Summary Wed 4/28/93
John Switzer
for Wednesday, April 28, 1993
by John Switzer
NOTE: This is being posted to both alt.fan.rush-limbaugh and
alt.rush-limbaugh and thus you may see it twice if your sysadm
aliases the two newsgroups together. Since most sites don't
support both groups, this double-posting appears to be
unavoidable, however, if anyone has any ideas on how to avoid it,
please let me know. Thanks - j...@netcom.com.
This unofficial summary is copyright (c) 1993 by John Switzer.
All Rights Reserved. These summaries are distributed on
CompuServe and the Internet, and archived on CompuServe and
Internet (cathouse.aiss.uiuc.edu). 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 as
a daily listener.
******************************************************************
April 28, 1993
LIMBAUGH WATCH
April 28, 1993 - It's now day 99 of "America Held Hostage" (aka
the "Raw Deal") and 177 days after Bill Clinton's election, but
Rush is still on the air with 594 radio affiliates (with over 15
million listeners weekly) and 207 TV affiliates (with a 4.0
rating). His first book has been on the NY Times hardback non-
fiction best-seller list for 32 consecutive weeks, with 2.5
million copies sold, and his newsletter has over 250,000
subscribers. "The Way Things Ought To Be" has also regained the
number two spot on the LA Times best-seller list and is still on
the NY Times list. Limbaugh Watchers await future indications of
whether there is any place for Rush Limbaugh in Clinton's
America.
NEWS
o Actor Edward James Olmos has been refused a concealed
weapon carry permit by Los Angeles officials. Olmos claimed he
needed to carry a gun because he had legitimate fears for his
life; he said his fears were heightened when two "technical
consultants" (i.e. former gang members) for his movie about gangs
were shot and killed.
o Santa Barbara has struck another blow in its fight
against graffiti. Local Caltrans officials have already covered
freeway signs attached to overpass bridges with razor-wire in an
attempt to keep graffiti vandals from defacing them; now, city
council officials have forbidden the sale of spray cans and
indelible markers to minors. Furthermore, businesses selling
these items must keep them in locked counters. Santa Barbara,
however, is not the first California city to do this - San Jose
passed a similar ordinance a while ago.
MORNING UPDATE
Rush is amazed at how brave, bold, and courageous the Democrats
have become about war, now that they hold the White House. "My
goodness, gracious," Rush states, remembering how during the past
12 years it was the Democrats in Congress who stood up to oppose
any attempt by Reagan and Bush to send troops to foreign lands.
The Democrats claimed that this was immoral and that the
Republicans only wanted to send American boys off to die. "Let
sanctions work" was their rallying cry.
Now the foreign land is Bosnia, where victory will be a most
difficult thing, and Rush stresses that if American troops are
sent for any purpose other than victory, it will result in a
total waste of time and a tragic waste of American soldiers'
lives.
Rush, though, doesn't hear the advocates for Bosnian intervention
talking about victory, but about "morality." They say, "We can't
just stand by, we must do something!" Yet what is it these people
want the US to do? If the military enters a war, it has to fight
to win, and this is done by killing more of the enemy and
breaking more of their tanks and airplanes.
If the US isn't prepared to do this, then it's pointless to go
in. Ground troops are going to be needed for Bosnia, and they're
going to be there for a long time. If the US does go to the war,
the American people have to be told the truth about how long it's
going to take and what the real costs are going to be.
"Otherwise," Rush warns, "we're going to be mired in a morality
play for a long time."
FIRST HOUR
Rush says some commentators are already making their final
judgment on the Clinton administration, but he cautions against
this because nobody can predict the future. Rush admits he can
judge human nature and knows his history, which is why he can
make informed predictions about certain aspects of the future,
but anything can still happen.
Rush recalls that he predicted that foreign policy would be a
"bugaboo" of the Clinton administration, but that was simply
because he knew the world wouldn't be going away after Clinton's
inauguration. Rush adds that the basic rule of human nature is
pretty simple, too - "just assume everybody's a squirrel. You'll
be right more often than you're wrong."
Rush explains that if you assume everyone is a little bit
dishonest and a little bit disingenuous, you'll be right more
often than wrong. Bo Snerdley is frowning at this and Rush says
this is the truth of human nature as far as politics is
concerned. Snerdley is confused by Rush's use of "squirrel," and
Rush points out that a squirrel is nothing more than a rat that
looks cute; "it's one of the biggest deceptions God ever made."
Plus, Rush notes, "they hide their nuts and won't let others get
near them."
Returning back to the beaten path he just got off of, Rush says
he called Mary Matalin this morning because he saw that she and
Jane Wallace would be getting together to host a 30-minute show
on CNBC starting May 24th. The show will be politically-oriented
with guests and phone calls, with Matalin and Wallace taking the
right and left sides, respectively.
