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Call from an “Independent” Voter

by Rush Limbaugh - May 19,2011

RUSH: Jason, Fort Smith, Arkansas, welcome to the EIB Network, sir. Great to have you here.

CALLER: How you doing, Rush?

RUSH: Good, thank you.

CALLER: I got a bone of contention with you I think about your statement that independents are not ideological.

RUSH: Okay.

CALLER: I believe that they absolutely are, even more so now that we’ve had this ridiculous nut for the past 18 months or more with the parties —

RUSH: What is it that makes you an independent, then? Why do you call yourself that, simply because you’re not a registered Republican or Democrat?

CALLER: I generally agree with the Republican side, but because I follow that quote that absolute power corrupts absolutely, generally once they get up there they all turn into giant schmucks, and that’s why I vote independently. I don’t like to toe the party line. I like to see who I believe is going to hold my best interests at heart and stay that way once they get in there.

RUSH: So you believe that there is a Democrat now and then that will hold your best interests at heart?

CALLER: Well, I have yet to find one.

RUSH: Well, then why do you call yourself an independent? This is my point. You know, I think being an independent is a semantic vehicle that people use to try to hide and protect themselves from being attacked as closed-minded, either Republican or Democrat. ‘Oh, I’m an independent. Oh, I’m moderate. Oh, I make up my mind issue by issue. No, no, no, you can’t peg me as one of those.’

CALLER: Well, I have absolutely no problem being attacked. I actually could give a rat’s butt what people think of my opinions one way or the other, but I do —

RUSH: Well, there’s gotta be some reason you like thinking of yourself as an independent when you clearly aren’t.

CALLER: Well, generally as Americans in general, we all like to consider ourselves independent. That’s what this country was founded on.

RUSH: Yeah, okay, now I understand. You just mean you’re free, you’re untethered?

CALLER: Absolutely.

RUSH: Yeah. It doesn’t reflect your thinking at all. You just don’t want to be labeled?

CALLER: Absolutely.

RUSH: Okay. So what do you have against being called a conservative?

CALLER: Oh, I don’t have anything at all against being conservative. I consider myself, if anything, a conservative Libertarian, probably.

RUSH: Okay, no, you consider yourself an independent. You are calling to defend that attachment.

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: Yeah.

CALLER: ‘Cause I think it’s important to deliver our opinions and whatnot by —

RUSH: Ah.

CALLER: — each particular issue, not towing the party line.

RUSH: If there is not a Democrat you would vote for, you’re biased, healthfully so, by the way. There’s nothing wrong with bias.

CALLER: No, not at all. I don’t generally vote Democratically because most of them are liberals.

RUSH: I know. Yeah, but you said —

CALLER: Liberalism.

RUSH: You have to have an opinion unfettered by bias, and an opinion unfettered by bias is linguine.

CALLER: (laughing) Exactly. No spine.

RUSH: Okay. So really you’re a conservative, you just don’t want to say so. Is that right?

CALLER: No, but I have no problems being independent, either. I absolutely have conservative values overwhelmingly.

RUSH: Okay. Then the way you’re defining it, I’m an independent, too.

CALLER: Right. I think you are.

RUSH: I’m independent of liberals.

CALLER: I think you are an independent but you won’t admit it. You cling to the Republican label.

RUSH: No, conservative. I identify myself ideologically, proudly so.

CALLER: True, you do espouse conservative but you also cling to the Republican label far too often, I believe.

RUSH: Ah. Ah. Headway. I’m clinging to the Republicans. I don’t think they would tell you that. I mean I’ve got Republicans lined up against me right now. Okay. Thanks for the call, Jason, I appreciate it. Well, I do. It’s worthwhile to have these discussions.