state. The state is not going to stop any of this by passing Proposition 187. Rush asks if Francisco is in favor of illegal immigrants having free access to taxpayer-funded benefits, and Francisco says he's not in favor of anyone doing illegal things. Proposition 187 is just an excuse that California's bigots and hatemongers will use to attack hispanics. He adds that you hear this hate and anger in the people who call into local talk shows to support the proposition. Rush says anger and hate are not synonyms; Californians are angry, but not at a particular minority but at how working taxpayers are being forced to pay more in taxes for benefits to illegal aliens. The word "hate" has been bandied about way too often recently, but Rush has not heard any hate in the voices of those he's heard talking about Proposition 187. These people are concerned about the ever-growing welfare state and they want it stopped. Francisco says that illegal aliens are allegedly costing the state $5 billion, but agriculture brings in $70 billion to the state each year, and he doesn't think Proposition 187 is about illegal immigrants but all immigrants. "Read the ballot!" he exclaims. Rush says he has read it, and there's an easy way to identify legal residents: check the paperwork. Francisco, though, says that illegal immigrants only have to be "suspected," not proven, by this proposition. Rush refuses to believe such scare tactics, and the fact is that opponents of Proposition 187 are supporting the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for benefits to those breaking the law. Francisco says Proposition 187 won't do anything to stop this; the problem is with fraud and theft in the welfare system. Rush agrees that this has to be fixed, but he disagrees with Francisco's contention that Proposition 187 is trying to enforce the laws against only one specific minority. Francisco disagrees - if people want to stop welfare fraud, they should implement the laws that already exist. Rush agrees, but this is why Proposition 187 was written - it is the first step towards enforcing these laws and it's a message to the state legislature that they should enforce these laws. Francisco says Proposition 187 will only cost the state more money than it saves. Rush, though, says the proposition is about rules and the law, and it's designed to send a strong message to the state legislators who aren't doing anything about making sure the laws are enforced. The welfare system has failed for 30 years and the people are angry about this. There are those who are claiming that this proposition is unconstitutional, but the 1982 Supreme Court ruling requiring the state to educate the children of illegal aliens was a 5-4 ruling, and the proponents of the measure seem more than willing to take this issue to the Court again. If you believe in something, you have to continue working to change it, regardless of the setbacks you face. Francisco, though, says that the laws are already on the books and there are already sanctions against employers who hire illegal aliens. These laws should be enforced. Rush asks why Francisco is so afraid of this proposition, and Francisco says he's Latino and is thus afraid if he ends up with some bigot for a doctor. He's a legal resident, but should he lose his ID and papers, he's going to end up in big trouble. Rush doesn't think these extreme examples will be the normal course, and you can't make policy and law based on extreme examples and situations. Besides, emergency services aren't covered by the proposition, which covers only non-extreme health care. Rush thanks Francisco for calling, and Francisco ends by warning that under Proposition 187 anyone who is of minority descent will have to start carrying their birth certificates with them. *BREAK* Phone Lou from Roselle Park, NJ Lou saw Gore Vidal at the National Press Club on CSPAN yesterday, and one of the questions he was asked was which current personality 21st-century historians would be writing about. Surprisingly, Vidal replied Rush Limbaugh. Lou thinks it would be great if Rush could get a clip of this and show it on his TV program. Rush pledges to check into this, and asks what the audience's reaction was to Vidal's comment. Lou says there were a lot of sighs, and Lou knew from that reaction that this news wouldn't make any headlines. Rush says he'd love to have seen the journalists' reaction to this comment, but promises to look into finding this clip. Phone Carrie from Chicago, IL Carrie says Chicago residents are feeling a bit out of things because the Republican National Committee hasn't been doing much in her area. Rush says that the RNC did give Rostenkowski's opponent, Michael Patrick Flanagan, $60,000 for some last-minute ads, but Chicago is obviously a pocket of Democratic political ideology and will probably remain so for some time. Republicans want to focus their energies on where they have a chance, and everyone knows what Rostenkowski can do to get out the vote. After all, in the primaries this year, Chicago's mayor gave public employees election day off to give Rostenkowski some help. Carrie says that a friend's husband is a public teacher and the schools are all closed today so they can be used as polling places. Rush says Chicago will always be Chicago - after all, when the dead vote every election, what else can you say. Perhaps Chicago will become the nation's living liberal museum, to serve as a reminder to the rest of the country what liberalism really is. *BREAK* Conrad Black is a Canadian press baron who has part or full ownership in over 500 newspapers in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere, with a paid circulation of more than 7.5 million worldwide, is quoted in today's Wall Street Journal as saying the following about journalists: "My experience with journalists authorizes me to record that a very large number of them are ignorant, lazy, opinionated, intellectually dishonest, and inadequately supervised." With that in mind, Rush encourages everyone to keep Operation Restore Democracy in mind throughout the day.