{"id":295393,"date":"2018-12-21T16:08:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-21T21:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/?p=295393"},"modified":"2018-12-24T16:12:17","modified_gmt":"2018-12-24T21:12:17","slug":"a-golden-opportunity-for-republicans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2018\/12\/21\/a-golden-opportunity-for-republicans\/","title":{"rendered":"A Golden Opportunity for Republicans"},"content":{"rendered":"

RUSH: So I checked the email again during the break, and I have to tell you, there\u2019s a lot of people asking, “Rush, all right. We know what\u2019s going on. What do you think should happen? What do you think is gonna happen? What do you think? We know what\u2019s happening out there, Rush! We\u2019re paying attention. What do you think?” Okay. All right. If that\u2019s what you want.<\/p>\n

JOHNNY DONOVAN: And now, from sunny south Florida, it\u2019s Open Line Friday!<\/p>\n

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RUSH. And we\u2019re gonna be getting to your phone calls maybe in this segment. I don\u2019t know. I feel bad, I didn\u2019t get to any in the first hour. I want to get started on that since this is Open Line Friday, and the number is 800-282-2882. Okay, here\u2019s my take on all of this based on where we are right now. Now, some of this I didn\u2019t specifically say in the first hour because I assume that so many things are understood, especially among and by you in the audience. And that\u2019s actually a mistake.<\/p>\n

I shouldn\u2019t assume that just because you\u2019re here and you know me and you have a many, multiple-year history of listening that you can figure out where I am on this even if you don\u2019t say it per se, that you can get it. But I need to say it, per se, I guess, more often than I do. Taking things in order, I think it is absolutely fabulous that this bill passed the House. For all of the reasons: That it put Chuck and Nancy back on their heels, that they\u2019re out there saying that Trump couldn\u2019t get the votes, that the House…<\/p>\n

Nancy doesn\u2019t even run the House yet, and she\u2019s out there saying Trump couldn\u2019t get the votes — and he did, and it was because of Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan and the Freedom Caucus. They did their special order earlier this week and they let the president that know they would have his back. It\u2019d be easy for the president to think that he\u2019s isolated, but it was I think a very important thing that they did to make it a point to go to the floor of the House and special orders to make sure that everybody knew — not just the president — that they, significant number of Republicans in the House, would have his back.<\/p>\n

So I think it\u2019s great. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything wrong yet. I think it\u2019s fabulous they passed this bill. Now the Senate is in a position they don\u2019t want to be in. The Senate never wants to be in this position. They are the great deliberative body. But they have to take it up now, and here\u2019s what has to happen now. Regardless how this ends, we need to get every senator on the Republican side on record here. They\u2019re all talking about how they don\u2019t have 60 votes.<\/p>\n

Fine. If I don\u2019t have 60 votes, then go ahead and vote for it. If you\u2019re worried about this, I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re retiring senator, if you\u2019re Corker, if you\u2019re Flake — and I may be (sigh) wasting my breath here hoping that these guys would do something that would be seen as pro-Trump. But I think on this issue — the border, the wall, border security, saving the American culture. I think every senator that we can get on record we need to get. They need to be flushed out.<\/p>\n

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I think despite how you and I know the Democrats hate Trump, we cannot assume that other people who don\u2019t pay as close attention as we do understand this. Remember people that get most of their news from the Drive-By Media, they\u2019re watching it and they\u2019re absorbing it but they\u2019re not seeing perhaps the degree of literal hatred for Trump that we know they have. Now, you might think, “How could they miss it?” Because they\u2019re not watching it from the same perspective.<\/p>\n

These people turn on the news expecting to hear the news — and like it or not, we have to admit that a lot of consumers of news do not question it. I know their reputation is way down. But even if I\u2019m wrong on this, I still think that we need every Republican in the Senate voting for this thing to show that it is the Democrats who are opposed to border security. It\u2019s the Democrats who are opposed to border security. It\u2019s the Democrats who are opposed to border security. It\u2019s the Democrats who are opposed to shoring up the border.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the Democrats who do not want to fix this! It\u2019s the Democrats who are saying, “No!” It\u2019s the Democrats who are the obstacle. It\u2019s the Democrats who are stopping things. It\u2019s the Democrats who won\u2019t cooperate. It\u2019s the Democrats who won\u2019t cross the aisle. It\u2019s the Democrats who won\u2019t compromise. It\u2019s the Democrats who are acting like children. It\u2019s the Democrats acting like spoiled brats. This is what needs to be illustrated, and with every Republican signing on to this, that objective is furthered.<\/p>\n