Rush warned Matalin not to mention George Bush's name around
Wallace since she'll reply with the utmost venom. He adds that
when Wallace saw his chief of staff, H.R. "Kit" Carson, she asked
Rush later, "is your assistant part of the Hitler youth?" Bo
Snerdley utters a loud "oh my God" at this, and Rush says that
H.R. responded in a similar manner when told about it.
Matalin told Rush that her show was not going to be
confrontational, though, and Rush congratulates Matalin and
Wallace and wishes them the best of luck. Matalin will also be
hosting CNBC's "Talk Live" program on Saturday, May 8.
While Rush was talking to Matalin, though, he remarked on how
things change so quickly in politics. He pointed to how George
Bush's approval ratings during and immediately after the Gulf War
were in the 80-percentile range. Back then Rush even suggested
that the Democrats save their money and rerun the 1988 Dukakis
campaign commercials because Bush's re-election was in the bag.
Rush knew at the time that Bush could suffer a reversal if some
major personal scandal erupted, but nobody, including him,
thought that policies could bring Bush down so quickly and lead
to his defeat in 1992. This happened, however, so people should
be wary about making predictions about Bill Clinton. After all, a
couple of months ago the conventional wisdom was that Clinton
would be able to steamroll his programs though Congress, but the
Clinton Presidency is now mired in a "quagmire of incompetency"
beyond anything anyone could possibly have expected.
Rush admits he didn't think things would be this bad. He had
assumed Clinton would get everything he wanted, but now Leon
Panetta is off the reservation and things are not going to sail
smoothly. Of course, this is the point - Clinton may get
everything he wants after all, in spite of what people predict
today.
The NY Times, for example, has the headline "Clinton Rules Out
Delay in Health Care Plan, Economic Advisers Rebuffed." Rush
notes that if Clinton does deliver a health care plan on time, it
means that he's had it for some time and that all of these health
care meetings have been just for show.
He recalls how during the campaign, Hillary Clinton was a
negative so she was pulled back and muted. After the
inauguration, though, President Clinton held a press conference
to say that he was disappointed with his health care task force,
and thus "suddenly" and "out of the blue" had the idea of asking
Hillary to chair the commission. Clinton then remarked on how
"lucky" the nation was that his wife "eventually agreed" to do
this.
Rush has no doubt that Hillary told Bill that she would be in
charge of health care long before the election, and he is just as
certain that any health care plan Clinton presents now will have
been formulated a long time ago. There's no way that any
comprehensive health care plan could have been created with the
commission of non-experts which Clinton has put together. The NY
Times, however, quotes Clinton as saying that his administration
will indeed present their plan next month.
Thus, if a full plan is presented on time, it means either that
the plan was formulated a long time ago without public input, or
that Clinton will present an incomplete program. Rush warns that
although things do look bleak now, anything could happen, and the
example of Bush should be heeded by anyone trying to predict the
future.
Items
o Rush notes that a lot of people are complaining that he
didn't talk about New York's new baby tax yesterday. The Wall
Street Journal had an editorial about it yesterday, but Rush
didn't talk about it because he already covered the subject when
it was first reported. Rush recalls that when he first talked
about how Governor Cuomo's $300 per newborn tax, he made the
point that if births are to be taxed, then abortion could be
considered "tax avoidance." To be "fair," therefore, abortions
should also be taxed.
o Rush promises to talk more about the Bosnian situation,
and he remarks that of all the current and former Secretary of
States who are talking about this, he finds himself agreeing most
with Warren Christopher. The EIB staff aren't convinced that this
is good news, and Rush admits he was wondering about that, too.
o Today is the Ms. Foundation's "Take Your Daughter to Work
Day" and there are a "bunch of little crumb crunchers" in the EIB
Building. Rush notes they are trying to learn how to work the
copy machines and "standing in the way of business being done."
He doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but he wonders if
other office workers are also ready to kill these youthful
interlopers yet.
Rush does want to participate, though, so he encourages all
parents to force their sons to listen to his show today. If
little girls are be taken to work, then the sons should listen to
Rush's radio show and watch his TV show.
*BREAK*
Rush has a 22 share in New Orleans on EIB affiliate WWL; EIB has
an 11 share in Seattle. Rush thanks all these listeners for their
support.
Phone Joyce from Tallahassee, FL
Joyce heard Rush's comments about squirrels and has to agree with
him about them. Her local paper also has an editorial today about
the "Take Your Daughter to Work Day"; the editorial contrasts
this effort to the stabbing of a local 13-year-old pregnant girl
by her boyfriend. The paper points out that TV celebrates sex
without love and sex without responsibility, and stresses that
while efforts such as the "Take Your Daughter to Work" are
worthwhile, this trend towards immorality has to be stopped.
