Emptysuit

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody! (Applause.) It’s good to be home. (Applause.) It is good to be back in Quincy! Thank you, everybody. Thank you. It is good to be back in Quincy! (Applause.)

We’ve got some special guests here I want to acknowledge: the outstanding governor of the great state of Illinois, Patrick Quinn, is here. (Applause.) Your fine mayor, John Spring — give him a big round of applause. (Applause.) Attorney General Lisa Madigan. (Applause.) Treasurer and soon to be senator, Alexi Giannoulias. (Applause.) Secretary of State and tumbler supreme, Jesse White. (Applause.)

So I missed you guys. (Applause.) You know, now, being President is nice. (Laughter.) You live above the store, so it’s a really short commute. (Laughter.) There’s a nice plane. But one of the toughest things about being President is I don’t get a chance to come home as much I’d like and visit with all of you like I used to. (Applause.) I see a lot of familiar faces in the crowd here.

Now, part of the problem is, is that when I travel now it kind of causes a ruckus. (Laughter.) I do remember, though, the last time I was here — I think it was in this building — that we were filling up sandbags, weren’t we? (Applause.) And I still remember that day because it was the picture of what America is about. You had people from all different walks of life, the whole community coming together; everybody was working hard; everybody knew that there was a challenge coming from the potential flooding; but everybody was in good spirits because they figured if we’re all working together then there’s no reason why we can’t handle this. We’ve handled things before. (Applause.) And that’s the American spirit on display and that’s the spirit of Quincy and the spirit of Illinois.

So it’s just good to be reminded of that and to come back and spend some time with you all. We spent a couple of days in Iowa and Missouri and now back here — (applause.) Yea, Missouri! (Applause.) How about Iowa? Have we got some Iowans here? (Applause.) We got a few Iowans — but we are in Illinois. (Applause.)

But over the last couple of days, we’ve talked to workers who are busy building wind blades for these big wind turbines, and a biofuel plant; families and small business owners trying to navigate through a tough economy; talking to farmers about what’s happening to family farms in the region. And because it’s folks like all of you and towns like Quincy that give America its heartbeat, that’s why it’s so important for me to be able to visit.

It’s towns like this where working men and women built the American Dream with their bare hands. This is where our roots are. I just met a young man coming in — he says he’s my cousin. There he is, right there. (Laughter.) Seriously, it’s — what is it, fourth generation? Four generations back? I told him he was a little better looking than me. (Laughter.)

But all of us trace back to this experience of parents, grandparents, great-grandparents building this American Dream — not having much to begin with. And that dream is shared by every Illinoisan and every American — the chance to make a good living, to raise a healthy and secure family, and most of all, to give our kids opportunities that we didn’t have ourselves.

Now, the truth is, is that sometimes it feels like that dream is slipping away. Times are tough in Quincy. Times are tough all across America. We’ve gone through the worst economy since the Great Depression. Even though our economy is growing again, even though our markets are climbing again and our businesses are finally beginning to create jobs again, there are a lot of folks who still aren’t feeling that recovery in their own lives.

And I’ve heard their stories across the country. I’ve read it in the letters that I get each night. And a lot of them are worried about whether or not they’re going to be able to sustain their dream for a better life. Many felt that way even before this most recent crisis, even before the economic storm of the past two years. Folks were living up to their responsibilities as best they could, working hard, looking after their families, giving back to their communities, but they kept on finding themselves getting hurt in this economy in ways they didn’t expect. And part of it was because Washington and Wall Street weren’t living up to their responsibilities. (Applause.)

That’s why I asked to be your President. That’s why so many of you joined the campaign. (Applause.) You joined me because you believed we had it within our power to change things.

AUDIENCE: Yeah!

THE PRESIDENT: You figured we could solve the problems that had been holding us back year after year after year, and focus on working Americans again. You believed we could keep the American Dream alive in our time, and for all time. And so that’s what I want to talk about today.

When I took office, we were in the midst of this historic financial crisis brought on by reckless and irresponsible speculation on Wall Street. (Applause.) That in turn had led to a recession that hammered Main Street across America. And you saw lost jobs and lost homes and lost businesses, and downscaled dreams.

The first thing we had to do then was mount an aggressive response — to make sure that this terrible recession didn’t turn into another Great Depression. And let’s face it, that required some tough steps to stabilize the financial sector. And some of those steps weren’t popular. I knew they weren’t popular. I’ve got pollsters. (Laughter.) They told me, boy, that’s really going to be unpopular. (Laughter.) But we made those decisions anyway, because the well-being of millions of Americans depended on them. Even if they didn’t poll well, they were the right thing to do. It was the only thing we could do to take those steps. (Applause.)

So we took these steps to get America back on its feet. We aimed tax relief right at the middle class, the cornerstone of the American Dream. We made sure that we cut taxes for 95 percent of working families, put money in their pockets because they were experiencing hard times — fewer hours or somebody in the family being laid off, making sure that they could still buy groceries and pay the bills to keep the economy afloat.

