RUSH: It is October 1st, and all week long the Drive-By Media and the inside-the-Beltway establishment have been on this roller coaster regarding Trump. Maybe even a little bit into last week. But before that, it is October 1st. A lot of them thought he was gonna be gone by now. And many of them — and I’m including Republicans in this. Republican media types, conservative media types, elected officials, the entire Inside Washington establishment. And you know why they thought Trump would be gone?

They thought he would self-destruct.

They thought everything he’s doing would finally come home to roost. He would wear out his welcome. People would get tired of the entertainment, get tired of the show, and would realize that he’s not serious and the American people want sincerity and seriousness in their presidents and they would realize that Trump is not it and they would throw him. Or that Trump would’ve lost interest by now and have moved on to something else. And earlier this week I was watching Fox, and some of the conservative intelligentsia were venturing forth to say, “He has peaked, it looks like.”

They were guarded.

They were guarded in their optimism.

“It looks like he’s peaked. We can’t say for sure, but,” then they winked and nodded, “We’ve all known it was going to happen. We’re the smartest people!” But today, just the exact opposite. We have here from USA Today a poll: “Donald Trump Still on Top as Fiorina and Carson Rise.” “Donald Trump has strengthened his lead at the top of the USA Today/Suffolk University Poll while two other outsider candidates, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, have gained ground over rivals with electoral experience. Jeb Bush … has tumbled to single digits and fifth place.”

Now, given that later in the article this story says, “Some political analysts, including those in the latest USA Today GOP Power Rankings, see Trump as beginning to lose ground while scrutiny on him as a potential president intensifies.” So in the same story… This exactly my point: In the same story, the lede is: “Trump has strengthened his lead in our poll,” and then later on in their same story, “Some political analysts … see Trump as beginning to lose ground while scrutiny on him as a potential president intensifies.” How do you have it both ways in the same story?

How in the world do you publish a story talking about how he is strengthening, and at the end of the day story quote “experts” who say he is beginning to lose ground? “‘Unfortunately, I’m leaning toward Trump, only because he’s a non-political figure,’ said Ginger Mangam, 58, a customer service representative from Little Rock who was among those surveyed.” Unfortunately? Here’s a woman in the survey admitting she’s leaning to Trump and she’s really not crazy about it. What does that tell you?

That comment, if people want to attach any seriousness to this — any political professionals — this is devastating. People are voting for Trump or siding with Trump even though they’re not really excited about it because they so detest what has become of insider politics. But even at that I have to point out as well that USA Today is part of the Drive-By Media, and it’s funny to watch them go out and find a Trump supporter who actually doesn’t like him. This is also part of the plan. See, I see this as a positive. If you’re a Trumpster, you could see this as a positive.

USA Today is trying to make like Trump supporters don’t even really like him. I mean, why quote this woman, of all the women they surveyed, all the people they surveyed? Trump’s leading in the survey. Why quote a woman that doesn’t even like him but is gonna vote for him? That’s how the Drive-Bys try to shape things and create attitudes among the readers. Now, I, as I say, take it as a positive. I mean, she doesn’t like even the guy, not crazy about him, and is still leaning towards him? That is not good news for the establishment in any way, shape, manner, or form.

Now, even in this article, though, in this poll where Trump is increasing his lead, we have to hear this line which is based on one single poll of 200 Republicans with a margin of error of 6.5%. “Some political analysts, including those in the latest USA Today GOP Power Rankings, see Trump as beginning to lose ground while scrutiny on him as a potential president intensifies.” So that’s my point. Even in an article about Trump increasing his lead, they have to put their qualifier in there, and they put it in for a whole host of reasons.

A, maintain their good credit rating among other Drive-Bys. And also to do what they can to damage the reputation that Trump is building. But the whole establishment is still bamboozled by this. And just earlier this week, they thought — they thought — they saw evidence that Trump was beginning to not just have peaked, but was beginning to fall. And now Trump is back out on fire. Let’s go to the audio sound bites. This is last night, Keene, New Hampshire, Trump at a town hall campaign-type event had this to say about Syria.

TRUMP: I’m putting the people on notice that are coming here from Syria as part of this mass migration that if I win — if I win — they’re going back. They’re going back!