Joyce states there's no longer a "moral compass" in society, and
believes that once morality is taken out of the schools and the
rest of society's institutions, this is the kind of thing which
happens. Alexander Solzhenitsyn has also written an editorial
about this exact subject. Rush is glad that editorials on this
sort of thing are appearing more often, and is glad that Joyce is
conscious of the problems society faces.
*BREAK*
Phone Jack from Pittsburgh, PA
Rush notes that EIB's Pittsburgh affiliate, KDKA, has a 14 share.
Jack says he is worried about how Rush is using the term "Doctor
of Democracy" because when Clinton's health care reforms are
implemented, Rush will be in trouble. Rush admits he hadn't
thought about the possibilities of price controls being imposed
on him.
Jack is indeed a physician, and he says that he, along with many
of his fellows, are afraid of speaking up because of the
politically correct atmosphere that surrounds the health care
issue right now. He does think, though, that doctors are getting
a raw deal from the Clinton administration.
Rush agrees - doctors are achievers and earn a lot of money, so
they have become a valid target for the Clinton administration to
exploit in order to get its programs through. There is no
doctor's lobby except for the AMA, but the AMA is not even part
of the Clinton health care task force. Rush was amazed to see an
editorial in the Wall Street Journal a while ago which basically
said that doctors would accept Clinton's reforms because they
know "the jig is up" and should have to pay "their fair share."
Rush hates the idea of people giving up and becoming defensive;
doctors should be on the offense right now, especially because
Clinton's price controls will have a seriously negative impact on
the quality of America's health care. Jack agrees - he and some
colleagues were working late at night recently, trying to save a
patient's life. The radiologist commented that if he was ever put
on a salary, he wouldn't be at the hospital at 11 at night
anymore.
Jack says that the radiologist wasn't threatening to withhold his
services, but just making the point that if he doesn't have any
incentive to work long hours, he won't. This means that patients
will have to wait longer before seeing a physician, and the
quality of care will suffer.
Rush notes that it's an economic fact of life that the first
casualty of price controls is product and service quality. If
Bill and Hillary decide that the makers of toilet paper are
making too much money, they could decide to impose price
controls. Companies are not going to lose money, though, so
they'll cut whatever corners they have to in order to sell a
product at the government-mandated price.
Rush bets that doctors will respond to price controls in many
ways. Doctors already are limited as to how much they can charge
for government-paid services. If a tonsillectomy is normally
$1000 and the government says that the maximum price should be
$750, doctors aren't going to automatically do more
tonsillectomies so that they continue to make the same income.
Instead, doctors may very well decide to do something else in
addition to a tonsillectomy, and charge $1,000 anyway.
Rush recalls that while Nixon's wage and price controls were in
effect he went to the grocery store and saw a "new" type of
steak. Rush asked about it and was told it was a new cut that was
exempt from price controls. This taught him that businesses will
always find a way to get around wage and price controls.
Doctors aren't going to be less concerned about their patients,
but it's a fact that when someone is compensated at a lesser
value, they're going to do less work. Rush thinks that if
Clinton's health care reforms are implemented, they'll not only
soak the doctors financially, but turn the public against them
even more. However, a recent newspaper story said that it would
take Clinton at least 7 years to cover the 37 million uninsured
Americans, so there is hope, given that Clinton hopefully has
only 3.5 years left in his term as President.
Jack says that physicians really do care about their patients and
are not working just to soak the public. Rush says that every
profession has its bad apples, but the sad thing is that the
Clinton administration has targeted anyone who achieves,
regardless of whether they do a good job or not, or whether they
are ethical or not.
It's not easy to be a doctor; doctors have to really know their
subject and they have to continually be retraining themselves.
The Clinton administration, though, is fostering the idea that
anyone who has a lot of money must have stolen it in some manner;
the idea that people may acquire their money as the reward for
their hard work is never considered. Thus, the general public
thinks they can be made happy by "getting even" with these
achievers; revenge, though, never improves anyone's standing or
life. Regardless of this, the Clinton administration is
continuing to shamelessly exploit these feelings in people.
*BREAK*
Phone Craig from Valley Cottage, NY
Craig would like to apply for his Master's at the Limbaugh
Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies by doing his thesis
on the problems in the Republican party. Craig would also like
Rush to read the fax he sent him earlier this week, and Rush says
he probably wouldn't mind doing that if he can find it among the
stacks of faxes. He notes that the number of faxes EIB receives
isn't as much a problem as the fact that many of these faxes are
a dozen pages or more.
Craig thinks the Republican party has several PR problems, most
notably in that conservatives have been labelled as greedy and
lacking in compassion neanderthals. Also, though, he thinks Rush
unwittingly helped the Democrats last year; he recalls that
during last year's campaign, Rush gave little hints to the
Democrats and Craig thinks that the Democrats were listening and
taking Rush's advice. Rush admits this is true and he does feel
some remorse because of it.
