RUSH: I just have to say, folks, God bless Brian Kemp. God bless him. The governor of Georgia is standing by his decision. I mean, he’s got everybody insulting him, everybody trying to tell him he’s the biggest boob and idiot in the country right now. And he’s standing by his decision to partially open his state, Georgia, today, with more openings on Monday.

JOHNNY DONOVAN: And now, from sunny South Florida, it’s Open Line Friday!

RUSH: We need to do this. Oklahoma’s doing the same thing. We need to do this. Damn, do we need to do this. We need to have a counterbalance to the one-size-fits-all. And, you know, it’s fascinating what is happening in Georgia. You know, Governor Kemp is not mandating anybody do anything. If you own a nail salon or a tattoo parlor, you don’t have to open up. And, if you happen to be a customer, you want a manicure, you want a tattoo, you don’t have to go to a newly opened store. You can make up your own mind.

And a lot of store owners say, “I appreciate the fact we can open. We’re not quite ready yet. We need to have masks for ourselves and for customers that come in.” It’s not insane. It’s not crazy. We don’t have a bunch of lunatics committing suicide today or Monday. We have intelligent Americans who are gonna make decisions based on their own self-interest. And we have a governor who is relaxing some of these stringent stay-at-home requirements.

And he will tell you, “I’ve got health experts. I have my own. I’ve got the data that they have given me. I’ve got my economic experts, and I can tell you my state is being wiped out. We have to do something here.” And he’s making it clear that he’s not some random, off-the-shelf rogue just doing this because he has the power to do it.

And we need it. We need for people to learn that they can go about their lives and that they’re not gonna die. Right now we have no counterweight to that allegation that everybody who gets this virus dies from it. And this is among many of the purposefully planted morsels of disinformation and misinformation about the virus.

I’ll tell you, I look at what’s happened here and my intelligence guided by experience is being really tested here. Really, really tested. I gotta be very, very careful about this.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Gonna start in Orlando in this half hour. This is Rick. Thank you, sir, for calling. Thank you for waiting, and hello.

CALLER: Rush, mega 30-year, black-and-gold Steeler fan dittos to you. I have been with you since almost day one, and it is an honor to be on with you right now.

RUSH: Thank you, sir. I am glad to have you out there.

CALLER: I just wanted to call just to thank you. People like you and Hannity and the Fox News people — but more so you and Sean — just being the truth and being there for the American people and knowing that we can get un-BS news from you all and just, you know, we can see where the country’s going.

I applaud you for backing Governor Kemp with what he’s doing, and helping us to get our country back on track. I mean, this is fault of no one but we’re all in this together. And, like I said, without people like you, who knows what stories we would be getting and what we would actually be believing. So, I thank you for that.

RUSH: Well, I appreciate that call. I appreciate your awareness. I’m glad that you see it that way. (sigh) I’ve spoken about conformity and conventional wisdom a lot. But what really interests me, confuses me — whatever the word is — is the lack of curiosity on the part of the media. When I was growing up, the media held out the government as the prime suspect.

That was the job of the media! The media was… There was a phrase, “speaking truth to power.” The media considered this their job. This is how they’re taught in journalism school, that they are to hold powerful people accountable. Those days are gone, and they are now part of the cabal.

They see themselves as the powerful people.

They’re in the club.

They’re in the group.

So there isn’t one! In the mainstream media, there isn’t one diversion from the party line. There isn’t one challenging, there is not one question, there isn’t one shred of doubt. Multiply however many people in journalism with whatever government agency’s saying whatever they’re saying.

The intel community and Trump-Russia collusion. Not one, not one reporter is asking, “Wait a minute, is all this really necessary?” They’re just falling right in line — and then if you happen to question it as I do?

Well, then they come after you for not conforming, for not following the party line — and accuse you of killing people, being irresponsible and so forth. But this can’t go on. Who wants to see this go on? Who wants to see this happen in the first place?

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: You know what’s gradually occurring to me here, folks? It is this. The more we know, the more we are learning, the less we have to fear. We’re learning that there may be many more people infected than we knew in California and in New York.

Governor Cuomo let the cat out of the bag on that one big yesterday. We talked about this at length yesterday, how the mortality rate in New York may be way lower than anybody thinks because the number of people infected is way higher than anybody thinks.

We know the two independent surveys in California have shown this in Santa Clara County and Los Angeles County. So that’s a good thing to learn. The more we learn about this, the less there is to fear. It’s not saying that there’s nothing to fear. But there certainly is less — and now you know the mission of the left.

