Via Keith Olbermann on “Countdown” last night — Republican Party boss Limbaugh had a mini-meltdown on the air yesterday when a conservative caller dared to criticize Limbaugh — not because of Limbaugh’s statements saying he hopes America fails — but because of Limbaugh’s support for torturing suspects.
Here’s a transcript (via HuffPo) of what the conservative caller dared say to Rush Limbaugh:
LIMBAUGH: We’re going to go to Chicago. This is Charles. Charles thank you for waiting and for calling. Great to have you here. Hello.
CALLER: Thanks Rush. Rush listen, I voted Republican and I really didn’t want to see Obama get in office. But you know Rush, you’re one reason to blame for this election, for the Republicans losing. First of all, you kept harping about voting for Hillary. The second big issue was the torture issue. I’m a veteran. We’re not supposed to be torturing these people. This is not Nazi Germany, Red China, North Korea. There’s other ways of interrogating people, and you just kept harping about, it’s okay, or it’s not really torture. And it was just more than waterboarding. Some of these prisoners will killed under torture.
And it was crazy for you to go on and on like Levin and Hannity and Hewitt. It’s like you’re all brainwashed. And my last comment is, no matter what Obama does, you will still criticize him because I believe you are brainwashed. You’re just — and I hate to say it — but I think you’re a brainwashed Nazi. Anyone who can believe in torture has got to be — there has got to be something wrong with them.
LIMBAUGH: You know —
CALLER: And I know Bush wanted to keep us safe and all of that but we’re not supposed to be torturing these people.
LIMBAUGH: Charles, if anybody is admitting that they are brainwashed it would be you.
CALLER: No, no, Rush. I don’t think so. You, Hannity, and Levin are all brainwashed —
LIMBAUGH: Charles, you said at the beginning of your phone call that you didn’t want Obama in there. But you voted for him because of me.
CALLER: I didn’t vote for him. I voted for McCain. I voted Republican.
LIMBAUGH: Oh, so you’re saying I turned people off —
CALLER: You turned people off with all this vote for Hillary and all this BS.
LIMBAUGH: That was Operation Chaos. That was to keep the chaos in the Democrat primaries —
CALLER: It didn’t work and what we have with you Hannity Levin and Hewitt is sour grapes. That’s all we have. And believe me, I’m not — I’m more to the right than I am to the left.
LIMBAUGH: Oh, of course you are.
CALLER: I am.
LIMBAUGH: Of course you are. You wouldn’t be calling here with all of these sour grapes if you weren’t.
CALLER: Well I’m tired of listening to go on and on with this —
LIMBAUGH: I don’t know of anybody who died from torture.
CALLER: We’re not supposed to torture people. Do you remember World War II, the Nazis? The Nuremburg trials?
LIMBAUGH: Charles, Barack Obama —
CALLER: What’s the matter with you? You never even served in the military. I served in the Marine Corps and the Army.
LIMBAUGH: Charles, Barack Obama is president of the United States today because of stupid, ignorant people who think like you do. You pose – you and your ignorance are the most expensive commodity this country has. You think you know everything. You don’t know diddly squat. You call me a Nazi? You call me someone who supports torture and you want credibility on this program? You’re just plan embarrassing and ludicrous. But it doesn’t surprise me that you’re the kind of Republican that our last candidate attracted. Because you’re no Republican at all based on what the hell you just said right here.
Limbaugh’s meltdown at the end has all the makings of a “macaca” moment — the sort of video clip that could go viral and permanently changes public perception, as happened when neo-Confederate presidential wannabe George Allen was caught on tape using the racial slur “macaca” to describe a young man in his audience.
We’ll see.
What would be more damning is a video of Limbaugh outside his environment in a relaxed setting, giving his honest opinions to a friend or relative. He doesn’t really believe all the hooey he spews publicly. If his viewers saw that he wasn’t really the right-wing-neocon-conservative-rabid-militant he puts forth, he would be done for. I hear he really isn’t like that at all, it’s just for show. Why wouldn’t it be when he’s making gazillions? I mean, it’s ENTERTAINMENT and he’s an ACTOR.
I love the comments from our Republican veteran, who clearly hasn’t forgotten why he served in the first place. He still holds true to the real American ideals. He just took way too long to remember them. 2001 would have been a much better moment.
I doubt that this incident is going to do the job all by itself. The brainwashed will need to see their great idol completely crumble into Oxycontin dust in front of their blank faces before there will be even a glimmer in their dim brains that they have been played for fools.
Rush and his ilk have nothing right now. Their hopes were so high just a few weeks ago when things in this country were at its worse. Things seem to be looking up a little bit and this is putting them in a panic. Not only does Rush want Obama to fail but he wants this country to fall apart under him so he can have something to talk about on his show. The more things get better under Obama the more jiggly and huff and puff Rush will get as he tires to figure out a way to talk about something on his lame show. If for nothing else, the economy and country needs to get better just so we can see Rush/Fox and the rest crash and burn on their shows. P.S. I love the comment the caller made about Rush not serving….