By Zachary Pleat

Steyn calls a quarter-trillion-dollar deficit reduction “a rounding error”

Filling in for Rush again, Mark Steyn began by mentioning an article in which scientists suggested that the hole in the ozone layer slowed the warming of the Southern Hemisphere over the past few decades. A little later in the hour, Steyn brought this up again with a caller and suggested that cap-and-trade legislation would “destroy the global economy.” He then moved to news that Vice President Joe Biden's son, Beau, will not run for the Senate. Steyn said Beau's “excuse” was “novel,” that he “needs to spend more time with his child molester” -- an apparent reference to Beau Biden's prosecution of a high-profile child-molestation case -- by continuing his career as attorney general. Next, Steyn spent some time mocking reports that President Obama feels a little lonely in the White House, mentioning Valerie Jarrett's comments on the matter and treating the audience to his singing voice for a little bit.

After the break, Steyn got to work discussing Obama's proposed spending freeze on some discretionary spending -- suggesting that it's meaningless -- and he called the announced savings of $250 billion “a rounding error.” He then got around to repeating tired right-wing rhetoric that government spending is a “liberty issue” because whenever the government spends money, that's money a citizen isn't spending on what he or she chooses.

Changing the subject a bit, Steyn began to talk up the virtues of private citizens helping others, especially in Haiti. He concluded by ranting against government involvement:

STEYN: When you look at the issues that are out there in the world, you're more likely to find a dynamic, creative answer to health care issues from the private sector. You're more likely to find a dynamic, creative answer to environmental issues from the private sector. I'm very touched by some of these stories you get from Haiti. Like, there's a guy up in Utah, I think it was, who -- he's got a bit of money, so he just got some doctors and aid together, and he flew in his own helicopters. He chartered two or three helicopters. He flew them to Haiti, and he started helping people.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is out there trying to explain to the world, you know, that she, quote, “deeply resents foreign criticism to the U.S. response to the earthquake in Haiti.” She's worried that the world is going to make this Barack Obama's and her Katrina moment. But the reality is that if you depend on government, government is not ultimately a solution to real long-term problems. The solution to Haiti's problems is not going to be government. The solution to Haiti's problems is going to the people of Haiti figuring out that their country is a third-world basket case and doing something for themselves without whatever ramshackle government happens to have seized control of that dump for that particular year standing in the way of them. It's private innovation, everywhere on the planet. You measure successful countries by the degree to which the government stays out of their way.

Coming back from another break, Steyn announced the “breaking news” that Republican Rep. Mike Pence won't challenge Democratic incumbent Evan Bayh for his Senate seat in Indiana. Steyn then called for anyone who wants to enter the race on the Republican side to do so right now, saying it's not the time for “fainthearted” candidates.

Steyn declares Obama is carrying out “class warfare”

For the second hour, Steyn took to criticizing Obama's rhetoric on Wall Street and banks, eventually suggesting that the Democrats propose taxing luxury-yacht builders and maître d's at “snooty restaurants” instead of banks, then deriding it all as “phony-baloney populism.”

Coming back from yet another break, a caller from Illinois gave Steyn an opportunity to continue Rush's long smear campaign against community organizing:

STEYN: Mark Steyn in for Rush. Let's go to Sherry in Quad Cities, from Barack Obama's great state of Illinois. Sherry, you're live on The Rush Limbaugh Show. Are you anywhere near Obama community organizing territory?

CALLER: Well, I'm afraid it's everywhere, even though we don't see it. But please don't rub it in.

STEYN: [laughs] OK. I won't send him 'round to organize your community. By the way, nobody who has a choice about it wants to live in the kind of community that requires a community organizer. I mean, it's generally a good sign that your community is not functioning properly. But, so, I hope you don't have them in your neighborhood, Sherry. But it's great to have you on the show.

Back on topic, Steyn stated that the “governmentization” of “your life” is what's wrecking the middle class, ranting against just about any recent proposed or passed piece of major legislation. He then criticized the state of Oregon for proposing higher corporate taxes to help with its budget crisis, and then made the dubious claim that America has “the highest” corporate tax rate in the world. A couple of callers later, Steyn began railing against Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, saying that they are “cross-dressers”,and doing his best to join Rush by incorrectly blaming Rep. Barney Frank for the country's housing crisis.

Steyn calls on Republican Caucus to disrupt State of the Union address

After sharing some stories about someone he knows who goes hunting in his Toyota Prius, Steyn returned to defending Rush against Anti-Defamation League president Abe Foxman, calling Foxman “stupid” several times and ranting about what he feels is the biggest threat to Jewish people:

STEYN: I was defending Rush over Abe Foxman's comments, and I got emails from people saying, “Oh, well, Abe Foxman, you shouldn't have been so hard on Abe Foxman.” Yes, I should. He represents a very important organization, and he has an inability to prioritize. Look at what are the threats to Jews in the world today. Radical Islam, where you're taught that Jews are filthy and unclean, they're lower than pigs and dogs, and you should kill them.