Craig points out that the Democrats also have the dominant media
on their side. However, the battle should not be on the national
scene, but in the local districts where congressmen and
congresswomen are elected. Craig therefore thinks that the
Republican party has to get their message out; Rush is doing fine
at the national, or major league, level, but the same thing has
to be done locally, or in the minor leagues. Pressures also have
to be brought on congressmen at the local district level so that
they will focus on the issues.
Rush says that the major problem he sees with the Republicans is
attitude; Republicans are indeed too defensive, and tend to
almost apologize for what they believe instead of staying on the
defense. However, Rush doesn't think the problems at the grass
roots level are as bad as Craig thinks, but there can be
improvement.
*BREAK*
Former North Carolina coach Jim Valvano died earlier this morning
of cancer at Duke University in Durham. Rush and EIB send their
condolences to Valvano's family and friends, and he notes that
Valvano was an effervescent figure who had many positive effects
on the young men he trained.
*BREAK*
SECOND HOUR
Items
o NY Newsday ran a story yesterday about all the jokes
being told about the Clinton administration, and one of Rush's
jokes made the list. Rush's bon mot was about building a Burger
King restaurant and drive-thru on the White House jogging track,
and it would have a banner saying "billions and billions of
whoppers told here."
o Today's NY Post reports that health care stocks soared
yesterday because investors were hopeful that the Clinton
administration may not be strong enough to implement its health
care reforms. Rush notes that investors are not inherently evil
or anti-American; they are putting their own money at risk by
buying a stake in various companies. Furthermore, the US
pharmaceutical industry is a world-class industry that is one of
the nation's "shining stars," yet it might very well be
dismantled by Bill Clinton because some people think they'll be
happy when the "rich" get soaked.
Rush recalls that he once worked with a thoroughly disagreeable
character who thought he knew everything about everything. One
day he came in with a "no-lose" tip, and everyone in the office
invested in it; unfortunately, it turned out to be worthless
ruse. The point is that everyone wants to make sound investments
with their money, no matter how little their savings might be.
Investors are how the US economy grows - by putting their money
at risk to create and expand business.
Thus, the investors who bought the health care stocks yesterday
are hoping that Clinton's health care will fail. This means that
instead of providing incentives for people who want to put their
money at risk, Clinton is providing disincentives and punishing
those who do take risks. One Smith-Barney analyst said that
investors think the Clinton administration is looking weak, and
thus won't be able to do much "damage" to the American health
care industry. Thus, investors are viewing Clinton in terms of
how much damage he's going to do.
o Rush received a note on CompuServe about his recent
remarks on Perot. The letter writer is "miffed" about how Perot
"finally came around to the truth." According to this letter
writer, Perot was acting responsibly by letting Clinton first put
forth his proposals before responding to them. The writer then
says Rush shouldn't be praising himself for having predicted what
has happened, nor should he be telling the nation that things are
getting worse. Instead, Rush should be telling people what they
can do about all this.
Rush is amused that the letter writer is angry at him for being
right, but points out that it's a bit late to do anything about
Clinton now. Rush tried during the campaign to tell people what
they should and could do - "don't elect Bill Clinton." All anyone
can do now is urge the opposition to stay on the offensive and to
provide alternate plans and programs.
Rush adds that anyone could have come to the same conclusions he
did during the campaign, which is when the lies, fraud, and
deceit were being perpetuated by the Clinton campaign. Clinton's
track record as governor was also there for everyone to see. Some
people, though, were so caught up with hope and so desirous of
change that they ignored these things.
Today's Washington Post has an editorial that takes Perot to task
for criticizing Clinton. Rush recalls that the Post did a good
job of pointing out the inconsistencies of the Perot campaign,
such as how he first quit the campaign because the "Democratic
party had revitalized itself." Of course, Perot later said that
he quit because the Bush campaign was going to ruin his
daughter's wedding. Rush will read from this editorial after the
break.
*BREAK*
The editorial in today's Washington Post is actually part two of
a two-part series. The first part was "A Hit By Mr. Panetta,"
while the one about a Perot is titled "A Miss by Mr. Perot." The
Perot editorial states:
"One of the reasons even Ross Perot's critics have found it
impossible to dismiss him entirely is his willingness on occasion
to speak difficult truths and to speak them to both Democrats and
Republicans. Mr. Perot was willing to tell Democrats that
balancing the budget required spending cuts, and he was willing
to tell Republicans that taxes would have to go up, too."
Rush doesn't know why liberal editorial writers are so convinced
that tax increases are not only moral but sound economically. Tax
increases never fix problems but only create new messes, yet
Perot is praised for telling Republicans they have to raise taxes
and for telling Democrats to cut spending. Rush, however, doesn't
remember too many attacks on the Democrats or on Clinton during
the Presidential debates. The Post continues on to say:
"Mr. Perot is having a grand time building a political
organization, and `no new taxes' is, as we've learned, a good
slogan for those not in power."
