RUSH: A most amazing thing, to me, anyway. This may not be that big a deal to you, but to me it is. I found this on Newsbusters. I didn’t actually see this. Chris Matthews has a syndicated show that runs on Sundays throughout the country. This is not his nightly MSNBC tingle-up-the-leg show. And on his show yesterday was Washington Post columnist David Ignatius who literally begged Obama, implored Obama not to destroy Marco Rubio in the upcoming immigration debate.
I think this is a tantamount admission to what’s going on. I have alerted you and anybody who will listen that what the objective is at the White House is the annihilation of the Republican Party, the elimination of all viable opposition, and on a personal level. You know, not just to annihilate Republican Party/conservative ideas, but also people, the people who carry them, the people who believe in them. And this is a tantamount admission that I, El Rushbo, was right about it.
Chris Matthews said, “Marco Rubio’s been designated as the Republican respondent. Pretty smart guy. He’s Cuban-American. He’s talked on the immigration issue. Will the president stick it to him and say, ‘I’m gonna be good on immigration, you guys are gonna have to handle the issue.’?” And David Ignatius said, “I think that he’s gonna make immigration one of the issues he talks about in the State of the Union –” and he will, meaning Obama, immigration, gay rights. I’ll tell you in advance what it’s gonna be.
The inauguration speech of Obama was a left-wing manifesto, and it’s not reported as such because the media does not consider that anything to be abnormal or shocking or out of the mainstream. But taken by itself, his inauguration speech was as big a left-wing manifesto as you’ll find anywhere, and more of the same is coming our way in the State of the Union show. And whatever the issues are, whatever he talks about, it’s gonna be presented from an uber-left-wing perspective. And Ignatius said, “I think he’s gonna make immigration one of the issues he talks about. The State of the Union’s okay, it’s good, but here are the things we need to do.” It’s what he’s gonna say. Gonna talk about immigration reform, gonna talk about climate change.
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RUSH: Now back to David Ignatius on the Chris Matthews weekend show on Sunday talking about Marco Rubio. He says, “HeÂ’s going to talk about immigration reform,” in the State of the Union. “He’s going to talk about climate change. He’s going to certainly talk about bringing the troops home from the wars. I think he’ll announce the number of troops that will be withdrawn. But, you know, the Marco Rubio question gets to whether Obama can get out of the zero-sum game Washington where to do something good on immigration reform, he’s got to, you know, destroy Marco Rubio who is the Republican symbol of progress on that.
“And I’m looking to see whether he can lift his game beyond where he was in his inaugural address and really speak to the country, really speak to the people who didn’t vote for him, as well as the people who did and have a platform for really doing something.” So here we have, quite by accident, a member of the State-Controlled Media openly admitting about what Obama is doing, admitting that the inaugural address was a left-wing manifesto and worrying what it means for the country if the State of the Union is the same things. He’s openly asking: Can Obama accomplish anything without destroying somebody?
Meaning: Can Obama behave in such a way that his ideas will triumph, or can he only get what he wants by destroying his opponents? Well, you and I know the answer to that. Obama can’t sell his ideas. He doesn’t even try. The entire Obama MO — and it’s been this way since Obama got into politics in Illinois as a state senator — has been to clear the playing field, not level it. This is why I have been imploring people to understand (particularly Republicans) that what they face is not just a president, but an entire Democrat Party which has as it is objective to eliminate all viable opposition, but not do so on the strength of their ideas — which they can’t do, by the way.
Their ideas do not sell, and that’s why Obama doesn’t try to sell them. That’s specifically why Obama has to destroy the credibility and the reputation of his political opponents. It’s what they did to Romney. You know it and I know it and everybody else who’s paying attention knows it. Romney knows it. They just didn’t respond to it in the Romney campaign theoretically because they didn’t have any money at the time the Obama attacking was taking place via all those TV ads. Even today Stephanie Cutter, the Obama campaign babe, is still out there saying (summarized), “Oh, yeah. Romney’s a felon! Damn right. I’m not ashamed of it. He was a felon then and he’s a felon now.”
