RUSH: We have our caller from yesterday. Toward the end of the program, Jeremy in Omaha, was calling to implore me, beg me to stop talking about climate change in the context of whether it’s real or not. And then after that, we were time constrained. He was speaking quickly, it was tough for me to understand what he was saying. So I wanted him back here so he could explain to me. Jeremy, welcome back. I assume that your point here is the low-information voter already thinks it’s happening. We’re not gonna talk ’em outta that, so we gotta go about it a different way. Is that what you think?
CALLER: Yeah. Yeah. That’s exactly it.
RUSH: Okay.
CALLER: You said it better than I did and took a lot fewer sentences.
RUSH: Well, that’s only part of what you said. You then prescribed a new way to talk about it.
CALLER: Yeah, right now, okay, we got an argument, and there’s a non sequitur. We’ve got whether or not the earth is warming — that’s scientific — and then we’ve got what the role of the federal government is, or should be in the face of some existential threat, whatever it is. I think what’s really scary about it is that the argument is scientific, but it’s happening in a political discussion, so it is not relevant as to whether or not the evidence ends up being that the earth is warming up or not, but whether or not people believe that it is. And to the victor goes the spoils. The liberals will run with the spoils in this case, which are the remedy for a problem, and they have a very bad track record of making anything work.
RUSH: Okay. Now I think I understand it. Let’s start at the beginning. What you’re telling me is, we proceed here in our quest to persuade low-information voters to change their minds, to get them to join us on the issue of global warming. They already think it’s happening. No amount of talk will persuade them otherwise. They think it’s happening because they’re invested. They want to believe it’s happening. So therefore to argue to them that it isn’t happening is to lose them. So you’re saying instead, okay, low-information voter, what do we do about global warming? You want to have the government fix it, and you, Jeremy, want me to tell them — or to ask them, for example, well, can you show me where government’s done anything right in the past?
CALLER: Anything at all, anything. I mean, the problem is, every single time we Republicans lose an argument, we get a new department. We get Department of Education, energy, HUD, health and human services. We can’t even protect the border, now we want to protect humanity with a global warming department or something? It’s just impossible. If we plead, if we just our plea to low-information voters, any voter —
RUSH: Here’s the challenge, though —
CALLER: — on what the proper role is —
RUSH: Jeremy, here’s the problem. I’m not arguing with you, but I’m trying to educate. For 25 years I and a whole lot of other people, for longer than 25 years, have been trying to tell people government is not the solution to your problem, that government’s not the source of prosperity, and an increasing number of people nevertheless think it is. So the strategery that you have articulated here has actually been tried. In fact, it’s what the argument is about. Conservatism versus liberalism is about the role of government in everybody’s life. We’ve been trying to tell everybody the role of government is not the best way to solve any problem, having the government be involved in it. I’m troubled. If we have to accept that they believe lies and then take another route to persuading them, that’s a little bit disappointing. But I appreciate your letting us call you back so you can explain in detail.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Back to our old buddy Jeremy. Where was he calling from? Bowling Green, Kentucky. I understand him. He sounded like a young guy. (interruption) He’s from Omaha. Omaha, Nebraska. I can understand. He said, “Look, Rush, these young people, they already believe in global warming. The low-information, they believe. They’re invested in it.” I know that they are. Young people are invested in global warming because they’re seeking redemption by opposing it. I understand how this works.
They believe the earth is warming, and they believe their mom and dads did it. They believe their parents are responsible for it, and they think they are the solution, and that’s what gives their lives meaning. So they’re gonna support tax increases and bigger government and restrictions on thermostats and cars and gasoline and all that to give their lives meaning. I know how the psychology of this all works. So the suggestion is on the table: “Rush, they believe it.
“Don’t try to talk ’em out of it. They’re just gonna tune you out. Instead, Rush, what you need to do is tell them that having the government fix it won’t work. You’ve got to tell ’em that the fix involves something other than the government. I don’t think I could pull that off. I mean, I’m sure I could. I might try it for a week. I might try, as an experiment, just to — a little secret between us. I would tell you in advance I’m gonna do it, and then for a full week I’d sit here and say that.
Because the left doesn’t listen to the show. They listen to Media Matters and what they say about the show. So you and I, this little agreement that for a week I’ll say that I know global warming’s happening, manmade global warming. It’s happening, and we’ll see how that gets reported and we’ll see what the media says about me. If it works, then I’ll start proposing solutions to it that don’t involve government. It may work. I’ll give it a shot. I’ll spring it on you when you’re least expecting it.
I’m not gonna do it tomorrow. Everybody will be looking for it then. But just be warned. But I’ll tell you, I’m not all that hopeful. When does a liberal ever believe government doesn’t work? What was Obama’s immaculation speech all about? Obama’s entire message was, “The government can do anything, which is why we need more of it.” He coulda given that speech in those two lines. “Government can do anything, and that’s why we need more.” That was his immacural address in a nutshell.
But these young people, they all want a cause.
They all want something that they think is bigger than themselves that they can fix. The great thing about something bigger than yourself is being able to fix it! That proves how important you are. That illustrates how much you matter. You all hear young people running around saying they want to “make a difference.” Well, the global warming issue is one of those areas where they think they can. And it’s one of those areas where they blame you. Their parents and grandparents, for causing it.
But they are the saviors! They’re the fixers!
So Obama comes along and talks about it and basically echoes what they think, and, hey! They glom onto it and love it. So I’ll try it. When you least expect it.