We cut taxes for small businesses. We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. We cut taxes for students and parents paying for college. (Applause.) And all of this — not only did this help those individual families, but it increased purchasing power and spending power for businesses all across the country. And then we extended unemployment benefits and we made COBRA cheaper for folks who had lost their jobs. (Applause.) And then we helped give help to the states. And Pat Quinn will tell you, because of the federal assistance that was provided, we averted some massive layoffs of teachers and police officers and firefighters all across the country. (Applause.)

So we did what it took to rescue our economy and spark its recovery. And that work goes on. And so I’m pleased to see that we were losing 700,000 jobs a month when I came into office — now we’re gaining jobs. (Applause.) The economy was contracting — now the economy is growing. (Applause.) The markets are back. We’re making progress. We’re moving in the right direction.

But, keep in mind, I didn’t run for President just to get back to where we were when we started. I want us to do better than we were doing. (Applause.) I want folks to have more opportunity. I want people to have more and better jobs. And I want our young people to be getting better educations and more access to college. (Applause.)

It’s time to rebuild our economy on a new foundation so that we’ve got real and sustained growth. It’s time to extend opportunity to every corner of Main Street, in every city and every town and every county in America, so that young people don’t feel like they’ve got to move someplace else to make their way. They can stay right here in Quincy. (Applause.) They can stay in Monroe. They can stay in Macon. (Applause.) They can stay in Fort Madison.

It’s time to create conditions so that Americans who work hard can gain ground again, and they don’t have to take out a bunch of credit card debt. They don’t have to endanger their long-term financial future. And that’s what — that’s at the heart of all our efforts.

It’s why we made the biggest investment in clean energy in our history, creating middle-class jobs in Middle America that harness the wind and the sun, and biofuels — that won’t be shipped away; jobs that will stay right here in the United States of America, and create energy independence so we don’t have to import as much oil. (Applause.)

It’s why we took on the special interests and reformed the student loan system so that it works for students, not bankers. (Applause.)

I don’t know if people paid attention to this. Because we were having such a big debate around health care, people may have missed this. The way the student loan system was working, the federal government was guaranteeing these loans but the banks were still taking billions of dollars of profits out of the student loan program. And my attitude is, well, if we’re guaranteeing them, then where’s the risk? So what are you getting paid for?

So we said we’ll just lend the money directly to the students. (Applause.) That saved tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending that we’re now reinvesting in making college more affordable and upgrading America’s community colleges, so that every young person in America can get ahead in the 21st century. (Applause.)

And, yes, Quincy, that’s why we finally passed health reform in America — (applause) — reform that will begin to end some of the worst practices in the insurance industry this year. (Applause.) So this year, they’re going to — they will have to stop dropping you when you get sick. This year, children with preexisting conditions, they’ve got to be able to buy insurance. This year, some of these lifetime limits that mean that you got insurance but you still end up being bankrupt — those practices are going to end. (Applause.)

And in a few years, millions of families and small business owners are going to have more choice, more competition. You’re going to be able to purchase the same kind of high-quality, affordable care that members of Congress get. And you know that’s going to be pretty good. (Applause.) You know they’re going to give themselves good insurance. You’re going to be able to buy it, too. (Applause.)

And by the way, this reform will reduce our deficit by more than $1 trillion. (Applause.) And, listen, don’t — this notion — I know the debate was contentious. But the truth of the matter is since I’ve been here, I’ve already met — I was in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, met a woman — (laughter) — met a woman at Jerry’s — you know Jerry’s, right? This is a restaurant there, and met a woman and she said — she came up and she said, “My husband is self-employed. I’m a homemaker. We both have preexisting conditions. We need help now.” And I told her this is exactly why we fought so hard for health care reform.

And then today, I met a woman who had breast cancer, and she was wondering how soon can we start moving on some of these programs inside the health care legislation.

This isn’t some abstraction. Sometimes, the folks who were fighting us, they made it sound as if, oh, he just wants big government, this — no. I just want people to be able to not go bankrupt and lose their house when they get sick. (Applause.) I just want them not to have — see their premiums doubled. I don’t want them to be taken advantage of by insurance companies. (Applause.) I want you to get a fair deal and a fair shake. (Applause.) And that’s part of my job as President of the United States of America. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I love you!

THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Applause.)

Now, speaking of — speaking of you getting a fair shake, that’s why we need good old common-sense Wall Street reform. (Applause.) And we need it today. We don’t need it next year. We don’t need to do another study and examine it. We need it now. (Applause.)

And in case you’re wondering, let me just take a minute to explain why it’s important to you. The crisis we went through, it wasn’t part of the normal economic cycle. What happened was you had some people — not all people — there’s some very decent people here who are in the financial sector — but you had some people on Wall Street who took these unbelievable risks with other people’s money.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Damn. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: They made bets. They were making bets on what was going to happen in the housing market, and they would create these derivatives and all these instruments that nobody understood. But it was basically operating like a big casino. And it was producing big profits and big bonuses for them, but it was all built on shaky economics and some of these subprime loans that had been given out. And because we did not have common-sense rules in place, those irresponsible practices came awfully close to bringing down our entire economy and millions of dreams along with it.

