4:45PM Limbaugh walks in to rousing applause after being introduced by Lisa Di Pasquale as, “My aphrodisiac, Rush Limbaugh.”
Fox is televising the speech on Fox News Channel, “which means ladies & gentlemen, that this is my first ever address to the nation.”
“Larry King goes to heaven …”
4:52 “Let me tell you who we conservatives are. We love people. We see human beings. What we see is potential. We do not look out across the country and we do not see that person with contempt. We see that person can become the best they can be without onerous taxes, too much regulation and too much government. We recognize that we are all individuals.”
“We are endowed with inalienable rights, among them life.”
“We see so much waste, fifty years of the war on poverty. We resist the effort to group up, we are all different. There are no two people with the same outcomes.”
“Someone has to say this. Take a look at all the constituency groups who for the last 50 yrs who have Democrat for their lives. Those lives are still poisoned by those who say, don’t worry, just vote for us.
“I want everyone to succeed. I want every organization that gets in the way to fail.
“I have not needed a teleprompter for anything I’ve said. Our believes are core. We don’t need notes.
“We’re not a minority. The American people may not all vote but more Americans live their lives as conservatives in one degree or another. We need conservative leadership. All we need is the right candidate.
“President Obama is one of the most gifted politicians I’ve ever witnessed. He has extraordinary talents, it just breaks my heart that he does not use these talents and gifts to inspire the American people to be the best they can be.
“The freedom is the ambition, the desire, the passion people have. Why shouldn’t that be rewarded? Why is that now the focus of punishment, the focus of blame?
“The people who have achieved great things, most wealth in this country is entrepeneurial hard work. There is no reason to punish it. Barack Obama has taken 1 oath, and that’s to defend the US Constitutiion. They do not have the rights to take money from the back pockets of producers and give to people like ACORN.”
The audience in the ballroom where Limbaugh is speaking, and in the other large rooms where the speech is being livefed, are enthusiastically listening. The overflow room is standing room only, too.
“Welfare destroys ambition”. Large round of applause.
Von Hayek “for intellectuals, for all liberals, is all about control… We don’t have the money.”
Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Bill Clinton, “the architects of the crisis we’re in…get to sit around and dictate how we pay for it.”
Laughter at “after Obama’s state of the union show.”
Big applause at Joe Biden walking through the train station, commenting on the Indian 7-11. More laughs at “we have to be out of here by six. OK, if you behave.”
“The people who make the money are not the enemy. They’re the people who hire you, who give you a raise, who need you to work for them.”
“Obama forgets the recession of the eighties… because we got out of it with tax cuts.” BIG applause.
“In six weeks of this administration, Pres Obama has proposed more spending since the founding of the nation to his inauguration.” Wows from the audience.
“President Obama, your agenda is not new, it’s not change, and it’s not hope.”
“It is not their task to rebuild this nation”, audience stands up and applauds.
“Everybody seems to go orgasmic over bipartisanship. I checked with Fox, that word is OK. They covered the Lewinsky thing.”
“Where is the compomise of all of this punishment of the achievers? Where is the compromise between good and evil? Should Jesus have cut a different deal?
We’re going to have to talk about principle.”
Several people in the audience are pleased to see me liveblogging and give me their business cards.
5:32PM “Here is the big question, aside from the consitutional, where is the evidence that the people proposing this have succeeded at it before?”
“John Kerry.” Pause. Laughter from the audience.
Limbaugh rips the class envy/class stuggle, crowd is eating it up.
“That’s sick” crowd loves it.
“Conservatism doesn’t need to be redefined. It is forever.”
“When the hell do you ever hear a liberal say the era of FDR is over?” Big applause.
“Conservatism is a set of core principles. .. Beware of those who are making sure liberals like us, the media like us. They are our enemy. They want us to be defeated.”
“The media people” pant pant pant…”the invited Sen. McCain because he happened to be the loudest at criticizing our people… There’s nothing stale about freedom.” People get up & applaud, chanting.
“Obama’s purpose in having dinner with conservative pundits was to annoint those conservatives as his people.”
“You do not know that just the everyday life you live, live your life according to your principles, and you’ll be astounded on how many people you impress. Don’t be afraid to tell them they’re wrong. You owe them the truth about things.”
“We have to stand for what we believe and treat people as adults.” Applause.
“Joe Biden.” Chuckles from the crowd. After the anecdote, “I realize some of you watching on TV never heard liberals made fun of this way. Get used to it.” Whoots & cheers from the audience.
“We [Americans] are a competitive people.”
“We are not going to give up the American dream.” Applause.
“About my comment that I hope Pres. Obama fails.”… “I hope the Cardinals coach failed. I wanted to win.”
“They called General Petraeus a liar before he testified.” Boos. “Mrs Clinton” more boos.
“If his mission is to destroy capitalism. Why would I want that to succeed?” Big applause.
“I want the country to survive.” Standing applause, chanting. “I want the country to survive as we have known it, as we were raised. ”
“I don’t give people the power to offend me.”
“We’re talking about remaining the country we’ve known. It’s never been under assault as it is now. Optimism, confidence, stop thinking that we’re the minority. It is your beliefs, your core principles that liberate you.”
