Hour 1: Limbaugh Calls Obama "Half-Black, Half-White Human Being With No Experience"

http://mediamatters.org/items/200906080023

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by "childish" Obama plan to "destroy" the economy
By Simon Maloy

Here at the Limbaugh Wire, we love a good conspiracy theory, which we loosely define as Rush's overly elaborate and fanciful attempts to rationalize or dismiss those aspects of life that don't neatly conform to the idyllic Ayn Rand-Ronald Reagan vision of life as it should be, and which crumble under the slightest scrutiny due to their complete lack of logic and/or factual merit. As you'll recall, we've been down this road many times before: Google teaming up with ACORN and the sun to control your thermostat; President Obama collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security and ACORN (again) to undermine the "tea party" protests; and Obama engineering a massive and unprecedented government takeover of the banking industry (helped by ACORN) with the purpose of reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. Well, Rush's latest dip into the conspiracy well cast the reporting of any good economic news as a grand scheme by the liberal media to prop up Obama's poll numbers. Well, it seems that the conservative Washington Times and -- get this -- congressional Republicans are in on it as well: "With the economy showing signs of recovery, fiscally conservative economists and Republican lawmakers are suggesting that the large unspent portion of the nearly $800 billion stimulus fund should be redirected to slash this year's nearly $2 trillion annual deficit."

Rush got this fine Monday's show going by announcing: "Ladies and gentlemen, there can be no other way to say this now. The gloves have to come off. It's time for people to sober up. The president of the United States, Barack Obama, is destroying the United States economy -- there is no other way to describe this -- systematically destroying it." Rush's evidence for this declaration was the Associated Press -- the same Associated Press that Rush thinks is conspiring to sugarcoat the effects of Obama's economic policies. So we guess we didn't even have to debunk that conspiracy theory -- he did it himself. Anyway, Rush read from the AP article, which reported that "big government spending programs" are not helping to ameliorate the problems in the housing market, but instead "[r]ates for mortgages and U.S. Treasury debt are now marching higher as nervous bond investors fret about a resurgence of inflation." Rush said that anyone with a brain at the outset knew that this would be the result, and that he knows that half the people in the Obama administration knew this as well. Rush then explained that the Democratic Party is oriented toward socialism and big government power, but he's not sure whether they intend to destroy the economy, but the fact is that they are.

Then Rush noted that Obama met with the Cabinet today and, in the words of the AP, promised "to deliver more than 600,000 jobs through his $787 billion stimulus plan this summer, with federal agencies pumping billions into public works projects, schools and summer youth programs." Rush was incredulous, saying that these are going to be terrible, short-term jobs that won't pay well.

Then things got... strange. Rush mentioned "Mikhail Gorbachev," then the "Imperial March" from Star Wars started up as Rush explained what a, ahem, "Gorbasm" is. Apparently it has something to do with a meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev during which the Washington, D.C., media elite were, in Rush's words, "squealing" with glee at the arrival of Gorbachev in our nation's capital. Anyway, Rush brought this up because Gorbachev had an op-ed in The Washington Post this morning calling for a new economic model "that will emphasize public needs and public goods, such as a cleaner environment, well-functioning infrastructure and public transportation, sound education and health systems and affordable housing." Rush's response: "Mikhail Gorbachev presided over the collapse of his country like Barack Obama is presiding over the collapse of his. And so, a man who knows how to collapse his own economy is now advising us on how to collapse ours." On Gorbachev's specific recommendations, Rush had this to add: "I don't know about you, but when I have a former communist, totalitarian dictator articulating policies identical to those being enacted by a United States president, I get scared to damn death."

After the break, Rush noted that Obama said today that the nation is in a deep recession and it will take time to pull out of it. The reason we're in a recession, retorted Rush, is because of Obama and his economic policies. Then Rush noted that Sen. Charles "no NAIL" Grassley (R-IA) attacked Obama via Twitter this weekend. Rush then explained that he's not on Twitter, but there are three or four people out there on Twitter pretending to be Rush Limbaugh. We have to assume that these people are called "Twittoheads."

Then Rush wanted to go back to February of this year as Obama explained that delaying action on the stimulus bill will turn an economic crisis into a catastrophe. That catastrophe has happened, said Rush, and we acted as he wanted us to act. Fast-forwarding to this Saturday, Rush aired a bit of Obama's radio address, in which the president said that fixing health care has become a necessity. This is the same situation and the same circumstances as back in February, Rush said, when we could not wait on the stimulus. The same strategy is now being employed to "create" this crisis and fear mentality on health care.

Another break and Rush was back to proclaiming that Obama is destroying the economy, and that he has to be tied to his failures because that's the only hope conservatives have in "stopping national health care." Then Rush offered the president a lecture on manliness: "Now during the break, I listened to a little audio of Obama with a cabinet meeting today and he was talking about the recession being worse, and he said essentially it was all George W. Bush's fault. He said circumstances beyond his control when he assumed office blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. I am infuriated when I hear this. This is gutless." Rush continued: "President Obama, it's time to stand up and be a man, and men who are six months into office do not continue to blame their predecessors. You, sir, have committed far more egregious budgetary errors than the Bush administration could have ever dreamed of."