Rush notes that this worked just fine for Reagan, given that
federal revenues almost doubled when Reagan cut the top marginal
tax rates from 70% to 28%. The Post adds:
"But when Perot appeared on Meet the Press, the panelists bravely
tried to push Mr. Perot to be more specific on `no new taxes,'
but to no avail. Which of Mr. Clinton's taxes would he oppose?
`I'd want to go through very carefully down that list,' said Mr.
Perot. `Very, very carefully.' "
Rush says that the answer to the question of which taxes to
oppose is a simple "every damn one of them," since they're all
damaging to the American people and economy, although Rush muses
he might make an exception for a new tax on newspapers. The Post
then writes:
"At another point Perot told his listening audience, `I don't
want to be in politics. I'd rather be at home today rather than
be here with you guys.' Really? He could have fooled us. It's
simple - Mr. Perot seems set on making Mr. Clinton's life
miserable. He can do it on the cheap by campaigning against the
President's tax program, or he can try to contribute to the
debate by campaigning for an alternative budget that would cut
spending as much as he says it should be cut."
Rush wonders why the Post didn't have this problem with Perot
when he was trying to make George Bush's life miserable. Rush
suspects that the answer is that this is what the Post was doing
as well. He notes that Perot did support alternative budgets,
most notably the three Republican budgets by Kasich, Dominici,
and others.
It's curious that now that Perot has turned against the Post's
President, the Post thinks his behavior is shocking. However,
back when Perot was skewering President Bush, the Post didn't
seem to mind.
Phone Bruce from Jersey City, NJ
Bruce finds it interesting that the guys who are so insistent
about controlling doctors' fees are lawyers, yet these same guys
never talk about controlling lawyers fees. Rush says that this is
exactly right; the Clinton administration is full of lawyers who
always look the other way when the subject of tort reform comes
up. Of course, lawyers and doctors are natural enemies; members
of the one profession always think members of the other are
shysters. However, lawyers' costs do have to be factored into
health reform because of the impact malpractice costs have on
doctors' costs.
*BREAK*
Phone Wendy Moten from Memphis, TN
Rush is incredibly thrilled to be talking to the singer of the
song he's currently obsessing over, and finds it hard to believe
it's her. She replies that she can't believe Rush loves her song
since she's a big fan of Rush's and listens to his show every
day. Rush plays a bit of "Come In Out of the Rain" to show the
audience why he likes this tune so much, and remarks that this
song sends chills down his back.
Wendy says that she recorded this particular song in Memphis, but
her song writer, Curtis Bloom, is out of Detroit. Rush remarks
that he originally heard this song late Friday night, and it
stopped him in his tracks. Of course, the DJs never announce a
song after it's played, so he had to go searching around to
discover what this song was.
Rush subscribes to a music service that puts all the hit songs
onto a set of CDs, so he went looking through them to find songs
that had anything to do with rain. He finally found Wendy's tune
on some CDs at home, and he started obsessing on it then and
during his flight to Nashville. He then caught the video on VH1
and managed to record two-thirds of it.
Rush remarks that Wendy is gorgeous and she responds that Rush is
a handsome man, who even inspires women to call and offer to
carry his child. Rush is flattered to learn that Wendy is a fan,
and she says she listens to Rush religiously. Rush thanks her for
calling and wishes her the best with her song and CD; he remarks
that she sounds like a cross between Whitney Houston and Vanessa
Williams, and Wendy is honored to be among their company.
Wendy asks for Rush's address so that she can send him a signed
CD cover, and Rush starts to give out the EIB address but notices
that his staff is waving him off. Rush asks why and they reply
that they don't want to be bothered by the influx of mail. Rush
points out that these particular staff members don't even handle
the mail, but they reply that they have to move the giant tubs of
mail for the women who do go through it and they just don't want
to be bothered. Rush sternly tells them to "deal with it" and
gives out the address:
EIB Network, 2 Penn Plaza, 17th Floor, NYC, NY 10121.
Rush is still amazed that people who don't even answer the mail
are now acting as if they're going to be suffering mightily
because he gave out the address. He points out that he likes to
see lots of mail arrive because it's a big ego thrill, "so just
stifle it in there!"
*BREAK*
Rush proclaims Wendy Moten as the official R&B crooner of the EIB
network, and remarks that she makes a good contrast to Ted
Nugent, who is EIB's official rock and roll supercrooner. Since
Moten, however, has come out with the song "Come In Out of the
Rain," Nugent now has to write one titled "Stay out of the Rain
Because It Will Rust Your Gun Barrel." Of course, if it's raining
Nugent could also just use his bow instead.
Phone Dan from Detroit, MI
Dan is in the Marines Reserve, and first says that Rush is
absolutely right in saying that the military's purpose is to kill
people and break things; the military is not the place to
implement social agendas. He says that if military veterans with
decades of experience don't think it's a good idea to send women
into combat, then they should be listened to. However, in the
current political climate these veterans are either not being
allowed to speak, or they're being ignored.