We had a system where some on Wall Street could take these risks without fear of failure, because they keep the profits when it was working, and as soon as it went south, they expected you to cover their losses. So it was one of those heads, they tail — tails, you lose.

So they failed to consider that behind every dollar that they traded, all that leverage they were generating, acting like it was Monopoly money, there were real families out who were trying to finance a home, or pay for their child’s college, or open a business, or save for retirement. So what’s working fine for them wasn’t working for ordinary Americans. And we’ve learned that clearly. It doesn’t work out fine for the country. It’s got to change. (Applause.)

Now, what we’re doing — I want to be clear, we’re not trying to push financial reform because we begrudge success that’s fairly earned. I mean, I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money. (Laughter.) But part of the American way is you can just keep on making it if you’re providing a good product or you’re providing a good service. We don’t want people to stop fulfilling the core responsibilities of the financial system to help grow the economy.

I’ve said this before. I’ve said this on Wall Street just last week. I believe in the power of the free market. And I believe in a strong financial system. And when it’s working right, financial institutions, they help make possible families buying homes, and businesses growing, and new ideas taking flight. An entrepreneur may have a great idea, but he may need to borrow some money to make it happen. It would be hard for a lot of us to buy a house — our first house, at least, if we weren’t able to take out a mortgage.

So there’s nothing wrong with a financial system that helps the economy expand. And there are a lot of good people in the financial industry who are doing things the right way. And it’s in our interest when those firms are strong and when they’re healthy.

But some of these institutions that operated irresponsibly, they’re not just threatening themselves — they threaten the whole economy. And they threaten your dreams, your prospects, everything that you worked so hard to build.

So we just want them to operate in a way that’s fair and honest and in the open, so that we don’t have to go through what we’ve already gone through. (Applause.) We want to make sure the financial system doesn’t just work for Wall Street, but it works for Main Street, too. It works for Quincy. It works for Mount Pleasant. It works for Macon and Fort Madison. (Applause.)

Now, let me explain to you what this reform should look like, because one of the things you discover when you get to Washington is what’s black is white and what’s up is down and sometimes people will –

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Lie.

THE PRESIDENT: I didn’t say lie, but — (laughter) — they will tell stories about what’s going on. So let me just be very clear in terms of what we’re proposing on financial reform. First — and I know this is important to you because it’s important to me — we’re going to make sure the American taxpayer is never again on the hook when a Wall Street firm fails. Never again. (Applause.) We don’t want to see another bailout. That’s what this reform does.

Now, you’ve got some — you had some who were saying, cynically, just claiming the opposite, that somehow this was a bill that institutionalized bailouts. What this bill did was it said, no, if you have a firm on Wall Street that fails, the financial industry is going to pay — not taxpayers. So a vote for reform is a vote to end taxpayer-funded bailouts once and for all. (Applause.) If a crisis like this again happens, financial firms are going to foot the bill. That’s point number one.

Point number two — we’re going to close the loopholes that allowed derivatives and all these other large, risky deals that don’t make a lot of economic sense and that could threaten our entire economy — we want to bring those deals out into the — out of the dark alleys of our financial system into the light of day, so that everybody knows exactly what’s happening, what risks are being taken — investors, shareholders, everybody knows what’s going on. That’s the second thing.

Number three — this reform is going to give you more power because we’re going to put in place the strongest consumer financial protections in history. (Applause.) Because — and the reason this is important — the reason this is important, this crisis wasn’t just the result of what happened on Wall Street. It also happened because there were a lot of decisions by folks out on Main Street who were taking out mortgages they didn’t understand, credit cards they didn’t understand, auto loans that weren’t a good deal. Some took on obligations they couldn’t afford. But millions of others were deceived or misled by shifting terms and confusing conditions and forests of fine print.

And your attorney general, Lisa Madigan, has been fighting on behalf of consumers in this state and she knows how badly we need these protections. (Applause.) In fact, Lisa and a bunch of other attorney generals came to testify on behalf of the need for these consumer protection bills because they see this stuff in their offices every day. And it’s true all across the country.

Now, some argue that giving consumers more information in clear, concise ways is somehow going to stifle competition. I believe the opposite. See, I think if you know what you’re buying, you can make a good decision. And that means that the companies, instead of competing to see who can offer the most confusing products, companies will have to compete the old-fashioned way: by offering the best product. (Applause.)

But that’s not going to reduce innovation or competition. You just should be knowing what you’re buying. It’s like a lemon law, right? You don’t want to go into the used car lot and get something where they’ve changed the odometer and put a fresh coat of paint on some old beater and pretend like it’s a new car. Well, it’s the same thing with financial products. You should know what you’re getting.