RUSH: “They’re going back.” There was massive applause after this. Just like the illegal immigrants from Central America are going back, so are these Syrian refugees going back. Here’s more…

TRUMP: One of my opponents, not in a bad way, but in a very respectful way said, “You know, the thing about Trump that’s really hard, he’s so damn unpredictable. We don’t know what the hell he’s gonna do.” And I said, “I want to be unpredictable. I want to be.” So when they ask me — and so does Patton, so does MacArthur, so does anybody that’s smart. So when they ask me about what I want to do with Syria, I know what I want to do. Believe me, you’re gonna be happy, but I don’t want to tell. I don’t want them to say, “Oh, Trump’s gonna do this, so we’ll do this.” I want to be unpredictable.

RUSH: There you have it, more common sense coming from somebody who wants to be commander-in-chief. Why give away the plan? “Okay, you people in the media, you’re demanding my plan on Syria because what you’re trying to do is determine whether or not I’m smart enough to be president. You’re trying to determine whether or not I’m taking it seriously. You’re trying to determine whether or not I even care about this or even know where Syria is, and I’m telling you it’s none of your business right now. The people that need to be concerned about this are the Syrians and the Russians and the Iranians. They’re the ones that need to be worried about what I’m gonna do, and I’m not gonna tell you so that they can find out. I’m gonna be unpredictable.” That’s exactly what a leader in foreign policy must be in situations like this.

Now, there are advantages to being predictable, and that is if you carry a huge stick and you walk tall and you’re no-nonsense. I mean, that kind of reputation is fine to have going in. But individual policy decisions and where to take what kind of action, always keep that close to the vest. Finally, a comment here about Bush and Marco Rubio.

TRUMP: Bush is the mentor. Everybody said Rubio will never run because it would be disrespectful to his mentor, and I understand that. That’s called loyalty, right? That’s sort of nice, right? You know, you’re loyal, I believe in that. He runs and they ask Bush, “What do you think of Rubio?” “He’s my dear friend. He’s so wonderful. I love him so much.” Then they ask Rubio, “Rubio, what do you think of Bush?” “Oh, he’s my dear friend, wonderful, just wonderful.” They hate each other, they hate. Trust me, I know, they hate so much. They hate more than anybody in this room hates their neighbor. But it’s political bull (bleep).

RUSH: Whoa, hold on. Hold. That’s launching both barrels! He’s saying here come these two guys and they put on a great show, “Oh, I love Marco. Oh, I love Jeb. Oh, we owe so much to each other.” Trump says that’s BS. They hate each other. Jeb hates Rubio for doing this. Jeb thinks that Rubio’s stabbing him in the back by doing this. Rubio think’s Jeb old news, has no business doing this. They both have mutual disgust for one another. Crowd erupts. So naturally on CNN Anderson Cooper 360, they played a clip of Dana Bash speaking with Jeb Bush after a town hall campaign in Bedford, New Hampshire. During the Q&A Bush says, “Donald Trump says the friendship between you and Marco Rubio is not a real friendship or relationship, and that you really hate each other. Is that true?”

JEB: I’m pretty sure Marco can put his big boy pants on, I know I can, and we’re friends. I can take criticism, he can as well. Donald seems to have a harder time taking criticism. And he probably needs to put on his big boy pants, too. He’s running for president of the United States. He ought to take a little incoming. He’s great at giving it out.

RUSH: Okay, well, “I’m pretty sure Marco can put his big boy pants on.” Uhhh, let’s just move on. Today show today Matt Lauer is interviewing Jeb and Matt Lauer said, “A couple of questions about the front-runner Donald Trump. First of all, his comments on those Syrian refugees overnight saying that if he wins, they’re going back. What’s your response to that, Mr. Bush?”

JEB: That’s a horrible thing. He also said that he supported Putin’s activity in Syria and that Assad is worth supporting compared to ISIS. I think we need to have a strategy to deal with both these evil forces. And the idea that you would send back refugees? When in America history has that ever happened? We have to stand for certain values, and Mr. Trump either doesn’t have a sense of history about American values or doesn’t care about them. Either way it’s wrong.