Dan also is bothered by how Clinton's economic program is going
to add about $1.5 trillion to the national debt, and wonders why
no one else is upset about this. Rush says that people are
beginning to realize that Clinton will add at least this much to
the current $4 trillion debt, but this enlightening been a slow
process.
Clinton, in fact, can't even say his new taxes will do anything
to reduce the rate of increase in the national debt since these
taxes are allocated for new programs. Clinton, though, is still
hiding behind his claim that the new taxes are needed because the
deficit was $18 billion higher than expected. Yet in a Business
Week interview last year, Clinton gave numbers which were much
higher than even President Bush's revised deficit figures.
Rush admits he is frustrated by how many people seem willing to
ignore this deceit and deception. Some critics are even claiming
that Clinton had to lie in order to get elected, and Rush has to
marvel at the double standard being imposed on modern politics.
Rush adds that Dan's point about women in combat is a good one,
and the thing he worries about is that these changes are being
made, not because it is a sensible thing to do in a military
sense, but because social architects want to make the military
their social playground. Patricia Schroeder has been empowered by
the Tailhook scandals, and Rush is amazed that at a time when
foreign policy is becoming a major concern for Americans, the
military is being paired down.
Schroeder doesn't even support the idea of combat; her insistence
on putting women into combat roles is motivated solely by social
reasons, so that women will have more opportunities in peacetime.
Peacetime policies, though, have to be made so as to help the
military serve its true mission, which is what Dan is talking
about.
*BREAK*
Rush forgot to talk yesterday about the "She-a-nal" from
Urinette. He did a Morning Update about it, but wants to go into
more detail so he can then take phone calls and get "your
analysis."
Phone Phil from Dallas, TX
Phil was recently talking to a top WalMart executive who told him
that Sam Walton sent out a memo last year to his employees urging
them to vote for George Bush. Although Walton supported Clinton
for the Democratic nomination, when it came down to vote for
President, Walton wanted Bush, even though Hillary Clinton was on
WalMart's Board of Directors.
Rush says that one thing which bothers him about this story is
that it's a bit risky to send out a memo telling employees how to
vote. Phil says he doubts Walton made this a requirement, but the
fact that Walton sent this out in the first place is telling.
Rush says that it's still a bit strange to have a CEO of a large
corporation tell his employees how they should vote.
Rush points out that anyone on an airplane can tell someone else
anything, but there is no question that many business leaders
supported George Bush. Rush finds it interesting that before Bill
Clinton came along, the conventional wisdom viewed all business
leaders as rich Republicans who supported pro-business policies.
However, once Clinton won the nomination, all sorts of businesses
turned up supporting him.
This might seem strange, but the companies supporting Clinton
were largely auto manufacturers who wanted import quotas and
trade barriers and Silicon Valley firms hoping to cash in on
Algore's plans for a national fiber-optic computer network
"highway." Thus, it's a good bet that businesses who supported
Clinton were more motivated by self-interest than by any
political feelings.
*BREAK*
THIRD HOUR
Items
o Rush notes that several groups have already graded
President Clinton on his first 100 days. Empower America has
published a report titled "The Credibility Gap: The First 100
Days of the Clinton Administration." The introduction to this
report states that it's now evident that Clinton is not a "New
Democrat," and adds that the credibility gap between candidate
Clinton and President Clinton "is rapidly becoming a gulf."
Empower America notes that a President's mandate is determined by
the promises he made to the American people. Clinton's mandate,
"already slim at 43%" is contrary to the policies he is now
proposing. The report notes the following:
- During the campaign President Clinton offered middle
class voters a choice between a children's tax credit or a
reduction in their income tax rate; however, as President,
Clinton is asking those who make $22,000 or more to pay more,
without any choice being offered.
- During the campaign, Clinton also supported NAFTA and
other policies which would liberalize trade. As President,
though, he has threatened trade wars and NAFTA is in danger of
defeat.
- During the campaign, Clinton promised to make
homeownership possible for lower-income Americans, but his first
budget gutted the HOPE program, the only federal homeownership
project for public housing residents.
- During the campaign, Clinton accused Bush of being
callous towards Haitian refugees, but when he became President,
Clinton continued the same policies.
- During the campaign, Clinton promised to stop Serbian
aggression and ethnic cleansing. As President he has provided
humanitarian assistance, but not any effective protections for
the Bosnians who are under siege.
- Back during the month he announced his candidacy, Clinton
said he was against the spending of federal tax dollars for any
kind of abortion. In his first budget, though, he recommended the
repeal of the Hyde Amendment, thereby allowing the use of federal
funds for abortion.
