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Daily Kos: I chatted with Rush Limbaugh about Ronald Reagan today (you can listen)

#98QBKiller

By #98QBKiller
in The Tailgate

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#98QBKiller

#98QBKiller

Posted
Posted

Wow, this guy left Limbaugh speechless. There's a lot of revisionist history going on with regard to Ronald Reagan and how he's some kind of hero to conservatives. I wish they would've left this guy on the air to finish the conversation.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2011/2/4/941351/-I-chatted-with-Rush-Limbaugh-about-Ronald-Reagan-today-

STARK
: Hi, Rush. I, um... I'm calling because... Well, first of all, I'm a liberal, and I seriously don't understand this, uh, Reagan idolatry on behalf of conservatives. I'll get... I'll give you my reasons. Instead of privatizing Social Security, he raised taxes. We're all paying higher taxes today out of our paychecks every single week because he decided to save Social Security. He --

RUSH
: Wait, wait. Hold it. I need to go...

RUSH
: Wait. Jeez.

STARK
: The Greenspan Commission. He signed it into law, and it raised taxes on Social Security.

RUSH
: What...? Wait, you're talking about Reagan or Clinton?

STARK
: I'm talking about Reagan. Reagan did that. He raised taxes on Social Security. He negotiated with terrorists, sending -- over and over again -- arms to Iran in exchange for hostages perform by contrast Jimmy Carter didn't give an inch to the Iranians.

RUSH
: What in the world...?

STARK
: Not an inch. Instead Reagan (crosstalk)

RUSH
: Testing the true depth of my politeness here on this call, folks.

STARK
: Say that again?

RUSH
: Let me ask you a question. What do you think, given all this that you believe, when you hear Obama and the Democrats cite Reagan as they have been doing since about a week before the State of the Union?

STARK
: It's funny you ask that. Because as a liberal I think Obama owes his presidency to Reagan. They're both kinda stuffed suits that say one thing and then do another. Obama hasn't been anywhere near liberal enough for me. He said he'd close Guantamano (sic), he hasn't done that.

RUSH
: Yeah.

STARK
: He said he'd help people out with foreclosures, he hasn't done that.

RUSH
: I feel for you on that.

STARK
: But Reagan, I mean, amnesty to people who are breaking the law and living in the country illegally. He said, "Forget about it. Stay here forever." He cut and ran from Lebanon. How many hundreds of Marines were killed --

RUSH
: Yeah.

STARK
: -- and he just decided, "Well, you know, instead of the fighting the bad guys I'm gonna run away"?

RUSH
: Yeah.

STARK
: Why is Reagan a hero to conservatives?

RUSH
: "Why is Reagan a hero to conservatives?" I don't think you... Given what you've said, and I'm not trying to avoid the question, I don't think you'd ever understand it.

STARK
: Well, he's a tax raiser, an amnesty giver, a cut-and-runner, and he negotiated with terrorists. Why is he a hero to conservatives? I don't think you understand it.

RUSH
: No, I do. Most assuredly I do. I just don't think that you would understand it. Where did you get this silly notion that Reagan raised taxes on Social Security? What websites do you read? Where did you pick that up?

STARK
: Look up the Greenspan Commission. It's not too hard to find. I mean, it's a matter of history.

RUSH
: Where did you get it? I mean, you're asking me questions. I'm just reversing one on you here.

STARK
: I'm sorry. It's just general knowledge. It's something I've known for a long time. I can't remember where I got it from.

RUSH
: You can't remember? You've never heard of a website called Media Matters which highlighted it yesterday?

STARK
: (static) Oh, no. I know Media Matters very well but that's not where I got it.

RUSH
: Oh, not where you got it. It's an amazing coincidence.

STARK
: (static) I mean, I'm a liberal. Of course I know Media Matters.

RUSH
: Amazing coincidence out there.

STARK
: They're a fantastic website. But why are you dodging the question? I want to know why a tax-raising, amnesty-giving, cut-and-running, negotiating-with-terrorists guy is a hero to the conservative movement.

RUSH
: Well, because you understand Reagan in a way that is flawed. You --

Your call is actually kinda interesting because you represent the impossibility of "bridging the gap." Somebody like you just has to be defeated. There's no crossing the aisle and finding common ground with you. You're free to be who you are, don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to insulting. I'm just saying, you are unreachable. You don't want to be reached. T his picture of Reagan, you've just described somebody you should love, and you hate him! You just described somebody you should absolutely love, all these things. He's an anti-conservative, as you say, but you don't love him. You're having trouble understanding why he's viewed as heroic to a lot of people.

I could talk to you about anti-communism. I could. You want to talk about amnesty? Yeah, that was Simpson-Mazzoli, and that was one-and-a-half, two million illegals; and he was told, "Okay, if we're gonna do this, this is it, then. We're gonna secure the borders and that's it." It's the same thing with every tax increase he signed. It was also accompanied by promises to cut spending, and it never happened. Reagan's not perfect. Nobody is. But I think the proof of Reagan is the fact that when your guys get in trouble, who do they seek to associate themselves with? Remember, Obama and these people are all about getting votes.

The fact that he's trying to surround himself with Reagan, the fact that he's trying to position himself with Reagan is the best indication anybody could have of what this country really thinks of Ronaldus Magnus. I think if you want to focus in on hypocrisy, you've got far more of it on your side of the aisle to explain and dig through than we do. Reagan was forced to raise payroll taxes by a crisis in Social Security in 1983. He endorsed that rescue plan that was written by Alan Greenspan. It was reluctant. He was not a big supporter of that. Remember, Reagan did not have a congressional majority with him.