Every senator that opposes this, it\u2019s because of the fact that they hate Trump and that that\u2019s why they oppose this. That they are willing to damage the country rather than support Trump. That they are willing to put the country in great peril because of refusing to shore up the border! This needs to be demonstrated. This is such a golden opportunity to me. I don\u2019t look at these things as chaotic. I don\u2019t look at these things as, “Oh, no, it isn\u2019t going our way.” This is such a great opportunity, a teachable moment, whatever you want to call it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the opportunity to demonstrate to everybody that it is the Democrats who are engaging in political malpractice, that it\u2019s the Democrats who will not compromise, that it\u2019s the Democrats who are not interested in doing anything if it helps Donald Trump, including something that would really benefit the country. We cannot be harmed by taking action that would cause this to be seen by more and more Americans. But every senator on the Republican side needs to be flushed out and needs to vote for this — and they\u2019ve got cover.<\/p>\n

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They can tell themselves it isn\u2019t gonna pass because they don\u2019t have 60 votes. Some of them are leaving anyway. But there are some Republicans that hate Trump so much that they won\u2019t compromise for the good of America, either. That needs to be flushed out! But primarily the opportunity here to demonstrate — not because we say it, but because they show it — that the Democrats hate Donald Trump so much that they will not do what they demand he does: compromise, respect process. They\u2019re unwilling to cross the aisle.<\/p>\n

They are unwilling to engage in this precious process. They are unwilling to spend five billion measly dollars to protect their own country because they hate Donald Trump so much. They would just as soon damage the country as help Trump. That\u2019s the message that needs to get out. That\u2019s how you sell this. That\u2019s how you push this. You continue to push back. Trump is showing the way. He\u2019s got \u2019em on their heels. You continue the attack! You blame them. Get rid of this idea that government shutdowns are Republicans\u2019 fault.<\/p>\n

Get rid of this idea that it\u2019s we who have to explain things. We don\u2019t have to explain anything other than we are trying to save America. We are protecting America. We are attempting to shore up the border! We are attempting to gain and secure border security. It\u2019s the Democrats who don\u2019t want any part of it! This is the opportunity that we\u2019ve got. The Democrats have supported measures with more wall funding than this one! They just never went anywhere. This isn\u2019t about the wall, as far as the Democrats are concerned.<\/p>\n

This is about humiliating Trump and delaying all of this until they get control of the House so that none of this can ever come up and have a legitimate chance the next two years. Because they don\u2019t want border security. They do not want illegal immigration flows to stop. This must be demonstrated! Mitch McConnell and whoever it is that\u2019s gonna walk to Republican microphones and address the press, has got to say, “It is the Democrats who are unwilling to compromise. It\u2019s the Democrats who are willing to help us secure the border.”<\/p>\n

This is gonna require these Republicans to stand firmly, solidly with Trump. He is taking the lead. He\u2019s willing to stick his neck out on this. He needs more than Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan saying they will have his back. He needs a bunch of senators who are not retiring and not leaving to join this chorus that they support the president, they support security of the border, they support protecting America\u2019s borders and America itself, and that it\u2019s the Democrats who don\u2019t, that it\u2019s the Democrats who are not interested in it.<\/p>\n

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Democrats are so obsessed with Trump hatred that they are unwilling to compromise and even do one thing to help America. It\u2019s not a difficult message, because it\u2019s actually the truth. It\u2019s actually what\u2019s happening. But somebody besides the “tyranny of talk radio” needs to say it. They need to say it. They need to say it as the explanation for what they\u2019re doing. Why are they voting for this? Because they want to protect the border. They don\u2019t have to use the word “wall.” They just have to say, “Protect the border,” “border security,” what have you.<\/p>\n

Enforce that it\u2019s $5 billion, that the Democrats have authorized even more for this in previous legislation that never went anywhere \u2019cause it started the focus. There have been other efforts to get this money. It\u2019s been denied Trump every time he\u2019s tried. This is his last best effort for it. It\u2019s not this is the first time he\u2019s tried. He\u2019s tried this back in 2017, and the same thing happened. Back then all he wanted was $1 billion, and they wouldn\u2019t even give that.<\/p>\n

It is time for everybody in that town that calls themselves a Republican, especially if they\u2019re in the Senate, to stride to those microphones right now and start saying, “We\u2019re there. We just need some Democrats to help us protect the border. But the Democrats are so obsessed with Donald Trump and attempting to see that he does not succeed at anything, they\u2019re willing to put their own nation at risk.” Just keep putting \u2019em on the defensive! There\u2019s no need for us to be! We\u2019re not doing anything wrong here.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re simply using legislative tactics. We\u2019re using The Art of the Deal. We\u2019re doing whatever is necessary, the president is, to try to get an objective (that was a campaign promise) accomplished. He cannot do it alone. We\u2019ve got 51 or 52 senators, depending on how you count Flake and Corker and some of the others that are retiring or got beat. But the message here is very simple: “We aren\u2019t the problem. What we want is not the problem. What we want is not damaging or bad. We want border security! We want, finally, to do something about the never-ending flow of illegal immigration into our country.”<\/p>\n