RUSH: Man, I tell you, caught in the middle here, this is just — I’m afraid Trump does get it. What these people don’t understand, this country is being overrun. The perception is it’s being overrun, and these are not the cream of the crop that are coming here. It may in fact be members of ISIS that are coming here as refugees. Yeah, gotta take a break. There’s one more Jeb Bush bite to go where he says he’s gonna emulate the McCain campaign.

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RUSH: Here’s the final Jeb Bush bite. This is the Today show today with Matt Lauer, and the question, “You’re losing in the polls here. You’re losing to the host of Celebrity Apprentice, Governor Bush. How do you get your arms around that?”

JEB: In October of eight years ago John McCain was by himself in an Atlanta airport. I was there as well. I gave him a hug, and I said, “What’s going on, man?” He had no support. He won the Republican nomination ’cause he worked hard and he had great ideas, and he showed his heart. I’m not an established candidate as it relates to DC. I was a disrupter in Florida and I’ll be a disrupter in Washington, DC as well. The fact that I have experience in governing successfully in a swing state should be a virtue, not a vice.

RUSH: So there’s Jeb Bush, he’s gonna emulate the McCain campaign. He’s gonna hang in there, he’s gonna be tough, and he’s gonna have a big heart. That’s what McCain had. And that’s what he’s gonna do. He’s just gonna outlast everybody, and everybody’s gonna figure out what a big disrupter he was, and when they find that out then they’re gonna associate him with the outsider, not the insider that people think he is. So that’s the strategy.

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RUSH: Who’s next? Where we headed next? That’d be Paul in Saginaw, Michigan. Hello, sir. Great to have you here on the EIB Network. Hi.

CALLER: Hi, Rush. Long-time listener, since 1999. I just wanted to call and put in my two cents. I don’t know if you can hear me good, I’m in a car, but I got you on speakerphone.

RUSH: I hear you fine.

CALLER: I think, in a nutshell, with Trump, Carson, and somewhat of Cruz, what you’re looking at is the outsiders and common sense. I think Trump is simplicity. Some people shriek when you say that, but I think that’s what it comes down to: Common sense. You know, what does it take to be a politician? You know, what do you need, resume to be a president? You know, what should be on that? I think, you know, it’s just common sense anymore. To survive in this world you need common sense. To run a business you need common sense. You don’t need to be a politician, and I think people are just sick and tired of politicians.

RUSH: I think that’s right on the money. Essentially, let me put it this way. People are trying to say Trump is “simplistic,” and that’s what you’re asking for, and when they say “simplistic,” then that means “simpleton” and that means “unsophisticated.” And it goes on to mean uneducated, and unprepared, and unserious and all of that. Of course none of those things actually do go together, in anybody, particularly about Trump. The reason why… The political world is like any other elite business. It has evolved or created its own language that is exclusionary.

High finance has its own language. The medical community has its own. Politics has its own way of speaking. It’s an art in many cases. Politics is the art of not telling anybody what you believe very passionately, and that’s not easy to do. It’s not easy to say nothing passionately. That’s the art in politics: To have a lot of passion, a lot of energy, but not tell anybody what you really think. Of course, you don’t want to be vetted. In the process you portray yourself as fluid and brilliant and open-minded and willing to accept any new thing that comes your way.

You are not closed-minded, and simpletons are. “People are simplistic and see black and white but no gray. They see right and wrong but they don’t see any ‘maybe.’ All those are simpletons. Those are people that are kind of short on gray cells. We in politics, we are brilliant and we’re sophisticated and we speak intellectualese. It’s its own dialect and language, and it has its own accent and its own special words.”

And it’s been this way for so long, somebody comes along like Trump or Ben Carson that just speaks average, ordinary, everyday common sense, it stands out like bright sunlight at midnight. It just… It’s shocking. You remember the movie Being There with Peter Sellers? He was an absolute… He was a gardener, and all he knew was gardening, and he related everything to gardening.

In fact, he didn’t relate to anything else. Gardening was it. He watched television, and tended the garden. He was a servant of some wealthy Washington guy, and he dies, and this guy becomes homeless. They don’t know what to do with him. And he ends up meeting some super powerful powerbroker in DC, and he starts talking about the way he tends his garden, and this powerbroker thinks it’s brilliant.

