This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the “brain dead” Democratic voters
By Simon Maloy

Well, the 4,800-calorie burger didn't kill us, so we have to acknowledge that Rush was right on that one, though we were laid up for a little while after eating it. But after some Maalox and a quick coronary bypass graft, we're ready to go.

It's “Open Line Friday,” and Rush got things started with some praise for Angela Merkel for being “unique” among European leaders in that she's not “spellbound” by President Obama, noting that analysts say Merkel is “skeptical” of Obama and his policies. Rush reiterated his belief that the G-20 is just a “giant dog-and-pony show,” and launched into some invective directed at Obama for saying in Germany that the Iraq war was a “distraction” that soured the U.S. relationship with Europe. Referring to Saddam as “the other Hussein,” Rush attacked France, Russia, and China for having business deals with Iraq prior to the war, and said that the moral component of removing Saddam did not interest them. But none of that matters, according to Rush, because Obama is willing to blame everything on Bush. And why, asked Rush, if the Europeans were so committed to Afghanistan before the distraction of Iraq are they not all fighting in there with the United States? According to Rush, Obama wants to turn the United States into “a Western European socialist democracy.”

Noting that the AP reported that Obama vowed at the G-20 to work on repairing damaged relations between Europe and the U.S. as a consequence of Iraq, Rush said Obama was just blaming Bush again. Limbaugh said Obama's solution to repairing relations with Europe is bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia (not Europe) and telling the Russians that the U.S. will get rid of all its nuclear weapons. All the while, according to Rush, the other world leaders are laughing behind closed doors that the U.S. elected this “dunce.”

After the break, Rush noted that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to The Wall Street Journal, “expect to pay about $210 million in retention bonuses to 7,600 employees over 18 months.” Rush wanted to know what Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) will say about this, given his and the “pitchfork mob's” opposition to the AIG bonuses. If Rush had continued reading the article, he might have picked up a clue: “Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, has called on Mr. Lockhart to cancel the bonus program.”

Then Rush returned to attacking Obama, chastising the president for saying in France today that impoverished nations are entitled to help, but they also have to help themselves. Rush wished that Obama would say that here in the U.S. Upon hearing Rush say this, we were immediately reminded of Obama's comments at a February celebration for Abraham Lincoln's birthday, where the president said that Honest Abe “recognized that while each of us must do our part, work as hard as we can and be as responsible as we can, in the end, there are certain things we cannot do on our own.” But Rush was having none of that, and instead played a parody of the Police's “Every Breath You Take” with a refrain of “I'll Be Taxing You,” with Obama providing lead vocals.

After the break, it was time for our first caller, who wondered how ostensibly smart people can be so stupid when it comes to supporting Obama. Rush said that you have to define smart, because there are smart people who are also ignorant and misinformed. Case in point, according to Rush, was the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll in which 80 percent of Americans blamed the economic downturn on Bush, the banks, and financial institutions.

Another caller, asked about the death of actress Natasha Richardson and the evils of socialized medicine like they have in Canada. Rush repeated his stock argument that if you don't like going to the DMV, wait until the government controls health care. Rush pointed to Charles Krauthammer's Washington Post column this morning, in which he wrote: “Obama didn't get elected to warranty your muffler. He's here to warranty your life.”

At the end of the hour, Rush attacked Robert Reich for comments he made this morning defending the stimulus package and its effectiveness compared to tax cuts. Rush said this was dishonest, pointing to the newly released unemployment numbers and asking “what was all that damn stimulus about?” According to Rush, Democrats want to make it their business how you spend your money, asking his audience: “Do you realize just what a bunch of brain-dead idiots they think you are? And a bunch of braid-dead idiots voted for him. Why would they not think it?”

Highlights from Hour 1

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: Obama -- Charles Krauthammer refers to it today this way: Obama essentially wants to give you not an automobile warranty but a life warranty. He wants to warranty your life. Anything that goes wrong, he will deal with, the government will fix. Anything, any injustice, any economic injustice, any kind on inequality, anything that's not fair that happens to you, the government will make it right. That's what he seeks. Krauthammer calls him the great leveler. This is -- this is -- basically, you have to destroy capitalism. You have to wipe it out and then you have to take everything from everybody you deem has too much, and then you have to redistribute. That's what he wants to do.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Do you realize just in how much contempt the Democrat Party holds you? Do you realize just what a bunch of brain-dead idiots they think you are? And a bunch of brain-dead idiots voted for him. Why would they not think it?

Echo chamber

Cited Charles Krauthammer's Washington Post column today.