- In the campaign, he promised to preserve the US military
forces, but as President he has treated the military and the
country's defense needs with a casual disdain, and has called for
imprudent, deep defense cuts.
Empower America also recalls that Clinton told Congress
"government must do more," which seems to be coming true. Under
Clinton, government will tax more, spend more, regulate more, and
people will become more dependent on government.
o US News and World Report states that although the White
House encompasses 18 acres it still lacks a compost heap. Rep.
George Hochbrueckner (D-NY) wants to introduce a resolution
calling for the President and all 50 state Governors to set up
"model compost heaps" in their state residences.
Furthermore, Hochbrueckner wants the White House to sell official
"White House Compost" in souvenir packages and use the proceeds
to reduce the federal deficit. Rush remarks that this is "bake
sale gone compost heap" and is just more pure and irrelevant
symbolism.
o Rush returns to the subject of the "She-a-nal" which is
featured in USA Today. "It's scary looking," Rush comments,
adding that it looks almost like a floor-to-ceiling urinal. The
She-a-nal has a funnel attached to a hose, and the funnel is
protected by a biodegradable paper lining. The maker of the She-
a-nal, Urinette, claims that it takes up less space and requires
less cleaning time than normal women's restroom fixtures.
Rush would love to hear callers comment on this new device,
telling listeners, "I would love to hear your analysis," but he
refuses to speculate on what kind of fashion changes the She-a-
nal might inspire. Rush decides to take a break a little early,
given that the powers of suggestion have undoubtedly convinced
many that they need to take a bathroom trip right now.
*BREAK*
Items
o Rush announces that EIB has signed its 600th station, but
the official start day hasn't been set yet. He hints that EIB
will be going global with this station, however.
o Returning to the Bosnian situation, Rush admits he is
amazed by those who insist that the US has to "do something"
about Bosnia. These people, who would not have supported any
action taken by a Republican President, want the US to go into
action without any purpose, any goal, or any clear set of
objectives. The US, however, can't start military action without
first defining what victory means.
Rush suspects many people are having problems seeing the pictures
that are coming out from Bosnia, and thus want to do something to
make themselves feel good and assuage their guilt. Sending troops
off for this reason, though, can lead only to a long, protracted
engagement and huge loss of life.
The critics of George Bush claimed that he was sending troops to
the Gulf because he had "too much testosterone" and had to "prove
his manhood." In the Gulf War, though, the US had a clear goal -
kick Hussein out of Kuwait and prevent him from acquiring control
of nearly half the world's oil reserves.
Yesterday, Secretary of State Warren Christopher testified before
Congress and he laid out four strict tests which must be met
before the US can use force: 1) the goal must be stated clearly,
2) there must be a strong likelihood of success, 3) there must be
an exit strategy, and 4) the action must win sustained public
support.
Other Secretaries of State have had different things to say.
Lawrence Eagleburger, who has been criticized for letting the
Serbs go too far in the first place, testified that he doesn't
see any solution at all to the Bosnian situation, as far as the
US is concerned. He says that ground troops are needed, but
doubts the US has the commitment for such a long war. Air strikes
alone won't do it, as the Gulf War proved.
George Schultz, though, thinks that air strikes against the
Serb's supply lines will do a lot of good. He said that attacking
their oil supply lines will do major damage to their war effort.
Rush says this is true, but this sort of thing cannot win the
war. Air strikes are the safest route for the US, but there will
still be casualties, and this time they probably will include
women. The US has to be prepared for this.
Phone Thomas from Mill Valley, CA
Thomas just read Cal Thomas' column about the Republican party
being divided into four factions, and this alarmed him a bit,
especially since the column warned that these divisions may
result in two new parties, with Clinton winning re-election in
1996 with only 30% of the vote. Rush says this is an interesting
theory, but he doubts the GOP will be carved up; the Democratic
party is as factional as any in history, yet it has held
together. Rush asks Thomas to hang on through the break.
*BREAK*
Phone Thomas from Mill Valley, CA (continued)
Rush doesn't believe that the Republican party will be destroyed
by bitter divisive struggles, because although there are factions
within the party, they always come together at the conventions.
Thomas hopes this is true, but asks Rush if he thinks Empower
America may split off from the Republican party.
Rush says that Jack Kemp and Bill Bennett formed Empower America
from the very beginning as a conservative group, not a Republican
group. They want to bring together as many conservatives as
possible, regardless of party affiliation. Thomas hopes that the
Republican party, in spite of its ups and downs, will still come
together at the 1996 convention.
Rush admits that Cal Thomas may be right in his prediction, but
it appears that the Republican party is getting more unified than
divided right now. Thomas says that the Republicans are unified
because of their grievances and common enemies, not by any party
platform. Rush says this may be true, but he takes hope from the
memory that in 1980 the Democratic party was full of different
factions, with Governor Bill Clinton even forming the Democratic
Leadership Council to wrest party control away from the liberals.