And he says things, “In spring, we renew, and life begins anew.” And this guy thinks, “My God, I’ve never heart it said so simply.” And they start celebrating this simpleton as one of the most brilliant politicians, and everybody wants this guy’s opinion on things, and he doesn’t have the slightest idea what’s going on. He has no clue. They think he’s brilliant. He doesn’t know why they want to talk to him. All he’s doing is answering questions in terms of gardening, which is all he understands. They are assuming that he is worldly much more than they are. It’s a classic. It’s a classic illustration.

In fact, during the Obama campaign I thought many people were reacting to Obama the way the gardener was reacted to in that movie, the way Peter Sellers was. The way he said what he said was considered to be, “Oh, my God, so smart, so brilliant, I’m blinded by it,” when it wasn’t anything. He wasn’t saying diddly-squat that made any sense. It just sounded good.

Now, in Trump’s case, Trump is two things. His common sense is not simplistic. It’s just right on the money, and there isn’t any hemming or hawing. There’s no indecision in what Trump says. You don’t get the impression that he’s undecided about anything. And you don’t get the impression he’s afraid to tell you. You contrast that over in the political world, they are scared to death to be wedded to any particular position because they want the flexibility to move off of it tomorrow. They don’t want to be locked in or committed to anything, today.

By the way, there have been in the world of politics, people just like that, who have been wedded to issues and you could count on ’em, and they triumphed. But politics today is the art of saying nothing with great passion. Politics is the art of convincing people you’re something that you’re not, and it’s disguised as super intellectualism, brilliance. It takes a requirement of many years experience to understand these things. You neophytes outside, yes, you’re the voters, and, yes, we love you, but you clearly don’t know nearly enough to judge what we do here. And Trump comes along and his common sense is so stark, and the same thing with Ben Carson, and in some cases even Fiorina, some things she’s saying, it is so stark in comparison to what we get from both parties in Washington that people are just latching on to it because it’s comforting, it’s common sense. It’s spoken fearlessly.

So it’s not simplistic, and the caller didn’t say it was. He was agreeing with me essentially here. But I think it’s just because of the stark contrast and the manner of speaking here that has overtaken Washington. It’s one of the reasons why there’s so much distrust is that you can’t even for sure find out what those people inside the Beltway really do think about something. You get the impression that whatever they’re saying, it’s designed to not anger you or to not send you running away, but it doesn’t at the same time come across as sincere.

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RUSH: This USA Today poll we were talking about just moments ago, I made the observation that in this poll, here’s the Drive-Bys, two things. Here’s Trump leading, expanding his lead, and then in the same story they quote insiders, pollsters and experts who say this is the beginning of the end, that Trump is beginning to weaken, even though he’s gaining ground. And I pointed out they go to a Trump supporter in this story and they find one who doesn’t even like him, and that’s who they quote.

Well, they happened to have a little graphic in this story. I’ll show you on the Dittocam. This is what the graphic looks like. Two bubbles here. One’s for Trump; ones’s for Fiorina. They went to people in their survey poll, in their pool of respondents, and they asked them in one word to describe Trump and Fiorina and others, and here’s the comparison between Trump and Fiorina. Now, keep in mind, Trump wins the USA Today poll. He increases his lead in the USA Today poll. This is what USA Today publishes in their little bubbles here, candidates in a word, answers in response to an open-ended question, what one word describes Donald Trump.

Idiot, jerk, stupid, dumb, arrogant, crazy, nuts, buffoon, clown, comical, joke, unfavorable, dislike him.

Not one positive word about Trump, who wins and is expanding his lead in their poll. Here, by contrast, answers in response to an open-ended question, what one word describes Carly Fiorina.

Smart, intelligent, knowledgeable, dishonest, liar, untrustworthy, strong, tough, favorable, like her, idiot, evil, joke, cold.

Do you detect a little bit of a theme here? Drive-By Media, USA Today, doing their average, ordinary run-of-the-mill job to discredit the people who are at the top of the Republican presidential field.