By Kate Conway

Rush spent the majority of his three on-air hours today talking about the tax day Tea Party gathering in DC. Rush attempted to build a case that the “state-controlled media” are trying to set up the Tea Party as a group of old, racist white people and to present them as a fringe element. For evidence, he discussed a recent New York Times poll that examined the demographics of the Tea Party. Rush declared he didn't know of one racial component of the Tea Party. He attacked the credibility of the poll -- saying that we don't know how many Tea Party infiltrators were polled instead of genuine Tea Partiers -- and said that the poll was “massaged” until it said what the Times wanted it to say. Tea Partiers, Rush said, are the ones driving America, because they toil away, seeking excellence and pursuing their dreams. Echoing Glenn Beck, Rush brought up social justice, saying that Tea Partiers oppose it. The problem with the left is they don't elevate anyone; they make everybody “equally miserable.” The media want to vilify the backbone of the country, Rush said, and mused that if he didn't know better he'd think Hugo Chavez was running the country.

Adding more evidence to the case that he politicizes tragedies, Rush attacked Obama over the West Virginia mine disaster in which 29 people died, saying that Obama is putting on his “ambulance-chaser hat.” He criticized Obama for taking credit for taking action on disaster relief after the fact and implying blame for Obama because the mine disaster happened on his watch. Rush defended Massey Energy, the mine's owner, suggesting that Obama beat up on Massey because Obama considers him a greedy capitalist. Rush also suggested blame should be laid upon the United Mine Workers, who “should have been overseeing their safety” -- even though Rush said workers at the mine in question were not unionized and the Los Angeles Times noted that Massey Energy “has repeatedly fended off organizing drives by the United Mine Workers of America.” In one final comment on the subject, Rush drew a comparison between Obama's reaction to the mine disaster and his reaction to the Fort Hood shootings: according to Rush, while Obama couldn't wait to blast the mine owner, he couldn't bring himself to blast the Fort Hood shooter because of political correctness.

Rush took a similar tack in his discussion of financial regulatory reform. He attacked Henry Waxman over his cancellation of hearing involving CEOs, saying that the administration believes that bankers and CEOs “far more evil than the biggest mass murderer of Americans in our nation's history,” Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. Rush also said it's a lie that taxes have been cut for many Americans, and claimed that the government is subsidizing certain groups and calling it tax relief when it's just redistribution of wealth. Rush stated that the “regime” is not taxing people in order to generating revenue to run Washington. Instead, he suggested that the agenda is to expand the scope and power of government and create dependence on the regime, which does not like America and is not “oriented toward liberty, prosperity and freedom.”

Here are some highlights from the show:

Rush questions credibility of “bias[ed]” NYT poll of tea party: “We don't know how many infiltrators were polled”

Limbaugh discusses “social justice,” says Left makes “everybody equal, as in equally miserable”

Limbaugh: Obama thinks bankers are “far more evil than the biggest mass murderer of Americans in our nation's history”

Rush on mine disaster: “The United Mine Workers should have been overseeing their safety”

Limbaugh: “This regime doesn't like America” and “is not oriented toward liberty, prosperity, and freedom”

Limbaugh: “If I didn't know better, I would say that Hugo Chavez is actually running this country”

Brooke Obie contributed to this edition of the Limbaugh Wire.