All right, so that’s the third thing. Finally, we’re going to give the people who own these companies, these financial companies — mainly investors and pension holders and shareholders like many of you — we want you to have more say in the way they’re run. Because some of these firms, they’ve got these huge salaries, huge bonuses that create a perverse incentive to encourage people to take reckless risks. But if you own stock in these companies, you need to get some say in how they operate. (Applause.) You’ll get to decide how managers are paid and how those firms operate. And that means that we’ll actually increase the connection between Main Street and Wall Street. They’ll be more accountable to you.

So that’s the reform we’ve put forward. (Applause.) These are the reforms that we’re putting forward: Accountability — which means no more bailouts. Closing loopholes — no more trading of things like derivatives in the shadows. Consumer protections — no more deceptive products. A say on pay — so that we give shareholders a more powerful voice. That’s what we’re trying to do.

Now, I don’t think this should be a partisan issue. Everybody — Republicans, and Democrats, and independents — were hurt by this crisis. So everybody should want to fix it. So I’m very pleased that after a few days of delay, it appears an agreement may be at hand to allow this debate to move forward on the Senate floor on this critical issue. (Applause.) I’m very pleased by that.

And I want to work with anyone — Republican or Democrat — who wants to pursue these reforms in good faith. And there can be some legitimate differences on certain issues, but the bottom line is consumers have to be protected. We have to end bailouts. We’ve got to make sure that these trading practices are out in the open. We’ve got to make sure that people have a say in terms of how these firms operate so they’re more accountable.

So as long as we’re adhering to those clear principles, then I feel okay. What I don’t want is a deal made that is written by the financial industry lobbyists. We’ve had enough of that. (Applause.) We’ve had enough of that. I want to listen to what they have to say, but I don’t them writing the bill. I don’t want Democrats and Republicans agreeing to a bill written by them, for them. I want a bill that’s written for you, for the American people. (Applause.)

So we’re going to see how this debate unfolds. We’re going to get this done. And we’re going to get it done because you demand it. It’s been two years since this crisis, born on Wall Street, slammed into Main Street with its full fury. And while things aren’t nearly back to normal out here, they’re getting back to normal pretty quick up there. Some in Washington think this debate is moving too fast. They think, well, this is kind of a political game; let’s see how this whole thing can play to our advantage in November.

See, that’s not how I play. I’ve been calling for better rules on Wall Street since 2007, before this crisis happened. (Applause.) So I don’t think we’re moving too fast. I think we’ve been moving too slow. It’s time to get this done. And I don’t think you want to see us wait for another year or two years. I don’t think you think Washington is moving too fast. (Applause.) I think you want to get this done. (Applause.)

You shouldn’t have to wait another day for the protections from some of the practices that got us into this mess. We can’t let the recovery that’s finally beginning to take hold fall prey to a whole new round of recklessness. If we don’t learn the lessons of this crisis, we doom ourselves to repeat it. And I refuse to let that happen. (Applause.) So the time for reform is now. (Applause.)

Quincy, let me just say this. Through all the noise and the lobbyists and the partisanship — and I know sometimes you’re watching TV and saying, sheesh, everybody is yelling and hollering, and why are they so mad? But this debate comes down to a simple choice: Are we going to go down the same road, where irresponsibility of a few can put millions of families at risk and stick taxpayers with a tab?

AUDIENCE: No!

THE PRESIDENT: Or are we going to protect consumers, and strengthen our financial system, and put rules in place that keep this from happening ever again? (Applause.) Are we going to give in to the special interests, or are we going to score another victory for the American people? (Applause.) Are we going to stick with the status quo? Or are we going to bring about fundamental change that makes things work for ordinary Americans? (Applause.)

We’ve got the power to do something about this. That’s all it comes down to — the will to act. I still believe we can come together, just like you all came together during those floods, filling those sandbags — everybody joining together, everybody breaking a little sweat, everybody helping out. That’s how America got built. (Applause.)

We are not powerless in the face of our challenges. We don’t quit when things get tough. We’re not afraid. (Applause.) When something happens, we come together. We move forward. We act. We are Americans — our destiny is written by us, not for us. (Applause.) And if we remember that and summon that spirit once again, we’re going to strengthen our economy today and tomorrow, and restore security to the middle class. (Applause.)
That’s what we’re fighting for — the American Dream right here in Quincy, right here in Illinois, all across the country. (Applause.)

God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. Thank you. (Applause.)

END 4:16 P.M. CDT

RUSH: Last Friday on Organizing for America’s YouTube channel the DNC released this video of President Obama rallying Democrats for the 2010 campaign.

OBAMA: They see these elections as a chance to put their allies back in power and to undo all that we’ve accomplished. So this year I need your help once more. It will be up to each of you to make sure that the young people, African-Americans, Latinos, and women who powered our victory in 2008 stand together once again.

