RUSH: I offered a proposal prior to the election. You know, I’m a powerful, influential member of the media.

If a guy like me came out for amnesty, do you realize…? In fact, I’ll tell you a little secret. I can’t divulge names. I mean, I could, but I was sworn to … not secrecy, but, you know, the old promise about anonymity. I’ve met with some senators, and they’ve said to me, “People support this. If you call it ‘amnesty,’ it’s dead.” They were trying to convince me how it’s not amnesty. They were doing everything they could to tell me, “We’re not talking amnesty.

“We’re talking a pathway to citizenship. We’re talking an ID card, a green card. We’re talking enforcement, proof mechanisms, employer surveys and monitoring, and this kind of thing.” He said, “If you call it ‘amnesty,’ then it doesn’t have a prayer.” They were essentially saying, “If you disagree with it, fine. Whatever you do, don’t call it ‘amnesty.’ It won’t have a prayer.” So in light of that, prior to the election, I very magnanimously made a proposal that I would support amnesty, and that I would say so on television, if necessary.

I would write an op-ed.

“I will announce it on my radio show that I, El Rushbo, support amnesty, just one proviso: ‘All of those who are in the country illegally, and who are granted amnesty, cannot vote for 25 years.'” I thought that was fair, and I thought that was a way of getting to the nub of all this. Now, some people thought that I was just trying to be funny, but I was trying to make a point. I’ll support amnesty. We’ll make ’em full-fledged citizens. But as a penalty for having been here illegally, they can’t vote for 25 years.

Seems fair.

I didn’t get one person asking me to join the cause.

Because it is about votes and money and all the other things.