After 81 Years, a Liberal Recovers

RUSH: Pamela in El Cajon(es), California, nice to have you on the program.

CALLER: Well, thank you, Rush. I am so honored! First of all, I want to let you know I’m a recovering Democrat.

RUSH: Well —

CALLER: And I’m 81 years old. (laughing) It took me a long time.

RUSH: You know, recovery is a never-ending thing.

CALLER: Right. (laughing) I hope you recover quickly! In this last year, I’ve listened to you every day.

RUSH: Yeah.

CALLER: Before that, I thought you were terrible. I just… I couldn’t believe it. But I heard you for the first time, I don’t know, back in the nineties and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I thought, ‘What in the world?’ you know, and I turned you off. Now I have a new friend who is a history teacher, and she a conservative, and she started teaching me about conservatism, and I, you know, was adamant. ‘I think Rush is terrible,’ and then discovered that, you know, things that I was clear off. I just didn’t understand what the difference between liberalism and conservatism is.

RUSH: I know. Most people do not know what liberalism really is. They just think it’s Democrat versus Republican, and they really don’t know the hideous nature of liberalism.

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: They just don’t get it. Even a lot of people on our side don’t.

CALLER: Well, you know, I went through the Depression, and FDR was the only president when I was 16 years old that I never knew, and I thought he was wonderful. So put that aside. Then I finally decided to start listening to you, because my friend, the history teacher thought you were pretty good. And so I can’t believe how much I have learned in this last year, and I want to thank you for that. But the reason I called today was that I almost burst into tears because your comments about people being frightened and being awake at night, and that… (sigh) I hate to say this. You know, I should know better, but I’ve been having one heck of a time, because we are so frightened of what’s happening.

RUSH: You’re 81 years old, right?

CALLER: Yes, and my husband…

RUSH: You’ve lost half of whatever you’ve saved.

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: You know you’re not going to get it back.

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: And you want to preserve what’s left, and you don’t know where to do that.

CALLER: Right. And on top of that, we had a small business breeding Arabian horses. Try to sell a horse. You can’t sell a car now. And the feed has gone sky-high. And when June hits, our pension will drop immensely because it’s tied up in the stock market.

RUSH: Yeah.

CALLER: And, you know, we say, ‘Well, get rid of the horses,’ but how? Put those beautiful animals to sleep? That’s the only thing I can do, and I’m… You know, I’m —

RUSH: By the way, that reminds me of something. Did you know that the Democrats have put out a new poster on the pilot, the US Air pilot?

CALLER: No.

RUSH: What was his name? Sully, Chesley Sullenberger. They found out the guy is a Republican, and so they put out a poster with a guy, and underneath it says ‘Goose Killer.’

CALLER: Oh! That makes me sick to my stomach.

RUSH: (laughing)

CALLER: Oh. I was perfectly sure when somebody was going to come up with something, they were going to blame Bush somehow or another for the geese being there (laughing) or whatever. God.

RUSH: They’ll blame Bush for as much as they can get away with, but one thing, Pamela. You know, I understand. I totally understand and relate to your fear of, what do you do to keep whatever’s left? I just want you to remember that the people that were elected to run the country right now are the ones that a lot of Americans mistakenly believe have all this compassion and understanding for the circumstance you’re in, when in fact they’re doing nothing to address it — and, in fact, Pamela they may be doing things to make it even worse.