RUSH: And the accompanying news story — we got two of them here — one of them from the Washington Post: “President Barack Obama will declare his stake in the November midterm elections for the first time today as his Democratic Party announces an ambitious strategy to appeal to independent voters in its quest to maintain control of Congress.” And so Obama and Democrats appeal to new voters in midterm — who are the new voters? Who are the new voters, folks? Didn’t he get the youth vote? Didn’t he get the black vote? Didn’t he get the legal Latino vote? Didn’t he get the female vote? Okay, so who are these, uh, new voters in the midterms? Who are they, and why all of a sudden announce an immigration plan that doesn’t exist? There is no immigration bill that has been written. This is all about saving Harry Reid’s bacon. Large Hispanic population in Nevada, it’s all about saving the Democrats. That’s the new voters. This is a targeted push at Latino voters, both legal and illegal. The Politico is handling this today: “Obama seeks to reconnect young people, African-Americans, Latinos, and women for 2010.” So, playing the race card, El Rushbo told you back on March 22nd this is exactly what was going to happen. It has happened. Here’s more from the Obama video.

OBAMA: It will be up to each of you to keep our nation moving forward, to keep working to fix Washington, to keep growing our economy, and to keep building a fairer, stronger, and more just America. If you help us do that, if you help us make sure that first-time voters in 2008 make their voices heard again in November, then together we will deliver on the promise of change and hope and prosperity for generations to come.

RUSH: There are a lot of problems, however. We now have CBO news again knowing what we already knew. Health care costs are going to skyrocket. Premiums are going to skyrocket. The CBO, weeks after it’s signed into law, gives us the dirty details. There are a bunch of Democrats running for reelection, members of the House who all are on record saying the reason they voted for health care is because it will reduce costs and lower premiums, and every damn one of them now can be accused of being wrong, uninformed, or at worse, lying to their constituents about it. Independents — Obama wants to desperately hold onto independents that voted for him in 2008 — it is independents who have fled the Democrat Party and who are resulting in these terrible polls that the Democrats have in the congressional ballot and in specific races, and on whether or not Obama’s policies are viewed favorably or unfavorably. I mean they’re tanking. Democrats are tanking everywhere out there. So now it’s time for the big push. I also said October 12th of 2009, this is the profile piece Jamie Gangel of NBC did on me for the Today Show. She said, “Beyond politics, were you moved in any way to see an African-American elected president?”

RUSH ARCHIVE: Yeah, but I got over it very quickly. I mean he’s president of the United States. His skin color doesn’t matter to me. His policies are what matter. The idea that we’ve had a very historic thing was wonderful when it happened, absolutely, but I’ll be honest, I predicted to you it was going to exacerbate racial problems, and it has. Any criticism of President Obama is going to be said to be oriented in racism, and if you don’t like his health care bill, it’s racist. And I opposed when Clinton and Hillary were trying to do it and they aren’t black. It’s all about ideas.

RUSH: And last Thursday on this program I said this.

RUSH ARCHIVE: Let’s spend some time on this next week. The states will be the last line of defense against this power grab of the regime.
RUSH: Absolutely, and Arizona is showing exactly how this is going to happen and now Al Sharpton is taking from the streets to the suites and back to the streets. He’s going to rally a bunch of freedom riders to go to Arizona, Obama dumping on the state of Arizona, dumping on the states. Here is Obama last Friday morning in Washington, the White House Rose Garden, a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members.

OBAMA: Efforts in Arizona which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe. In fact, I’ve instructed members of my administration to closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation. But if we continue to fail to act at a federal level, we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country.

RUSH: Senator Lindsey Grahamnesty has decided to walk away from Senate talks on climate change and energy legislation, cap and trade, at least for now. And this has prompted the measure’s remaining architects to scuttle today’s plan unveiling the bill. Lindsey Grahamnesty is upset over Democrat plans to take up immigration legislation this year. He had no idea this was coming. Had he listened to me he would have known. He thought they were going to move forward on cap and trade and climate change and so forth, then the Democrats realized they’re losing independents left and right, that a lot of their important leaders are vulnerable, and so it’s time now for a political push. And, folks, make no mistake, there’s no way they’re going to get an immigration bill passed and signed into law before November. The Democrat Party wants no part of it, either.

The strategy here is to just campaign for it, just to show that these Latinos, independents, you are for it, and accuse the Republicans of racism, exactly what I said. (impersonating Obama) “Some people in this country don’t like the color of your skin and they don’t want you to be American, they don’t think you are.” That’s what’s coming, the initial steps of this have been made. The pathway is being laid, and it’s all about helping Dingy Harry in Nevada and a number of other Democrats and Obama as well holding onto his Democrat majority in November ’cause if he loses the Democrat majority in the House, if he loses it in the Senate or both, then his agenda comes to a screeching halt compared to where he is now. So Grahamnesty has accused the Democrat leaders of pushing forward immigration haphazardly, calls it an election year political gambit.