Now Clinton is the biggest liberal President since FDR.
Thus, anything could happen to the Republican party by 1996, but
the examples from past history show that it's more likely
Republicans will come together than split apart. Perhaps Cal
Thomas is trying to be alarmist for a reason, to encourage unity.
Rush recalls that Bill Bennett opposed Pat Buchanan's candidacy
because "we're on the same team."
Thomas hopes that Bennett can get more exposure over the next few
years, especially since he's not only articulate and intelligent
but also genuinely cares about people. Rush says that one of the
best ways to get exposure is to get elected to an office, which
is something Bennett has yet to do. Thus for him to be elected in
1996 would mean setting a great precedent.
However, Rush is excited by all the possibilities that exist and
by the vast variety that now exists in the arena of ideas.
People, though, shouldn't pursue unity at the expense of purpose,
but instead let their purpose forge their unity.
Phone Hal from Kings Park, NY
Hal enjoyed Rush's discussion of the She-a-nal, and is now
interested to see how Hillary stands up to it. He's also been
hearing a lot of talk lately about the Clinton administration
taking back the high ground, but it seems the only way they'll be
able to do it is start inhaling.
Getting serious, Hal thinks Clinton is really making things
dangerous about the Bosnian situation, and Hal doesn't like how
someone with no experience in the military is going to send US
troops to fight and die. Rush says that Clinton is President now,
so this last point is moot. However, if Clinton makes the proper
decision, following the guidance of the military leaders, with a
clear goal in mind and with the support of the American people,
then Rush will support that decision. Rush has full faith in the
men and women of the US military, and once they are sent on a
properly defined mission, their training, courage, and skill will
lead them to victory.
However, if the troops are sent off just to make people feel good
and to make them think they are "doing something" then that's
another matter. Should Clinton be President for 8 years, he might
have enough time to destroy the US military, but for now the US
military is still the finest in the world and they'll perform
accordingly.
*BREAK*
Phone Lee from Hansville, WA
Lee watches Rush's TV show via satellite feed, and informs Rush
that he is on the front cover of this week's Satellite Weekly TV
Guide. Also, Rush won this year's "Dishies" award for best talk
show host. Rush thanks Lee for bringing him up to speed on this.
Lee recently heard the NATO Commander say something which
reminded him of Barry Goldwater in 1964. Goldwater insisted that
the country should define the terms of victory before going into
Vietnam, but LBJ didn't listen. If Clinton repeats LBJ's error,
what will that do to his plans to reduce the deficit? Also, given
that Clinton waffles back and forth so much, having him lead the
nation into war is a scary thought.
Rush says that Clinton has no idea of what the country's
objective should be for going into Bosnia but then no one knows
right now what the objective should be. Everyone says that "we've
got to stop this," but the question is how. Parallels are drawn
between what the Serbs are doing now and what the Nazis did in
WWII, but WWII took six years and two nuclear weapons to win. Are
people willing to use nukes on Serbia to stop the carnage? Just
how far are Americans prepared to go?
Rush admits he is not the person who can decide this; it is
Washington which must decide if America is going into Bosnia and
why, and then it must to tell the American people. Should the US
just feed the Bosnians, should it kill the Serbs, should it push
the Serbs out of Bosnia or should it defeat the Serbs forever?
The Serbs have not stayed confined within their boundaries for
1,000 years, so how can the US enforce those boundaries now? Lee
points out that the historian Tacitus recorded the numerous wars
that Rome fought in the Balkans with the Serbs' predecessors, so
they've been fighting on their home turf for a lot longer than
1,000 years.
Rush recalls how President Reagan was accused of wanting to send
American troops to Nicaragua, but in reality nobody wanted to
send American troops there. All Reagan wanted to do was send the
Contras the arms they needed to fight their own war, but the
Democratic Congress refused. When the US did send troops to
Panama, Grenada, and Kuwait, those troops had clearly defined
objectives which they achieved. When troops were sent to Lebanon,
though, they were sent without such an objective and the results
were tragic.
Thus anyone who thinks conservatives are bloodthirsty warmongers
don't understand war or the military, and they prove it with
their whining about how America has to do "something - anything"
about the Bosnian situation.
*BREAK*
Phone Billy from Houston, TX
Billy wonders if the Clinton administration could be thinking of
sending troops to Bosnia in the hope that Clinton could reclaim
his approval rating and get it up to the 88% that Bush had during
the Gulf War. Rush says that military actions certainly do unite
the people, but if the military action is the right thing to do
and it's done right, then Rush doesn't care if Clinton's poll
ratings go up. However, the thing to remember about this is that
these high poll numbers don't always sustain themselves for long.
President George Bush proved that.
--
John Switzer | "To Protect and Control" -- motto of the
| Eerie Indiana police department.
Compuserve: 74076,1250 |
Internet: j...@netcom.com |