What’s Dorothy Talking About?

RUSH: This is Dorothy, and you are up first. The first call of the day is very important. You set the tone.

CALLER: Really?

RUSH: Yes. There’s a lot of pressure on the first caller. You want to pass it to somebody else? I’ll take somebody else and make you second if you don’t think you’re up to it.

CALLER: Well, I don’t know that I’m — I don’t know. I don’t know that I’m high quality for the first caller since I’m calling rather annoyed, but I’m a very longtime listener to you, Rush.

RUSH: Well, that makes you terribly qualified.

CALLER: Good.

RUSH: What are you annoyed about?

CALLER: Okay. I’ve been listening and I’m getting tired of defending you, but for the wrong reasons.

RUSH: Oh, no.

CALLER: I told Snerdley, I think that’s who I was talking to, I don’t know, but I said what has gotten me upset, maybe it’s this whole stupid, the newest stupid of the No Labels nonsense going on. And I realized, well, that’s a bunch of hoo-ha anyway. We always have labels about anything whether you do it internally in your head or whatever, doesn’t matter. But I’m tired of you labeling yourself Republican, and I mean that as a compliment. Maybe it’s because I’m a Chicagoan and this kinda stuff, and I keep myself as saying I’m an independent in any conversation, which I believe in your heart you are. And the point is —

RUSH: Oh, I see where this is going.

CALLER: Listen. No, no, no. Let me finish. You are a man of ideals.

RUSH: Ideas.

CALLER: Ideals.

RUSH: Yeah, both.

CALLER: What you believe in your gut, what you believe you want for the country. That’s what makes you be Republican. But you wouldn’t be Republican just to be Republican. The reason you’re Republican, the reason you vote Republican, the reason you fight for them is because of the ideals that they’re the best people right now —

RUSH: Yeah, but wait. I’m a conservative first.

CALLER: What? Right.

RUSH: Not a Republican.

CALLER: Exactly, conservative. But so many times you allow yourself to get labeled, the conservative Republican. It’s almost like it’s the same word nowadays, and it annoys the heck out of me.

RUSH: So wait a minute, now, I’m still trying to remember where you have to defend me to people in all this.

CALLER: Okay. Well, it’s the whole thing. I mean, your persona which I don’t mind because if people listen to you long enough, they get it, that you’re goofing around half the time, you know, half the brain, blah, blah, blah —

RUSH: All right, yeah, yeah, yeah.

CALLER: Okay. But, you know, just that a lot of times you come off, make comments that are too much pro-Republican with it seeming like it’s Republican, as opposed to —

RUSH: Wait a minute.

CALLER: — at the heart of — (crosstalk)

RUSH: Who are you having — (crosstalk)

CALLER: — heart is virtuous.

RUSH: Are you upset at what I say about independents? Is that what it is?

CALLER: No, no, no, no. I don’t care. I mean I think that’s part of the whole yaw yaw —

RUSH: No, it’s not part of the whole yaw yaw, it’s not part of the whole yaw yaw. It’s not a bit. It’s not calculated or structured, but you say you’re getting tired of defending me just like the Obama voter told him that she’s tired of having to defend him ’cause what he’s doing isn’t working. What I’m doing is working.

CALLER: Because a lot of times you come off, you say things and people can write you off as that wacky Republican conservative guy.

RUSH: There’s nothing I can do about that.

CALLER: Huh?

RUSH: Half these people, 95% of the people you’re talking about saying things about me, I don’t even know it. You say I allow things to be said about me.

CALLER: Well, that’s because your listening audience is the ones on the fighting lines.

RUSH: Okay, let’s say some slimeball little reporter for a Chicago weekly writes something about me that makes you —

CALLER: No, no, no, I don’t mean that. I’m talking about at the block party and at the cocktail party and, you know, hanging out —

RUSH: How can I possibly defend myself against that when I’m not there?

CALLER: No, no. You can’t.

RUSH: Okay but you’re —

CALLER: I’m just saying so many times I wish you would more talk about the heart of Rush Limbaugh than just the simple conservative or the simple Republican. It comes from a deeper place than just conservative and just Republican, and I mean I literally. I have five kids and they’ve all grown up listening to you, and they wouldn’t admit that they’re Rush Babies but I know none of them voted for Obama —

RUSH: So basically what you’re telling me, Dorothy, you want to hear my feminine side?

CALLER: No, I do not. Oh, stop. Ugh. No, I don’t want to hear your feminine side. That’s a no. I’m just saying I want —

RUSH: Dorothy, I’m sadly out of time, and I have to be honest with you: I’m no closer to understanding what’s wrong than I was when I answered the call.

CALLER: (laughing) Okay.

RUSH: I’m terribly sorry. Has McNabb answered our call to guest host this program?