Everything he got, the tax cuts, he had Democrats outnumbering him in the House and Senate everywhere. There were certain realities that he faced. But the biggest tax increase on Social Security was authored by none other than Bill Clinton. But did you understand the notion? Ronald Reagan fought for America. He loved America. He feared where the left, based on history, wanted to take the country. Ronald Reagan set the stage for the end of the Cold War. Ronald Reagan defeated Soviet communism without firing a shot. I don't know... But none of that would matter. So you, sir, a nice individual, I'm sure you're a fine guy (probably not too much fun at a ball game, unlike Bill Clinton), but still, you illustrate that people like you just have to be defeated, not met halfway and gotten along with. I mean politically.

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Henry

Henry

Posted
Posted

He sure did sound flummoxed for a bit there, but he made a nice recovery. Cutting the caller off and going on the attack was a good move for him. :)

I do have to say that when Limbaugh said there's no crossing the aisle and finding common ground with you I had to guffaw. As if Limbaugh has ever attempted to find common ground with liberals ever.

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Predicto

Predicto

Posted
Posted
What's the problem? Limbaugh was spot on.

Anyone can seem "spot on" when they cut off the mike on the guy and go into a monologue of pre-planned cliches that no one is allowed to challenge. Heck, someone could probably evem make a case for Jimmy Carter that way. :ols:

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Destino

Destino

Posted
Posted
What's the problem? Limbaugh was spot on.

about what exactly? Reagan today is as mythical as Odysseus. Not only do people get wrong what he did while in office but they also credit an 80's president with representing "tradition" when he actually represented change.

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Burgold

Burgold

Posted
Posted

I'll give Rush this, he let the caller go on for a good while. He didn't seem to know how to handle him, but he gave the caller a lot of lead (probably hoping that he'd trip up). Reagan was not the President either Conservatives or Liberals paint him as. Certainly, he was the enemy to any fiscal conservative, but he was also hostile to a number of liberal points.

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Chicken Fried

Chicken Fried

Posted
Posted
about what exactly? Reagan today is as mythical as Odysseus. Not only do people get wrong what he did while in office but they also credit an 80's president with representing "tradition" when he actually represented change.

About where the majority of the hypocrisy lies. Both sides will do most anything for a vote, but it's really actually pathetic what the democrats will do.

---------- Post added February-11th-2011 at 05:04 PM ----------

Certainly, he was the enemy to any fiscal conservative

Which is why I don't idolize him (although at least in terms of defense spending, he didn't have much of a choice - we had to keep pace with the commies)

but he was also hostile to a number of liberal points.

and which is why I greatly respect him and am glad he was our President.

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Baculus

Baculus

Posted
Posted

Limbaugh was intellectually pwned in the face. But notice how Limbaugh asserted that the caller "has to be defeated" because he brought up some very good points that are outside of the Republican narrative on Reagan?

This caller was actually being nice, because he could have brought up Contra-cocaine, the S&L crises, Black Monday, or all of the Reagan officials that were investigated, indicted in court, etc. All of which Winston Smith-lites would love to whitewash out of the history books.

Some Ronald Reagan supporters would prefer to ignore all of the various historical realities that this caller addressed. In a way, these Gipper adherents are using and abusing his memory, the good and bad parts of it, for their own exploitation, even though some of them are decrying Obama for trying to "co-opt" Reagan.

---------- Post added February-11th-2011 at 11:33 PM ----------

What's the problem? Limbaugh was spot on.

Sorry, but where was Limbaugh "spot on"? Heck, he could barely articulate a coherent sentence, and he never eve addressed the question: WHY is Reagan a conservative hero? Because he was anti-communist? So where every else who preceded him in office? Because he loved America? Well, I am sure Georgian, peanut farmer Jimmy Carter did (or does) as well. Limbaugh could said that he appreciated Reagan's philosophies on government, but the reality is that (a) government grew under Reagan, and (2) the national debt increased as well.

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PeterMP

PeterMP

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Posted
(although at least in terms of defense spending, he didn't have much of a choice - we had to keep pace with the commies)

It is quite clear that by any real measure we were well a head of the Russians, and the only way the Russians were even close to keeping pace with us was through "cheap" espionage (i.e. American citizens selling state secrets very cheaply).

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Larry

Larry

Posted
Posted

I'm always surprised at the people who can't figure out what the GOP faithful see in Reagan.

I can explain it to y'all in clear, simple, terms:

Take everything good that has happened, anywhere in the world, any time in the last 30 years. And give Reagan the credit for it.

Take everything bad that has happened, anywhere in the world, any time in the last 30 years. And blame a Democrat.

Now you know what they see in Reagan.

Folks, we're talking about people who, 30 years later, believe that the Soviet Union granted independence to Germany and Poland because Ronald Reagan threw dump trucks full of deficit spending at defense contractors.

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jnhay

jnhay

Posted
Posted
I'll give Rush this, he let the caller go on for a good while. He didn't seem to know how to handle him, but he gave the caller a lot of lead (probably hoping that he'd trip up). Reagan was not the President either Conservatives or Liberals paint him as. Certainly, he was the enemy to any fiscal conservative, but he was also hostile to a number of liberal points.

I think a call screener probably got fired for this. I find it very hard to believe that 99% of the time when a caller questions Rush on the show, they turn out to be a total idiot who he easily takes advantage of.

I like how Rush doesn't argue against the guy's points at all. If he's spot on, it was about things that had nothing to do with the caller's question.

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