Byron York, the Washington, DC, Examiner in a piece: “Why Graham Balked,” and he asked the question: “Can Dems Win By Losing on Climate AND Immigration?” Meaning can they win at the ballot box by acting like they really want all this and have it not happen because a Republican walked away? A Republican walked away from cap and trade. A Republican walked away from clean air, Lindsey Graham, a Republican walked away from clean water, a Republican walked away from saving the planet. But we, the Democrats, want to do all that, save the planet, save the air, save the drinking water — a Republican walked away. We’re getting no help on immigration. Republicans don’t want you to be Americans because you are a person of color. This is all coming, I predicted it to you. The question is do they have the credibility to pull this off. Can they recapture the magic Obama had with his cultlike following in the ’08 presidential campaign, can they put that together the next three or four months here for the 2010 midterms, and I would have to say they can’t, the bloom’s off the rose, there is no more magic. All there is now is the unique perception of a slimy community agitator and organizer who does not win policy debates.

He gets what he wants in ways that Americans know is not how things happen in America. The Obama way is not how things happen, it’s not how things get done here, and that’s why Rasmussen polled the number of people that want to repeal the health care bill, all-time high today. Number of people who oppose it is not dwindling at all. The Obama agenda is not supported, so it’s gonna require continued thuggery from the Oval Office.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I have a couple questions, ladies and gentlemen, as I always do, after listening to our young president speak. So Obama seeks to “reconnect” with young people, with African-Americans, with Latinos, and with women. Why does Obama not seek to reconnect with white people? Why does Obama not seek (to specify) older white people? Why does Obama say he doesn’t want to reach out to older white males? Why does Obama only say “young people, African-Americans, Latinos, and women”? Why doesn’t he say that he wants to reach out to white women? It’s just a question. Now, listen to this sound bite again, and you tell me if this isn’t Barack Obama himself engaging in anti-government rhetoric by criticizing Arizona.

OBAMA: [E]fforts in Arizona which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe. In fact, I’ve instructed members of my administration to closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation. But if we continue to fail to act at a federal level, we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country.

RUSH: Okay, 70% of Arizonans are “misguided.” The Arizona governor is “misguided.” The Arizona legislature is “misguided,” and Arizona “threaten(s) to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans.” Why is that not anti-government rhetoric? Why is that not dangerous rhetoric? The president of the United States “started a little brushfire” out there in Arizona, sounds like to me. These people engaging in violence and hate rhetoric against the duly elected government of Arizona are somehow backbone of America, even though they’re not American? Al Sharpton can go down there and shill for some new victims? Somebody should tell Sharpton that he’s not Hispanic. Somebody ought to tell Sharpton that many African-Americans are opposed to amnesty, which Sharpton has even admitted himself. We got the audio coming up on this.

Sharpton even admits that a lot of African-Americans oppose amnesty. Why are they not called racists? Why are African-Americans who oppose amnesty not called racists? ‘Cause they’re looking out for their jobs? That’s exactly why they oppose it. That’s exactly why they oppose amnesty: They’re looking out for their jobs. I guess that makes them racist. No doesn’t make them racist. They can’t be racist. But you see how this race conversation permeates everything now? And guess who invites it? The regime! They enjoy the tumult; they feed off the chaos — and what’s “misguided” about the Arizona effort in the first place? What’s misguided about enforcing the law? How in the world are there civil rights violations? We’re not talking about United States citizens. Nothing’s real. Four Corners of Deceit. Nothing is real. The administration can’t tell us the truth about anything. It was actually the Medicare actuary who informed Health and Human Services that the cost overruns for Obamacare were what they are, and it was Sebelius and HHS which suppressed that news until now, after the bill had been signed. I don’t know how Arizona violates any trust. What kind of trust is there between lawbreakers and the police? It’s a scary situation to me.
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RUSH: Byron York writing in the DC Examiner, “Now, [Harry] Reid says he would like to have a bill in three weeks. It’s a laughable idea except for the fact that [Reid] is becoming desperate and might do anything to improve his chances of re-election. But even if Democrats can cobble together some sort of legislation in the next few weeks, they can forget about having the sort of Republican support that existed in 2007. The watered-down border security measures in that bill — the ‘virtual fence,’ for example — have been dumped. Temporary guest worker measures are gone, too. There is no way many Republicans would go along with a new Democratic measure. Even [McCain says] he ‘got the message’” since he’s campaigning for reelection” and that the US should ‘secure the border first.’ … Nevertheless, it appears the Democrats’ ‘cynical political ploy’ will go forward.” Bye-bye, cap and trade — bye-bye, climate change bill — and let’s just make everybody think all we care about now is amnesty and immigration. Byron York points out: “For Reid and his party, it’s a high-risk base-strategy gamble. Maybe it will work. But if it doesn’t, it could mean a Republican victory in November that’s even larger than GOP optimists predict.”

Here is the Reverend Sharpton press conference yesterday in New York City.

SHARPTON: We will bring freedom walkers to Arizona just like freedom riders went to the Deep South 50 years ago. But we cannot sit by and allow people to be arbitrarily and unilaterally picked off as suspects because of the color of their skin.