They’re still saying it because they’re still in campaign mode. So their MO is literally to destroy their opposition and win in that way because their ideas do not triumph. And Ignatius here is practically admitting it. “The question gets to whether Obama can get out of the zero-sum game in Washington where to do something good on immigration reform he has to destroy Rubio, who is the Republican symbol of progress on that.” Zero-sum game means… In terms of economics, if you believe in a zero-sum game, you think that there’s a infinite amount of money. For example, if somebody gets a raise of $10,000 a year, somebody has to lose it. You do not believe that the pie can grow.
Well, what Ignatius is saying here is that Obama believes in the zero-sum game business in politics; that if somebody like Marco Rubio draws rave reviews and accolades, it means bad things for Obama. Obama cannot exist with his enemies being praised. Obama cannot exist with his political opponents also getting positive reviews. Zero-sum game. So what Obama has to do is make sure that none of his opponents get rave reviews or even approving comments. So he has to take them out, and Ignatius is openly hoping that Obama won’t do that in this case, that he’ll try for his immigration reform ideas on the strength of his ideas and not do it by destroying Rubio.
I’m going to tell you something, folks. This is a Washington Post columnist, David Ignatius. For him to be saying this… I don’t care what show it is. For him to be saying this means that there is — and it’s probably got a very faint heartbeat, and I’m not trying to attach too much weight to this at all. But what it means is that even within the bowels of the liberal Democrat power base, there is some huge discomfort with the way Obama’s operating. It’s a faint heartbeat and don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I’m not saying there’s an open revolt against Obama. Nothing like that. Do not put emphasis on this that I’m not adding myself.
Again, I think this book that I told you about has some profundities in it, the Antifragile book by Nassim Taleb. I think what Ignatius said on Matthews is important. He mighta said it as just throw-away, but I think there are strains of profundity in it because of what he’s admitting. He’s admitting it. He’s basically admitting it. They want Obama to persuade. These guys believe in the ideology. They believe in the superiority of liberalism or progressivism, and they want Obama to win on that basis. They want the idea to triumph. They want that to be what everybody’s supports. They’re purists.
They want to be winning because you become a liberal. They want to be winning because you accept progressivism. They don’t want to be winning simply because Obama wipes out the opposition. They want you converted, and Obama’s not converting you. He’s ignoring you if you don’t agree. He’s taking out all of your leaders if he doesn’t agree with you. But he’s not building anything. He’s tearing everything apart, tearing things down. That’s what Ignatius is saying. He may not even realize it. And, again, don’t infer something I’m not saying. I’m not saying there’s something to build on here. To me, this is just one of my little observations.
I saw this, and I think to most people it would zoom right by ’em and it wouldn’t even register. But to me, it’s striking. The reason I struck me is I look at John Dickerson. John Dickerson, the CBS political director, is actually encouraging Obama to obliterate and annihilate the opposition. And not just Dickerson. A lot of Obama’s media have been begging him to just destroy the Republicans and the conservatives, to wipe ’em out and just destroy them. That’s why Obama’s focusing on Fox News and me and talk radio is the only two places left where there’s any opposition to him in the media. But somewhere in the bowels — and, you know, Ignatius may be a lone wolf here, but he’s clearly not comfortable.
If he is imploring Obama to do immigration reform without destroying Rubio, I think it’s profound what he’s saying.
Now I must take a brief time-out while you ponder that. I fully expect many of you to think I don’t know what I’m talking about.
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RUSH: David Ignatius of the Washington Post, sadly another journalist whose career I may have just ruined. His next assignment will probably be the Westminster dog show. Well, we hope not.
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RUSH: Here’s David Ignatius, by the way. We have the sound bite now of Ignatius on Chris Matthews’ show on Sunday where he is asking Obama (summarized), “Please, in your State of the Union, let your ideas triumph on immigration. Don’t destroy Rubio.” I mean, I really think that this is a big deal.
IGNATIUS: He’s gonna make immigration one of the issues he talks about in the State of the Union. The State of the Union is good, but here are the things we need to do. He’s gonna talk about immigration reform. He’s gonna talk about climate change. He’s gonna certainly talk about bringing the troops home from the wars.
