RUSH: I can just take the day off today. All I’ve gotta do is replay excerpts of the speeches from last night at the convention. That’s how good it was. Last night was awesome. It was over the top. There’s so many great things about last night, the class, the obvious class of Condoleezza Rice. Something just that simple, that doesn’t need to be even really pointed out. It speaks for itself, the contrast, the class, the refinement, the seriousness, the sophistication.

Paul Ryan did something last night that I think is just fabulous. He made Obama seem old. He spoke of Obama in the past tense and that gave an air of confidence to the whole thing, and I think that was one of the feelings that people got watching the convention last night was confidence. There was great leadership on display last night, a great illustration of the depth of the conservative bench. Man, it was a Reaganesque night last night, folks. It’s really an upper. It was fabulous.

It’s great to have you here. Broadcast excellence hosted by me, El Rushbo. 800-282-2882, and the e-mail address, ElRushbo@eibnet.com.

How about some of these lines from Paul Ryan? I mean, these are things that you and I believe, we say to ourselves and our friends, and we have for years, but to hear it. I’ll tell you what, the Democrats have been knocked off stride and off balance. They don’t know how to deal with this. And they don’t know how to deal with Paul Ryan. He defies caricature. He’s not mean. He’s not old. He’s not cranky. He’s not evil. I mean, he is clean and pure as the wind-driven snow. You can’t corrupt the guy. I mean, this is not some guy that’s gonna push his grandmother off the cliff. This is a guy that gets a tear in his eye while giving a speech talking about his mom and his dad and the small business that she started at age 50.

Condoleezza Rice, everybody is making a big deal about the fact that her speech was not on the prompter. She gives that speech frequently. In fact, I think that’s the speech that she gave at a Romney retreat which got everybody suggesting she would be great on the ticket as vice president. We had a great definition of American exceptionalism. We had a great presentation of the fact the United States is the solution to the world’s problems, that the world depends on a free and growing, thriving United States.

That convention last night, you know, I’m sitting there watching it, and there’s things I’m wishing people would say that I would if I were there. I would have added some ideology to it. But I’m not complaining. Just sharing with you my reaction to it. One of the things that I was thinking of — and you know how I know it’s good, if I may be so bold? And I think this probably might be true, too. You know something’s good when you want to be part of it. I wanted to be part of that last night. We’re sitting there and I’m thinking, “Okay, if I were part of this tonight, what would I be saying?” There’s not much I would add, ’cause one of the things that was said without being said was, “We don’t view this country as guilty. We don’t view this country as the problem in the world. We do not think this country needs to be cut down to size.”

Every speaker last night, every one of them talked about something that’s so quintessentially American that’s been forgotten, and it’s being pummeled and criticized by the Democrats. Every speaker spoke about what the American dream was to them, and without exception, you know what it was? It was nobody’s born into a certain class that you’re doomed and destined to remain in for the rest of your life. That you are able to build your life and your dreams according to the ambition and amount of desire you’re willing to put into it. They all gave personal testimony to that aspect of their lives. The New Mexico governor, “Damn, Chuck, we’re Republicans!” (Laughing) She was being recruited by a couple Republicans to join the party. “Ah, we’ll go to lunch with them just to say we did it.” And after the lunch she and her husband Chuck get in the car, “Damn, Chuck, we are Republicans,” and they went and re-registered right there.

But everybody talked about coming from relative nothing to making something of yourself and how there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s quintessentially American, it’s great, and it’s possible, and it’s what sets us apart. It was so optimistic, it was so uplifting, and last night again I want to stress, Barack Obama ended up being portrayed as old, tired, worn-out, in the past. That Ryan line about being in your twenties, in the bedroom where you grew up all depressed, looking at faded Obama posters on the wall, wondering when you’re gonna be able to get out of there and start your own life. We laughed ourselves silly over that. In fact, I had to pause the proceedings during the course of ’em for about five minutes, so we were five minutes behind live. And I started getting e-mails about that. And I said, “Damn it, my hearing.” I forget that we were five minutes behind. I started cursing my hearing, “How did I miss that?” And then it came five minutes later, and I knew what everybody was talking about.