RUSH: There you have it! The race industry loves this. They are eating this up. They just can’t believe the good luck. Well, let’s go back. Grab audio sound bite 32. Last Wednesday on his syndicated radio show (on two radio stations) the Reverend Sharpton said this about the new immigration law in Arizona.

SHARPTON: I think it is racial profilin’. I think it undermines the Constitution. But there are many, including many in our community, that says, “No. These immigrants are taking our jobs. They are — they are milking our economy — and, Reverend, I don’t agree with you on that.” I have a lot of people in even the National Action Network say to me, “Reverend, I’m with you on a lot of things. I’m not with you on this.”

RUSH: So the Reverend Sharpton admits he’s going to have to find some freedom walkers out there that might not come from his radio audience because the African-Americans in his radio audience oppose amnesty. Notice they’re not called racists. Notice the Reverend Sharpton does not call members of his own National Action Network racists for opposing amnesty. No, no! they oppose it legitimately. They oppose it because they’re losing their jobs. They want jobs And they’re afraid they’re going to lose their jobs to illegals via amnesty. Well, other people think the same thing, Snerdley, but if they’re not African-American or Latino they’re called racists. Now, I think this is quite an education. Remember here something, too, as we go down the road on this thing: The Republicans can’t stop amnesty. Well, maybe with Scott Brown. It’s a toss-up there.

But if they have to go the reconciliation route, they will do that. Thuggery. Who cares what the Constitution says? Who cares what legislative tradition says? So Sharpton apparently is willing to go against the community… (interruption) Why? What’s his motivation here? (interruption) Well, I know. He’s now Obama’s man in the streets. And there have been stories about that recently. So, okay, freedom walkers. So basically here’s how to describe the path of the Reverend Sharpton: From the streets to the suites and back to the streets to talk about sheets. We’re simply reliving the days of Bull Connor except today the Arizona governor is Bull Connor. They’re recycling it all, and they’ve got the first African-American president leading the way — exactly as I, your host, predicted even before the immaculation. Here’s the Los Angeles Times: “Arizona’s Immigration Law May Spur a Showdown.” In this story, it says that Obama “‘examine the civil rights and other implications’of the law.” “Obama signaled that a legal showdown might be possible and that his administration would “examine the civil rights and other implications” of the law. … But the law’s opponents were highly skeptical that it could be enforced without police singling out Latinos. One provision of the law prevents police from using race “solely” to form a suspicion about someone’s legality, but the law does not prevent race from being a factor.” Uhhhh, like affirmative action? Like affirmative action, my friends? Ha-ha-ha-ha. I like to jab it in there. So (sigh) here we have all of the panic, all of it. Listen to our good buddy David Brooks who is just practically near tears over all this. He was on Meet the Press yesterday, and David Gregory said, “Immigration. Now a front burner issue.” Now, what Brooks shoulda said is, “Yeah, and Rush Limbaugh predicted it would be, just a month ago,” but he didn’t say that. Here’s what he said.
BROOKS: This bill in Arizona is an invitation to abuse. You’re going to have the government making decisions on the basis of raises and at what level are they making these decisions? At the cop level in the worst possible circumstances, when people are angry. It’s an invitation to sort of racial profiling and abuse. SO I think it’s terrible. But the worst effect is happening back here, because now we have the Democrats promising to have a comprehensive immigration bill before any of the preparatory work has been done, pushing aside a lot of other stuff, like cap and trade and energy — and why are they doing it? For purely political reasons because a lot of Democrats, including Harry Reid, who is trying to get reelected in Nevada, need to really fire up Latino voters to get them to come out to the polls.

RUSH: Right. So Brooks gets it. He gets it but he doesn’t understand why he gets it. Well, there he is. He’s on record: “Purely political considerations,” which is all anybody in the Democrat Party is doing these days. He’s… (interruption) I know. He’s slamming the police as being racist. But you have to do that if you’re a Washington, DC “centrist” or a “moderate.” You have to always accept the premise of the left. You can’t confront them on an issue of right and wrong for being thought of as racist or intolerant, so you have to go along with that premise. But then you get into the politics of it and say, “Eh, why are they doing this?” Because, see, the bottom line is: Brooks really wants this bill. Brooks and the boys want an amnesty bill down the road and he’s upset because the Democrats are going about it in a way that makes it appear that they don’t really want to get it. They just want to use the effort to get Latino voters. So Lindsey Graham pulls out, Thomas Friedman — who I should tell you, by the way, married into one of the most wealthy real estate families in this country. Thomas Friedman who’s on a kick now to make everybody “go green” and reduce their carbon footprint and all this. Thomas Friedman lives in a 12,000-square-foot home near Maryland with a giant pool out there. Who knows how many car garage he’s got. Yeah. It’s okay for him. It’s okay for him. Here’s Thomas Friedman also on Slay the Nation. Bob Schieffer said, “Tom Friedman, I want to ask you about this business now that the administration has decided to postpone bringing up the climate bill. I know you write a lot about that. What do you make about what’s going on here?”