MATTHEWS: M’yeah!
IGNATIUS: I think he’ll announce the number of troops that will be withdrawn. But, you know, the Marco Rubio question gets to whether Obama can get out of the zero-sum game Washington, where to do something good on immigration reform, he’s gotta, you know, destroy Marco Rubio, who’s the Republican symbol of progress on that.
RUSH: So Ignatius is openly wondering: Can Obama triumph on immigration reform without destroying a Republican? Can he? Now, I’m telling you, folks…. Again, I don’t want to attach a deep, big meaning to this. I don’t think it means anything like revolt in the Democrat Party or massive unsettledness with Obama, although I wouldn’t be surprised if I learned that there is. What the guy is acknowledging is Obama’s technique.
All this is is an acknowledgement of Obama’s technique, and he’s not what everybody thought he was in 2008. He’s not postpartisan, postracial. He’s not messianic. He’s not the nice guy. He’s not the unifier. He’s not working together with anybody. This guy’s a divider and a destroyer, and that’s what Ignatius is saying, and Ignatius is saying he doesn’t like it. He’s not comfortable with this. He’s not comfortable with Obama having to destroy everybody who disagrees with him.
“Why can’t you just let your ideas win, bud? Let your ideas triumph.” Well, the answer to that is Obama’s ideas won’t triumph. The Democrat Party’s ideas today would not triumph if that’s how they ran for office. But, of course, they don’t. They do demonize, criminalize, politicize their opponents and annihilate ’em. They take ’em out. It’s exactly what they did with Romney. But rather than read the bite, I just wanted you to hear the sound bite in Ignatius’ own words.
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RUSH: Vinny in Queens. Vinny, glad you called, great to have you on the program, sir. Hello.
CALLER: Rush, good to talk to you. Now, Rush, I’m just gonna upbraid you a little here. Obviously this whole David Ignatius thing, this is obviously a case of your vast intellect getting in the way of your otherwise superb common sense. I mean, come on, as far as David Ignatius wanting Obama to actually woo voters to his cause through merit for his position, forget it. He’s worried that if Obama goes after Rubio, the Latino base may turn against him to protect one of their own. Second, why the hell would Obama do anything other than the seek and destroy tactics, a/k/a, Chicago politics, that got him here in the first place.
RUSH: Wait a second. Vinny, I don’t expect Obama to change.
CALLER: Okay.
RUSH: Wait a minute. You’re thinking too much.
CALLER: Okay.
RUSH: I don’t expect Obama to change anything just ’cause Ignatius said what he said.
CALLER: Yeah, I think — I think —
RUSH: Okay, Vinny, Vinny, hang on. I gotta break here. Hang on. Hang on. You think I’m thinking too much, and I know you are. So don’t go away.
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RUSH: Okay. We’re back now.
We’ve got Vinny from Queens. Vinny thinks I’m thinking too much. Let me just review. David Ignatius, when he was on Matthews’ Sunday show, essentially said that he hopes in the upcoming immigration debate that Obama does not destroy Marco Rubio in the process. He was saying that he wishes Obama could rise above this belief that politics is “a zero-sum game,” which, in political terms, would mean that for Obama to win, somebody has gotta be destroyed.
Ignatius is saying: Gee, can you let your ideas triumph? Now, Vinny thinks that my analysis is all wrong and I’m thinking too much about this, that my vast intellect is overanalyzing this — and if I’m right, Vinny, what you think Ignatius’ motivation is, is he just afraid that if Obama starts attacking Rubio, that there’s gonna be a backlash by Hispanics aimed at Obama and that that’s what Ignatius is afraid of. Am I about right? Do I understand you right?
CALLER: Well, right. I really do think that, deep in his heart, that’s what David Ignatius fears. Why would David Ignatius say what he said on an otherwise absolutely abysmal program as Chris Matthews on Sunday?
RUSH: Well, I don’t know but one thing: I do not think — and I don’t know why you thought this — that Obama’s gonna modify the way he acts because of what Ignatius said.
