RUSH: Adam in Casey, Illinois. It’s great to have you, sir. Hello.

CALLER: Rush, it’s really cool to talk to you. Appreciate all that you do.

RUSH: Thank you, sir, very much.

CALLER: Calling from the People’s Republic of Illinois, and I just had a quick question for you. You’ve been very clear that you’re not endorsing any candidate; you’re just explaining what Trump is doing, what’s happening, and particularly between him and Fox and Megyn Kelly. But I’m curious, I know you’ve explained it and I get everything you’re saying, but I’m curious, what is your opinion of it?

RUSH: What is my opinion of Trump’s tactics? What is my opinion of Trump’s behavior, strategy? Which specific?

CALLER: Yeah, of his behavior with Megyn Kelly and Fox, missing the debate, making a big deal about his treatment and being treated unfairly and do you think he’s making the right decision?

RUSH: Well, I have long advocated, and we could go back and find the tape, we can go back to our archives and find the transcripts. I have long advocated that Republicans in general no longer have to take it from the media. Why do we have to sit there and let the media pick our nominee every four years, for example? Why can’t people stand up and say to various people in media, when you already know how they’re gonna treat you, why go there?

How many times have I suggested that Republicans avoid certain Sunday shows hosted by certain people. What’s gonna happen? You know you’re not gonna win anything there. You’re not gonna triumph there. No matter how well you do, after you’re gone they’re gonna portray you as something unfavorable. Why give them the chance? And I have asked Republicans this, and the answer I get, “You have to do it. We can’t avoid it. We can’t run from the media.” And I’ve always said, “You’re not running from them; you’re just not giving them the chance to personally destroy you, insult you, or what have you.”

And I can… I’ll bet you I could find in our archives over the past 25 years, after certain presidential debates or similar-type programs… I’ll bet you I can find myself saying, “Why do it? Why let those people moderate? Why agree to letting this debate commission to choose these people to moderate? Why don’t you stand up for yourselves and demand your own moderator?” So in that sense, I don’t have a problem with this. I think that this is something I’ve actually urged Republicans to do, as a party, over the course of the whole time that I have been doing this program.

Because, you know, everybody knows now and agrees that the Democrats are not our only opponent; the media is as well. Republicans are running against two opponents in every election. And Republicans have always just fallen back on the notion that that’s just the way it is for them. That’s the hand that they’re dealt. That’s the hand they have to play. And so there’s a part of me that enjoys it, and I’ll tell you why. It’s the same thing I said about Trump early on. I think the real value of Donald Trump — and I might have said this the first week of his campaign, certainly within the first month.

Donald Trump is showing that you don’t have to be afraid of the media — and Republicans are. Republicans are afraid of being called racist so they don’t criticize Obama. They’re afraid of being accused of the government shutdown, so they don’t make a single effort to stop any of this disastrous spending. And I’ve always said that the value Trump brings to this is demonstrating that you don’t have to fear criticizing the first black president. You don’t have to fear criticizing Democrats.

You don’t have to fear standing up to liberal Democrat policies and saying “no,” and you certainly don’t have to fear being accused of violating political correctness. And I still stand by that. I think there are valuable lessons being taught and demonstrated here — and, frankly, one of the things that has sort of mildly surprised me is how few other Republicans have sought to take advantage of this. I was hoping that Trump would inspire similar behavior in a whole lot of these candidates, if you want to know the truth.

Now, I’m not talking about reacting to criticism in what some people think’s a petty way.

I’m talking about being bold! I’m talking about being fearless! I’m talking about shelving — getting rid of — these generational fears of the media. Fears of charges of racism, sexism, bigotry, and homophobia. Just go out and tell people who you are. Go out and be who you are. Go out and stand for what you stand for and explain to people why, instead of thinking the only way you can get somewhere is to convince somebody else that you’re not what the Democrats or the media say about you.

That’s a losing proposition, ’cause nobody’s been ever able to prove a negative.

You just can’t do it.