Now you know the mission of the Drive-By Media — the Democrats in the media — bury helpful information and spread disinformation to keep the fear factor as high as they can for as long as possible. These locoweeds, the Democrats, are out there trying to portray themselves as heroes who are going to save you from Donald Trump. They’re gonna save you from walking on the beach.

They’re gonna save you from sitting in the center seat of an airline coach configuration. They’re gonna save you from capitalism. They’re gonna save you from the dignity of work. Republican governor in Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, announced certain nonessential businesses will be allowed to open today, starting today, in an effort to restart the economy in Oklahoma. Governor Stitt explained at a Wednesday press conference the state’s three phase plan to reopen the economy, which is based on coronavirus testing and tracing.

The first stage of Oklahoma’s plan allows for personal care businesses to reopen starting today, for appointments only, while following strict sanitation protocols. The stores included under the plan include hair salons, include barbershops, include spas and nail salons and pet groomers. These guidelines are only applicable in communities that do not have more restrictions in place.

Well, wait a minute. Why is Brian Kemp being beat up and the governor of Oklahoma isn’t? Well, one of the answers is Oklahoma is in flyover country. Drive-By Media doesn’t know how to get there. But there’s also Colorado. Colorado is gonna have a phased reopening, and they are getting a total pass.

David Catron writing in the American Spectator, “When President Trump first unveiled his three-phase strategy for lifting the job-killing stay-at-home orders imposed by most states … among the first to embrace the guidelines were Govs. Brian Kemp of Georgia and Jared Polis of Colorado.” Now, he may pronounce it Polis. I have not ever heard his name pronounced so I don’t know how it’s pronounced. And I goofed up. I didn’t look it up so I’m just guessing. I pronounced it both ways.

“Moreover, their reopening plans were quite similar. Both, for example, will permit hair salons, tattoo parlors, and other personal services to resume operation. Yet the reception by the legacy media and various ‘experts’ has been dramatically different. While the Polis plan has excited little comment,” nobody’s even talking about it, poor old Brian Kemp is being denounced by everybody from the president on down. Hell, even the snail darters, if they could talk, would be denouncing Brian Kemp.

He’s been denounced by the media. He’s been denounced by public health advisers. He’s been denounced by Dr. Fauci. He’s been denounced by everybody, practically, on the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

“Upon being advised that Gov. Kemp had decided to begin reopening businesses in his state, President Trump was supportive: ‘He’s a very capable man. He knows what he’s doing. He’s done a very good job as governor.'” But then came Dr. Fauci and other members of the Coronavirus Task Force, and he refused to publicly endorse Governor Kemp’s plan.

CNN reported: “They then asked Dr. Deborah Birx, the panel’s coordinator, to try to convince Trump to oppose Kemp’s move. She had a private meeting with the president just prior to the news conference and successfully convinced him to denounce Kemp’s decision.” This is a CNN story, so take it however you will.

“According to the report, Trump called the governor and asked him to delay the reopening. Kemp refused: I discussed Georgia’s plan to reopen shuttered businesses for limited operations with @POTUS…. Our next measured step is driven by data and guided by state public health officials.”

He’s not acting rogue here. He’s got data from state public health officials and economists. He said, Governor Kemp said, “We will continue with this approach to protect the lives — and livelihoods — of all Georgians… I am confident that business owners who decide to reopen will adhere to Minimum Basic Operations.”

Nobody is being demanded or required to open, and no customers are being told they’ve gotta patronize these places. But here’s the question. Why in the world is the governor of Colorado getting a pass, a much easier ride from the Coronavirus Task Force and the media, than is Governor Kemp? Are they doing a better job in Colorado of dealing with the virus than Georgia? No. “As of Thursday afternoon, according to the RealClearPolitics coronavirus tracker, Georgia has endured fewer deaths per million (82.1) than Colorado (88.2), has a lower confirmed case fatality rate (4.05 percent) than Colorado (4.67 percent), and has conducted twice as many tests (101,062) than has Colorado (50,645). Now, to answer the question with which this paragraph began, here’s how the Washington Post reported Kemp’s decision to reopen.”

You ready? Three, two, one.

“Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s move Monday to lift restrictions on a wide range of businesses, one of the most aggressive moves yet to reignite commercial activity in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, put his state at the center of a deepening national battle over whether Americans are ready to risk exacerbating the public health crisis to revive the shattered economy.”

Here’s how the Washington Post reported Colorado’s situation. “It’s buried 14 paragraphs down in a reprinted Associated Press report about states considering economic restarts. Conspicuously absent are any portentous allusions to a ‘deepening national battle’ or that it might ‘risk exacerbating the public health crisis.'”