CALLER: No, I don’t. I don’t really think he thought that. I think I was just fleshing out what I was thinking. I’m trying to say why Ignatius would come on and say something like that. You know, he was just trying to seem analytical.
RUSH: Well, that’s why you need me to tell you.
CALLER: (chuckles)
RUSH: The fact that you hear it and are asking yourself is exactly why I decided to take this on in the first place and try to explain it, because you will admit, will you not, that it’s very strange?
CALLER: For Ignatius to say what he said?
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: Yeah, it is very strange. But I really think he was trying to puff himself up to look somewhat analytical in talking this way, which is kind of high and mighty to what liberals really want. That’s basically political dominance no matter what, and they don’t care how they get it. I’ve listened to you say, “Democrats run on fear, not ideas” for I don’t know how many years. Nothing’s going to change. Obama is going to destroy Rubio if he can, okay? Maybe Ignatius is fearful of what I’m saying: That if he does, that Rubio is part of the people, okay? He’s not a pretender. He’s the real deal, as you’ve also stated, and I think there would be a backlash for someone like Rubio’s who’s very telegenic, very much with what’s going on out there, and I think that’s what David Ignatius is really worried about.
RUSH: Well, you could be right. But I’m telling you it is, to me — and I think the fact you’ve chosen to call about it and saw it yourself proves it — there is something really strange about the comment regardless of what it means or regardless what his fear is. Now, on the surface, wishful thinking would have you say that his fear is that Obama is in the process of really blowing it here because people think of Obama as a great unifier and someone who gets along with people, bipartisan and so forth, and Ignatius is worried that Obama gonna blow it for everybody here.
I don’t think that. I don’t think that’s what Ignatius’ concern is. I think there’s more to it than the fact he just fears backlash. I think that there is a very… It may be hard to see at times, but some of these old-time guys — Ignatius is not a new guy; he’s been around awhile — are romantically attached to this notion of bipartisanship, as long as the Republicans lose all the time. They want the Bob Michel type of bipartisanship where the Republicans are always around, but they always lose, and they’re smiling and happy about it.
I think Ignatius is worried that there’s gonna be a backlash, as you say. But a lot of people, in addition to Hispanics, are gonna be upset if this stuff continues. Now, I’m just speculating. I mean, I’m throwing darts at the wall on that, because, like you, it’s impossible to truly analyze this ’cause he’s not here. I don’t want to ask him. That’s not the point. I don’t care that much about it. I don’t. But just to make sure you understand, I don’t think that what Ignatius said is gonna have any effect on Obama’s behavior at all. I hope you didn’t think that.
CALLER: No, Rush. Listen, it’s always an illuminating experience and a learning experience talking to you, and I didn’t think you really thought that. I just… I guess I didn’t think. I didn’t want anyone else to actually think that the Chicago-style politics were ever gonna change no matter what David Ignatius goes on TV to say.
RUSH: No. In fact, you see, Obama’s minions are already in the process of destroying Rubio.
CALLER: Absolutely.
RUSH: They’re already trying to.
CALLER: Absolutely. That’s right. They are already trying to, and they got a whole playbook on him since it was listed last year that he might be the VP candidate.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: They were already.
RUSH: The Daily Caller’s got a story out there right now. The headline: “Top Democrats Plan Attack on Rubio Ahead of Speech.”
CALLER: Well, there you go.
RUSH: You know, Marco Rubio’s gonna do the response in Spanish, and people are already ripping into him for that.
CALLER: Well, Rush, what can I say? As I said, I appreciate the time you always give me on the show.
RUSH: Well, Vinny, I tell you: You and I, this is the first talk show in the history where both the caller and the host are accused of thinking too much.
CALLER: (chuckling) Well, thanks a lot, Rush. I gotta go. I live in the East here, so I gotta go back outside and shovel the global warming away from my driveway.
RUSH: Just be careful. You could get a heart attack and die, Vinnie.
CALLER: (laughing)
RUSH: You survived the weekend, which makes us all happy, so don’t blow it.
CALLER: Yes, sir.
RUSH: Don’t die, whatever you do.