Rights come from nature and God, not government. We say that ourselves. We know it. But to have it said on national television. Starting her own business at age 50, you want to talk about relating to women. How many women who watched Paul Ryan last night think this party’s got something against them? I mean it’s just absolutely absurd. All of the ludicrous silliness that is the modern-day Democrat Party and the Obama regime was blown to smithereens last night. Ryan: “We can do this! We can do this!” It was a sub-theme of the speech. We can do this!

I liked it when he called him out on the Medicare debate. I loved the number, the $716 billion, yeah, I loved every aspect of it. I read yesterday that there were a lot of people hoping that Ryan would go wonk or half wonk, really get into the nuts and bolts of policy to show our seriousness. I didn’t know he was gonna do it or not so I was waiting for that during the speech, and I thought a couple times he was gonna get there, but he didn’t, which is fine. Being successful in business, that’s a good thing! That’s a good thing! Being successful in business is a good thing! “I’ll take freedom over the supervision, the sanctimony of central planners any day.”

What was that line about the only thing that’s not free is us? Everything’s free except for us! Yeah, a country where everything’s free but us. “College grads shouldn’t live at home staring at faded Obama posters. It all started with stirring speeches, Greek columns, the thrill of something new, and now all that’s left –” this was so great “– all that’s left is a presidency adrift, surviving on slogans that already seem tired, grasping at a moment that’s already passed like a ship trying to sail on yesterday’s wind.”

Oh, yeah. This business of the GM plant in Janesville, Wisconsin. You know, it’s fascinating, isn’t it, to watch the media try to say that Ryan lied about that? They’re doing anything they can, of course, to save Obama. And of course all the fact-checks have been done today, and I’ll get into the details of it, but Ryan was right. That plant was open when Obama assumed office. It was announced in December of 2008 that it was gonna be closed.

But it was still open — and Obama had promised to keep it open — a couple of months after he was immaculated. We can get into the minutia of that, but the real point about that is not only is that plant closed down, but how much of America has been closed down in the last 3-1/2 years? Not just that plant. Places where 22 million people used to work no longer provide jobs. So we’ve got the Democrats arguing about one GM plant!

“No, no, Obama didn’t get rid of that one! Obama didn’t do it.” Oh, yeah. That’s the best they’ve got! The best they’ve got is that that plant wasn’t closed by Obama. (laughing) “No, Obama didn’t close that one,” and they’re lying about that. James Carville says the Democrats are worried and should be worried. He was on CNN last night. Wolf Blitzer said, “After listening to Paul Ryan, will the Democrats be worried about this campaign,” Jimbo?

CARVILLE: I think the Democrats are worried right now. They were worried before this convention. It’s a very tight race. Uh, if you look at it, Obama’s probably up one to three points. So who wouldn’t be worried in that circumstance?

RUSH: They’re worried because they don’t know how to go out and destroy Ryan. They just don’t know how to do it. Their usual tactics are not gonna work on this guy. This is the kid next door. This is the guy next door that used to cut your lawn, that was a Boy Scout. He’d help little old ladies across the street. It’s a guy whose father died at 16. His mother had to remake her own life starting at 50, with what was a 40-mile bus trip every day, and the family rallied around her.

Here’s Beckel. Now, this was this morning on Fox, America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer. Hemmer played a clip of Ryan talking about saving Medicare last night. By the way, did you notice…? A little observation here. The place came alive, it was a standing ovation at the mention of Ryan and Romney and the whole party “saving Medicare.” I looked at Kathryn and I said, “Well, I have mixed emotions. We’re getting a standing ovation here on an entitlement.

“I don’t quite know how I feel about this, having a standing ovation on a promise to save an entitlement.” Of course we’re all about bringing those back into some sort of semblance of responsibility. But the context of this was that there’s an argument, the Democrats accusing us of taking it away from people, and Ryan made it clear that if anybody’s doing damage to Medicare (as well as the rest of the country), it’s Obama.

So I want you to hear Beckel. The question from Hemmer was, “This might be the first question at the vice presidential debate between Ryan and Joe Biden on the future of Medicare. What’s your take on this,” Beckel?