The attack on Bombay, the attack on Bombay, which, if you read The New York Times, you would have thought it was some territorial dispute between India and Pakistan. Those guys who attacked Bombay deliberately sought out the one rabbi in town and killed him and his wife. So, it's the idea that that's a territorial dispute, land for peace or whatever, is nonsense. It's a psychosis in that particular demographic.

So you've got radical Islam. Then you've got the educated left, where it's become more and more acceptable, routinely acceptable, to cross the line from criticism of Israel into downright denial of Israel's right to exist into downright anti-Semitism.

And then you've got Rush, and then you've got Rush. How stupid do you have to be when, you've got Islam, the left, and Rush, and you're leading a Jewish organization to think that Rush is the one you need to be sending press releases about? This guy's an idiot, and I stand by every word I said.

Steyn went on to bash New York Times columnist Bob Herbert for his latest column, eventually complaining that Herbert should have asked his questions much sooner. Later, Steyn did the same to Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson for his recent column.

Next, a woman called to suggest that instead of congressional Republicans shouting "You lie!" whenever they decide Obama is lying, they laugh instead. Steyn immediately agreed with the idea, calling it “the best suggestion of the day” and saying he hopes “every congressman” does it.

At the end of the show, Steyn took a caller who virtually begged Obama to take back his endorsement of the Saints, calling it “the kiss of death,” because she “knows the administration monitors” conservative talk radio. Steyn responded by joking that Obama was going to deliver either his Chicago Olympics speech or his Martha Coakley speech to ensure whichever team he picks loses.

Kitty Kaletsky and Michael Timberlake contributed to this edition of the Limbaugh Wire.

Highlights

STEYN: When you look at the issues that are out there in the world, you're more likely to find a dynamic, creative answer to health care issues from the private sector. You're more likely to find a dynamic, creative answer to environmental issues from the private sector. I'm very touched by some of these stories you get from Haiti. Like, there's a guy up in Utah, I think it was, who -- he's got a bit of money, so he just got some doctors and aid together, and he flew in his own helicopters. He chartered two or three helicopters. He flew them to Haiti, and he started helping people.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is out there trying to explain to the world, you know, that she, quote, “deeply resents foreign criticism to the U.S. response to the earthquake in Haiti.” She's worried that the world is going to make this Barack Obama's and her Katrina moment. But the reality is that if you depend on government, government is not ultimately a solution to real long-term problems. The solution to Haiti's problems is not going to be government. The solution to Haiti's problems is going to the people of Haiti figuring out that their country is a third-world basket case and doing something for themselves without whatever ramshackle government happens to have seized control of that dump for that particular year standing in the way of them. It's private innovation, everywhere on the planet. You measure successful countries by the degree to which the government stays out of their way.

[...]

STEYN: Mark Steyn in for Rush. Let's go to Sherry in Quad Cities, from Barack Obama's great state of Illinois. Sherry, you're live on The Rush Limbaugh Show. Are you anywhere near Obama community organizing territory?

CALLER: Well, I'm afraid it's everywhere, even though we don't see it. But please don't rub it in.

STEYN: [laughs] OK. I won't send him 'round to organize your community. By the way, nobody who has a choice about it wants to live in the kind of community that requires a community organizer. I mean, it's generally a good sign that your community is not functioning properly. But, so, I hope you don't have them in your neighborhood, Sherry. But it's great to have you on the show.

Outrageous comments

STEYN: I was defending Rush over Abe Foxman's comments, and I got emails from people saying, “Oh, well, Abe Foxman, you shouldn't have been so hard on Abe Foxman.” Yes, I should. He represents a very important organization, and he has an inability to prioritize. Look at what are the threats to Jews in the world today. Radical Islam, where you're taught that Jews are filthy and unclean, they're lower than pigs and dogs, and you should kill them.

The attack on Bombay, the attack on Bombay, which, if you read The New York Times, you would have thought it was some territorial dispute between India and Pakistan. Those guys who attacked Bombay deliberately sought out the one rabbi in town and killed him and his wife. So, it's the idea that that's a territorial dispute, land for peace or whatever, is nonsense. It's a psychosis in that particular demographic.

So you've got radical Islam. Then you've got the educated left, where it's become more and more acceptable, routinely acceptable, to cross the line from criticism of Israel into downright denial of Israel's right to exist into downright anti-Semitism.

And then you've got Rush, and then you've got Rush. How stupid do you have to be when, you've got Islam, the left, and Rush, and you're leading a Jewish organization to think that Rush is the one you need to be sending press releases about? This guy's an idiot, and I stand by every word I said.