Then Rush explained that there is "no positive economic news anywhere." We found that funny because last week, as we explained above, he was attacking the media for reporting the positive economic news that he now says doesn't exist. Anyway, Rush said that after eight months of stimulating the economy under the theory that this was the only way to revive the economy, it's time to say that the political solutions failed. This sort of economic theory has never worked, said Rush, and the only reason people think it will work now is because of the personality of Obama and his "cult-like following." As evidence of this, Rush aired a sound bite of Newsweek's Evan Thomas contrasting Reagan's and Obama's visions of America in the world, describing Reagan as "parochial" while Obama is above it all, like a "god." Rush said Reagan was not provincial; he understood America's greatness and its role in the world for good. Obama, however, sees America's role in the world as bad. Rush added: "It is offensive to the sensibilities of millions of people to hear a member of the state-run media refer to a half-black, half-white human being with no experience running anything of substance referred to as a god. He may be president of the United States, but he's not a god." Rush would later on endeavor to explain why Obama's racial makeup has anything to do with this.

After the break, Rush entered into a lengthy monologue on how "childish," "babyish," and "immature" for Obama to blame his predecessor for the problems he inherited. Rush then explained what Obama really inherited: the greatest nation in the world, the financial capital of the world, a nation which liberated billions of people, and the responsibility to lead it responsibly. "He did not inherit a mess," said Rush, he inherited the United States of America. And what has he done with this inheritance, asked Rush -- he's run around the world and apologized for the alleged sins of America. Rush once again reiterated: "Barack Obama did not inherit a mess; he leads a mess." Rush summed it up: "It is childish. It is babyish. It is immature. It is unbecoming anyone who holds the office of president of the United States to run around crying like a baby, while lying about the mess he inherited."

Now, we ask you -- what's more "childish": Acknowledging the reality that you came into office having to deal with one of the worst economic crises in American history, or flatly denying that there was a mess to inherit and instead filling that void with a gauzy description of the greatness of America?

Anyway, Rush led into the break explaining why he emphasized Obama's race in relation to Evan Thomas' comments -- he intended for everyone to focus on Obama's "humanity" because he is not a "god." We're still not sure why he felt we needed to be reminded that Obama is half-black and half-white: to recall that Obama is human or to disabuse us of the notion that Obama is a "god."

Greg Lewis and Lauryn Bruck contributed to this edition of the Limbaugh Wire.

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: Look at me. Ladies and gentlemen, there can be no other way to say this now. The gloves have to come off. It's time for people to sober up. The president of the United States, Barack Obama, is destroying the United States economy -- there is no other way to describe this -- systematically destroying it.

Rush, are you saying he's doing this on purpose? Not going there. It doesn't matter. What matters is the United States economy is being destroyed.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev called for a perestroika -- a top-to-bottom reform in the West -- arguing that the West's current economic model was unsustainable and needed replacement. Commenting on the current global economic crisis, Gorbachev, who presided over the collapse of his country -- and that's the right way to describe it. Gorbachev is credited for ending the Cold War.

Mikhail Gorbachev presided over the collapse of his country like Barack Obama is presiding over the collapse of his. And so, a man who knows how to collapse his own economy is now advising us on how to collapse ours.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Gorbachev then predicted, perhaps, even greater upheaval down the road, insisted the current economic and social model existing in the West needs replacing. He is endorsing what Obama is doing: tearing apart the greatest economy in the history of the world. Mikhail Gorbachev, who presided over the collapse of his own economy, essentially now endorsing the same steps taken by Barack Obama.

I don't know about you, but when I have a former communist, totalitarian dictator articulating policies identical to those being enacted by a United States president, I get scared to damn death.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Now during the break, I listened to a little audio of Obama with a cabinet meeting today and he was talking about the recession being worse, and he said essentially it was all George W. Bush's fault. He said circumstances beyond his control when he assumed office blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. I am infuriated when I hear this. This is gutless.

President Obama, it's time to stand up and be a man, and men who are six months into office do not continue to blame their predecessors. You, sir, have committed far more egregious budgetary errors than the Bush administration could have ever dreamed of.

Mr. Obama's financial plans, his economic plans are an unmitigated disaster that are destroying the United States economy. There is no other way to put it. There is no previous president in this country who sat out to do -- who set out to do what Barack Obama is doing. No president in the history of this country sought to destroy the economy of the United States of America. Barack Obama must want that to happen because that's what his policies are doing, and today, he doubled down on them.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: There you have it. Government-run Newsweek Evan Thomas: "He's a god." Obama is a god. Reagan was parochial. Reagan, he only cared about America, but Obama is above that now. He's not chauvinistic. We're not just provincial. Ronald Reagan was not provincial. Ronald Reagan understood American exceptionalism. Ronald Reagan understood America's greatness. Ronald Reagan understood America's role in the world for good.

Mr. Thomas, Barack Obama sees America's role in the world as not good. It is offensive to the sensibilities of millions of people to hear a member of the state-run media refer to a half-black, half-white human being with no experience running anything of substance referred to as a god. He may be president of the United States, but he's not a god.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: He inherited the Constitution of the United States. He did not claim the right to remake it, to rewrite it, to change it. He swore to uphold it. Then he's in the process of wreaking as much damage to the Constitution as he can get away with, with nominations like Sonia Sotomayor, as he is wreaking damage to the U.S. economy. Barack Obama did not inherit a mess; he leads a mess.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: He has run around the world and apologized at every stop he makes for what he considers the sins, the immorality, and the unjust unfairness of the way he perceives the United States of America. He inherited a country that liberates the oppressed. As I said, he inherited the greatest economy in history. He inherited that, nothing more, nothing less, plus the Constitution.

There is nothing to apologize for. It is childish. It is babyish. It is immature. It is unbecoming anyone who holds the office of president of the United States to run around crying like a baby, while lying about the mess he inherited.