BECKEL: Medicare has always been. In the end, it is a dangerous place for them to tread. And by the time we’re done with it… We have had a great history, we Democrats, of scaring the hell out of old people. My mother used to call me and say, “My Social Security’s going away!” I’d say, “Just go vote Democrat on Tuesday and you’ll have it back on Wednesday.”

RUSH: Hey, he’s being straightforward on this. “We’ve always had great success, a great history, scaring the hell out of people.” Well, what if they’re unable to do it anymore? What if they’re not able to scare every seasoned citizen like they used to be able to? That will be akin to losing a percentage of the black vote. So, I think Beckel’s answer there is sort of like Howard Dean saying (paraphrased): “Go ahead! Nobody’s gonna believe Democrats cut Medicare. It ain’t gonna happen.”

I think we’re in a different era now, and the confidence that’s coming out of this convention is gonna hold all of the way through the campaign.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I’ll tell you, it’s hard to pick out one thing from last night that stands out that you like more than anything else because there was so much. But one of the things I have to mention, because it’s been such a crucial point I’ve tried to get across for all these years, is the mobility that people have in this country and that the rich sometimes don’t stay rich.

They lose it and they rebuild it. People are constantly moving into and out of different income levels. Nobody is destined, for the rest of their life, to stay in the economic station to which they’re born. Ryan made that point very clearly. A lot of the speakers did last night. Some indirectly, some directly. But Ryan actually acted somewhat perplexed and frustrated anybody could think, “Okay, you’re born as somebody that mows the yard and that’s all you’re ever gonna do?”

What? Who…? Who thinks this way? He said the Democrats do. They want you to think that’s all this country offers you, but we, in the government, will take care of you. And Ryan’s out there talking about this. Here I’m in my twenties and I’m trying to earn some extra money mowing a yard, and I’m not thinking that this is the rest of my life, mowing lawns! I’m planning the rest of my life. I’m dreaming the rest of my life while I’m pushing a lawn mower.

Now, to you and I this sounds natural and obvious. But you have to remember, the Democrat Party and their collaborators in the media have been beating up people. They do it every day in the schools. “You can’t amount to anything in this country. The deck is stacked against you. The rich aren’t gonna let you have anything. The rich are gonna take everything you’ve got. You have to put your trust in us! You gotta live on food stamps, gotta live on our welfare, gotta live on whatever we give you.

“We’ll make sure you’re treated fair,” blah, blah, blah.

A lot of people end up thinking this, and that’s why the Democrats kill dreams; they kill ambitions.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Last night at CNN’s Republican convention coverage, correspondent Tom Foreman had a focus group of undecided Florida voters. The focus group was to listen, watch Ryan’s speech, and then undergo interrogation by CNN afterwards.

Tom Foreman said to the focus group, “Did you like it when he talked tough about the economy? Did you like it when Ryan talked tough about the president?”

MAN 1: I think he spent a lot of time bashing President Obama and not enough time talking about what they’re gonna do for this country. I really do.

FOREMAN: All right. Let me grab a guy in the back row here. What about you? When he went after the president and pointed out what he thought was wrong with the president’s programs, what did you think about that?

MAN 2: I think he was spot on when he pointed out there that, you know, he hasn’t done enough in the four years. Somebody gives them an opportunity, it’s what they do with that opportunity. He was given the opportunity as president of the United States, and he has not turned the country around.

RUSH: Okay, so they cancel each other out. Fine and dandy. Next question. They were talking about Ryan and his mother with these undecided Florida voters. And during the discussion about Ryan speaking of his mother, Foreman and a female in the focus group had this little exchange…

FOREMAN: When he started talking about his mother and her struggles and family struggles to make things better, the women in this group — by and large — said, “Good thing, positive thing.” Why, do you think?

WOMAN: Just because there’s a lot of single moms out there that are going through that same thing, and they give a good example, and we try to instill that in our kids as we’re raising ’em and … But he respects her so much.

RUSH: Ah, exactly right. I don’t think the term “War on Women” came up. I don’t think they had the guts at CNN after that speech to even mention “War on Women,” using those exact words.