FRIEDMAN: This is a disaster, Bob! This is a travesty. Bob, right now in Beijing, they’re high-fiving each other. “Oh, yeah, baby! This means the Americans are going to be paralyzed on green tech.” They don’t even need an immigration bill, Bob!

SCHIEFFER: (stammering)

FRIEDMAN: They’re worried that Harry Reid is going to lose in Nevada where you have a big Hispanic vote. Hispanics are very concerned about an immigration bill that will bring some legality to illegal immigrants here. Barbara Boxer is vulnerable in California.

RUSH: What is he saying here, the ChiComs are worried about Harry Reid? (interruption) Well, that’s crock. The Chinese aren’t worried about green jobs. The Chinese are smart enough to know there aren’t any such things as green jobs. The ChiComs are very content for people like useful idiots like Friedman to push the notion that there are green jobs. Let our government get bogged down. Let our country get bogged down all these green jobs. (interruption) Who? The ChiComs making the solar panels? Fine, fine. Do they work? Do they make a bit of difference? No! The ChiComs are selling us the tools of our own demise. The ChiComs are selling us the tools of our own demise. The minute we start pulling back on carbon production, the minute we start reducing our energy footprint is the day our economic growth stops. The ChiComs are more than happy to fulfill this, and they got useful idiots like Friedman writing about it. So the ChiComs, they think they’re going to get the green market cornered? (laughing) They have every market cornered before this guy is through — Obama, I mean. And now we’re told that the ChiComs also worried that Harry Reid might lose and that Barbara Botoxer is in problem out in… (interruption) Yes, Snerdley: Botoxer. Barbara Botoxer is in trouble out in California. The ChiComs are worried about this? So he’s really steamed here. You know, I kind of enjoy it, though, hearing all of these liberals in disarray. Schieffer then said, “Look, Larry Summers says they can do both.”

FRIEDMAN: First of all: Good luck. We have the energy Senate bill! There is no immigration bill anywhere! This is about politics. On both sides, okay? Lindsey Graham. Shame on the Republican Party! There’s one Republican for advancing green energy in this country? One Republican senator dares step out? So he’s completely isolated, and the Democrats are worried about Harry Reid? Have a nice day.

RUSH: And the ChiComs are worried about Harry Reid. Stop and think of this. Stop and think of this. Mr. Friedman, this is the way you and Brooks and the rest of you guys ought to look at this. Lindsey Grahamnesty? Lindsey Grahamnesty? Who? In the big scheme: Who? Lindsey Grahamnesty, one Republican out of 41 of them, bolts and a piece of legislation is dead in a body that has 59 Democrats? One Republican bolts and one Republican can cause all this chaos? And see, here’s the problem for Lindsey Grahamnesty. He’s going to be blamed as Republicans hate clean air, clean water, green tech, new jobs, all that stuff. It isn’t going to fly. It will fly with the usual 30% that are brain-dead freeloaders, but it’s not going to fly as the American people become more informed and more educated and understand exactly what now we are all up against with this regime.
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RUSH: Here’s Janet in Phoenix as we start on the phones. Great to have you here.

CALLER: Hey, Rush. Hey, I am the Republican Congress challenger against liberal Ed Pastor, and I had the great privilege on Saturday of having a town hall here in Phoenix with Hispanic-Americans. And it was so surprising, there was a little apprehension, I didn’t know what I’d be walking into with all the national attention that’s been given to the new Arizona law as having the potential to violate civil rights, but we took it to the people, and I’ve got news for Obama and Reverend Al, 70% of Arizona voters support this law, and that number includes 51% of Arizona Democrats. So they need to wake up. But the discussions included some really heated things at times, but cooler heads prevailed in the end, and the vast agreement was that border security is needed here in Arizona, it’s been needed for a long time, and the federal government is failing us miserably.

RUSH: Exactly, even Senator McCain is saying so. Even Senator McCain’s wanting 3,000 National Guard troops. You know, guess who else wants National Guard troops? Chicago. I have a list of recent crimes in Chicago — our president’s quasi-hometown — that prints out to five pages. They want the National Guard in the president’s quasi-hometown to help suppress the crime effort there. So they want the National Guard on the border. And don’t forget Obama wants his own domestic police force that rivals the US military. (interruption) Do I believe McCain? I’m being asked if I think McCain is sincere. I don’t know. I mean, you would hope so. You would really hope so. But it is election season and his position on immigration is generally not as tough. In fact, it’s generally nowhere near what his position is now. But, you know, things have changed. I mean ranchers are getting shot on their own property in Arizona.

You have 70% of the people of Arizona supporting this, 51% of Democrats, and throwing around these accusations of civil rights violations is just a tactic, and its intent is to subordinate US law to feelings. Its intent is to subordinate our Constitution and our statute law to a liberal agenda that seeks to overturn our constitutional founding and the rule of law as we know it today.

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