Here’s what it said. The governor of Colorado “outlined a plan to ease statewide stay-at-home and nonessential business closures Monday. All nonessential retailers may soon offer curbside delivery and can fully reopen, at half-staff capacity and with protective measures. Offices and personal services can do the same in May. Schools, universities, gyms remain closed, along with indoor restaurant and bar service.”

There’s no characterizations of the governor at all. There’s no judgmentalism of the decision at all. When describing Colorado, which is reopening with not nearly the decent stats that Georgia has. “Governor Brian Kemp and his move Monday to lift restrictions on a wide range of businesses, one of the most aggressive moves yet, put his state at the center of a deepening national battle.” Brian Kemp, Georgia. What’s the difference? You tell me.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Brian’s in Commerce, Georgia. It’s great to have you, sir. Hello.

CALLER: Hey, Rush, mega dittos and prayers. I’ve been listening to you since 1991.

RUSH: Thank you, sir, all these people say they’ve been listening a long time, and I really appreciate that.

CALLER: Yes, sir. We appreciate what you’ve been doing for us too. Yeah, I’m in the middle of the Georgia scourge here. People are dropping like flies with manicures and pedicures, but it our fingernails look great.

RUSH: (Laughing)

CALLER: And our hair, too, but, no, of course it’s not as bad as — listen. I’m a former civics teacher. And I think this has been a giant teachable moment even just between Kemp and Trump. This is the difference between federalism and a unitary system that is top down. Federalism is a check-and-balance relationship between states and federal government. It’s not Trump versus Kemp. They’re working together. And, you know, I’m really kind of getting cheesed off at the fact that they’re really going after Governor Kemp for doing what’s best for —

RUSH: Because he’s not conforming. It’s very simple, he’s not conforming. He’s not going along with conventional wisdom. He’s defying the people that think they run things. He’s defying the autocrats, including the media. And, by the way, you’re a former civics teacher. I have to tell you something. I think if something in American language has the worst possible name for what it really means, it’s federalism.

CALLER: Yeah. Well, you assume that federalism means that we are being run by the federal government —

RUSH: Right. Like you said, unitary, top down. Federalism — it’s not — it’s the exact opposite of that. It’s the strangest name for a system.

CALLER: It’s a great system of checks and balances just as there is between the different branches of government at the federal level but between federal and state —

RUSH: Exactly right. And it says among many other things that we’re not a bunch of commie pinkos in this country.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: We have a call from Georgia here. This is Gretchen. She’s in Thomson, Georgia. Welcome. It’s great to have you here on Open Line Friday. Hi.

CALLER: Thanks, Rush. Mega prayers.

RUSH: Thank you.

CALLER: Real quick, I believe in what our governor is doing. I’m thinking if you wait another week or another two weeks, it’s not gonna change anything. Look. We went to a big grocery store in Augusta, my husband and I are both senior citizens. We went there the Saturday before Easter and there were probably a hundred people in that store and maybe only half of them had masks on. So, I’m gonna get my haircut Monday, I might see five people in the shop, and we’ll all have masks on. I don’t see how this is gonna be a problem.

RUSH: Yeah. I feel you. I know exactly what — your real point is, what is another two weeks gonna mean? What’s gonna change in two weeks? Is the virus gonna become less virulent in two weeks? Is the virus gonna be vanquished in two weeks? The reason why two weeks, I told you — and Cuomo is doing it — I told you everybody they’re gonna keep extending this lockdown in intervals of two weeks because they think you’ll accept that. “Oh, two more weeks, I can deal with that.” Instead of telling you, “We’re gonna be locked down until November.” They’ll tell you every two weeks hoping to get you to November.

CALLER: Yes.

RUSH: I think some of these people intend this country to be locked down for the rest of the year. That’s what I think, and they’re never gonna tell you, they’re not gonna tell you, and that’s why what Governor Kemp is doing is crucially important.

CALLER: Exactly. And the only way you can get rid of it is with a vaccine, and that’s not gonna happen. So, it’s not gonna go away so we just need to accept it —

RUSH: Well, there’s another way of getting rid of it. Well, you don’t get rid of it. There’s another way of dealing with it, and that is more and more people develop an immunity to it.

CALLER: Exactly.

RUSH: But you can’t do that until you’re exposed to it. And so you know who the highly vulnerable are. They are elderly, we’re told people who have high blood pressure, diabetes, are elderly, have pulmonary problems, you shelter them, you lock them down, you keep them secluded and then let people go about their lives. If these numbers are true, that the infection rate’s 50 times higher than what is known, it means a lot of people have been exposed to the virus, never had any symptoms, and have developed an immunity to it. It’s how it happens. But we’re afraid to do that.