You hit the cameras and microphones all afternoon if you\u2019re a Republican in the Senate, and you put the onus right on Chuck Schumer and the rest of his buddies on the Democrat side who don\u2019t want any part of this and are unwilling to even talk about $5 billion — and I\u2019ll grant a concession. If there looks like there could be success on this, then maybe somebody proposes a-24-hour, 18-hour, 12-hour continuing resolution while all this is going on, to keep the precious government running to show good faith.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s just 12 hours. It\u2019s just another 12 hours or so. If it looks like there\u2019s a possibility for movement here. You do not end it. You do not take the shutdown off the table, but you offer to keep the government open \u2019cause that\u2019s what they\u2019re so obsessed with. The bottom line is, Donald Trump, President Trump needs the support of his party. He\u2019s got you. He\u2019s got you who voted for him, and he knows it. He needs the support of elected Republicans in Washington. He needs to be encouraged. He needs to be praised for pushing this issue in the first place at this time.<\/p>\n

He needs applause. It never hurts anybody. I don\u2019t care how big a self-starter anybody is, and I don\u2019t care how confident they are. Everybody needs encouragement. Everybody needs to know at times of crisis and chaos that they have people behind them who have their back willing to support them. The House Republicans need to be praised for passing this in the first place and then turning around and encouraging the Senate GOP to vote for it and hang tight. ‘Cause if this doesn\u2019t happen, folks, we\u2019re… I don\u2019t want to use the word “screwed.”<\/p>\n

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But if this doesn\u2019t happen, the chances of it down the road with Pelosi taking over the House in a couple of short weeks? The chances reduce. I talked about the encouragement and the need for it in my short little remarks of 35 minutes last night at the Turning Point USA celebrations that arrived. I received an award. I don\u2019t care who you are, encouragement never hurts, and a lot of people don\u2019t get encouragement who need it \u2019cause everybody thinks they don\u2019t need to it. “They\u2019re secure, they\u2019re powerful, they don\u2019t need it! (muttering) They can take care of themselves.”<\/p>\n

It helps.<\/p>\n

Right now, there\u2019s one guy making all this happen, and he needs to be assured that he has support. That\u2019s what I think should happen. That\u2019s what I think the Republicans in the Senate\u2019s objective here has to be. Put all of this on the Democrats and put it all on the Democrats. Everything they think is important. Willing to compromise? They\u2019re not willing. Willing to do process? They\u2019re not willing. Willing to walk across the aisle, shake hands and show government can work? They\u2019re not willing. Protect the border, border security, five billion measly dollars? They aren\u2019t willing.<\/p>\n

Screw the media!<\/p>\n

Just say it and keep saying it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s my idea.<\/p>\n

BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n

RUSH: The president just had a little press gaggle at the White House to talk about the passage of the criminal justice reform bill. When he started thanking people, he mentioned Ivanka and Mike Pence. When he mentioned Jared Kushner\u2019s name, prolonged applause. Jared Kushner was one of the prime movers of that legislation, and do you know why? It was personal for him. His father was convicted and was in jail, and the family thought for way longer than was justified and maybe should not have even had any jail time at all.<\/p>\n

You can argue that. That\u2019s not the point. It was personal for him. This bill has been something that Democrats, Obama and others have been trying to pass for who knows how long<\/a>, and they just never got anything done on it. But here it did get done with Trump, and 87 votes in the Senate? I mean, the essence of bipartisanship, and they don\u2019t want to talk about it. They don\u2019t want to talk about it. And normally they would because, in their view, the beneficiaries here are their voters!<\/p>\n

Because Democrats don\u2019t believe in prisons — and I am not exaggerating this, folks. The Democrat Party today is not what you have thought it was or is as it used to be 30-40 years ago. They used to be a law and order bunch to an extent. But, you know, go back to \u201988 with Dukakis letting all these people out of jail on furloughs and so forth. Their base, their base voters require them to assume the position that most people in jail are there as the result of prosecutorial misconduct or a biased and racist judicial system and that most people in jail… Especially on drug charges.<\/p>\n

(impression) “There are so many people that don\u2019t even need to be in jail at all! They should be let out.” This has been a big Democrat move to open up prisons and let people out, and it\u2019s accompanied by their drive to have the felon vote restored. Look, the Democrats need as many of those kinds of people that can\u2019t support themselves or have great trouble doing so. That\u2019s the ideal Democrat voter, and Democrats look at prison populations, and they see a great potential there. People who are gonna have trouble getting hired? People that have shown a difficulty in holding a job, getting a high-paying job?<\/p>\n

Made to order!<\/p>\n

But they can\u2019t vote if they\u2019re in prison. But they\u2019re not talking about this, because that would mean they would have to thank or credit Donald Trump, and they just can\u2019t, and they just won\u2019t. Which is, again, why I say every Republican in the Senate needs to be walking to microphones today and blaming all this on the Democrats and their unwillingness to protect the border, to secure the border, their unwillingness to engage in process, their unwillingness to engage in compromise, their unwillingness to cross the aisle and meet people halfway on $5 billion. And because they hate Trump. They are willing to subject the country to great risk simply because they hate Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the message needs to get out.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Trump said to the press gaggle about where we are right now…<\/p>\n